We chose L’Hermitage Hotel located on the corner of Robson and Richards street in the very heart of Vancouver’s shopping and entertainment districts, just steps away from Canada Place. We’d never stayed at the hotel before, but location and reviews, having done research, made the hotel appealing.

Boutique retreat

L’Hermitage is a 60 room, luxury boutique property combining Parisian chic and West Coast sophistication. It’s an oasis for the well traveled, and one of Canada’s most exciting luxury hotels in cosmopolitan Vancouver.

On arrival we were pleasantly surprised at how chic, but more importantly, how pristine the hotel was. Check in was smooth, efficient and contactless for the most part, and that set the tone for the rest of the stay. We were provided with sanitation and physical distancing guidelines verbally on arrival in a polite manner. All the guests over the period we were there were clearly complying with them.

Cleanliness for comfort and safety

L’Hermitage offers a blend of luxury rooms and suites—we chose to stay in a boutique room.

Arriving at the room, we were greeted by a sealed door that had been marked sanitized. That gave us the confidence that the room we were about to enter had been cleaned, top to bottom. Everything that you could touch was wrapped in plastic, such as TV remotes—soaps and amenities were in a brown paper bag. We felt totally safe during our stay even in the midst of the pandemic.

Details: all about the bed

The bed in our boutique room was king sized and featured luxurious bedding and hypoallergenic pillows. The pillows, in fact, were our only complaint; Cathy and I found them too high. On request they were replaced immediately with no fuss.

L’Hermitage amenities

The bathroom was spacious with Italian marble floors, a walk in shower and separate wash closet, complete with plush terry bathrobes and slippers. We enjoyed complimentary high speed internet in the room and across the public areas and rooms provided either a 40 or 48 inch 4K LED smart Samsung television.

Outside we found a heated saltwater lap pool and jacuzzi. During the pandemic, the outdoor pool allows for no more than six in it. There’s also a fitness centre which requires reservation during the pandemic.

There’s a business centre with multiple computer stations and bicycles to tour the wonderful city of Vancouver. The bikes are on a limited basis so you have to reserve early. There’s also a complimentary self park service in the downtown core which is secure.

Wrapping up our staycation

What struck us most about this trip was just how polite every staff member was—nothing was too much trouble and we really felt they wanted us to be there.

We did avail of the lounge on the fifth floor. They’re only serving drinks during COVID-19, and being located beside the pool made the lounge that much more enjoyable. Cathy and her friends even had a private pool party!

A delicious continental breakfast was included and was delivered on time to our door with all the protocols in place.

As a global traveler I was very pleasantly surprised by the high standard of this hotel and will definitely be returning.