Vancouver and Whistler are
preparing to host the 2010 Olympics
and stage the most incredible spectacle BC has ever experienced. What you NEED TO KNOW before you
arrive »»
News Weather & Inside Trading
Olympic ATHLETES & Entourage
come to COMPETE & MEET while
SPORTS FANS come to PLAY
in Vancouver and Whistler
Accommodations
B&Bs, Home Rentals, Hotels, Motels
Luxury Estates, Group Lodging,
Camping, RV, Shared Rooms
Vancouver has
the most incredible
B&Bs -
Bed and Breakfasts - in the entire world.
Not only are they beautiful and the views spectacular,
the food is wholesome and much of it organic, plus, B&B hosts
are friendly.
Many homeowners will also rent single rooms or entire private
homes, the one's they actually live in. The challenge is that
they go fast, and they can be very pricey. Your best bet is to plan
early and use sites like this to help make sure you're not renting
a fly-by-night operation that will convert back to a chicken coop
or grow-op when the Games leave town.
If they don't have a picture of the exterior of the home
and the
room online, plus a good description - be wary, could be a
health risk.
Hotels and Motels during
this period are gouging to
be incredibly difficult to find, especially if you're looking for something
reasonable. Shop carefully online for good deals and locations, and
plan well in advance.
If you're looking for
a deal, don't unconditionally trust Olympics sanctioned operators.
They worked out special deals with Olympics organizations that might
be good for them, but not necessarily for you.
By all means consider them, but
shop carefully.
Unfortunately, there are a few serious accommodation challenges in
Vancouver and Whistler you must take into consideration . . . Yes ... the rumor is true ... 2010 officials suggested
we house people
in shipping containers,
... you know,
the colorful steel boxes
you see stacked on ships and trains.
It's hard to believe, but wealthy Whistler land owners and business
operators can't bear to part with their megamillions and build
proper and comfortable housing, so they came up with a scheme to stack shipping containers three-high, then tac-weld
a set of metal stairs on each end (at least we hope so for
fire safety), plug them into the grid, and give people a once
in a lifetime Olympics experience they'll never forget.
Thankfully
the plan was scrapped, but just for even thinking this would
be
a plan we crown Whistler the cheesiest Olympic city ever.
Whistler, struggling to become the French Riviera of the wilderness,
is crawling with wealth, but in a rush to gouge, they failed to plan
for proper housing for 2010.
Local news media, who are paid millions to promote the Olympics tried
to sell the containers as a feasible solution, but there was a huge outcry.
Be careful and look closely at your reservation,
especially if you're forced to stay in Whistler.
Olympics officials are desperate!!
Fortunately ... our region does have other great places to
stay.
Unfortunately, it's going to be a challenge to find safe and reasonably priced accommodations
in Vancouver too ... but for different reasons.
The challenge is that thousands of Vancouver region homes are, or
have been used as marijuana grow-ops, and many contain
dangerous black mold - some so bad they had to be torn down and incinerated.
Rumors are circulating that illegal grow-ops will be turned into temporary
accommodations during the 2010 Olympics, and, when the Games leave
town, turned back into grow-ops. Local news media are in overdrive hyping the
amount of money that could be made housing Olympic spectators, so it's not hard to imagine everyone here, pot growers included, rubbing their
hands in gouging glee.
Is it practical to convert a grow-op into an Olympic time rental room?
Who knows until it happens?
Marijuana growers can, theoretically, plan their crop so the indoor
farm is vacant for a month or so, move in furniture picked up at a
flea market, hang a few air fresheners, and voila! they're
temporarily in a legal business.
Don't let the bed bugs bite! ... and wear a mask.
Speaking of BED BUGS, unfortunately Vancouver also has a very serious infestation. It's a downside of poor people living in filth and squalor.
When you arrive, if you are bitten and there is blood on your sheets or clothing, report it immediately to the local health authority. You will also have to be careful to not take the little hitchhikers home with you in your hair, clothes, or suitcase. If you suspect you have come into contact with bed bugs you will have to take serious steps to eradicate them from your being, because they won't go away on their own and you can't leave them behind by simply washing your hair or shaking out your clothes. You need a planned attack that includes chemicals and disinfectant soap with bleach. Be careful where you sleep and lay your head.
Now for a bit of irony; considering this city is endearingly
referred to by many as Vansterdam, the Pot Smoking Capital of Canada ... if
you smoke tobacco,
surprisingly, you'll find it very hard, if not impossible to find
a smoking unit in any type of rental accommodation. Why? Well ganja
aside, ... we worship a healthy lifestyle, so much so that we also
hold the crown for having the second longest
life span in North America. (People in Saskatchewan live longer than
in BC due to better education and higher overall economic prosperity.
BC is house poor due to sky rocketing real estate prices driven up by
Olympics frenzy, plus pay rates are very low compared to many North
American cities. In the very recent past we used to boast of having
the longest life span, but no kidding, in 2008 the stress
and high cost of living in our Olympics region knocked us back a notch
to second place. Vancouver is now the most expensive city in the world
in which to live.)
Use common sense and explore hospitality resources carefully.
The longer you wait, the steeper the price, but cancellations
do happen quite regularly so keeping checking.
