Vancouver Travel Diary - Part 1

Believe it or not, I had never been to Canada before. And little did I know that Vancouver is just a 3 hour plane ride from Los Angeles. I decided to tag along with some friends going for the weekend. We arrived around 11pm and checked into the Opus Hotel. A trendy boutique hotel located in Yaletown walking distance to practically everythign complete with a Starbucks right across the street. We actually needed up getting our coffees at the cafe right next to the lobby. (side note- the veggie breakfast wraps they sell are on another level of goodness!)

The four of us shared the Opus Signature Suite and there was plenty of room for everyone. The hot pink textured wall paper and qwerty art work made the room the perfect fit for us fashionistas. Our first morning there we ordered room service and lounged around in bathrobes. It can be difficult to get up and get going when you’re all cozy and comfortable in your hotel room. But the adventure of a new city was calling!

Our first day in Vancouver we rented a car and drove up north a bit to Whitsler Mountain. There are buses that will take you from Vancouver up to Whistler. We just wanted to have the freedom to pull over when ever we wanted to take photos. Whistler and Backcomb are two very popular ski locations in the winter.. During the summer it seems to be just as popular with lots of hiking trails and dirt bike expeditions taking place on the snow-less mountains. Despite a plan to be there hours earlier (hey three bloggers in a car with a million photo opportunities, what can you do?) We managed to make the last lift up to the top at around 5:30pm.

It was about 70 degrees at the bottom of the mountain and it definitely got colder once we got to the top. The wind didn’t help either. Definitely wear tennis shoes/hiking shoes and bring a jacket and a hat! I had a light jacket on while we were up there, but took it off for this photo. The view was worth it, though. I felt like I was on top of the world and the slightly cool clean Canadian air filled my lungs with a fresh perspective on life.

On the ride back we scarfed down McDonald’s (guilty pleasure) and managed to make it to this little spot next to the lake for sunset pictures. To anyone planning a day trip to Whistler- I would definitely recommend getting an earlier start to the day. Getting a rental car always takes longer than you think it will and pack lots of snacks and water since there are not a lot of places to stop until you get into Whistler.

By the time we got back to the hotel I was so beat from the week of work and travel prep that going out on the town was the last thing I had in mind. I ordered in room service and got back in the bathrobe to get a full-night sleep. I’l be sharing part 2 of my Vancouver Travel Diary on the blog soon!