Plan the ultimate staycation in Vancouver on a budget with these tips …
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A hotel stay in or near your own city can offer the escape of an out-of-town experience, minus the big travel and time commitment.
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And with travel costs up this summer, experts say more Canadians are leaning in to the idea of staycationing this vacation season.
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“It’s no surprise that many travellers are looking closer to home for their next getaway,” Melanie Fish, vice-president of PR for Hotels.com says. “In fact, more than half of Canadians say they are planning a domestic trip this summer, and of those, 44 per cent say they are more interested in travelling domestically than they were last summer.”
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West Coast Table
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I recently booked a one-night stay at the Paradox Hotel in Vancouver for a little birthday getaway. Arriving in the afternoon just in time for check-in, we spent some time enjoying window shopping and sipping iced coffee before returning to the hotel to get ready for a dinner out. There’s something so wonderful about walking to and from the restaurant, especially if you live in the suburbs like I do, where it’s just not possible.
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After enjoying a dinner and a show-style meal at Kobe Japanese Steak and Seafood House, we set off for a sunset walk around the waterfront and Canada Place before returning to Paradox for a nightcap. The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and some time at the pool before packing up, checking out and getting back home with more than enough time to reset for the week ahead.
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It was a great weekend getaway — without having to truly, you know, go away.
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With summertime upon us, and savings top of mind, we gathered a few top tips to help boost savings on staycation bookings.
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Here are some ways to save money on travel this season, according to the recently released 2026 Hotel Price Index:
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Book last-minute for a better deal
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The benefit of a staycation is there’s some flexibility with timing and plans. According to Fish, data from the latest Price Index report shows that booking within a week of travel can lead to savings of up to 30 per cent across all hotel star ratings.
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Start your stay on Sunday
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“Sunday nights are consistently the cheapest day to stay,” according to Fish, with five-star local hotel stays available from as little as $236 per night in some of Canada’s top travel destinations. Sunday is also listed as the cheapest day of the week to book a hotel stay internationally. Fridays and Saturdays are typically the most expensive.
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Avoid booking travel in late July
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Late July is one of the most expensive times to book travel, according to the report. Especially for domestic stays as demand reaches the highest point across the country at that time. Prices also climb for international travel in early September, as people rush to book end-of-summer plans and both students and businesspeople return to school and work.
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Looking to save money at another time during the year? If possible, postpone your staycation until January after the holidays. It’s the best time to snag a deal.
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Check back in July for our guide to a few summer day trips from Vancouver.
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