Vancouver is Canada’s Pacific gateway and third largest city. It is also considered one of the best places in the world to live, according to the United Nations. Vancouver is a cosmopolitan city, bordered on one side by the waters of the sparkling Pacific Ocean and by the towering Coast Mountains on another. Vancouver is truly one of the most picturesque cities in the world. Excellent shopping combined with numerous attractions such as Granville Island www.granvilleisland.bc.ca, Robson Street, the Vancouver Art Gallery, www.vanartgallery.bc.ca, Grouse Mouantain www.grousemountain.com, and Capilano Suspension bridge www.capbridge.com, make Vancouver one of the premier tourist destinations on the West Coast.

As a gateway to the Pacific, Vancouver’s harbours and inlets are filled with pleasure crafts and ocean-going vessels from around the world. Cruises up the Inside Passage to Alaska begin and end at Canada Place, with its distinctive roofline resembling a cluster of unfurled sails. Originally built as the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 86, Canada Place now encompasses a hotel, a convention centre and a cruise ship terminal.

Shopping in Vancouver is not to be missed: from Robson Street in the West End, to Granville South - Vancouver’s Rodeo Drive, or Gastown for a selection of Native art and Canadiana, the experience is eclectic. Vancouver’s ethnic neighbourhoods also offer the curious traveler a wide range of shopping options, from Richmond’s Asian malls to historic Chinatown, and Vancouver is also the starting point for the renowned ski resort of Whistler, just two hours north along the Sea to Sky highway, www.whistler.com. Well worth a visit both in winter and summer, Whistler is a mecca for ski and boarding fans in winter, then transforms into a summer paradise for golfers, bikers and hikers as well as adventure sport junkies!

A visit to Vancouver is the perfect accompaniment to a stay at Hastings House. The International Airport, served by many airlines from around the world, is a short cab ride away from the float plane terminal, where several float-plane companies service Salt Spring Island and the other Gulf Islands. All major car rental companies are represented at the airport.

Airlines that serve Salt Spring Island:

For a more leisurely trip, take one of the BC ferries from the ferry terminal at Tsawassen, just 30 minutes south of the airport, with departures from early in the morning until late at night to Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island .Visit www.bcferries.ca for complete ferry schedules, rates and reservation. Alternatively you can also take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and drive south to take the short ferry to Vesuvius on Salt Spring Island.

To get the most from your visit to Vancouver, especially if your journey will take you beyond Salt Spring to another Gulf Island, or on to Victoria and Vancouver Island, contact Entrée Destinations www.entreedestinations.com. Their expertise will lead you to the finest luxury accommodations, and to the wildest reaches of British Columbia, for unforgettable vacations with seemingly effortless planning.