Pan Pacific Vancouver - Hotel Review

When you want to experience Vancouver in the evening, downtown is a great place to be. With a mix of bars and shows, it’s a treat to spend an overnight in  Vancouver. Along the city's north harbour on a peninsula is the Pan Pacific Hotel and I had the chance to stay here prior to the Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast. Do the views change your stay in Vancouver or should you look for a newer hotel? Read on to find out.

Disclosure: This was a complimentary stay and all opinions are my own.

The Deluxe Room:

I stayed in a Deluxe Room (avg. $300/night) and I found these to be the best standard amenities:

• King or 2 Double Beds
• Pillow Menu (meaning lots to choose from)
• Executive Writing Table
• Bathrobe and Hairdryer
• Programmable Thermostat (and it works!)
• Wireless internet
• 42″ LCD TV with cable

The king-sized bed was a pillow top so it was easy for me to sink into a comfortable position. The assortment of pillows on the bed were too shallow for my body depth so I enjoyed the selection of pillows found by the door. Pan Pacific also threw in a few chocolates for good gesture (I ate them all). 

The rest of the room was fairly modern, though nothing extreme that you’d catch on Pinterest these days. There was a lot of drawer space and for those looking to take advantage of the TV for personal media consumption, a media centre by the desk simplifies the process so you don’t have to pry out the TV from its stand.

The best part about this room was the view. Sitting on a lounge chair and staring outside at the lights of downtown Vancouver was nothing short of relaxing. To my knowledge, for about $40/night more you can get a view of the mountains, water, and west end harbour, but the amenities remain the same. I’d argue the downtown view is much more pleasurable in the evening as you can spy some late night hustle and save the mountain view for the pool the next morning.

Moving into the washroom, this looked recently renovated with a nice sink area but the tub looked a little dated and the shower head lacked any options to control pressure. The Spa Utopia shower supplies were pretty legit though and nothing left an overly frayed feeling in my hair or on my body. Fun fact: there’s a wired telephone beside the toilet with a working line.

Pool and Breakfast:

The pool is on an outdoor patio and comes with towels on the side by the hot tub. It’s a very relaxing view and a great time to chill out with family and friends.

Breakfast (at Ocean's 999) is a buffet-style and easily trumps the majority of breakfast buffets out there. Eggs benedict! That almost never happens! Would you be able to find this kind of food for cheaper in the city? Definitely. Would you be able to enjoy this level of breakfast outside in your pajamas? Questionable. $31 is on par with other luxury hotels and to do it in a space like Oceans 999 is again, a relaxing feeling.

Final Thoughts:

The best part of staying in a landmark hotel like Pan Pacific is not the glitz of modern rooms, but the fantastic view that comes with being on a peninsula along the harbour. There’s an air of relaxation that begins and ends at the front desk and the outdoor pool is a great place to unwind with your choice of Grouse Mountain or Mount Baker in the distance.

One-liner: A very relaxing hotel with historical significance and the confidence of a trusted Vancouver landmark
Highlight: View of Vancouver’s downtown and Burrard Inlet
Estimated cost per night: $300
Would I stay again? Yes.