A Review of Some Good Vacation Rentals in Vancouver

Posted by Guest on Feb 3rd, 2012 in Vacation Rentals | 0 comments

If you have chosen Vancouver as your vacation destination, there is no need to worry about finding a perfect place to stay for your entire getaway. In fact, Vancouver vacation rentals are very popular in the area, you won’t even sweat before finding your ideal accommodation.

Here are some of Vancouver’s finest vacation rentals that you might want to check out:

Heart of Yaletown. This is a very spacious house that is fully furnished and has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den that overlooks David Lam Park.

Hycrosoft Suites. A townhome that has 2 king bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, phone, television, Wi-Fi connection, laundry services and fine linens.

Kitislano 02 Home. This vacation rental house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an attic. It exudes a unique Victorian charm that will definitely entice you to stay a little longer.

Vancouver Downtown 02 Luxury Yaletown Condo. With its spacious layout and meticulously detailed design, the Luxurious Yaletown condo is a great place to stay while in Vancouver.

 Luxury Condo, Gastown. This newly-renovated condo is perfect for the individual who wants privacy and intimacy having vacation alone. Its spacious bedroom offers solace and it’s furnished with kitchen appliances, free Wi-Fi access, gas fireplace and LCD television set.

Tourism in British Columbia

Posted by Guest on Jan 31st, 2012 in Tourism | 0 comments

In 2009, British Columbia contributed more than 26% of Canada’s international overnight entries. Undeniably, the province’s economy is propelled in huge part by tourism. Its several picturesque attractions paired with its clean and safe image makes British Columbia a favorite tourist destination of both international and even local tourists.

The wide variety of cultural and urban attractions in the area, ranging from shopping, amusement parks, performing and visual arts, as well as professional sports, molded British Columbia into an ideal getaway for those who want to spend a grand vacation especially during the holiday season. Its local, regional, provincial and national parks offer visitors breathtaking and magnificent natural beauty to admire. In addition to these, the area also provides opportunities for recreation and outdoor activities. You may want to try golf, fishing, skiing, wine tasting or whale watching. British Columbia became host for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games because of its magnificent mountains and wonderful winter resorts.

Some of the province’s major tourist attractions are the Kootenay Rocky Mountains, the Cariboo lakes, the wildlife in Thompson and the list goes on. The province also houses several resorts, ranches, campsites, bed and breakfasts, backcountry cabins and hotels that offer comfortable and affordable accommodations.

If you are a sports buff and you want to try skiing and other winter sports, here are some of the best places recommended for you:

• Ski Vancouver and Whistler- Three ski areas are located in Vancouver and the resort town of Whistler, which has bagged a number of awards already, is just two hours away.
• Skiing Resorts in British Columbia- In total, there are 13 major ski resorts across the province which offers snowboarding and skiing on wide open terrain to black-diamond steeps.
• Kootenay Rockies
• Thompson Okanagan
• Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

Aside from the ski resorts, British Columbia’s art galleries are also internationally acclaimed. Some of the most famous art galleries and museums in the area include the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Eagle Aerie Gallery. The U’mista Cultural Center and Gwaii Haanas National Park are well-known for their continued effort of preserving aboriginal art.

For those who love discovering great cuisine, British Columbia has something in store for you. Delectable wine and food are the pride of the area, and add market experiences and gourmet dining to that to make your food discovery even more memorable. BC is abundant in orchards, farms and vineyards which produce the finest fruits, vegetables and other products. Connoisseurs and serious foodies dream of going here to have a taste of the province’s freshest and most delicious dishes.

With the diverse activities offered in British Columbia along with its many magnificent local attractions, there is no doubt that tourism in BC will continue to thrive and grow in the coming years.

 

Attractions and Places of Interest in West Minster

Posted by Guest on Jan 27th, 2012 in Tourism, Vacation | 0 comments

If you have decided to spend your vacation in West Minster, you won’t find yourself bored because there are a lot of places and sights to be discovered in the area. So brace yourself as we take a pseudo-tour around West Minster through these attractions and points of interests. Worthy destinations in West Minister is just as many, if not more, than the available policies offered by Sovereign Insurance. Some of the places of interests in the area that must not be missed are as follows:

The Historic Center of Irving House

 This was the home built by Captain Irving which has never fail to catch the attention of tourists.

Samson V Maritime Museum

The last steam-powered paddle wheeler to operate on Fraser River. It has photographic displays of its history plus exhibits of vessels, lumbering, fishing and other aspects of maritime life.

Fraser River Discovery Center

Considered as one of the greatest rivers in the world, Fraser River played a big role in the development of New Westminster and the entire British Columbia as well.

New Westminster Police Museum

Who would have thought that witnessing different aspects of the police can be fun and educational? This museum was the brainchild of detective Constable Ted Usher which honors one of the oldest police departments in the province.

I highly suggest that you do your own research as well, like what you’ll do when deciding what health insurance to get, to help you become familiar with the best places to see and visit in West Minister.

Significant Events in the History of New Westminster

Posted by Guest on Jan 13th, 2012 in History | 0 comments

New Westminster was designated by Lieutenant-Governor Richard Moody as the first official capital of the new Colony of British Columbia in 1859. The area was designated as the BC’s capital because its location was farther from the American border as compared to the site of Fort Langley, the colony’s proclamation area. According to Moody, New Westminster possessed all the great facilities for communication and it is also the future site for great trunk railways. However, on February 14, 1859, Governor Douglas had proclaimed Queensborough as the new capital.

The city was named by Queen Victoria, hence, it gained the nickname “The Royal City”. After a year, New Westminster was incorporated, making it the first city in British Columbia to become one and it also had a municipal government that was formed through an election. It was also chosen as one of the major points for prospectors of the Fraser Gold Rush.

A huge amount of labor and financial capital was necessitated at the location of the city on the edge of the forest. Trees were cleared and the streets were laid out to start building the city. This initiative became a heavy burden to the imperial government’s colonial budget, and so they decided to push through with the development with only half the cost of the Royal Engineers.   While there were no phlebotomy training schools, other things were happening. Historians believe that Governor Douglas had spent so little time in the area and it was also evident that he had no affection for New Westminster. The residents in return also had no feelings of affection for Douglas as they supported Colonel Moody’s building efforts.
The city’s early settlers were largely composed of Maritimers and Canadians who brought a business-oriented approach to the community. Gov. Douglas granted the “free port status” to Victoria, New Westminster’s neighboring area and imposed taxes on imports going into New West. These events infuriated the residents.

In 1871 when British Columbia became part of the Dominion of Canada, New Westminster became the sixth province and its economic status attained improvement. However, the Royal City was beaten by Vancouver when the Canadian Pacific Railway was extended to Burrard Inlet in 1886. A smallpox epidemic almost wiped out the band members settling in the area around that time.

The federal government claimed most of the Royal City Band’s reserve lands in 1913 and in 1916, the land on Poplar Island was turned over to the British Columbia government. The New Westminster Armoury was given the title “Federal Heritage Building” by the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings.

 

 

The Housing Market In British Columbia

Posted by Guest on Jan 3rd, 2012 in Real Estate | 0 comments

Are you planning to move to British Columbia? If so, then it is prudent that you equip yourself with important information about the BC housing market. By doing so, you will have a clear idea if buying a house in British Columbia would be a sensible move to make. According to a recent news report, the housing market in British Columbia is still considered as the least affordable when compared to other cities in Canada. This is perhaps because of the sky-high prices of homes found in the Vancouver area.

While home affordability in the rest of Canada will continue to be reasonable, British Columbia will remain as an exception. A report issued by the RBC Economics about the 2011 Housing Trends and Affordability suggests that housing affordability for the most part of Canada will remain to be less of a threat to the country’s overall housing demand. But although this may be the case, RBC’s chief economist and senior Vice President, Craig Wright, says that the Vancouver area will be an exception to the reported trend. Prices of homes in upscale neighbourhoods in Vancouver are still sky-high and remain to be unaffordable. Because of this, the Vancouver houses are at risk to the volatile real estate market.

Average price of a house in BC is considered as the highest within Victoria and Vancouver. The estimated monthly shelter cost shouldered by BC homeowners is around $904, which a bit higher than the country’s national average which only falls around $835.  Due to the high cost of BC houses, a lot of people residing in the area are thinking of relocating to cheaper neighboring suburbs like Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey. Living in the said suburbs will help homeowners to cut down their daily and monthly expenses. Moreover, housing costs in these areas are way cheaper when compared to those found in the British Columbia area.

Furthermore, the neighboring suburbs of British Columbia offers more space to accommodate bigger families while also providing easy access to the city. New immigrants will also find a good home in the these areas since there are well-established immigrant communities that have already settled here which can provide them with a strong support network and great cultural community that will make them feel as if they never left their home country.

Those who are thinking of buying a home in British Columbia should seriously think if they will be able to afford it. They can talk to a real estate broker to know the available options for owning a home in the area. Meanwhile, if you think that owning a home in British Columbia is too heavy on the pocket, then look into its neighboring suburbs which offer cheaper and more reasonable house costs.