Holiday Summary

Here is a bit of a summary about places we stayed (more for us than anything else so next time we know)

Anaheim
Park Vue Inn -1570 S Harbor Blvd, Anaheim

We had stayed at a neighbouring property in 2007 which was just OK so we thought we’d give the Park Vue Inn a go this time.  The location, as you would expect, is outstanding, just a walk across to the entrance to Disneyland/California Adventure.
 
We were very happy with our stay.  The rooms are clean, the beds comfortable, bathroom a large size with the sink being outside the bathroom.  The airconditioning was old and oddly located on the wall above the sink.  It was a reasonably cool time when we were there so we didn’t really need to use it that much but I don’t know how effective it would be in very hot weather and sleeping with its noise might be a little difficult.  The room had a very old CRT TV but I did notice while walking by that some rooms had flat panels so I suspect they are slowly upgrading them.  The free Wi-Fi was excellent.  The Disneyland fireworks can be viewed from the walkways which was nice.
 
The free breakfast was outstanding.  Large choices, good produce.  The area can get a little busy so you need to be patient as there isn’t a lot of seating area.
 
I would recommend this property to anyone looking for good, clean accommodation near Disneyland.  We will certainly stay here again. 
 
Denny’s just next door, I think, is the best Denny’s in the USA for food and service.

Venice Beach / Marina del Rey
Foghorn Harbor Inn - 4140 Via Marina, Marina del Rey

 
We booked an upper floor room which is what you need if you want to have a great view with a bit of privacy.
 
The hotel is small and quite quaint, in a good location to Venice Beach.  The rooms are quite nice although the bed was very soft and springy and every time someone moved, it disturbed the other one.  We stayed in the room closest to the reception area and it was quite noisy with people coming in at all hours of the night and then up early in the morning, talking to the desk clerk.  Maybe request a room away from the reception area. The breakfast was very lacking and seemed to be just there as an afterthought.
 
The Cheesecake Factory next door is a must.  Great food (not just cheesecake) and lovely location.

Vancouver
Blue Horizon Hotel - 1225 Robson Street, Vancouver

 
We choose this location based on its location and reviews.  We were upgraded to a King room which had a small mountain view (between two other buildings).  The room was well appointed and very quiet and the beds were very comfortable.  The internet access was free but wired which really didn’t suit us that much with us having two laptops.  The bathroom is small but livable.  Parking is extra and the area isn’t too big so I can imagine it gets a little difficult to park in busier times.  We ate one meal in the hotel’s Inlet’s Bistro & Lounge.  It is a lovely location with a lot of glass so you can watch those passing by as you eat.  The food was delicious and not pricy.  The desk chair in the room was the most uncomfortable chair I have ever sat in in my life and the ones in the restaurant came a close second.
 
The Vancouver Trolley Tour stops right outside which was a great plus.

Whistler
Whistler Village Inn & Suites - 4429 Sundial Place, Whistler

 
Great location, easy access to everything.  We chose to stay in a Queen loft room.  The rooms have nice décor however I think way too much furniture for the space.  Thankfully there were only two of us but anymore, you wouldn’t have been able to move.  The balcony was nice with a good view.  The stairs to the loft were very creaky which disturbed the other person during the night.  The Queen bed was a little smaller than a regular Queen, the mattress soft and we kept rolling in to each other. Internet and parking were an additional cost.  We paid for one internet and were able to piggyback our second laptop off the first connection so we got two for the price of one. 
 
We arrived the last day of the Whistler ski season and the place was packed.  2 hours later it was deserted.  Blackcomb Mountain was still open for another month and for sightseers they offered $20 ticket which got us up the Gondola and Chairlift for a lovely view of the mountain.  Outstanding!

Sun Peaks
Nancy Greene’s Cahilty Lodge - 3220 Village Way, Sun Peaks

 
Thank you to Nathan for making us feel like the only guests.  Oh, wait, we were.  190 rooms and being the only guests is a little scary. Thanks to all the family and friends email comments about Psycho and The Shining.  It was OK, we thought them up ourselves.
 
We used this place as a night stopover in our drive from Whistler to Jasper.  Ski season had ended about two weeks prior and the place, not just the hotel but all of Sun Peaks, was pretty much deserted.  The room was clean and comfortable.  The Wi-Fi was initially not working but after Nathan got it fixed it was still a little iffy, going offline every couple of minutes.  A fridge in the room would have been nice. The meal we had at the hotel’s restaurant, Memories, was delicious and inexpensive.
 
Staff in the morning gave us directions on how to cut 30 minutes off our trip to Jasper.  It was a dirt road but he failed to mention we would be on it for about 45 minutes and we were starting to question whether we had the right directions, but we did find the main road and it did cut 30 minutes off our trip.

Jasper
Sawridge Inn Jasper -82 Connaught Drive, Jasper

 
This location is located on the end of the main road and quiet.  We initially had an internal room before being upgraded to a room with a balcony and view.  Either would have been fine with us.  The rooms are nicely appointed and the beds are comfortable.  It has an indoor pool, which we didn’t use, which is strangely located with those internal rooms looking down on it.
 
We had two dinners at the Hotel’s Hearthstone Lounge and it was excellent.  We were given one morning of free continental breakfast.  I’m glad we didn’t pay for it as it wasn’t a very impressive selection with overcooked eggs and stale baked goods.

Banff
Charlton’s Cedar Court - 513 Banff Ave, Banff

 
I was very disappointed of this three star hotel.  We chose to book the more expensive Loft Fireplace Suite for the guaranteed mountain view as the standard rooms couldn’t guarantee it.  We shouldn’t have bothered.  The mountain view could only be seen from standing outside our room or getting on our knees in the loft bedroom.  Also, no where, on Expedia or on their website mentions there is outdoor access to the rooms.  This made it very noisy when people were coming and going and they were at all hours of the day and night.  The walls are paper thin so you heard everyone moving around inside their rooms and having normal conversations. The front reception staff were not particularly friendly.  The housekeeping staff were very nice although they would call out across the walkways to talk to each other during the day which was quite disturbing. 
 
The room was nicely furnished, the bed was comfortable but a bit short and the bathroom spacious.  It is nice to be in a place with a freestanding shower (not being in a combined shower/bath).
 
The internet, albeit free, was painfully slow.
 
Thankfully we got a good deal on Expedia but still, I wouldn’t spend that sort of money to stay here again.
 

Calgary
Four Points by Sheraton Calgary West - 8220 Bowridge Cres Nw, Calgary

 
We spent one night in this hotel before flying out the next day.
 
The location was fine for us as we didn’t need or really want to be in the centre of town.  The hotel is located on a major road but we were given a room at the back of the building, overlooking the car park which was very quiet.  The room was lovely and bright, with a balcony overlooking the car park, and very comfortable beds.  There was free wireless internet and free parking. It is across the street from Calgary Olympic Park.  Although the season was over, we enjoyed driving around the area.  The midday checkout was a lovely extra bonus.
 
They have a nice looking indoor pool with a slide which might have been nice to try out had it not been -8 degrees.
 

 Las Vegas
Planet Hollywood - 3667 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas

 
Check-in is ridiculously slow.  We arrived before 7pm and waited a good 30 minutes with staffing wandering around behind the desk and choosing not to serve anyone. 
 
We had booked a non smoking Fountain View Room but it would appear none was available.  We were ‘upgraded’ to a suite which was on a lower floor and when we arrived at our room, it was only just being cleaned and we would have to wait another 30 minutes.
 
The room itself was large and nicely appointed but we were only able to see the tops of the fountains. We did have a nice view of the Bellagio Hotel and looking down into Planet Hollywood’s pool area which was always a hive of activity from 10am until 5pm.  The location of this hotel is great to get out on the mid Strip area.  Like all places in Las Vegas, your parking is a long way away from your room so enjoy your 10 minute walk to and from the car.
 
The buffet in the hotel was excellent.  Great value (especially with the $5 coupon you got at check-in) and great variety of food.  I was definitely recommend it. 
 
We got an excellent price so, all in all, Planet Hollywood was a good choice.  Would we stay here again?  I’m not overly sure.