the view from our balcony
So we are heading back from a wonderful mini-vacation in beautiful British Columbia! Vancouver to be exact. I love this city! Great food, fun sights, hanging out by the (indoor) pool, lots of family time, and of course a little bit of shopping. It's been about eight years since I have stayed here and I kind of forgot what it was like. I honestly had a couple of Becky Bloomwood moments as we arrived in our section of the city and drove past all those window awnings printed with names like Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton. My girls and I walked to LV on Saturday and I found the handbag I had been saving for, (tried it out in the MM and GM) and the MM was perfect, just as I thought! So, I now have my lovely LV Monogram Neverfull MM! A versatile classic... some people may not like LV, or other people's monograms on your things, or monograms at all... but I say if it's good enough for Audrey Hepburn...
Here are some brief reviews of a handful of wonderful places in Vancouver:
We stayed at The Sutton Place, right on Burrard St. and steps from fabulous shopping, in the La Grande Residence section. When you have three kids, no one wants to put you in a regular room, and you really don't want to put your five selves there either, so it is either a suite or two connecting rooms, which can get pricey. They have a two bedroom suite here that is ultra-roomy and we got a pretty reasonable rate. The lobby is grand and my 7 yr old said it was a place a princess could stay. She was really liking having valets and doormen! The suite was basic, but very roomy with two bedrooms, two bathrooms (only one with tub/shower though), a kitchenette, a couple of flat screens, a balcony, and great views. Family perfect.
Zefferelli's Spaghetti Joint: Fun place! A little hard to find as there is just a door at street level. You walk upstairs to the restaurant which is above the Cactus Club on Robson. Wine bottles line the walls, windows look out onto the busy street, the staff was friendly. They made a mean "Capri" martini which is pretty much a lemon drop I think. The fettucini I had was excellent... so fresh and cooked perfectly with a light buttery cream sauce, chicken, leeks and fresh tomatoes. Yum.
Cafe Crepe: Another fun place, ambience-wise. Black and white tiled floor; filled with cushy black leather banquettes and mod posters. I had a double non-fat latte which was perfection, and the banana walnut crepe. A good way to start the day.
breakfast at Cafe Crepe on Robson St.
Sequoia Grill at the Teahouse: After a wonderful time exploring Stanley Park and Vancouver's amazing aquarium (where we saw the famous white Belugas and the gray baby) we hung out in a grassy area near the water and spotted this charming place. The design was lovely and just the style I like. I actually snapped some pics of the decor. The shrimp avocado club sandwich was excellent and was served with a generous salad of fresh greens in a vinaigrette on the side. Hubby had the granola which looked yummy, and of course we had tea.
brunch at Sequoia Grill
Fleuri Restaurant: Saturday night dinner was here. The staff really is exceptional and the restaurant is white tablecloth fancy but they had children's menus and crayons and were great with the kids! I didn't really see anything on the dinner menu that was floating my boat (lamb, duck, heavy meat dishes) so the waitress brought me a vegetarian menu and also the bar menu which featured lighter dishes & pasta. I went with a cheese ravioli with chicken in a "Thai" sauce - which would not seem to be a good combination but I completely forgot that it was supposed to be Thai while eating it. It was just a nice slightly spicy cream sauce. (I love Thai food by the way... just never thought of it with cheese ravioli.) The piece de resistance here is that they have a chocolate buffet for dessert on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. At $13 per person, half price if you've ordered an entree, this is a bargain! My girls LOVED it and I kind of enjoyed it myself.
Bellagio Cafe: What a find! Immediately recommended by our concierge when we asked about a breakfast spot, this is a gem! It is on Hornby St, across from the Vancouver Art Gallery. As it was sprinkling a little (and February) we did not take advantage of the picturesque outdoor seating. Instead, we were lucky enough to be situated in a charming corner booth, upholstered in a beautiful burgundy and gold scrolly fabric, surrounded by stacks and stacks of books - mostly about art - and paintings, with a real tile roof lining the walls overhead for decoration. My Neptune Benedict was topped with crispy capers - excellent - and I usually don't like breakfast potatoes, but these were cooked perfectly and I had to keep shooing my daughter away from my plate.
Bellagio Cafe
Shopping: Shopping is good here. Very good. Robson and Burrard are the main shopping streets and you will find Tiffany & Co, Hermes, Chanel, LV, Ferragamo, HMV, Roots, Banana, Gap, Aveda, Lush, and lots of charming cafes and restaurants. There is even a Starbucks but I managed to go the whole weekend without visiting it with all other the lovely spots to find a latte or cup of tea here.
driving down Robson St. - my Neverfull MM is waiting right in there!!!
and here it is, drawstrings pulled...
...and open which makes it quite a bit bigger. Fabulous!
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