The Burrard Hotel

The Burrard Hotel
1100 Burrard Street
604 681 2331

The Burrard generously hosted us during our recent visit to Vancouver. All opinions about our stay at The Burrard are my own.

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We were new to Vancouver in 2010, freshly transplanted after eighteen months spent between Winnipeg and Paris, travelling and saving for a down payment on our first home at once. I thought I knew Vancouver, after two years at UBC. But in reality, there was so much of the city off campus left for me to discover. I spent a lot of time that year in and around the West End, where my best friend lived. We walked past the vintage neon sign for The Burrard Hotel countless times. I was deep into vintage back then, and if I missed anything about my hometown, it was the old architecture. The Burrard tugged at my heartstrings. But for some reason, I never did step inside.

Fast forward almost a decade. We’re back living in Winnipeg now, where I can admire vintage architecture to my heart’s content. But when it came time to plan our first trip back to Vancouver, I was stuck. The city is full of beautiful hotels, but none really stood out from the rest – they all seemed to have similar ocean views, similar design and a very Vancouver aesthetic that is totally instagrammable but can be a bit generic. I wanted to stay somewhere with character, to experience the city we so recently called home through a completely different lens.

Full disclosure: I also wanted to stay somewhere affordable. All of those lovely Vancouver hotels come with a hefty price tag. And while I love to indulge in luxury travel, I knew I’d spend most of my time in the city with friends, rather than lounging in my hotel room. With that in mind, spending hundreds of dollars a night didn’t seem justifiable. And then I remembered The Burrard.

I envisioned a stay at The Burrard as a fun and quirky trip back in time. From the palm-lined courtyard, reminiscent of California, to the colourful room doors and mid-century modern decor, that’s exactly what it was for us. Neither of us was alive in the sixties, of course. But we got to experience the look of it – albeit it with all the modern conveniences we love and rely on, like wifi, Nespresso coffee and in-room phone chargers – at The Burrard. I loved the combination of nostalgia and modernity it evoked. Every time I walked in, I was at taken back in time – both to the sixties and to family childhood road trips spent in motels. But all of the amenities were decidedly modern; perfect for me, since my admiration of all things vintage ends as soon as I start to lose convenience.

Spending a week in Vancouver reminded me why we don’t live there anymore. But the city is still home to most of the friends I’ve made in my adult life, so I know I’ll be back again (and again.) When I do, I know I’ll stay at The Burrard. The hotel offers a combination of reasonable nightly rates and fabulous design that is rare, especially in downtown Vancouver. The intersection between places I can afford to stay on my day job salary and places I actually want to stay is narrow. But The Burrard fits in.

A trip to Vancouver can be just as expensive as living there – or worse. (My current credit card bill is proof of that.) The Burrard delivers instagram-worthy style and comfort without breaking the bank. Which means you can have it all; a great trip where you don’t have to sacrifice fun to pay for your stay. For my money, that’s the best kind of holiday.

If you’re planning to visit Vancouver, The Burrard is offering 15% off bookings and free welcome “snack pack” to readers of Coco & Vera. Just use the code COCOANDVERA when you reserve your room! You can make your reservation here.

Happy travels!