I had my son's wedding in June and was very happy with the whole event. We had looked at a few…read morehalls and what made us decide to have the wedding reception there, was Sue Halabi, the coordinator. Her office may be a fairly messy but don't let that fool you, as she is very well organized and knows her stuff. I'm in the hospitality industry and can tell. What sealed the deal for me was how she talked to one of the workers. It was with genuine care for his wellbeing. It doesn't hurt that she has a great sense of humour. The hall itself is nice an airy, with high ceilings and ample parking. However it is in desperate need of renovations. Even replacing the worn out carpets would help. Another tip would be for them to lay out the invoice more transparently. Sue was even there early on the day of the Saturday night reception, in spite of being in obvious pain, as she was scheduled for knee surgery the following Friday. She left only when she was satisfied that everything was in order. I had very good feedback on the food. It was plentiful and full of flavour. However, if I had to do it again, I would not opt for the mediocre late night poutine. Thank you Sue for making this very special night, memorable!

ZERO STARS FOR THIS HALL DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM!…read more I have been waiting 3 years to post my review on this hall, and let me tell you, if you want a stress free wedding DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM. This hall has been nothing but problems for me and my husband since day one. I booked this hall in 2019, and chose it for its fair rental cost and nice venue. We were promised that they would work with us to make our dream wedding come to life. We soon realized this wasn't true. Our first issue was a plate fee, used to charge those who decide to go with an outside caterer. If it's not their food, they will charge you for it. $12/head which they said has now been raised to $20, unbelievable. We managed to get a $0.50 discount from them on that fee, as well as on their $4/head bar service fee. Discounts they most DEFINITELY didn't want to give. We had a 200+ person wedding and a plate fee on top of our caterer's costs in absurd. Our decorations experience was a joke. The final decor costs were over double what we were originally quoted. With a pandemic, you'd think original pricing would be honoured, not with these guys. With us needing to postpone our wedding multiple times, we wish we simply cut our losses and chose another hall. All our initial decor choices were GONE when it came to planning our 2022 wedding. We were told pink wasn't a wedding colour anymore and that everything we chose pre-pandemic was "no longer used in weddings". They told us everything they used to have decor wise was purged during the pandemic anyway, so we had no choice, and very little options to choose from. Every meeting with this hall left me crying because of how me and my husband were treated. Chairs were another huge issue. Originally we went with standard circular back chairs, with chair covers and sashes. They persuaded us to go with their fancy silver "chivari" chairs as they wouldn't need covers and sashes, saving us money. At $4/chair, that was a lie. Fast forward to ONE MONTH before our wedding, they told us that they no longer carried the silver fancy chairs, so gold was the only option. Oh and their original normal chairs were gone as well. Gold was NOT in our colour scheme. Dropping this bomb left us devastated. Management needs a change, Sue is the WORST person to deal with. She doesn't listen to you, laughs at you for being on a budget, and verbally mocked my husband. She ignores emails when you have questions, then accuses you of attacking her when a follow up email is sent. She was reluctant to send us package breakdowns, and when she did, the hidden charges came to life. Each breakdown seemed to be incorrect for some decor items, or extras were charged for. When we would question prices she would tell us to stop being so cheap. Our wedding day was interesting. We found out from family that the table cloths were dirty and used from a previous event the night before, some being shaken off and flipped over to hide stains. The hall floor had not been vacuumed well, the entrance looked sub-par and the washrooms were gross, floors not being mopped. The kitchen had also been used for a previous event THAT DAY so was left dirty and unsanitized. We emailed them sending our complaints and to this day have not heard back. My husband will be phoning them to sort this out. When a company emails you often to ask about payment, but ignores you when everything's said and done, you know what they're truly after. I am writing this review so that no other bride has to go through this. My wedding was FAR from stress free, no thanks to this venue and their management staff. Everyone else, from the bar staff, to the caterer, DJ (whom they provided), security, etc. were fantastic. They single handedly saved our wedding. If you are thinking of this hall, DON'T DO IT. Management needs to change or they need to shut this place down.

Today I joined a meetup group of maybe 14 people for their Wednesday morning 10.6km walk around the…read morelake. A fantastic easy leveled trail that is more tree covered than lake bordered. Quite enjoyable. I've been advised that cyclists aren't allowed on the trail however dogs on leashes and horses are. (We didn't see any horses today although there was at least one pile of horse manure and a few horseshoe prints on some of the trails). Some notices posted on bears being in the area though. I will definitely be back. Today we walked the 10.6km in 1 hour 41 minutes.

Very big hall with some rooms. Came here a few years ago for a craft fair. There is an option to…read moreuse the small room and or the big room. Both craft fairs have been in either or. Good layout.

I love languages, and at UBC, I took a Swedish course. I fell in love with the language (I also had…read morean awesome teacher, which played a big role in loving Swedish so much), so when I graduated from UBC, I wanted to continue studying Swedish. Unfortunately I was only able to complete one year of Swedish due to the timing of my graduation, and I couldn't take the second year Swedish class after I graduated because the course was only offered during the day, which interfered with having to work. However, I found out that Swedish (and the other Nordic languages) was offered at the Scandinavian Community Center, and took some classes over the years. The teacher was nice, but the quality of the instruction was nothing compared to UBC. But it was definitely better than nothing, and the price was very reasonable. The last time I took lessons at the Scandinavian Community Center was years ago, probably 2013. I'd love to take more lessons, but taking transit there is a nightmare. The community center is in the middle of nowhere, and there are two busses you can take from Metrotown Station, the #110 and #144 buses. The bus ride is quite long, 20 to 30 minutes (because they take these meandering routes), the timing is such that they arrive way before the class starts or minutes after it starts, and the two buses leave Metrotown within minutes of each other, so you miss one, and you miss both. And in the evening, the timing doesn't align with the class's end time, so you either have to leave class early or wait for half an hour in the dark, at an unlit bus stop, that's just a bus stop sign stuck in a ditch on the side of a super busy highway. Perhaps things are different than when I took lessons, but back then, to walk to and from the bus stop to the center (which was at night, as the class starts at 7pm and ends at 9pm), there was no sidewalk so you had to walk on the side of a busy highway and hope a car didn't hit you. It was particularly terrifying when it was pitch black (there was no lighting) and raining. I'd love to give the Scandinavian Community Center more stars, and I'd love to take more Swedish lessons, but the location is horrible and not reasonably transit accessible, and the instruction is only so-so, so not worth it for me to make the trek.

Today I attended a German Meetup.com group function here…read more Sadly this location offers little shade in the amazingly awesome day we had, so sommerfest attendees were left to their own devices with very limited seating and poor bathroom markage. Needless to say the beergarden setup was akin to a cakewalk game.

Older but decent venue space in the Marpole area…read more Parking is available along the side streets. The inside isn't the most wheelchair accessible, as there are steps. Something to keep in mind. There is a large room with a stage, which is great for large gatherings. This place can probably easily handle over 300 people. Staff were friendly and nice.

A nice place for a wedding or corporate event, as they offer 3 rooms to rent, one of which is quite…read morelarge, recall them saying it can hold up to 400 ppl. Reasonable rates, and quite flexible in working with you. free parking all around.

Lola's was amazing, one of the best meals we have had in some time. The seafood was fresh and…read morelocal and Phillipines inspired flavours were all new to us and fantastic. Vibe is formal but relaxed, views are great. Couldn't recommend Lolas more!

(get ready, this is a long one)…read more After a few very different stays at Bodega, I can honestly say that it's one of my absolute favourite places in the world. In.the.world. The staff not only take an unfathomable amount of pride in their work, but are friendly, professional, and entirely accommodating of just about any reasonable request. One of their star employees, Dave, has always made me feel as though I am not just a guest, but am visiting my second home. And I imagine that I'm not alone when I say that after the first visit and meeting with the owners, Jesse and Chris, that I felt as though I'd gained two new best friends. Talented, whip smart, and cool, they are the perfect proprietors of such a place. Island life can be tricky, teetering between too hippie and too stuffy, but they've found a real balance by being themselves, and the property at Bodega reflects this. With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace, and a fully equipped kitchen in each of the seven cabins, this is not what I'd consider roughing it by any stretch of the imagination. A classic log cabin inside and out, the modern touches are what make it cool. Plush leather couches, filament bulb lamps, Pendleton blankets, reclaimed Douglas Fir tables--the could-be twee aspect of cabin life is exonerated by sensible design. There's even a flat screen TV in each cabin with a small library of movies in the main lodge to choose from, but I wouldn't bother--there's so much to see and do at or nearby Bodega Ridge. Spectacular meadows, forests, and wildflowers surrounding the property, Bodega is positioned so that it's almost always bright and sunny. The staggeringly beautiful trails along the ridge offer one of the best views of the gulf islands, and the ocean is close enough to walk to in a matter of minutes. Also, bonus: the weirdly infamous Stoneworld (as seen here: http://www.hellobc.com/british-columbia/blog/january-2011/stoneworld-on-galiano-island.aspx) is a worthy stop on the way to a serious magical forest hike. Free wifi throughout the property, an amazing main lodge that can accommodate up to 70 dinner guests, and wonderfully knowledgeable proprietors who will have a recommendation for just about anything--all a quick boat ride from Vancouver. I don't know that I have the words to describe just how amazing Bodega Ridge is. Bringing the city to the island, staying rustic and real, this place has it all. **of note: Bodega is located about a 40 minute drive, or a few leisurely hours by bike from the ferry. Arrive prepared.

This is actually probably the most fun I've had in a long time. Basically you are playing a video…read moregame in real life. And I would recommend coming in gym clothes because at the end of this you will be sweaty. They give you a brief debriefing and there are 3 or 4 different games you get to play. You have to watch out for people camping and there are actual clans that play together so they are really good. But it is fun and as realistic as it will get besides paint ball. This is very fun! And would recommend as a team building exercise!

They outright banned us just for giving feedback!!!!…read more My friends and I have been visiting this facility regularly since it reopened, and we always had unique experiences. But every time, different people had issues with the equipment or the staff, who couldn't explain the games properly. So, we kept giving them feedback. After some time, when nothing improved and the staff didn't take any responsibility, one of our friends spoke to the manager directly and left a negative review, hoping things would get better. But today, when we tried to book another session, we were shocked to find out they banned him and a few other players who weren't happy with the service :|

GREAT FOR KIDS! And parents who need a break. Awesome new place, I just discovered this café and…read moreI'm so glad I did. The playground is clean and modern, there are light up pegs and a ball machine, and the food is great, I really like the tacos and the iced coffee. The staff are super friendly and it is done really well. Even the bathrooms are tidy.