I booked the Paradox Hotel for our family during the holidays. I used Expedia ( a site I often use because of its easy cancellations and good hotel deals) but saw recently on the actual Paradox Hotel website they have a Washington Residents’ rate. (I often google “Washington residents rate” for Vancouver hotels and they often come with discounts and parking. The Pan Pacific and Fairmont hotels have had these rates in the past.) But the kids and dog decided to stay with their grandparents so the hubby and I ended up with this stay all to ourselves. I wasn’t intending on writing up this stay so I didn’t take many photos but someone recently asked me about places to stay in Vancouver and I remembered our stay and recommended this hotel. It has a great location in downtown Vancouver and I thought our balcony was spectacular.
Make sure you ask if there are upgrades available
When we arrived I asked if there was an upgrade available and was told there was one but it was for a fee. Then I remembered that I had get upgrades included with my VIP Expedia status at this hotel and reminded the person checking us in. So we got a free upgrade. We also did not park at the hotel but at a lot nearby that was well lit and felt safe (and was pretty reasonable too.) The lobby was a little odd-it’s around the back of the hotel and we never really figured it out. It felt like you had to walk through a restaurant at the front of the hotel with a grand entrance to get there. But the hotel also felt sleek and clean and fancy.
I originally booked this hotel because it is dog-friendly, it has a pool and the rooms seem generously sized for our family of four and there are lots of things within walking distance of this hotel. Our upgraded room ended up being a room with a balcony and a freestanding tub that overlooked the city. We were able to walk to Joe Fortes for dinner and we got pastries from Thierry Chocolates to eat on the balcony because it was nice to feel like we had the whole city to ourselves. Having a balcony in Vancouver is a dream especially on a clear night. I don’t know many cities as beautiful as Vancouver-it’s surrounded by mountains and water and it feels safe enough to walk around pretty much anywhere.
The Paradox Hotel is right near Lucky’s Donuts
I would profess that Lucky’s Donuts has my favorite Vancouver donut-it’s the French Cruller and the handful of times we’ve had it it has always been perfect: a little like a just hot Krispy Kreme but with a more honey-like taste and more texture and crunch when you first take a bite. I no longer know what the other donuts taste like here because I always only order this one. (But if you like filled donuts we’ve also loved the Mello Donuts in Vancouver too.). It’s convenient to have a Lucky’s Donuts right next door.
On Christmas Eve morning most coffee shops in Vancouver might be closed
We stayed from the 23rd to 24th morning and found that every coffee shop we tried on the 24th was not open even though their hours online and on their websites said they are open. So hours for shops on Christmas Eve morning in Vancouver may be very different than regular days. We ended up deciding to pick up a few things from Urban Fare grocery store to tide us over while we waited for Lucky’s Donuts to open and then realized that this grocery store has a sit down area with breakfast you can order. We ordered an omelette to share and it turned out to be way fancier than I expected and it was delicious too.
And Urban Fare actually is a bit of a special place to my family. My Jichan worked for Jim Pattison as a gardener ages ago and he would always get a Christmas basket full of things from Urban Fare that he shared with us around the holidays. I was really missing my Jichan and this breakfast we randomly stumbled upon made me think of him fondly. I love when things like this just seem to happen out of nowhere and this made me love our stay at the Paradox Hotel even more.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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