Great stay in downtown Vancouver.
Location is super convenient - walking distance to great restaurants and coffee shops, grocery stores, Chinatown, Gastown, and just two blocks from the metro station. Check-in is quick and seamless from a convenience store down the street. I did not have a car with me but that may require additional steps.
The neighborhood is a cross section of the city: children walking to the school next door in the morning, hip young professionals, Chinese elders taking a stroll, lively soccer fields. Yes, there’s also homeless people, with many at the main hub on Hastings near Main St a few blocks away, but if you’re aware of it it’s easily navigable around, and it’s very minor in the immediate neighborhood. If you do walk past Hastings, it may be crowded and a bit uncomfortable, but basically everyone’s just doing their own thing and not paying attention to passerby. I would stay in the neighborhood again with no qualms.
The views in the unit are amazing, it’s clean and comfortable, and the water pressure is great for a hot shower. I was there in October, and the weather was beautiful, but you do need to draw down the blinds from morning to afternoon to keep the direct sun from heating up the place. I left the windows open at night to enjoy the cool air and was out most of the day, then opened the windows back up in the evenings, so basically didn’t use the a/c. As you’re in the city, you’ll hear the road and train line nearby if the windows are open, so if you’re a light sleeper or sensitive to that, you may want to bring headphones or earplugs as an option.
Some aspects of the unit could use some upkeep and maintenance. In particular, the roller blinds can be finicky, and we had an issue with one of the bed frame supports during our stay which made it unsleepable for a night; but Ben was prompt to respond when made aware of issues and for the bed frame he had someone out to repair it the same day.
Overall a lovely stay. Looking forward to my next trip to Vancouver already!