Description: The Barclay Hotel is a small hotel located on the ever-popular Robson Street. It is at the Denman end, not far from the water. In its previous life, it was a boarding house and the rooms still show a shadow of this past incarnation. The lobby, though, gives a very good first impression with marble stairs and a welcoming canopy. It is, however, unbelievably cheap for a great location in a city where hotel rooms are extremely expensive. I paid C$85.50 per night for a small double on the first floor. There are three floors of rooms and no elevator.
Our room, 123, was exceptionally small. I got a quick glimpse of 121 and it was almost twice as big, just the luck of the draw I guess. We had a queen-size bed, a desk, two chairs, and an armoire that held our equally petite TV. Linda Kaye laughed when she saw our TV; she thought it matched our room. We did have an excellent selection of channels, both Canadian and American. We had only one nightstand because there was not enough room on my side of the bed for a second one, and, when I got up, I could barely fit between the bed and the desk. I must add that it was a very comfortable bed with a nice firm mattress. We slept very well under our down comforter. The duvet cover was a bit garish but not loud enough to keep us awake.
The room was very clean and our bedding was changed daily. There is no closet, but there are four hooks on the wall behind the door. We had one small window, and we faced toward Robson Street, but from the rear of the building. Robson is a very busy street; we could hear light street sounds even with our window closed. Our bathroom had a vintage look with a circle top mirror and a single built-in sink. There was shampoo and soap provided but no blow-dryer. We had a one piece tub and shower. An iron is available at the front desk.
The staff was very helpful. They had maps and were able to provide me with excellent directions to the Vancouver Art Museum. You can purchase a continental buffet breakfast for $5.34. Actually, it was a great buy, though we only had it one day. There are several types of bread, waffles, pancakes, English muffins, bagels, Danish, boiled eggs, cheese and meat, cereal, oatmeal, orange juice, coffee, tea or hot chocolate. In the afternoon, you can purchase alcoholic drinks in the same bar area.
If you are looking for swank, keep on looking. If you want a nice, clean hotel with nonsmoking rooms in a great location, then I highly recommend the Barclay.
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