Super location, two minutes from the waterfront, shops and great restaurants. The staff is really friendly and the atmosphere throughout the hotel is friendly as well. Room was a decent size but the bed cover looked old and shabby, the bathroom was not completely clean and I could here portions of the conversation in the adjoining room through the connecting door. My neighbours laughed and talked loudly but you shouldn't be hearing them that much. Had I stayed more than one night I would've asked to be moved.

Not sure I will go there again which is too bad becaused I felt really welcomed.

This hotel is in an ideal location to explore Vancouver - near shops and restaurants on Davie, Denman and five minutes from Robson Street. The beach is only feet away and Stanley Park is a five minute walk.

We obtained an online deal of $156 including tax and parking. The rooms appear to be recently remodeled but there are signs that it was done on the cheap, with an older bathtub and an a/c unit that struggled to keep the room cool - we ended up leaving the window open and dealing with the noise. Otherwise our room and bathroom were spacious and adequate for a short stay.

There are a copule of attached bar/lounges that provide a good place for a nightcap if the other options outside the hotel don't catch your fancy. Hotel check-in was very efficient and service was friendly.

We felt that the Sands was a good value for the price range, if you don't want to pay $30-$50 per night for the next level up.

Going from Vancouver on an Alskan cruise so decided to add on a few nights in Vancouver before hand staying at the Best Western Sands - and how glad we were that we did.

Hotel location was great - right on English Beach, and the surrounding area felt safe and had a great selection of bars and restaurants. Hotel bar itself was good and seemed very popular.

Had a sea view room which was clean, spacious and very comfortable.

All the hotel staff were kind and curteous, especially those on reception

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.