August 14, 2012
They say that when you travel you learn more about yourself. You are pushed outside side of your comfort zone. Well, I can attest to this and I am only 3 days into this vacation. As soon as we landed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada it was as if the flight attendants kicked me out of my world and said “Welcome to the real world, Christina”. There were people everywhere. No one was smiling. Everyone was in a rush. Few people spoke understandable English. And we had not even left the airport.
Roy and I survived the 3:30am wake up and the plane changes in Charlotte and Phoenix without any problems. When we arrived in Vancouver, we found our barely damaged luggage and cleared Customs. We decided we wanted our adventure to start right away so we chose to brave the Sky Train and take Canada Line from the airport into downtown as it only cost us $8.75 per person versus the $35 for a cab. We rode the train to the very end of the line and got off at the Waterfront Station and proceeded 3 blocks, luggage in tow, to the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel.
Holy Moly. I didn’t know I had made reservations at the Taj Mahal. I have never stayed at a Fairmont property before, but I knew they were supposed to be very nice and they are only located in select major cities around the world. I figured I would take advantage of my lovely travel agent discount and we could spend a pre-cruise night in Vancouver. The check in at the Fairmont Pacific Rim was seamless and the receptionists were friendly and spoke clear English – seemed normal. We proceeded to our room where we came face to face with a solid wood door with a doorbell. Yes, a personal doorbell for our hotel room. We walked in and still the room seemed fairly standard…2 queen beds, flat screen TV, wall of windows overlooking the city. It wasn’t until I walked in the bathroom, which is always my favorite part, that I realized I was not staying in a standard hotel. The bathroom floors were marble, the shower was glass, and the mirror had a tv within the mirror. Yes, you read that correctly…there was a small television within the mirror of the bathroom. You know, so you can keep up with ESPN while you shower. After screaming for Roy to check out the bathroom, I began to notice more of the details of the room. There were no light switches. The lights were powered by a touch screen panel that gave you settings for different moods…groom, spa, relax, night, welcome. There was an Ipad for our use in the room which gave access to a virtual concierge, weather, internet (for a fee), and room service. The staff somehow knew when we left for dinner because when we returned, the lights were in “relaxed” setting, the drapes were closed, there was soft music playing, and I suddenly noticed the painting above the beds which was now illuminated. We were definitely not staying at a Hampton Inn.
After being overwhelmed by the luxurious Fairmont, we set out to see Vancouver. The area of Vancouver has approximately 2.2 million people. I think they all live downtown. I have never seen so many high-rise buildings. All of the buildings looked the same. Roy and I ventured to the Vancouver Tourism Center, only 1 block from the hotel, and picked up some maps. We walked toward the water and saw Canada Place…the convention center and cruise port. We stayed along the sea wall just as the receptionist told us to. It was amazing to see the contrast of the high-rise concrete jungle and the water and the forest located on the other side of the water from us. We watched seaplanes take off and land, people were jogging, families were playing in the grassy areas. It truly was beautiful along the water. We proceeded toward the marina to Cardero’s , a restaurant our receptionist at the Taj Mahal recommended to us. We were seated immediately out on the patio overlooking the marina and we enjoyed a seafood dinner in the sunshine. As we made our way back the Pacific Rim, we noticed that BMWs are like Hondas or Toyotas back home. They were everywhere! The wealth in the downtown area was noticeable everywhere you looked. We held our eyes open as long as we possibly could, but inevitably we were asleep before 9pm; midnight back home.
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