@teriwtt, no I didn’t even think of that. We did find a resort in Tofino that I have reserved, but we are still in the cancellation period if I find a better alternative.
I hope I’m not bothering you with all my questions, but how are you planning to get from Vancouver to Tofino? Are you renting a car with plans to put it on that ferry that accommodates vehicles, or are you doing something different?
The alternate would be to take Kenmore Air from Seattle to Victoria Inner Harbor and see Victoria. Then, take the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. That’s a 10,000 tonne ferry on inland water. Return to Seattle by Amtrak.
We always take the train between Seattle and Vancouver. It’s a wonderful trip. For long stretches, the train goes right along the water, with gorgeous views. The train is clean, spacious and comfortable. If they’re available, business class seats (I think that’s what they’re called) are worth the extra money because when you get to Vancouver your car is the first to go through customs so you save a lot of time. Try to sit on the water side of the train with forward-facing seats. If you don’t get those (there’s no advance seat assignment) you can go sit in the concessions car at a window once the train gets going. On the way back into the US the train just stops at the border and the customs officers walk through. It’s never taken more than ten minutes when we’ve done the trip. No traffic delays (unless the train has to wait for another train to pass)!
We try to go to Vancouver every summer. We’ve been to Victoria a few times, too. It’s pretty, but I find Vancouver much more interesting and enjoyable than Victoria even though I don’t usually love big cities. I like to stay at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver because it’s so close to Stanley Park and a nice place to headquarter if you’re on bikes, but some of the other hotels mentioned above are probably more luxurious.
For any Seattle-area residents considering taking Amtrak to Vancouver BC, I should mention that we actually depart from Edmonds instead of downtown Seattle. It’s a tiny train station with no traffic issues and you can park very close to the train. It makes for a very relaxing trip.
My D just returned from near Tofino. Her location was a water taxi ride from Tofino.
According to her, aside from the beautiful scenery in the area, whale, bear and eagle watching were the highlights. Mosquitos were a menace, so be prepared. Unfortunately, there were no orca sightings.
Yes, we will make a reservation for our rental car as well as ourselves for the ferry between Horseshoe Bay (northwest of Vancouver) to Nanaimo. By going to Nanaimo, we will save a little travel time between Vancouver and Tofino, but we plan on this trip taking up a good portion of the day. I was told by going north to the Horseshoe Bay terminal, it could be less congested. I was also told to take the BC ferries, as opposed to WA ferries (from Seattle).
No problem with the questions. I was grateful for all the people on CC (both on the thread, and those back channel) who helped me clarify my options.
I know people who love this place:
http://www.tigh-na-mara.com/
Okay, so due to flight issues and the last minute nature of our planning, we have decided to go with the Pan Pacific hotel upon arrival in Vancouver and then drive to Whistler, staying at the Four Seasons.
We will be flying home via Seattle, so I guess we will leave Whistler on the morning of our last full day and drive back to Seattle, stay overnight there, and fly out early afternoon. We hope to leave Whistler early enough to have at least a little bit of quality time in Seattle. In looking online, it seems we should plan 5-6 hours to go from Whistler to Seattle on a Monday morning? I guess we will depart early!
As to Seattle, any suggestions on some sights we could see in just a few hours time? Hotel suggestion? I do like water views whenever possible since there aren’t too many of those in Dallas. A must visit restaurant for dinner?
Thanks very much for all the good suggestions. In researching this trip, I’ve learned that I definitely want to revisit and see Vancouver Island when we have had the foresight to plan for a few more days to account for travel time. Banff looks amazing as well.
In any case, this looks to be a welcome respite from 105 degree temps and recent gushing from local weathermen about a “cold front” which will bring us down to “only” 98 degrees. I cannot wait.
We had a couple of hours to kill in Seattle last year before an afternoon flight, so we went to the Pike Place Market. Touristy? Yes, but it was still very fun to walk around and people watch, as well as check out all the flowers/produce/seafood they were selling.
Just curious… when will you be in Whistler, if you’re willing to share.
Wow, maybe we can areange a little CC get together? 
Maybe we’ll cross paths in Seattle? You’ll know me-I walk around wearing a Nrdsb4 t-shirt! 
If I were you I’d take the Chuckanut Drive detour from I-5 South along the coastline near Bellingham, WA. It will add some time to your trip but the views are stellar.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28968-d146040-Reviews-Chuckanut_Drive-Washington.html
For water view, I recommend Marriott Waterfront. It is located on the waterfront just below the Pike Place market and not too far from the Aquarium, so you can tour the market, stroll down the waterfront, and then get back to your room without needing a taxi or Uber. We actually stayed there when I had a very early meeting downtown and I needed to redem my free night voucher. Nice place. I think you will enjoy the breakfast they serve at the Hook and Plow Cafe downstairs. One downside is that parking is $50/night, but that is pretty standard for most downtown hotels.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/seawf-seattle-marriott-waterfront/
Hotels can be pricy here - the cruise crowd drives the prices up! If you need an alternative to downtown, Teri knows the place. 
When traveling from Vancouver to the states, be sure to tune in to AM radio 1130, they give the traffic and border reports every ten minutes “on the ones” (1 minute after, 11 minutes after etc) There are 4 border crossings, Peach Arch is actually on the freeway, turns into the 5 south of the border, the truck crossing (Pacfic Hwy) is 5 minutes east of Peace Arch and leads you straight south to that same 5 freeway,
Lynden/Aldergrove is another 15 minutes east and you can drive directly south for about 30 minutes and you will, again, connect with the 5 (this time in Bellingam)
Sumas/Abbotsford is further east and would only be used if the rest are hellacious.
There can be huge border waits, 2-3-4 hours if you happen to hit a peak time, the Canadian dollar is way down as are border crossing shoppers, so probably a good chance it will be fine, but it’s nice to have alternate options.
Chuckanut drive would be a very nice drive if you’ve the time.
Oh, yes, I do! We enjoyed it so much we considered staying there again on our last night in Washington, but we don’t want to rush our trip back from Olympic National Forest, and will take a leisurely drive back on Monday before our flight.
Nrdsb4 - not to try to throw wrench into anything, but have you cleared your plans with your rental car company? I read online that there are still a couple of companies out there that reserve the right to refuse to rent you a car that you will be driving across the border. We are renting and returning in Seattle, and I called our company, but I would just make sure if you’re picking up in Canada and dropping off in the U.S., that it’s OK with whatever company you chose. I researched this online quite a bit, and it’s not a 100% guarantee they’ll rent to you.
Well, BB and Teri, are you going to share the name/location of that hotel?
Yes, what Teri said about rental cars. I’d drop the Canadian car in Canada and take the train back to Seattle from Vancouver - it will deliver you directly downtown. There is a rental office (Hertz? Maybe others) at the train terminal in Vancouver. You can get from downtown Seattle to Seatac Airport via light rail. It is efficient and clean. The Sound Transit light rail stations are in the underground tunnel under the downtown. The closest to Pike Place Market is the Westlake station - right underneath Macy’s, just a block from the Market.
Pssst… It is a hidden gem. No, it is called the Cedarbrook Lodge:
http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/
It is a 3-min drive to the terminal, making it perfect for early moning flights, but the location is such that it makes you think you are staying at a nature oasis, not near a busy airport. The rooms are soundproofed, so no airplane noise (I tested it personally - we stayed there for one night during my school retreat). The lodge recently added a spa (I have not tested it yet 
). The restaurant on premises is excellent!