Nine must-do highlights of Vancouver, Canada
The park
Walk or cycle kilometres of paved and dirt trails in historic Stanley Park recognised as one of the world’s greatest urban parks. Blooming gardens, pristine coastal areas and about 500,000 or so centuries-old red cedar, fir and hemlock trees feature in the 400-hectare haven at the end of a promontory hemmed by water. Canada’s largest urban park also features a section of the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path stretching 28 kilometres. The nine-kilometre stretch that circles the park’s perimeter, known as the Seawall, is a magnet for nature lovers, active types and tourists alike. Here you can admire mountain and forest scenery along with sweeping vistas of downtown Vancouver. Popular stops along the Sea Wall include Brockton Point Lighthouse and totem poles, a replica figurehead from the Canadian Pacific Line’s Empress of Japan, and Girl in a Wetsuit, Vancouver’s equivalent of the Copenhagen Mermaid. See vancouver.ca
Cycle the historic Stanley Park, recognised as one of the world’s greatest urban parks.
The restaurant
Siblings Amelie and Vincent Nguyen relaunched Vietnamese fixture Pho Hoang into Ahn and Chi (which means brother and sister in Vietnamese). The stylish minimalist space on Main Street Mount Pleasant nods to its familial roots with a blue neon sign from the original restaurant owned and run by the duo’s parents for three decades. The menu continues their refugee parent’s legacy of sharing Vietnamese culture and cuisine with diners with regional staples found on Vietnam’s streets. Ly Nguyen (mum) oversees the kitchen where chef Vincent serves up standout dishes including chao tom banh hoi (grilled prawn mince on sugar cane sticks), steaming pho and the mind-blowing bun rieu cua made from his grandmother’s crab tomato noodle soup recipe. See anhandchi.com
The bridge
Immerse yourself in lush West Coast rainforest on the world’s longest and highest pedestrian suspension bridge. Originally built in 1889 with hemp rope and cedar planks, the 137-metre-long Capilano Suspension Bridge sways 70 metres above the gushing Capilano River, roughly 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Look out at the distant North Shore Mountains and the swirling river and canyon below. The surrounding forest is home to trees believed to be more than 1500 years old and informative panels interpret the forest and environment from the forest floor to the canopy. See capbridge.com
The Capilano Suspension Bridge sways 70 metres above the Capilano River.
The hotel
In a former life, the 147-room Paradox Vancouver was a Trump International Hotel but don’t hold that against it. Rising from the ashes of the controversially branded property, the Paradox has been completely refreshed. Contemporary rooms (including 16 suites and one penthouse) feature floor-to-ceiling windows with no two views alike due to the nature of the iconic twisting tower (Vancouver’s tallest building) designed by renowned Canadian architect and late local luminary Arthur Erickson. Rooms feature European oak hardwood floors, Nublado Italian marble bathrooms with heated floors, freestanding baths, curved balconies and Coal Harbour and Stanley Park vistas to mountains beyond. You’ll also find an indoor pool, gym, spa and lauded Chinese restaurant (independently run), dimly lit lounge and nightclub. There’s no restaurant as such however the Karma Lounge delivers Pacific Northwestern dishes from the room service menu. See paradoxhotels.com
The street art tour
This arts themed tour pairs coffee tasting with street art in Vancouver’s hip Mount Pleasant precinct, birthplace of the annual Vancouver Mural Festival. Starting at Olympic Park Square go behind the scenes of “The Beaumont Studios”, an arts hub home to 40 studios and more than 100 artists. A stop at roaster Honest to Pete for a craft coffee tasting and roasting lesson is included. From there Toonie Tour’s Street Art and Craft Coffee Tour guides lead participants down backstreets and alleyways to see an ever-expanding gallery of street art, stencils and murals. Standout pieces include The Kraken by Tyler Toews, large-scale mural The Evening watching over Mount Pleasant by Sydney-based artist Fintan Magee and Thirsty by street artist iHeart, often referred to as Canada’s Banksy. See toonietours.ca
Vibrant street art in Mount Pleasant.
The brunch
Based on a traditional Venetian tavern Bacaro brings the art of cicchetti to downtown Vancouver. Billed as a love letter to Venice’s iconic canal-side bars known as baracri, you’ll find this cosy gem in the lobby level of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel one street back from the waterfront. Expect Northern Italian inspired bites like tuna crudo with sea buckthorn and house made bread with cultured butter made from cured egg yolks (the eggs come from the farm of the owner’s father’s) along with a wine menu heavily weighted (95 per cent) towards Italian varietals. You can even stand at the bar and have small bites and quaff wine like a true Venetian but never fear, there’s plenty of reason to sit down and linger longer. See bacarovancouver.com
The cocktail bar
Pull up a pew in the retro eighties-inspired Chickadee Room in Chinatown with neon signs including a Bowie-inspired lightning bolt and either create your own cocktail, pick from a dozen handcrafted options or let award-winning mixologist Sabrine Dhaliwal mix you a custom drink; the latter being the most fun. Don’t leave without trying neighbouring Juke’s southern-fried chicken which you can order and have served at your table. See thechickadeeroom.com
The coffee spot
Vancouver is still a way off being a caffeine hotspot like Melbourne or Wellington however there are a few standout cafes, 49th Parallel being one of them. It’s all about the coffee at this homegrown chain’s four Vancouver locations with beans sourced directly from farmers ensuring solid ethics and top-notch brews made from an evolving selection sourced from Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Kenya, Ethiopia and beyond. See 49thcoffee.com
The precinct
Vancouver’s hub of creativity, Mount Pleasant is crammed with cafes, chic boutiques, cool eateries and hip bars where Vancouverites live their best Pacific Northwest lives. Browse boutiques, antique stores, vintage and thrift shops (punctuated by the occasional cannabis shop) on Main Street. Shop for curated vintage wear, stationery and books at the Regional Assembly of Text and pop in to one of the many notable craft beer houses (try 33Acres, Brassneck or Main Street Brewing). Finish with a glass of natural wine and creative bites at Bar Susu housed in a century-old building followed by dessert at small batch ice creamery Earnest Ice Cream. See mountpleasantbia.com
The tip
Fiji Airways now flies direct Nadi-Vancouver (connecting from Sydney and Melbourne) twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays, departing at 10.15pm and arriving in Canada 1.20pm the same day. The new route gives Australians the option of holidaying in British Columbia and stopping for some R&R in Fiji either on the way there or on the return leg.
The writer visited as a guest of Fiji Airways and Destination Vancouver. See fijiairways.com; destinationvancouver.com
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