Our Top Ten

Vancouver Family Day Activities

February 10, 2017 by Chateau Granville Leave a Comment

On Monday, February 13^th British Columbia will celebrate Family Day, read our blog on Vancouver Family Day Activities that are being held this weekend. We have listed ten activities that are suitable for all the family.

1. Ice Skating Robinson Square

Will you be in downtown Vancouver over the family day weekend? If so, why not take advantage of Robson square ice rink. The final day for skating is Tuesday, 14^th February. Check their website for a listing of their opening hours. Our hotel is within walking distance to the Ice Rink.

Vancouver Family Day Activities — Photo Credit: Nasir Khan – Flickr

2. Museum of Anthropology

On February 12th bring your family to the Museum of Anthropology, you will get free entry to an irresistible taste of Brazilian culture, in collaboration with ArtStarts with your ticket.

3. Grouse Mountain 24 Hours of winter

Join Grouse Mountains 24 hours of winter, during this event they will have nonstop activities from sunrise to sundown. There is plenty of activities for all the family from snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and more!

4. Wine Festival

The Vancouver International Wine Festival starts on February 11th until the 19th. Each year the festival focuses on one country or region, this year the spotlight is on Canada. For full details on the this festival view their website.

5. VanDusen

Take the family to VanDusen Botanical Garden and take advantage of their $5 combo admission for VanDusen & Bloedel. Take a stroll around the garden and enjoy the 55 acres of beauty that the garden has to offer.

6. Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain, also known as the Peak of Vancouver will be celebrating Family day by offering BC residents 50% off their ticket. Once at the top you will be amazed by the breathtaking views of downtown Vancouver.

7. Burnaby Village

Burnaby Village has designed a program for young kids that will run from 11am until 2pm on February 13. To see the activities that they have planned view their website.

8. Science World

Should you be considering a visit to Science World you will receive 25% off the admission price on Monday, February 13th.

9. Britannia Mine

Enjoy 50% off admission on Monday, 13th February at the Britannia Mine. The museum is a 45 minute drive from downtown Vancouver

10. Family Meal

Take advantage of the statutory day and take your family out for a meal. Our restaurant, The Edge Social Grille & Lounge has a great menu for you and your family.

Whatever activity you and your family choose we hope you have a fun and pleasant day.

10 Tips for Travelling with Kids

July 25, 2016 by Chateau Granville Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year when many families are getting ready for their annual family trip before they head back to school!

Read our 10 tips for travelling with kids.

1. Snacks

Pack your kids favorite snacks. Snacks are a great distractions and by having them, will prevent you having to make unnecessary stops during your trip.

10 Tips for Travelling with Kids — Photo Credit – Lisaclarke – Flickr

2. Clothing

If you are taking a longer journey with the kids make sure their clothes are comfortable for the journey. Have a spare set of clothes close by in the event that you have to change their clothes quickly.

3. Favorite Teddy

Don’t forget their favorite teddy or blanket! Bringing their favorite teddy will make travelling more pleasant, especially if they need their teddy for bed time.

4. Games

Keep the kids entertained while travelling and ensure you have sufficient games. If you are flying and don’t have the space to bring many games, you can always download some child friendly apps.

5. Time

Give yourself plenty of time so that you can factor in toilet breaks, time for them to explore, and other distractions.

6. Tissues & Baby Wipes

No matter how hard you try, a spill often can’t be avoided, be prepared for any spillages and have some tissues and baby wipes close at hand!

7. Medicine

Do your kids require specific medicine, ensure that the medicine is located close at hand such as in your handbag so that you are aware of where it is in an event of an emergency.

8. Plan ahead

Should you be staying in a hotel plan ahead and request a cot. Should you have any other requirements ring ahead and see if your requests can be accommodated.

9. Bring a camera

Take your camera with you so that you can treasure these memories for years to come.

10. Research your holiday

Make your travelling easier and more enjoyable by planning ahead and researching your destination. See what activities you and your kids can do and if they are suitable. Can you purchase your tickets ahead of time in order to avoid any queues? Those your destination have any kid specific activities or kids clubs that you can enroll your kids in? The more research you can do the more enjoyable the trip will be!

We hope these tips help you have a stress free family holiday! Share your tips with us.

Vancouver Activities for a Rainy Day!

June 28, 2016 by Chateau Granville Leave a Comment

Rain, rain go away and come back another day but if it sticks around here are some Vancouver Activities for a Rainy Day!

Even though the summer is here, we are prone to the odd rain shower! In the event that you are visiting our beautiful city and the rain those hit, here are 10 Vancouver activities for a Rainy Day!

Movie

Sit back, relax, grab some popcorn and enjoy a movie. There is several different cinema’s in and around Vancouver for you to choose from.

Vancouver Activities for a Rainy Day! — Photo Credit – Pedro – Flickr

Escape Rooms

Still a relatively new concept, it is a game in which players are in a room and you have to use certain elements in the room to solve a series of puzzles to escape within a set time period. There is a number of different activities you can partake in and it is great for a group of friends.

Granville Island

Spend a day strolling around Granville Island public markets and browsing the different vendors and stalls. Treat your taste buds to the array of different foods they have on offer.

Shopping Malls

Looking to refresh your wardrobe, there is plenty of department stores to keep you busy and out of the rain. Many of these department stores are located within close proximity to our hotel in and around Granville Street such as Nordstrom, Pacific Centre, Hudson Bay and Winners, just to name a few!

Bowling

Hit the lanes and enjoy a game of bowling. Many of the bowling alleys may also have an arcade, fooseball tables and a licensed lounge area.

Go to a Museum

Looking to learn something new during your stay in Vancouver, head to one of the many Museums. There is a wide selection of museums to choose from whether you want to learn more about Vancouver, Space, the Ocean or the study of anthropology you can learn all about it here in Vancouver.

Art Museum

Be entertained by the world of art and attend Vancouver’s art gallery. Get up close and personal to historical and contemporary exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, photography and video by regional, national and international artists.

Comedy Show

Keep yourself entertained on a rainy evening in Vancouver by attending a comedy or improv show.

Trampoline Fun

Fun for all the family! Bounce around on an oversized trampoline there is a number of fun activities you can participate in from volleyball to basketball while trying to maintain your balance on a trampoline or take a dive in to the foam zone area!

Face the Wall/Indoor climbing

Looking to stretch your muscles and burn a few calories with a fun activity put on a harness, buckle up and attack one of the many indoor walls.

We hope that the sun will shine throughout the summer but in the event that it those not, we hope these activities will help you enjoy your time in our beautiful city of Vancouver!

10 Things to do this summer in Vancouver

May 5, 2016 by Chateau Granville Leave a Comment

Are you coming to Vancouver this summer?

There’s a number of organized events happening in and around the city. Our diverse city has something for everyone, here is a list of 10 things to do during the summer in Vancouver. We have provided a great mix of events and activities to keep you entertained.

1. Grouse Grind

For the more active traveler why not attack Grouse Grind, a 2.9 kilometer trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, often referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.” The grind comprises of a total of 2,830 stairs in total. Once you reach the top you are greeted with breadth taking views of Vancouver. You will be glad to know that you can take the Skyride down for only $10.

10 THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER IN VANCOUVER — Photo Credit -C Pirate-Flickr

2. Vancouver TD Jazz Festival

Are you a Jazz fan? If so, then the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival is a must! The festival runs from June 24-July 3. This festival is held throughout Vancouver in a number of venues.

3.Celebration of Lights

The 2016 Honda Celebration of lights is a spectacular display of fireworks that happens over English Bay at 10pm over three nights, Saturday July 23^rd, Wednesday July 27^th and Saturday July 30^th Each night represents a different country, Netherlands on Saturday, followed by Australia and USA, Disney will close the celebrations.

4. Harbour Cruise

Take a break from strolling around the city and jump on board a number of the different harbour tours Vancouver has to offer. Drift along the Burrard lnlet and get up close to many of Vancouver’s famous landmarks. Many of the harbour cruises have dining options that you can partake in.

5. Seaplane

Looking for something a little different, get a better view of the city by seeing it from the air! Vancouver’s sea planes offer a variety of tours around the city or you can even take a trip further afield to such places as Whistler or Victoria.

6. Bard on the Beach

Looking for some Shakespeare over the summer months, watch many of Shakespeare’s performances in a unique setting on the waterfront in Vancouver’s Vanier Park. The Bard on the Beach festival runs from June until September.

7. Vancouver Pride Parade

The 37^th annual Vancouver Pride parade will hit the streets of Vancouver on Sunday, July 31st. This colorful event is the largest parade of its kind in Western Canada. The parade starts at 12 noon, at Robson Street and Thurlow Street, the parade heads west down Robson to Denman Street, follows Denman to Pacific and Beach Avenues and finishes at the Sunset Beach Festival site.

8. Americas Master Games

Be captivated by the world of sports and participate or watch the Masters Games which runs for a period of nine days, August 26^th to September 4^th. The games are about promoting an active and healthy lifestyle by encouraging any and all participants aged 30 to 100+ to continue to strive towards sporting success, and have fun in the process. View their websites to see all the sports that are taking part during the nine days of the games.

9. Cycle Tours

Cover the city by bicycle! Rent a bike and take a cycle through Stanley Park, around the city and don’t forget to take a spin along the seawall, you will be in aw of the spectuclar scenery that Vancovuer has to offer.

10. Beaches & Outdoor Pools

Looking to relax and catch some summer rays? There are a number of beaches in and around the city, don’t want to hit the beach you can take advantage of the many outdoor swimming pools located in Kitsilano or in Stanley park.

After a long day sightseeing around Vancouver you can rest your tired legs in one of our comfortable suites, we have a selection of accommodation for you to choose from.

We hope you enjoyed these suggestions, already been to Vancouver what was your favorite activity or place of interest, we would love to hear.

How to be Green on Vacation

April 11, 2016 by Chateau Granville Leave a Comment

Stay Green while on Vacation!

Watching your carbon footprint while on vacation can be a difficult task. We have listed 10 tips on how to be Green on Vacation. Some of these tips are applicable before you even go on your vacation! We hope these 10 tips will benefit you in planning your next green vacation.

1. Travel Light

The less you take the less weight the plane, car, train will have to carry, which in turn reduces the fuel consumption. The less fuel consumed by your chosen mode of transport the more beneficial it will be to the environment.

How to be Green on Vacation — Photo Credit – Jasleen_Kaur – Flickr

2. Unplug

Before you leave the house ensure all appliances have been unplugged, this will not only help with the environment but will also help reduce your energy bill. Unplugging appliances is not just for when you go away but you should unplug all your appliances when they are not in use.

3. Remove Packaging

Remove unnecessary packing on any of the products you are taking with you prior to travelling. This will enable you to dispose of the packaging correctly at home, in the event that you can not dispose of it correctly at your final destination.

4. Reusable Bottle

Take your reusable bottle with you when you go on vacation. It is handy to keep the bottle with you when you are out and about exploring your chosen destination. By using your reusable bottle it will greatly help the environment.

5. Reusable Bag

Instead of using the retailers bag when you make a purchase, use your own reusable bag. Recyclable bags are the perfect accessory to take with you in your handbag as they can be folded away neatly in to the smallest of spaces!

6. Stay in a Green Friendly Accommodation

When deciding upon where you are going to stay, look for a hotel that is green. Carry out your research and see what green initiatives they have in place to reduce their carbon footprint.

7. Lights and Air Conditioning

On leaving your room ensure you turn off the lights and air conditioning. The same goes for when a room is not in use, ensure all lights and air conditioning are turned off.

8. Transport

When touring around the city use public transport as much as possible to get to your destination. it will give you the change to really experience the city like a local!

9. Sightseeing

Look at different options on how to explore your vacation destination. You may be able to see the place by signing up to a guided bike tour or renting your own bike and a map. Many citiy destinations now also offer walking tours. Should you be staying in a hotel, ask the concierge for recommendations on how best to explore the city.

10. Rentals

Do you need to rent a car when you are on vacation consider renting a hybrid or a small car, as these are more environmental friendly.

We hope these tips are of some benefit to help you stay green while on vacation! What are your green tips for when you are travelling? We would love to hear your tips!