Best Western Sands Hotel By the Sea!

Passports & Trip Requirements

Document Requirements for Travellers

Images of Vancouver

Our friends, photographer Maurice Jassak of Images West Marketing and the people at Netgenetix Media have compiled some great websites of spectacular images of Vancouver. Click on the links below to see images of our beautiful city.

• www.seethewestend.com
  Welcome to the West End of Vancouver. This site hopes to provide insights and information on the West End to local residents and visitors alike.
• www.seestanleypark.com
  Visit the highlight of Vancouver, "Stanley Park".
• www.vancouverscenes.com
  If you have a HIGH SPEED connection with "flash 5.0" plug-in installed, you are invited to view a tribute to Vancouver called "Vancouver Scenes" produced by Netgenetix Media. This is a multimedia presentation combining images, sound and animation.

Silversides Fishing is located in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. We fish the Fraser River Valley from Mission to Chilliwack and beyond and also the Squamish-Whistler area. Serving the novice to expert.
Salmon, steelhead & trout fishing, flyfishing or conventional. Custom tied flies. Full service guided trips.
Airport and Hotel pick up.

Telephone: (604) 864-5445 www.bcfishing-guide.com.

A walker's paradise right in the heart of the city - 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of woodlands, gardens, flowers, trails, lakes, benches and wildlife. It's one of the largest urban parks in North America. Circum-navigate the park via the seawall (a brisk 2-hour walk) or take the road less travelled around Lost Lagoon or Beaver Lake to view the resident geese and raccoons. Stanley Park is home to the Vancouver Aquarium as well as a children's farmyard, tennis courts, pitch and putt golf course which makes it a great family outing. http://vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/

Biking: You never forget how to ride a bike. And that's a good thing because you may want to jump on one and tour around during your visit. Bikes are common in this city and Vancouver has numerous cycle paths and bike routes, ranging from easy, flat terrain around Stanley Park to over-night trips around the Gulf Islands. Cycling is perhaps the best way to explore Vancouver and the superb natural beauty. Vancouver's moderate climate makes it possible to cycle almost year round. If you choose to tour around by bike, please be advised that Vancouver has a mandatory helmet law.

• Vancouver City Tours, bike tours: www.vancouvercitytours.com
• Mountain Bike Shuttle, bike tours and shuttles: www.citybycycle.com
• Bike Camps: www.307bike.com

Bird-watching: Stanley Park is a breeding ground for birds, ducks, geese and swans. Stroll around Lost Lagoon and see if you can spot a blue heron or a wood duck. Beaver Lake, nestled inside Stanley Park is a quiet sanctuary for birds and people alike. In spring, ducklings can be seen in little bundles floating along the water. The city provides seed to the birds which keeps their numbers up all year round.

Vancouver Aquarium: Aquarium naturalists give answers to some of the most frequently asked questions as well as some of the most unexpected ones! While you can enjoy connecting with a wide variety of marine life, this aquatic conservation and education centre, located in Vancouver's Stanley Park is a highlight to any trip to the area. It is simply, not to be missed. www.vanaqua.org

Golf: Vancouver's natural beauty and mild climate are a perfect fit for duffers and pros alike. The Greater Vancouver area boasts a number of excellent golfing facilities from pitch and putt to C.P.G.A.-rated golf courses including two designed by golf legends Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino and another that is home to the PGA Tour's 'Air Canada Championship'. Many of Vancouver's facilities offer corporate retreats, banquets, special events, and meetings. And business is booming. Golf course developers have tried to keep up with the exploding popularity of the sport. Some of the game's greatest players and course designers have lent their names and talents to creating new and exciting courses throughout the Lower Mainland and Whistler. Most golf courses are easily accessible and daily transfers are available for those who want to venture out a little further. The golf season typically runs from April to October but many are open year-round.

Scuba Diving: Most people think of the tropics when they think of scuba diving but Vancouver has some of the best cold water scuba diving in the world. Scuba divers plunge the frigid waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland to view spectacular marine species like wolf, eels and octopus, as well as a brilliant red coral found few other places in the world. Cates Park in Deep Cove and Whytecliff Park near Horseshoe Bay are popular diving sites, and many Vancouver scuba enthusiasts get their feet wet here first. On the Sunshine Coast, the jagged coastal fjord of Jervis Inlet near Powell River provides a stunning backdrop for finding a sunken mermaid that has been submerged by local diving enthusiasts. Some shipwrecks off the Malaspina Strait still yield buried treasures!

Fishing: Enjoy the many fishing areas in the Lower Mainland.

• Silversides Fishing Adventures
  Salmon Steelhead & Trout Fishing
  Flyfishing or conventional
  Airport and hotel pick up
  Full service guided trips
  Telephone 604-864-5445
  www.bcfishing-guide.com
• Aquatic Venture
  Ocean Salmon Fishing
  Join Captain Rod Hebert and first mate Annette on board the "Angler's Dream"'
  "Because you can't go fishing without a rod and a net"
  Will pick up or deliver anywhere in the Pacific
  -18 years experience
  -Fully certified and bondable
  1-866-742-3474 info@fishchartervancouver.com
  778-882-FISH (3474) www.fishchartervancouver.com

Kayaking: See Vancouver at a whole new level... sea level! Check out scenic Vancouver from an ocean kayak. Paddle around English Bay, False creek and Jerico Beach.

Ecomarine, www.ecomarine.com, located at the foot of Davie and Denman, as well as Jerico Beach and Granville Island, Ecomarine haslessons, rentalsand tours.

Whale Watching: Wild Whales Vancouver, www.whalesvancouver.ca, the only whale watching tour that leaves from downtown. Eco tours are also available.

Dinner Cruises: Accent Cruises, www.accentcruises.ca, Vancouver's largest fleet of charter boats, lunch cruises, dinner cruises and more.

Granville Island: Once a home of industry, Granville Island was renovated during the seventies into one of the city's most popular attractions. The industrial sheds have been painted in brilliant colours; moored yachts and fishing boats ring the entire Island. The waterside setting with city and mountain views is idyllic, yet this island hums with activity. Stroll the celebrated Public Market, a feast for both the eye and the palate. Take the kids and the kid in you for a treat at the Kids Only Market. Take in a play, or a street performer's serenade. Watch artists and craftspeople at work, or boats pass by from a waterfront bistro. Walk, jog, rollerblade or bike along the seawall in the ocean breeze. From Granville Island you can sail around the harbour or ski the coastal mountains. Golf, fish or play on the beach. There's virtually no end to what you can do on the island. www.granvilleisland.com

Skiing: Even though Vancouver has a mild climate and snow seldom falls in the city, Vancouverites enjoy some of the best downhill and cross country ski facilities in North America. Step out your back door and gaze at the twinkling lights of Grouse Mountain, Cypress Bowl and Mount Seymour. Ski hills so close you can almost reach out and touch them, just minutes from downtown. Many of the city's residents strap on snowboards or skis and flee the stresses of urban life. You can leave work early and get a few runs in or hit the slopes after dark for a few hours of night skiing.

Grouse Mountain: Take the Sky Ride to the top of Grouse Mountain to Ski in the Winter or hike the summer and you are just minutes away from the Best Western Sands Hotel. http://www.grousemountain.com/

Science World: A hands-on science centre, they are a favourite family destination offering entertaining and educational experiences. In addition to the hundreds of interactive exhibits featured in their galleries, they are also home to the Alcan OMNIMAX Theatre and the Science Theatre. The Alcan OMNIMAX Theatre features magnificent science and nature films on one of the world's largest dome screens. The high definition Science Theatre shows spectacularly scenic presentations as well as live performing arts shows. www.scienceworld.bc.ca

Gastown: Gastown is the area bordered by Water, Cordova, Powell and Alexander Streets. Notable for its turn-of-the-century charm--ornate street lamps, cobblestone streets surrounded by historic buildings. Gastown offers much in the way of tourist shops, native craft galleries, book stores, and curiosity shops. Restaurants are plentiful and cater to every budget and palate. www.gastown.org