Pacific Rim Fairmont, Vancouver, BC

Pip and I in our room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

Peter demonstrating the television in the bathroom mirror. You can watch from the comfort of the huge marble tub.

Pip and Tabs

Pip strikes a pose.

That's me in front of our hotel in my orange dress.

Peter carrying the newly rented keyboard from my favorite music store: Tom Lee! They have the best sheet music and the best equipment rental :)

Pip and I at Joey's, downtown Vancouver.

Peter and Tabs at Joey's.

Me biking in Stanley Park.

A stunning Mother's Day morning in Vancouver. 

Early morning Starbucks near the waterfront. I love down town Vancouver. We travel there often and it has become like a second home.

Our weekend in Vancouver was exciting and fun. The car trip home exciting and not so fun in parts. Pip projectile vomited all over the car before we'd even exited Surrey, Tabs had upset tummy too--many stops!

Hotel Review: Pacific Rim Fairmont, down town Vancouver, BC


Fairmont Hotel's have a great points program, so we try and stay exclusively at Fairmonts when we travel. If there's a Fairmont at our destination city, that's where we'll stay. I must say, Fairmont really needs to hire me for PR. We have stayed in all four of Vancouver's Fairmonts: Airport, Water Front, Hotel Vancouver and The Pacific Rim. I enjoy them all and Hotel Vancouver has always been my favorite because it feels like a second home. We've been staying there since we first moved back (since I moved back, Peter's first time)  to B.C.--since the girls were teeny-tiny, wee babes. We know the dogs: Mavis and Beau well and we've even walked them. However, although my love for Hotel Vancouver still exists, I have a new favorite. Pacific Rim wins out.
 It wins because it is the most luxurious with the most friendly, helpful staff ever. They try to catch your eye constantly just to smile and say hello. The rooms are high-tech and so quiet. The windows, lighting and blinds are all computerized. The windows are floor to ceiling with great views and open to the outside. The beds are super comfy too. And the bathrooms are huge, luxurious with spa lighting and of course that TV in the mirror (above pic). The pool is also dreamy (see previous blog). Although, they must do something to stop the fruit bombings. I know just how to stop them too. Trust me, they will be receiving a letter from me this week.
Another perk is that if one is a platinum member, one has free access to BMW mountain bikes and a BMW car with a chauffeur to take one anywhere within the city.
So there you have it, my new favorite downtown Vancouver Hotel: The Pacific Rim. I highly recommend it for great staff and luxurious rooms. It's a little more expensive than the other Fairmonts but worth it in my opinion if you want luxury and super comfort.

You Won't Believe It's Vancouver!

The above pictures were taken this past weekend at the Pacific Rim Fairmont Hotel pool. It was mid
May in Vancouver and yet it was so sunny and warm. The Pacific Rim has the best pool. It was dreamy. Pip even had a complementary Shirley Temple drink delivered to our lounger. We all agreed that  the afternoon felt more Hawaiian than Vancouver. Peter and Tabs left early and Pip and I stayed a little longer to swim and sun ourselves.

How can something so right go so wrong?

Instantly our afternoon changed. I heard a loud bang and then felt something hit my leg. I smelled oranges. I thought the waiter had dropped a glass jug full of orange punch. But no, we discovered someone from one of the 17 floors above us had dropped an orange off the balcony. It hit the cement like a bomb. The impact would have killed someone if it had hit them in the head. I was just trying to comprehend that explosion when suddenly, on the other side of the deck another orange exploded. Some insane idiot was bombing the pool deck with fruit from over fifteen stories above us. I wasted no time waiting for one to hit again. I demanded an unaware Pip get out of the pool immediately and we left. Not before demanding security be called. Some complete moron was acting like a terrorist for fun--perhaps too stupid to realize that the fruit hit with such impact they would kill someone.

Sex in the City (Vancouver)

A thrilling ride of a weekend. Miranda and I drove to Vancouver at noon (half way through my Uni class). Arrived at the Hotel Vancouver Fairmont in time for a trip to H&M. It was like we were living in a comedy movie: as Miranda and I strolled by the open piano lounge in our sunglasses and trench coats, I spotted Theresa and my mom in the lounge! This entire weekend was a surprise meeting in Vancouver for my mom's birthday--all of her daughters flew in to surprise her. So while I grabbed Miranda and hauled her out of sight, Theresa suddenly talked very loudly and animately to make sure my mom would be looking at her instead of watching the hotel guests stroll about the lobby.
We met my sister Catherine later at 7pm in the piano lounge and awaited Theresa and my mom arriving. (My mom thought just she and Theresa were having a weekend in Van. alone) When they walked in, Mom smiled at us sweetly (before her brain caught up to her eye sight) and then a shocked look passed over her face. It was a lovely, fun and silly reunion (don't give me a lemon drop on an empty stomach). Before I knew what I was doing, I was massaging the chest area of my dress in public to demonstrate something or another! lol
After Champagne we made out way to the streets of down town Vancouver to the Wedgwood restaurant. I haven't laughed so hard in ages. For a photo op, I went to kiss my mom's cheek and she ended up turning her face toward me and I was puckering up to the tip of her nose--and this seemed so funny I could not stop laughing--as the photos demonstrate.
The rest of the weekend was spent walking and walking and shopping. The Bay had an entire floor dedicated to olympic merchandise at half off! I purchased hoodies for the girls. I bought myself some dreamy Pumas. The most comfortable shoes I have ever walked in. We rented The Last Station--a movie about Tolstoy and all bunked in Mom and T's room to watch it. It was a good movie. Helen Murin was amazing in it. And Tolstoy reminded me of every man I've ever known--that part was rather depressing! On Sunday we met the Wallaces (cousins, aunt and uncle) for brunch down town and played with darling baby Daphne (one of the happiest and cutest babies).
Back to reality: just as I walked in the door from a 4 hour car trip from Vancouver, Peter walked out to the airport--headed for meetings in Vancouver. Yikes--so many chores for me at home today :(
I love Vancouver--always fun times.

Fortune-Tellers

More Vancouver pics. These ones show each of us with our Chinese zodiac symbol. Me with the horse, Tabs with the Dragon, Mist with the rat and Pip with the fire-dog.

I liked China Town Vancouver and wish Vancouver would market it like San Fran does. It is even better than San Fran's--the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden is the icing on the cake.

Mist left with her Auntie for Nelson yesterday. She loves to hang in Nelson
with her cousin Kyran. Tabs still has one more week of school left. Rats, I forgot to give Mist's school a self-addressed, stamped envelope so they'd send her report card--oh well, she's had an A average and work ethic award all year. 

I have moved Silver to the front entrance and laundry room permanently. I cannot have him peeing on my sofas, beds and carpets any longer. He is confined to that area until I can find him a good new home or forever if that doesn't happen. I love Silver, but no human could tolerate his peeing. It's made our home stinky! And so much exhausting work for me constantly steaming carpets, cleaning my leather sofa etc. He is a beautiful cat and can be loving--but he is not fit to live with humans.

I am taking this week to catch up on long overdue home chores and trying to redesign my life. HOW?

A tall order, I know. I just want to reach my goals and need to plan new routes to do so. I want financial independence, successful art career, successful writing career and lots of world travel(with my family). Not to mention my goal of having land in the Okanagan area--either as a rural home base or a wilderness retreat. And these are only a few of my goals. I have spiritual 
quests and fitness quests too.

See how boring planing a life can be? No wonder I still have to delve into mine.

I do have exciting news about September! A dream come true! I actually get to see some of my biggest heroes ever--oh to actually meet them too! I will post about this tomorrow. Just a hint though, Mist and her friend Maddi were fortune-tellers on the weekend. They read my palm, tea leaves and a water bowl:

Yes, I will meet the Dalai Lama in person in this life time. I will fall in love with someone from the north. And they saw a buffalo in my future...very interesting...

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden

Met my friend Ritchie this morning (we've been friends since we were teens) and he accompanied me and the little gals to China Town. China Town Vancouver is huge and fascinating. It is an amazing place to explore. Dr. Sun Yat-sen Garden is on the "One Hundred things to see before you die" list--world wide!

Anyway, it was a relaxing fun morning. Then we did a little shopping in China Town. The girls and I were beyond thrilled to find a little shop that carried "My Neighbor Totoro" paraphernalia. We couldn't resist purchasing wallets and the girls purse/bags. The merchandise was over priced but since it is an all time favourite movie of ours, we couldn't resist. KW would love the place--you can even get Totoro stuffies! 

Tonight my 3 little wee girls and I will meet my cousins Caro and Garry at Transcontinental for dessert. 

So far, a really fun trip! Last night we decided to shop and hit the hotel pool and hot tub--it's a roof top outdoors variety. Sunny skies this afternoon. 

What is it about the "down and outs" of Vancouver? Truly, they appear so much more down and out than those in nearly any other N. American city. Perhaps Vancouver does have one of the worst drug problems in N. America.

I took these photos today in the garden.

1. turtle

2. dragon fly

3.flowers

4.Garden entrance

5. girls under a plant.

6.garden

7. The entrance door to the main house or palace.

8.Ritchie and Pip

9. the patio--an amazing foot massage. It is designed to be completely ying-yang like the entire garden.

1o.Me at the entrance to heaven.

11. Me at the entrance to earth.

--the room in between the doors is supposed to bring ultimate tranquility. And it did--the chi, or energy was so peaceful.