Our visit to the BayView was sheer luxury! Gwen and Jim are outstanding hosts who made us feel pampered, relaxed and completely at home during our first visit to the Vancouver area.
We arrived after a long drive from Seattle and were greeted with glasses of chilled BC wine, fresh iced tea and smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres. We sat out on the balcony and enjoyed a magnificent view of the waterfront, Stanley Park and the city. The Bayview Suite was spacious and elegantly decorated with a sitting room with fireplace. Gwen and Jim thoughtfully set up a bed there for our 3 year old. The bedroom was airy and has its own private balcony. The kitchenette with washer/dryer was a wonderful amenity for our extended vacation.
Now, for the four course breakfasts...Jim brews the most delicious cup of coffee to accompany dish after dish of fresh and creatively prepared breakfast items: homemade jams, baked goods, crab quiche, eggs, salmon, and something light and sweet to finish. It sounds like a lot, but we found everything to be perfectly presented and portioned. It was fun to be able to take home recipes so we can enjoy these dishes again.
Gwen was a terrific resource in planing our Vancouver vacation, as she had lots of great suggestions and ideas for things to do and see. She is especially good at accommodating the varied tastes of her guests and proposing appropriate activities. Both Gwen and Jim know Vancouver well and you can tell that they truly love their city from the history they know and all the places they will tell you about.
Oh, and I mustn't forget Simon! He is an adorable dog and our son fell madly in love with him. Simon kept him well entertained, playing ball in the back garden after breakfast while we got ready for the day.
All in all, we were so well looked after at the Bay View, I cannot recommend it highly enough!!