Granville Island Hotel

Character and identity

The only hotel on Granville Island sits at the eastern tip of Vancouver's former industrial peninsula, anchoring a waterfront enclave of public markets, galleries, and craft studios. The architecture is hard to pin down, part remodeled Spanish colonial, part nod to the corrugated-steel warehouses that once defined the area, but it lands as cohesive once you're inside. All 82 rooms are individually configured, recently refreshed away from a nautical theme into something quieter and more contemporary, many with rain showers. Dockside Restaurant draws locals to its waterfront patio for house microbrews that have been brewed on site for years.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're paying for is the address: this is the only hotel actually on Granville Island, and the location does most of the work. Book it if you want the Public Market, galleries, and waterfront on your doorstep and don't mind being a water taxi from downtown. The penthouse, with its fireplace and ensuite spa bath, is the room category worth the upgrade.