Basics: Car rentals at the airport are not available past midnight, so be mindful of your arrival time when booking. We took a taxi from the airport and rented a car locally the next day.

 

Accommodations: We stayed at the Trump International Hotel in Vancouver. While the hotel and accommodations were beautiful, we wouldn’t recommend it for a frum family staying over Shabbos. Everything in the hotel is automated, including the lights, which can be problematic. Additionally, the lowest floor accessible by stairs is the 8th, which can be challenging with young children. Although we figured it all out in the end, it can be quite stressful, so it’s best to avoid it altogether.

 

Shabbos: We ordered our Shabbos food from the Maple Grill Shabbos menu. The food was delicious and generous.

 

Kosher Food/Minyan: Vancouver has multiple kosher options and grocery stores. We dined at Café 41 for dairy and at Maple Grill for meat, both offering delicious meals! We also ordered takeout from Café 41 whenever we planned to be out of town for the day; they wrapped everything beautifully, and the food was excellent!

Some local stores have a kosher aisle, but The Real Canadian Superstore had a particularly extensive selection, including milk, meats, and snacks.

There is an active Jewish community in Vancouver, with both Chabad and community shuls available. For Shabbos, my husband davened at Chabad, which was the closest option. Chabad also offers hotel recommendations nearby.

​

Weather: The weather in Vancouver is beautiful—warm without the humidity and cools down nicely at night. If you plan to visit Whistler, be sure to bring sweatshirts.

 

Attractions: We booked most attractions in advance, but did so fairly close to our departure date and didn’t have any trouble finding available slots.