Hotel Quarantine AKA Self-Care Staycation at Fairmont Waterfront

Okay people, we know. COVID sucks. Travelling is highly discouraged and basically impossible.

Except that, as the travel shamers love to hate on me for (jk I haven’t heard from you guys in awhile, you still out there?), I have still continued on with my digital nomad life. This is because my happiness and wellbeing and also my career (as a travel writer/content creator with a travel business) depends on it.

These past 6 months in Cape Town have been a game changer for me on all fronts so I know I made the right decision to base myself there!

Anyway, enough about me — the point is some of us are travelling, and whether you chose to do it for leisure or have to do it for business or other obligations, you just have to suck it up and deal with the requirements put in place for the pandemic. So you might as well make the most out of it.

One of the main things holding travel lovers back from travelling is — dum dum dummm — the dreaded hotel quarantine.

This requirement was introduced after I had already left the country, and while I tried to wait it out (okay I stayed in Cape Town for other reasons too) eventually it was time to come home and see my family, so the hotel quarantine with its fat price tag was unavoidable.

But if you know me, you know I specialize in turning lemon into lemonade. Who said the hotel quarantine had to be a bad thing?

Because if you still know me, you know I also LOVE A GOOD SELF-CARE STAYCATION!!!!

I saw that the list of government-authorized hotels included Fairmont Waterfront, and my manifesting began. A view of Vancouver’s beautiful harbour and mountains as a welcome back to the west coast best coast, in one of the most luxurious hotels in the city?

I deserved this. I needed this.

I reached out to the team at Fairmont Waterfront who kindly offered me a discount in exchange for a collaboration, meaning I still am paying more than my bank account would like to admit for this stay but for a re-energizing experience like this, the splurge was worth it to me. I knew I’d be emotional coming back to Vancouver after 6 months in my spirit city, and I didn’t want to go waste away 3 days at one of the dingy airport hotels. I wanted to make the most of my quarantine and put myself in a beautiful place to process and reflect on my trip while transitioning back into my Canadian life (a topic I wrote about in this article for VITA during my stay).

The Fairmont team was so accommodating in arranging my stay, even sending this helpful checklist that outlines everything air travellers need to know including how to register in advance for your arrival test and other mandatory stuff for the isolation program. Travel right now is quite stressful so I really appreciated that they sent this over to help make the process smoother for me.

Checking into my room was everything i’d dreamt of — a corner suite with water views from both windows, as well as a view of the convention centre, Stanley Park, and the Lion’s Gate Bridge which gets all twinkly at night. The bed is a cloud and I was even able to watch The Bachelorette on a real TV, which was a first-in-6-months treat.

Swapped my Lion’s Head for the Lion’s Gate.

The staff left the sweetest personal touches, from personalizing my toiletry bottles to leaving some snacks and wine and a yoga mat in my room as I requested. This yoga mat brought all the zen as I flowed looking out onto that beautiful view. I honestly don’t think I can do yoga without a view now.

Sweetest note and treats from my Fairmont friends!

I got to order 3 meals (with dessert/drinks) a day, which is done by selecting an item off the menu and calling their friendly concierge. The meal is left at your door so there is zero contact — they really do take this COVID thing seriously and keep everyone safe, so you don’t need to feel like you’re in a hospital with a contagious virus floating around. (Speaking of the meal, special shout out to the brownie and assorted cookies, and I’m not even a dessert gal.)

Fairmont Waterfront also has a 9th floor terrace you can book time to go get some fresh air, which is nice if you’re unlike me who was quite content laying in my bed most of the day. But those views were unreal — Vancouver you so pretttyyyy.

You know Cape Town is my spirit city but Vancouver really is my home, and I can’t think of a better welcome home than this stay at Fairmont Waterfront. I think I need to carry this over as a post-pandemic tradition as well because it takes awhile for me to transition back into real life okay.

Let me know if you have any questions for your own stay — even if it’s just for a regular staycation. Otherwise, happy quarantining, friends!