Starting a 4-day break from the snow, in Vancouver

Posted On April 19 , 2026

Cathy and I flew to Vancouver on Tuesday, April 14th, and returned home on Friday the 17th. After a brutal winter of record-breaking cold and then snow, it was wonderful. It began as a medical trip – a 6-month post-surgery checkup for me – but we added an extra mental-health day. That added day changed the hotel we had picked as most functional for the hospital visit – the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver – to one of our favourites for enjoying the city – the Westin Bayshore. Sitting at the edge of Stanley Park, away from other hotels, the Bayshore is both a destination hotel and a “lifestyle” property, and that was perfect for this trip.

We booked the 11:50 Air North departure so we could go straight to our hotel room yet still have part of the day to enjoy in the city. It was a dreary day in Whitehorse with clouds and 0°. We arrived at the airport very early and it was quiet, so check-in was quick and simple. Once boarded, I watched one of the ATRs getting ready to depart.

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We almost always depart to the south, but today we taxied to depart northbound. That allowed me to get several photos of buildings and aircraft I rarely see from that angle, including this 2-photo panorama of the terminal.

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This was the first time I had seen de Havilland Twin Otter C-CIWD – Alkan just bought it last May. The aircraft was built in 1980, and has had an exciting history, working for operators all over the world, including Australia and Africa. In 2014 a wing hit a tree while attempting to take off in Mexico, and it suffered major damage. The wreck was trucked to Victoria, though, and it was completely rebuilt.

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The departure also gave me the opportunity to get several photos of Whitehorse as we passed by. Photos like this are sometimes useful in tracking the city’s progress.

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There were no views during the flight, with fairly low cloud even at Whitehorse and Vancouver. At YVR, Air North’s 737-800 C-FNYU was in a good position to get a photo of the beautiful new tail art.

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Stepping outside at YVR. Ahhhhh – Spring!!! There was a misty rain, I think. Whatever – there were cherry blossoms 🙂

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We normally take the Canada Line train into downtown Vancouver, but the Bayshore is 2 km from the nearest station – too near to take a cab but we felt it was too far for Cathy to walk. So we took a taxi from the airport. It became clear that the driver was new – he went via Cambie for some reason, which I was okay with as it was a flat rate ($46) and I hadn’t been over there in years. And he’d never been to the Bayshore – he took the wrong driveway in 🙂

A bit of chatting with the clerk at the Bayshore got us Room 627 overlooking the marina – as the view is a prime consideration for me, I was pleased with that. The room was very nice – of course 🙂

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The view over the marina, with Canada Place in the distance. A few of my Facebook friends apologized for the poor weather, but to us this was great – the temperature was +8°, and the forecast called for it to get better and better during our stay.

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The “balcony” is only a few inches wide, but that was enough to enjoy the air and see the view to the north, which catches the corner of Stanley Park.

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The Hotel’s H Tasting Lounge had a dinner special from 3-5 pm, and that looked perfect for us.

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Cathy and I were both in a burger-and-beer mood. This was the HTL Burger (“canadian cab 6oz patty, tomato jam, provolone, espelette aioli, wild arugula, cacio e pepe brioche”) – Cathy spiced hers up with Seashore Truffle Fries. The restaurant was very quiet, and both the food and service were excellent. This put the visit off to a very good start. This had to be my last food for almost 24 hours, so I had to savour it 🙂

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The dining domes in the open patio of the H Tasting Lounge right below our room, with a wall of flame, are very cool.

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The view from our room was wonderful 24 hours a day, and I spent a lot of time at the window.

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I stopped there because my brain crashed, but now that I look at it again 4 hours later, this is a logical break anyway. That was the end of Tuesday, and Wednesday was a big day…