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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by StayVancouverHotels Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
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Sponsored by StayVancouverHotels
One of the main things I love about living in Downtown Vancouver is that I can enjoy a relaxing vacation – with art, music, nature, and adventure – right in my own backyard.
Whether you’re coming from the Fraser Valley, the North Shore, or any other points in Metro Vancouver, here are 5 ideas for your next Downtown Vancouver Staycation (and scroll to the bottom to find out how you can win $250 for your next staycation!)…
I do a lot of arts giveaways so I know we have some awesome venues in Downtown Vancouver like The Vancouver Art Gallery, the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, the Contemporary Art Gallery, and then there’s the theatres! Check on listings at the Vogue Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Roundhouse in Yaletown, and the PAL Studio Theatre in Coal Harbour. At the Orpheum, architectural tours are also offered throughout the year.
The Orpheum – Photo courtesy of Vancouver Civic Theatres
3. Adventure
Be a tourist in your own town! Head up to the Vancouver Lookout for 360° views, and Fly Over Canada is an experience like no other at Canada Place. Take a False Creek Ferry or Aquabus over to Science World and tackle hands-on exhibitions like the new Mirror Maze, or clock your sprint time at the BC Sports Hall of Fame at BC Place.
On top of providing a service and sharing my love for my city with my readers, I have also created this roundup to promote the fact that you can win a $250 Mastercard gift cardthanks to StayVancouverHotels!
To enter to win, visit the contest page and tell StayVancouverHotels what you love about Vancouver in the spring. You can get another entry by sharing the contest link on social media and tagging #VanStaycation.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Enter to win a $250 Mastercard gift card for your next #VanStaycation from @StayVanHotels http://bit.ly/WinStayVanHotels” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
That’s it! Now that you have inspiration and the chance to win some spending money, you can start planning your Downtown Vancouver staycation today.
StayVancouverHotels represents a group of 38 Downtown Vancouver hotels and offer competitive pricing, unique incentives & special event offers – they have the best hotel deals in the city! Follow StayVancouverHotels on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more info. Contest runs until March 31, 2019.
The VPD Recovered Goods Auction will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2019 comprising of goods recovered by the VPD and have gone unclaimed for the past six months. Many of these items will be auctioned off for a fraction of their original value.
VPD Recovered Goods Auction
Where: Able Auctions (13557 77th Ave, Surrey)
When: Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 9:00am (doors open to public at 8:00am)
Preview: Thursday May 2 & Friday May 3 12:00pm to 6:00pm. No viewing Saturday.
Admission: A mandatory $10 registration, catalogue, admittance fee per person
The auction is most-known for its high-end bikes, and this year almost 300 of the top-tiered will be auctioned off. This includes mountain, downhill, racing bikes and retro-cruisers. Other items include coins, stamps, tools, electronics, televisions, instruments, sporting goods. The selection of jewelry is appraised by a certified Gemologist.
The first items up for grabs are the bikes. The auction will start at 9:00am sharp. Once the bikes are completed, the rest of the merchandise will be sold.
Lower Lonsdale The Shipyards District is taking St. Patrick’s Day to a whole new level with Celtic Crawl and the Xplorer app. This innovative augmented reality experience has players “capturing” and sharing photographs of themselves with virtual Shipyards’ leprechauns and playing trivia and limerick games all in the hopes of winning prizes by visiting participating Lower Lonsdale eateries from March 15-31, 2019.
Lower Lonsdale St Patrick’s Day Celtic Crawl
Xplorer works on iOS devices 6S and newer as well as android devices which are ARCore compatible with a sufficient operating system.
Players register and download the new app, then by pointing a smart phone at the table at one of the participating restaurants or pubs, a leprechaun will appear, and jump around the table.
By capturing the leprechaun with a mobile phone, players are entered to win prizes such as a pair of Dayton boots ($850 value), jewelry from Celtic Creations ($600-800 value), a gift basket of assorted items from Lower Lonsdale businesses ($500 value) and a haircut, colour & blow dry service package from Elianes Hair Spa (approx $300 value).
Restaurant guests can also play Celtic Crawl Trivia, a mix of Celtic mythology, limericks and Shipyards history questions.
Players get five entries to the main prize draw on March 31st just for downloading and signing up for the app, five for each pub in which they catch a leprechaun, 10 for each leprechaun shared to Instagram, and one for each Celtic Crawl trivia question answered correctly.
The Shipyard District’s five uniquely distinct participating restaurants and pubs include Tap & Barrel, The Gull, Green Leaf Brewing, Sailor Hagars Pub, and Raglans Bistro.
Visitors to the participating eateries can also pose with the leprechauns for photos to submit to a Celtic Crawl Social Media Contest and win weekly smaller prizes by sharing any photos taken of the leprechauns to Instagram and tagged with #celticcrawl2019. The best photos will be recognized on Lower Lonsdale BIA’s Instagram account and awarded a prize.
Stay in the heart of Whistler Village without breaking the bank! Canada’s first ever “pod” hotel, Pangea Pod Hotel, is a boutique property that combines the best elements of a hostel and a hotel. The “chic shared” concept is changing the face of the travel industry in North America, and is setting a trend towards alternative accommodation worldwide. In fact it ranks #1 on TripAdvisor from 62 specialty lodging options in Whistler!
Pangea Pod Hotel
It’s just a few steps from restaurants, bars and the gondolas ascending Whistler Blackcomb, and Pangea has three communal areas for guests: The Living Room, a café and full-service bar; the all-weather The Rooftop Patio, with its own bar, standing counter, and sensational views; and The Toy Box, Pangea’s custom gear storage area for skis, snowboards and bikes (and space to dry off your wet outerwear).
While the peak winter ski season might be coming to a close (December was the snowiest on record in the history of Whistler Blackcomb), spring will be an even better time to hit the mountain – and to (re-)acquaint yourself with Pangea. In addition to the excitement of the World Ski & Snowboard Festival (April 10-14), the weeks spanning March to May are when mountain enthusiasts can enjoy Whistler’s superlative slopes without the peak-season crowds, meaning warmer weather, plenty of virgin snow, and stress-free parking.
Spring Specials
As a thank you for the warm response from guests and reviewers, Pangea is offering a range of seasonally exclusive promotions, making this groundbreaking property an even more enticing place to frequent come spring.
Weekdays are Cheap Days: Receive a 15% discount when you stay 2-3 consecutive midweek days, and a 20% discount when you stay 4-5.
…And it Gets Better (a.k.a. Cheaper): Book your midweek stay between March 31 and May 30 and receive an additional 5% off (that’s on top of the 15-20% discount detailed above).
Pizzas and Drinks on The House: Get three friends to book pods for the same dates as you and you’ll get a complimentary artisan flatbread pizza and a beer (or cocktail) every day of your stay. Just show reception their confirmations when you check in.
And if you’re staying the weekend, be sure to kick off each day in style with the ever-popular Hair of the Dog Brunch, offered every Saturday and Sunday (9:00am to 1:00pm) in The Living Room. For just $25, enjoy your choice of a Mimosa or a Sriracha Caesar, followed by one of three gourmet Eggs Benedicts (salmon, bacon or spinach) plus a barista-made espresso drink. Not a guest? Not a problem. The Living Room is open to the public too.
Win a Stay
I’m giving away a two night stay at Pangea Pod Hotel! The winner will receive one pod (single or double occupancy) for any Tuesday and Wednesday night in April or May. They will also get breakfast in The Living Room (for two) both mornings.
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Follow Pangea Pod Hotel on Facebook and Instagram for more info.
The cherry blossoms are emerging and the sun is set to shine as we cruise into Spring Break season. This weekend, there’s no shortage of fun activities around Metro Vancouver to start you off on the right foot:
