If you procrastinated and waited until the last minute to plan your trip and accommodations to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver! But do not get sad there are still plenty of reasonable places to stay and you can still get cheap flights on short notice.
I found a real gem in North Vancouver that had easy access to all Vancouver venues and to Hwy 1 traveling to Whistler. It was only rentable due to a cancellation. I am not sure if it will be available by the time you read this but it is worth a call. The rate is $360 + taxes per day for 2 people during the Feb 12 to 28 Olympics. It is called the Grandmanor Guest house built in 1909 but beautifully renovated. Apartment 5 is the only suite left. More Details with pictures are
here.
I live in Vancouver and recently did some research to get the best travel and hotel or motel deals for some relatives coming to town (that I should have done 6 months ago). I am forced to do well for them or I will be hearing about it for years to come.
I did so much research that I decided to set up a website to share my results with other Dufuses like myself who also waited until the last minute. And by the way I stumbled upon a means of getting lower rates than those posted on the hotel websites and also how to get cheaper flight quotes. I had to do that to cover my butt and not reveal to my relatives how much I left things to the last minute. That's on my site too.
The website I created is a temporary one which will be not that useful after the 2010 Winter Games. I called it olympicstravelagencies.com even though it is not really a travel agency, but hey, it is all I could come up with at the time. Come to think of it, the site may still be useful after the Olympics, just divide the rates by 3!
I put up the rates and pictures of all the places so you don't have to go to all of their independent sites for quotes. Just scroll down and pick one in about a minute.
Well it is now Jan 29, 2010 as I edit this article. I discovered that most rates have tripled in Vancouver and were not worth posting as they were in the $500 to $700 per couple per night range. I can just see these hotel owners salivating all over their shoes right now 'cause most of these places are booked solid.
To date I have listed 37 places which are made up of RV parks, motels, and hotels.
A cool place I found for those independent young people who want to stay at a hostel is a place called American Backpackers Hostel right in downtown Vancouver for $100 per night during the Olympics. One of the rooms has a big sign on the door that says SEX ROOM but I think it's just a prank, anyway there is a picture of it on my website. And... you can even stay at the Jimi Hendrix Shrine for $100 a night.
According to their website this used to be his grandmother's restaurant where Jimi spent his childhood.
Now that's something I never knew, I should check that out one day. Perhaps the first twangs of his guitar echoed through those streets. To give you an idea of how old I am, I actually attended one of his concerts live dressed in the latest stripped pants, fuzzy hair, and square tinted glasses. Never thought I would miss all that hair so much.
The lowest price for an actual motel suitable for human habitation was $85 per couple per night in Langley which is about 40 minutes away from Vancouver where all the action is. The next lowest was $125 for 2 adults in Coquitlam which is about 30 minutes from Vancouver. The highest rate on the site is $649 per couple per night which I decided to throw in just for shock value, heh, heh!
Don't worry, I never posted any place where the cockroaches relocate the mattress in the room. I am still updating the site at this time with quotes so check it out from time to time.
As I side-note I feel really bad for those poor people in Haiti right now who would be lucky just to visit down the street let alone to another country. If your thinking of flying there yourself to assist
here is a way of getting inexpensive airfare to Haiti or any other place as well.
