We were in Vancouver for 3 nights. Had a hard time finding 2 hotel rooms on the weekend. The Sands had 2 rooms. We were very pleased. Yes, it is expensive and like the other reviewer said, "Vancouver is expensive, get over it!" Our room was roomy and we appreciated the sink outside of the bathroom. We saw no bedbugs and the maids cleaned up the room everyday and changed the sheets. We thought that having a room overlooking the parking lot ended up being so much quieter than the street side, even though there was no view.
BUT it is the location that is so great. Like everyone stated, literally steps from the great beach at English Bay and we walked the entire sea wall around Stanley park starting from our hotel. It would have been much longer if we had started from a hotel closer to the "downtown" area. There is a Starbucks on the corner and every conceivable restaurant you could want and many dessert stores and pubs too. We never felt unsafe in this area at all. Our weather was nice, high 70's so people were out and this area can be a little crowded with people, but it also makes for interesting people watching.
All in all we thought it was a find. Not a high end place, but a clean, safe, friendly hotel with a great location.











