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Priceline Hotel: Seattle/Vancouver Trip


amfranklin
By amfranklin,
in

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Getting ready to take my first but much anticipated trip to Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver. Any assistance offered would be much appreciated about where to stay and must do's while visiting. Would like to stay w/i walking distance (or trolly/bus/ferry) of activities if possible. Thanks! Guess I should add that we'll be there Sept. 17-Sept. 25.

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Welcome to BetterBidding!

Let's use this thread for the Seattle portion of your stay and please start separate threads for the other legs of your trip.

What are the dates that you will be in Seattle? What star level hotel are you looking for?

I recently bid this area (my second time to Seattle, first time bidding for the zone) and this is what i was told:

The Priceline zone is much larger than the Hotwire zone, as Hotwire divides the downtown area into two smaller zones.

The area near Pike's Place Market is more desirable than the area by the Space Needle (as the market area is more 'downtown' and centrally located). Since the Priceline zone is so big and covers both the market area and the needle area, you need to bid 4* to be near the market (at least there are no 4* hotels believed to be the near needle). If you want to bid 3* and be near the market then you may be better off with Hotwire where you have a better chances at figuring out the exact location of the hotel beforehand.

Let us know info as to the dates of the Seattle part of the stay and your maximum bid amount and we'll be happy to supply a strategy for you to follow.

If this is your first time using Priceline you may also want to read thru RE-BIDDING EXPLAINED and as any questions that you may have, as any suggested strategy will likely involve the re-bidding concept.

Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases

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TIPS FOR YOUR TRIP -

1. Downtown Seattle hotels are expensive - even through Priceline. Might want to stay outside downtown.

2. Crossing the border take the "truck crossing" just off I-5 - less busy.

3. Don't forget your passport, of course. (I did last yr and it was a hassle.)

4. In Vancouver, it looks like you can get a 4* for $50 if you read the threads on this board.

5. If you are coming to Vancouver Island from Vancouver on a Sunday afternoon book a reservation for $15 on the ferry.

6. In Victoria there is a new Marriott that hopefully is now a 4* on Priceline - hopefully the Red Lion is no longer listed in the same category as the Marriott and Empress.

7. If you are driving and doing the counter-clockwise loop from Seattle, you can take the Coho Ferry from Vic to Port Angeles. More picturesque than I-5.

8. In Victoria a nice restaurant is Il Terrazzo or The Tapas Bar.

Have fun!

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Chasman--

A quick question on your passport recommendation; we are planning a trip to Vancouver, but were only planning on using Birth Certificates; is that what you used for that crossing, or were you saying you had no documentation at all that time? Without a passport, how long do you recommend planning for a border crossing? Thanks

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I've been about 4 times this year. check out the border crossing website. i believe if u take a birth certificate and photo id you should be ok. but if not def. take a passport. have fun-its beautiful there!

oh yeah! definitly take the truck crossing, otherwise,you may be there up to 1.5 hrs

(its happened esp. on the way back) truck crossing is usually very quick

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Tune into News 1130 AM on your approach to the border. At 01 past the hour, then every 10 minutes (10:01, 10:11, 10:21 etc... you get it) the traffic report includes border lineups for the main crossings. Northbound is generally a shorter wait than Southbound, but the Truck Crossing is not always the shortest wait -- but is still a good bet if you haven't checked the radio.

Please double check what ID you need to cross the border. Since 911 it's been much tougher and I ALWAYS have a passport available for every person in the car. It would be lousy to spend most of your trip inside the office at the border or even get turned back. The customs officials are notoriously slow -- this is not a service-oriented business. At the office at the truck crossing there seems to be no real queueing method, so you can get stuck behind people who arrived much after you. If your lack of passports forces you into line, the Peace Arch crossing is more efficient.

Since I'm a landed British citizen in Canada, I have to go into the office each time I cross -- I am intimately familiar with the line-ups and procedures (how unfortunate).

Have a great trip.

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We just made this same trip this month. Ibooked all my rooms on Hotwire or Pricelin except Victoria. The new Marriott there has a better deal on their website for a grandopening special of $119($158 Canadian) a night. It's a beautiful hotel, great servie. I highly reccommend the breakfast buffett. It is not on the waterthough, so if views are important to you you may want to go elsewhere.

We stayed at the Vintage Park in Seattle -Loved it! $105 a night. My husband liked it so much, had me change our last nightto The Monaco- which is another Kimpton Hotel a block over- it was a better deal on Hotwire than I could get that night on Priceline at $105.

We stayed at the Marriott Pinnicle in Vancouver- Priceline $65. Great views!!!!!! Beautiful Hotel. I highly reccommend visiting Granville Island and Especially the Pacific Culinary Institute for dining or thier pastery shop. Their food is cheap and DEVINE, you willnot be disappointed!!!!!!! The Fish House in Stanley Park is great also- and reasonably priced.

We took Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver they have a direct morning train or you can return from Vancouver, but the train is at night and I wanted to see the scenery. We loved this trip- pay the extra for Business class- it's worth it. Bring your headphones/ ear buds if you want to hear the movie, or buy them from them for $4.

We took the Bus/ Ferry from Vancouver to Victoria. It leaves from the train station several times a day. Pacific Lines- is the name. This was great!! Huge Ferry- it's like a cruise ship- You just pull up in the ferry on the bus along with all the other cars and semitrucks, etc. Beautiful views- I highly reccommend this as well.

We returned to Seattle on the Clipper- get there early to get a good seat. This is a much smaller passenger ferry that travels at a high speed, but it's the fastest way back to Seattle. If you buy your ticket in Canada, it is a bit less expensicve with the exchange rate.

We took the trolley back to our hotel from the Clipper.

Don't miss the Pike Place Market. It's great! -so is Seattle Center.

We made a quick trip- 5 nights, 6 days- so I did not want to rent a car. We were able to walk to everything or take the Monorail(take the loop around Vancouver- it's the best way to see the whole city- easy, comfortable and cheap!), bus or trolley. Cabs in Seattle are fairly cheap also.

Have fun! It's a great time of year to go!

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  • 1 month later...

If you haven't made reservations for Vancouver yet and you can find a decent deal I personally love the Sheraton Wall Center. The new tower (only been in the new tower...I believe both do) has great rooms with floor to ceiling glass to make for an amazing view. There are two corner rooms on each floor (kind of an oval shape) so these rooms offer even more views. The location is excellent also putting you close to gastown, museums, shopping, restaurants, etc.

Good Luck

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