The Loden Hotel is situated where Downtown Vancouver greets Coal Harbour. This beautiful luxury class boutique hotel has recently been named Best Hotel in Western Canada by Condé Nast Traveller’s 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards, and with good reason.
From a yoga-inspired Garden Terrace room complete with a sweet little terrace, yoga mats, and blocks, to a room with two large floor-to-ceiling window walls looking out onto the world, all 77 rooms and suites at the Loden are comfortable oases for travellers seeking both quality and style in a hotel.
The bathrooms are marble-tiled and sleek and stocked with Moulton Brown luxury bath amenities.
You’ll also find gorgeous Dornbracht and Philippe Stark fixtures, waterfall soaker tubs, and rainfall showers here.
[Dornbracht’s Deque waterfall bathtub faucet]
We decided to live like a tourist in our own town during this holiday season, enjoying dinner at Tableau Bistro next door, and nourishing our winter skin with an infrared sauna session the next morning.
Just a couple of streets away and you’re at Canada Place; walk in the opposite direction for Robson Street shopping just west of Burrard.
We found the complimentary wifi to be pretty speedy and reliable. A full fitness studio as well as the Loden Spa with infrared sauna can be found on the second floor. A small business workstation room is also located on this floor.
The second floor is also known as the Serenity Floor, with garden terrace suites that feature a little buddha to keep you company while enjoying a cup of herbal tea. These rooms also come with yoga props and mats for a good stretch after a day of walking the city or arriving from a long journey.
The beds are super comfortable! Goose down duvets and feather pillows made us hesitant to leave the room the next day but luckily we reserved an infrared sauna session to get our morning going.
The staff are very outgoing, friendly, and helpful with tips on what to see and do in town. For a city hotel, the Loden has the advantage of being located on Melville, one of the city’s less busy streets. We didn’t make use of the complimentary bikes nor the car service, both obviously great options for getting around.
Rooms are of a decent size so that we weren’t constantly in one another’s way. The large work desk space incorporates one of the most comprehensive ‘tech bars’ I’ve ever seen, with audio jacks, USB ports, several outlets, and wired internet cable outlets.
The lobby is equally sleek and modern, with free Nespresso coffee and TWG speciality tea service in the morning. Take your drink to go or bring it up to your room with a complimentary morning paper delivered to the door.
Bringing a pet? The Loden offers custom beds and dishes, freshly-baked treats at turndown, Modern Dog Magazine, and a doggie clean up kit, so your pooch also gets pampered. We also received turndown service, with chocolates at our bedside and a carafe of fresh water.
[Duck foie gras, grilled artichoke, brioche]
Next door at Tableau Bistro and Bar, Executive Chef Marc-André Choquette prepares seasonal dishes alongside daily favourites such as braised short ribs, pork chops with herb spaetzle, and Meatless Monday specials.
[Pork tenderloin, pomme purée, green beans, served with a peppercorn sauce]
[Orecchiette pasta with short rib, tomato, kale]
On our visit, we enjoyed pork tenderloin (with pomme purée and green beans, served with a peppercorn sauce), and pasta and short ribs, with tomato, olive, and kale. Both were well-seasoned and beautifully presented.
[Tart tatin, cinnamon anglaise, walnut tuile, vanilla bean gelato]
Don’t miss the tart tatin, it’s gorgeous, served with a walnut tuile cookie, cinnamon anglaise, and a small scoop of vanilla bean gelato.
[L to R: Champ d’Epices, Autumn on My Mind]
Our chosen drink companions for our dinner were two exceptionally tasty seasonal sippers from Tableau’s recently-updated cocktail menu: Champ d’Epices (apple brandy, grappa, amaro, falernum, bitters) and Autumn on My Mind (vodka, apple and pear purée, vermouth, vanilla and maple shrub, ginger beer).
A full wine list along with BC craft beer on tap, BC and international beers by the bottle, and non-alcoholic drinks completes the drink picture.
A selection of oysters (Kusshi, East and West coast), moules frites, grilled calamari and prawns, and two sizes of seafood towers cater to seafood lovers.
Tableau is an excellent people-watching spot, always filled with clientele, its bartenders mixing up a storm, and service friendly and not rushed, something we treasure at the end of a busy week.
Prior to that fantastic meal, we headed to Jack Poole Plaza for the inaugural Light the Way for Kids tree lighting party, just a three-block walk from the Loden. The event raises funds for Kids Help Phone to help kids, teens, and young adults cope through rough times. Santa posed for photos with the kids, live music entertained the crowd on stage, and hot chocolate (from the Loden) and coffee kept everyone warm while waiting for the four trees to be lit at 7 pm.
The Olympic Cauldron was also lit to mark the occasion, adding to the festive atmosphere—always a treat for locals and visitors alike. Another perk of being right in the heart of the city during the holidays is shopping. With our car safely valet-parked, we were able to get to several shops early enough on Saturday to beat the crowds.
Being a tourist in your own city can be great fun, and living outside the city core, we were able to experience downtown Vancouver living, if only for a night.
The Loden Hotel is located at 1177 Melville Street in Vancouver.
