Vancouver is amazing! Who knew? Love the city and our accommodations...

View from the comfy chairs in the Member's Lounge at our hotel.

Another view from the private Member's Lounge where we're spending time online. What a view!

We never expected Vancouver, British Columbia to be such a beautiful city. Nor did we expect the vacation rental we selected for the six nights to be on the penthouse level with such awesome views.

Comfortable bedding, bed and pillows invites good night's sleep, only to find us awake between long before sunrise.

The condo unit is much more lovely than we'd anticipated. Its actually pristine with the finest of amenities, décor and comfort. The sheets are at least 1000 pt. Egyptian cotton, the bed a heavenly cloud, the towels, soft and fluffy and the view...ah, the view.

Another view of the condo.

These past two nights, we lay in bed with the drapes open to the sparking lights of the city, relishing in every moment. We only closed them when we knew we'd regret leaving them open when sleep is needed in in the early morning as we make an effort to combat a bit of jet lag.

The living area in our penthouse condo.

Yesterday morning, we dined in the beautiful dining room of the Sheraton complex which includes, at the top is the unique Club Intrawest, a membership facility with any perks we're thoroughly enjoying. We're so happy we chose this property.

Although there's no stove, the microwave can be used. We won't eat in while here since we rarely eat anything that requires reheating other than our homemade leftovers. We've either dined on the past cruise or eaten in a restaurant over the past 50 days. In 27 days we'll be able to cook our meals again.

At US $211 per night including free WiFi, (maid service only every three days)we were pleasantly surprised when we've heard that Vancouver has a reputation for being expensive in the tourist areas. We can't dispute that. It is expensive.

The living area in our condo.

The buffet was pricey at US $32 each. Tom wasn't thrilled with the selection of cold cereals and muffins but, did enjoy the fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and pancakes.

The shower is actually twice as large as shown.

I absolutely loved my perfect breakfast of a suitable frittata made with organic free range eggs and organic veggies. I thought I was in heaven with a huge portion and a pile of smoky bacon, a few veggies and cheese on the side.

Dining area in the hotel. We'll be dining outside the hotel in most instances.

We hardly ate anything on travel day when no food was served on the two flights (unlike flights in other countries) and our appetites were begging to be fulfilled.

My breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.

We devoured the tiny packs of peanuts the flight attendants served plus almonds and cheese Phyllis had packed for us. Nothing on the flight's menu of to-be-purchased items worked for me or appealed to Tom. No big deal. Missing a few meals didn't hurt either of us.

Décor in the hotel lobby.

As we've relaxed in the private Member's Lounge, we had an opportunity to speak to two very helpful concierges who provided us with maps, directions and lists of "to do" items within walking distance.

Hotel lobby.

Thirty floors to our condo. Twenty-nine floors to the Member's Lounge.

Soon, we'll take off on foot borrowing an umbrella from the hotel to find a grocery store for a few items and to check out the local restaurants. There's a Laundromat within four blocks that we'll visit in a few days as we contemplate packing for the upcoming cruise on Tuesday.

Upon entering the Member's Lounge where we're provided with fast free WiFi access which we also have in our condo.

As we're sitting in the fat stuffed comfy leather chairs in this beautifully appointed Member's Lounge overlooking downtown Vancouver and the ocean, we're living in the moment, loving "the one you're with," not thinking much further than the nose in front of our faces.

Wood carving in the Member's Lounge.

Years ago, had a six day trip to Vancouver been my "vacation" for the year, I'd have been content. Pinch me! I must be dreaming...or as they say, "living a dream." Whatever it is, we are humbled. We are grateful.

Keep it coming.

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Photo from one year ago, September 19, 2013:

Instead of steel construction support posts for support in Kenya they use stripped tree branches. We were amazed by how they improvised with what they had on hand. For details of this post, please click here.