My Review of Smithe House: The Best Boutique Apartments To Stay In Downtown Vancouver
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Downtown Vancouver that isn’t a hotel, then I would highly recommend checking out Smithe House.
We stayed in one of their 1 bedroom apartments for 9 nights in June 2025, and honestly we could have stayed forever! We had a fantastic stay from start to finish and it was a great base to explore the city from.
So if you’re currently planning a trip to Vancouver & looking for a cool apartment stay in rather than a tiny hotel room then keep reading for our review of Smithe House!
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Why We Chose Smithe House
When we were searching for the perfect accommodation in Vancouver, we knew we wanted to stay downtown, so that we’d be close to transport links to sightseeing locations, other areas and also next to plenty of shops/food spots etc.
We also knew that Vancouver was not going to be a cheap holiday by any means lol, but we couldn’t really find a hotel that we liked in our price range. A lot of them actually looked quite tired & dated. And the seriously nice hotels were just WAY out of our budget!
In fact, even the Holiday Inn which I had stayed at a number of years ago & you think of as a pretty standard hotel had really gone up in price!
Anyway, we gave up on looking for a while until one day I was searching again & came across Smithe House. It looked new, modern & we thought it would actually be really handy to have our own kitchen so we wouldn’t have to eat out for every meal (we aren’t huge on eating out all the time PLUS it would save us money!)
& whilst it was by no means super cheap to stay at Smithe House for 9 nights, it was actually cheaper (or on par with) some of the really outdated hotels in the downtown area – and it turned out it to be the best choice we could have made!
Location of Smithe House
Smithe House is situated at 225 Smithe Street, which is in the Yaletown area of Downtown Vancouver.
Yaletown is one of the nicest parts of downtown & we thought it was just the perfect location to stay in. You’re within walking distance to plenty of shops, bars, restaurants, cafes & supermarkets.
The nearest skytrain station is only 8 minutes walk away & there are several bus stops close by too! We also enjoyed catching the seabus over to Granville Island from the False Creek ferry terminal which is only a 10 minute stroll.
So overall it’s in a fabulous spot if you want to stay downtown close to everything but also you aren’t stuck in a super touristy or noisy area.
How To Get To Smithe House
If you’re coming from YVR airport, getting to Smithe House is really easy!
Just hop on the skytrain at the airport & then get off at Yaletown-Roundhouse Station. It’s 10 stops & will take around 20-25 mins. Smithe House is only a 10 minute walk from the station (if even!)
Tip: We loaded money onto a compass card at the ticket machines, but you can also just buy regular tickets or use your payment card to tap!
Checking-In to Smithe House
We honestly had the most seamless check-in experience at Smithe House.
It’s self check-in (there’s no reception desk or staff), so you’ll get sent a personal code on the day of your arrival which will let you access the building, your apartment, the elevator & the parking lot.
We had paid for early check-in & they emailed us around 1pm-ish to say our apartment was ready which we were so happy about! Otherwise I believe check-in time is 4pm. We just sat around the corner in the sports bar & had some breakfast whilst we waited.
Overall checking-in to our apartment was super easy & we had no problems.
I want to mention here as well that even though it’s self-check in, the staff at Smithe House are in communication with you before you arrive giving you details on the whole process & information about the property which was so helpful. So don’t worry there’s help on hand if needed!
Our 1 Bedroom Apartment
We had initially booked a studio apartment but I actually got a lovely email the day before saying that we had been upgraded to a 1 bedroom apartment! Woohoo!
This really started our stay off on a high, and although I’m sure we would have loved the studio just as much, were so excited to get upgraded! (thanks Smithe House 💗!)
WELL, when I tell you we could have moved into this apartment permanently (if we had the money of course), I’m not lying.
It had everything we needed, it was decorated beautifully & not to mention everything felt so clean & new.
Before I take you on a tour, something to note is that in Smithe House all the apartments have different layouts due to the shape of the building – so just keep in mind when you book that it may not look exactly like ours (but it will still be amazing!)
Ok shut up Jane & let’s just see this apartment! 😛
Entrance Hallway
As we entered our apartment to our left was the bathroom & on the wall beside there was a full length mirror and place to hang our coats etc.
There was a small booklet with handy information about Smithe House & a tote bag that came in useful when we headed out for groceries! I wish I could have taken it home as a cute souvenir of our stay!
On the opposite side there were two cupboards – one which was spacious enough to store our suitcases, and the other which housed a washing machine & dryer (super easy to use by the way). We found a steam iron & brush for the floor in there too.
Bathroom
The bathroom in our apartment had a fantastic rainfall shower & we absolutely loved using the TALLU products that were supplied. They smelt gorrrrrgeous!
There were clean towels ready for our stay including hand, bath & even smaller face towels. If we really needed any fresh ones during the week we just went to the store cupboard down the hall.
I’m fairly certain there was a hairdryer below the sink too – which is always a bonus not having to pack one!
Here’s a few photos of what our bathroom looked like (including me in my robe feeling very relaxed 😂):
Kitchen
Onto the kitchen next which was one of the top reasons we were looking for an apartment stay rather than a hotel room – so we had the facilities to make our own meals if we wanted to!
When I tell you this kitchen is nicer than the one in our own house I’m not joking! 😂
It’s so well equipped, some of the things you’ll find are: a coffee machine, complimentary coffee beans, microwave, fridge/freezer, cooker with hob, washing up supplies, utensils, pots/plans, dishware, cookware, toaster – the list goes on!
All in all we had everything one would need to cook & clean up.
I also really loved the premium coffee mugs & dining ware which are from Fable – another local Vancouver brand!
A few photos of our kitchen:
Living & Dining Area
Next to the kitchen was our living area/dining room.
In here we had a sofa (bed), table, chairs, desk area, dining table & large TV.
I had requested a street view apartment & we couldn’t have been happier to have a view across to BC PLACE! It was lovely in the morning to sit with a coffee & watch the world go by outside. I don’t remember hearing much noise at all from outside, even during busy times of the day.
Again everything in this area felt really clean & it was such a cozy space!
Bedroom
Last but not least is the bedroom in our apartment.
It was partitioned off from the kitchen & living area partly by walls but there was also sliding doors you could pull across too. I tended to just leave these open as we watched TV before we went asleep & I liked peeking out to see the view out the window!
The bed was HUGE, plenty of space for both of us to stretch out, we both had a small beside table with reading lights & a plug to charge our phones.
There was a wardrobe & drawers next to the bed and we were chuffed to find two luxurious bathrobes which I think we wore every single morning & night! 😂
Some photos of our bedroom:
Other Info About Smithe House
Here’s a quick little list of what we had in our apartment:
- Washing Machine/Dryer
- Shower Gel / Shampoo / Conditioner
- Toilet Roll
- Hairdryer
- Steamiron
- Brush (for floor)
- Coffee Machine (+ complimentary coffee for your arrival!)
- Cooker / Hob / Microwave / Utensils / Cookware / Kitchenware
- Dressing Gown
- Shopping Bag
- TV
- Wi-Fi
There’s also a small gym in the building & of course you can book a space in the parking lot if you are bringing a car.
We loved also that there was a little store cupboard which you could go to if you run out of coffee, toilet rolls, tea, face cloths or any of those sort of small items! We thought this was a lovely touch – although we didn’t realise it was there until after we’d went to the supermarket! 😂
I thoroughly enjoyed a wee camomile tea at night whilst looking out at the city view!
FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT THEIR WEBSITE!
Should You Stay At Smithe House?
We absolutely loved our time at Smithe House & if we could rate it 11/10 we would!
So YES if you’re searching for a great place to stay for your next trip to Vancouver & you’d prefer your own cozy apartment rather than a hotel room – we can absolutely recommend it!
It’s definitely going to be our go-to spot when we visit the city (hopefully in the near future!🍁) It’s our dream to go back at Christmas if we can so we can enjoy all the festivities!🎄
I hope you enjoyed reading about our experience & if you have any questions about the apartment or area we were in please feel free to leave me a comment & I’ll do my best to answer!
Jane 💗
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SAVE TO READ AGAIN LATER 📌
