Pet-Friendly Hotels in Burnaby, British Columbia

Every room at the Element by Marriott Vancouver Metrotown has a full kitchen, which I rate as the most useful feature for families staying several nights. The indoor pool keeps children busy in any weather, breakfast is included, and the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping centre is a short walk away for rainy-day errands. Pets are accepted. With an 8.8 rating from 142 reviews, it is a strong family base in Burnaby.

Accent Inns Burnaby is close to a SkyTrain station, which lets families reach Vancouver city centre without driving or paying for parking downtown. Shops and restaurants are within walking distance for easy meals. A hot tub and fitness centre are on site, the hotel is fully non-smoking, and pets are welcome. I would book it for families who want a calmer, well-rated base in Burnaby with quick rail access to Vancouver's sights.

Free parking and Exit 29 of Highway 1 make this 21-storey tower a practical stop for a family on the road, not a holiday base. The casino next door is for adults 19 and over, and the hotel requires the person checking in to be 19 too, so the complex's evening life is not for children. Its restaurants do make dinner possible without driving, with Atlas Steak + Fish on the second floor. The wellness options are the hot tub and the sauna, which suit parents more than children. Dogs and cats are accepted, two per room at most, for a fee. Without a car, days in Vancouver are slow, because no SkyTrain station is a short walk. I would book it for one or two nights on a road trip, or when one parent has an event in the conference centre, and look near Metrotown or downtown for a longer city break.

An outdoor pool is the feature I would point out first at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown in Burnaby, since it gives children a break between city outings in the warmer months. Rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and the bathrooms include a soaker bathtub, which makes bath time easier with younger kids. The on-site restaurant covers dinner without another trip out, and the fitness centre and spa wellness facilities give parents a moment to themselves. It suits families who prefer Burnaby to downtown Vancouver.

For families watching the budget in Metro Vancouver, this Best Western keeps things simple. A hot breakfast is included every day, rooms have a refrigerator for milk and snacks, and Royal Oak SkyTrain station is a short walk away, so a day in downtown Vancouver needs no parking. Metrotown, one of the region's largest shopping centres, is close by for rainy afternoons. The hotel is pet-friendly too, which helps families who travel with the dog.

For a family seeing Vancouver without a car, the address does most of the work. Metrotown SkyTrain is a short walk from the lobby, and the Expo Line runs to Waterfront, the stop for Canada Place and Gastown, in about 20 minutes with no change. Metropolis at Metrotown, the largest mall in British Columbia with around 330 stores and services, sits next door for a rainy afternoon. What children will miss is a pool: the hotel has none, so swimming means Central Park's outdoor pool in summer, one stop away at Patterson, where the playground and forest trails also are. Parking is paid and breakfast depends on the rate. I would pick it for a city-sightseeing week with school-age children, not for toddlers who need a pool to burn off energy.