Is it loonie to visit Canada this summer? Not with these tips

With the Canadian dollar at its strongest against the U.S. dollar in 30 years, a weekend in Victoria or Vancouver, B.C., will cost you almost 7 percent more than it did last year, and that's not counting any changes in prices.

If the surge keeps up, the Canadian dollar, now worth 94 cents compared with an average 88 cents last year, could be worth as much as $1 U.S. by the end of the year, wiping out the discount that has made Canada an attractive travel destination for Americans.

"We're not the bargain we used to be for Americans," says Mara Jernigan, operator of Fairburn Farm, a culinary retreat and guesthouse in Vancouver Island's Cowichan Valley. Like many Canadian resorts and hotel operators, she didn't raise her rates this year, yet a room priced at $160 Canadian now costs $150.40 in U.S. dollars compared with $141 last year.

The U.S. dollar has weakened against almost all the world's currencies, but the effects have been particularly noticeable in Canada over the past several years due to its higher interest rates and strong economy.

In 2003, when the Canadian dollar, known as the loonie because of the loon pictured on the $1 coin, was worth just 72 cents, a hotel room priced at $160 CAN would have cost just $115 U.S.

"It's extremely challenging for smaller businesses," said Jernigan, who counts on American visitors for 50 percent to 60 percent of her business in the summer season.

The number of U.S. visitors to British Columbia dropped 8.7 percent through March of this year compared with last. Making travel more costly was the federal government's recent decision to eliminate the rebate on a 6 percent (GST) tax on lodging and other goods and services. Tourism officials fear that the strong loonie coupled with a U.S. plan to require passports or new identity cards at land border crossings as early as next January could add to what's been a 34 percent drop in U.S. travelers to Canada since 2000.

What should you do if you've got your heart set on taking the family or visitors to Vancouver or Victoria this summer?

While no longer cheap, a British Columbia getaway can still be affordable, but you'll have to work to make your dollars stretch.

Shop for hotels

Not many bargains this time of year, but it still pays to shop around.

Most hotels don't include taxes in their initial rate quotes, so be sure you're getting the bottom-line price. In Vancouver and Victoria, taxes add another $16 per night onto the price of a $100 room.

• Check the "Escape Rates" offered by Tourism BC at www.hellobc.com.

A search for a discounted rate for a Friday-night stay in Vancouver in June indicated nothing was available at several hotels listed. It paid to keep trying. More searching on the site brought up an "Escape rate" of $172 CAN ($161.70 U.S.) with taxes for a standard queen room at the Comfort Inn on Nelson Street in the heart of downtown. This beat Expedia's rate of $256 U.S. and $278.38 CAN ($262 U.S.) quoted on the hotel's Web site. Calling the hotel and asking for an AAA discount yielded a rate of $208 U.S. with taxes.

• Consider budget hotels, but make sure you're familiar with the location, and find out what other travelers have to say before booking.

The James Bay Inn (www.jamesbayinn.bc.ca), a good budget choice for families in a residential neighborhood a few blocks from the harbor in Victoria, wins high marks on www.tripadvisor.com. Doubles in July go for as low as $118 U.S., including taxes, a 15 percent restaurant discount and free parking.

The Patricia Inn (www.budgetpathotel.bc.ca), a budget inn on East Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver, has doubles this summer for $100 U.S., including taxes and breakfast, but the hotel gets low marks on tripadvisor, mostly due to its location in an area populated with drug dealers and crack addicts.

• Check out packages that combine transportation or activities with hotel stays.

Clipper Navigation, which operates the Victoria Clipper high-speed passenger ferry between Seattle and Victoria, offers overnight packages starting at $110 U.S. per person including taxes, and one child under 12 per paying adult goes free. See www.clippervacations.com.Tourism Victoria (www.tourismvictoria.com) sometimes bundles getaways keyed to events.

Avoid weekend travel

Not only will you wait less crossing the border, you might snag midweek discounts on hotels and transportation.

One example: A round-trip ticket for travel between Seattle and Victoria on the Victoria Clipper Monday-Thursday is $113 (including a $12 fuel surcharge) through the end of June with a one-day advance purchase, a price available on weekends only if you buy the tickets two weeks ahead.

Use public transportation

Leave the car at home and avoid high gas prices and hotel parking fees.

Take Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) to Vancouver. One-way fares are as little as $28 if booked far enough in advance (the fewer seats available, the higher the fares). Trains leave Seattle in the morning, arrive in time for lunch and depart each evening at 6 p.m.

Get around town with a day pass ($7.50 U.S.) for the SkyTrain light-rail system (which has a stop right across the street from the train station), buses and the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay and Vancouver's north shore. See www.translink.bc.ca.

Starting June 17 through late September, there's free shuttle service around Stanley Park from 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. The natural-gas-powered buses stop at 15 locations. See www.city.vancouver.bc.ca.

Head to Whistler

The best defense against higher prices is to travel off-season. October through April is generally the best time to find deals, but seasonal bargains right now are in Whistler, B.C.'s premier ski resort.

Hundreds of luxury hotel rooms go begging in summer, and there are plenty of warm-weather activities such as glacier skiing and hiking, mountain biking, golfing, rock climbing or just relaxing by one of the pools.

Book a two-night summer stay by Thursday and many of the hotels are offering a third night at 50 percent off. You can stay three nights in July at the European-style Alpenglow Lodge for $312 U.S., taxes included, compared with $284 for one night in February. The one-bedroom unit comes with gas fireplace and a kitchen.

Last-minute deals are available two or three weeks out. You choose the room type, star rating and price and learn the name of the resort once you pay with your credit card. Example: Available for the Father's Day weekend was a rate of $118 U.S., taxes included, for a studio in a five-star Whistler Village resort with pool, hot tub and spa. See www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

Special promotions

Tourism Vancouver will be offering two-for-one coupons, 15 percent discounts and family packages during its "100 Days of Summer" campaign starting June 21. Check www.tourismvancouver.com.

Vancouver is a great restaurant city. The winter dining-out promotions have ended, but you can still find some bargains. The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver offers free tapas during happy hour from 5-6 p.m. weeknights. Arrive before 6 p.m. at West, 81 Granville St., and sample chef David Hawksworth's cooking at the early-bird prix fix of $42 U.S. per person for three courses. See Vancouver Courier reviewer Tim Pawsey's suggestions at www.vancourier.com.

Exchange fees

You might not think of Canada as a foreign country, but banks do, which means extra fees are applied to ATM withdrawals and credit-card charges.

Check with your bank on its foreign transaction fees — usually 1 percent on ATM transactions (some banks charge an additional withdrawal fee) and from 1 to 3 percent on credit-card charges. Larger banks tend to charge higher fees than credit unions and small banks.

Carol Pucci: 206-464-3701 or cpucci@seattletimes.com

Canada road-border crossings may be more congested than ever this summer with higher security and more Canadians coming to the United States in search of bargains.

Proof of citizenship or legal residency, such as a birth certificate (with photo ID such as a driver's license), passport or Green Card, is required when going to and from Canada by car, bus, train or boat. Passports are required for air travel.

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