We stayed at… the Fairmont Vancouver Airport in Vancouver, Canada

This is a far cry from a budget motel within walking distance of the tarmac.

Fairmont Vancouver Airport is an unexpected gem right by the tarmac. Picture: Supplied

Amanda Woods checks into runway view luxury for the softest of landings.

Like an oasis it appears at the end of the busy airport terminal. There, beyond the snaking check in queues there’s an escalator, lift and stairway to weary traveller heaven.

Having experienced it once following a long-haul flight from Sydney I decided to break up flights between Quebec and the Yukon in one of the world’s best airport hotels.

Hit the reset button in a Fit on the Fly suite. Picture: Supplied

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport has 386 spacious and fully soundproofed rooms with floor to ceiling windows above the US Departures level of the International Airport. The first time I stayed I was in Fairmont Gold, the luxury hotel within a hotel on the top floor. This time I was staying in a Fairmont Room and was delighted to find I was in a very familiar space, with a few differences.

At 48 square metres, my Signature Room is the same size and layout as a Fairmont Gold Studio right down to the air-jetted soaker tub that looks out onto my king size bed from the oversized bathroom. The furnishings may be elevated in Gold but they are still luxurious in my Fairmont Room, while other more subtle differences for Gold stays include Nespresso machines rather than Keurig, a telescope for plane spotting and extra amenities including bath salts.

There's a lot to like about the pancakes at Globe@YVR. Picture: Supplied

Then there’s the Fairmont Gold Lounge with complimentary breakfast, canapés and soft drinks, and an honour bar for alcoholic beverages. During my Gold stay I had breakfast and snacks in the lounge and room service for dinner. This time around I discover the joys of Jetside and Globe@YVR, the bar and restaurant that I’ll now be visiting on trips through Vancouver Airport even when I’m not staying at the hotel.

As well as serving tastes of the Pacific Northwest with a focus on sustainable and locally sourced ingredients there’s live music every night and I find my cocktails and Angus Beef Carpaccio go particularly well with acoustic covers of Everything But The Girl, Fleetwood Mac and other greats.

Fairmont Gold Rooms offer fabulous plane-spotting opportunities. Picture: Supplied

If you enjoy a good massage, be sure to book your spa treatment as soon as you book your room. The Absolute Spa has more than 120 beauty and body treatments and as my therapist Anastasia works her magic as I lay on the warm table, I feel all of those long haul economy seat aches melting away.

In the Health Club you can take a relaxing dip or get the blood pumping as you swim against the current in the mechanised resistance pool. The club has women’s and men’s saunas, a well-appointed gym including rowing machines, treadmills and free weights, plus complimentary head to toe workout gear for Accor Live Limitless members.

Stretch your legs with the Pacific Flyway Bird Watching Adventure package. Picture: Supplied

For those who prefer to work out in private the Fit On the Fly Suite is a Signature Room that’s been decked out with a Peloton Bike, FITBENCH ONE and lululemon yoga mat for a full body workout, with an optional ice bath hydrotherapy experience.

You can keep your ice-cold baths, but after discovering the hotel offers Day Use rooms for six and eight hour stays between 8am and 8pm I can definitely see myself enjoying a hot shower or a soak in the tub before a nap in those super soft beds between flights. Here’s to planning nice long gaps between Vancouver flights and freshening up Fairmont style in the future.

Rooms start at CAD $349 (AUD $382) for a Fairmont Room, CAD $479 for a Fairmont Gold Room and CAD $229 for Day Use. For more information, click here.

The writer travelled as a guest of Destination Canada and Fairmont YVR Hotel.

The hotel is a godsend for weary, jet-lagged passengers. Picture: Supplied

Plane spotting 10/10

Every room has a runway view with a Plane Spotting Guide for passenger and cargo aircraft, and Fairmont Gold rooms have telescopes too. Choose a north facing room to be closest to the airside action.

Health club 8/10

Swim in the mechanised resistance pool, hop on a Peloton bike, workout at cardio and strength stations then relax in the sauna or with a heavenly spa treatment. Workout gear hire is free for Accor Live Limitless members.

Bar and restaurant 8/10

Runway views, delicious food, tempting cocktails and live music for the win. And for a true breakfast treat go for their fluffy buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd, warm maple syrup and summer berries. Oh so good.

Verdict 9/10

Whether you’re staying in Gold or a Fairmont Room, it’s no surprise the Fairmont Vancouver Airport been repeatedly voted the number one airport hotel in North America.

See also:

Why Aussies are flocking to this airport

Ultimate 24-hour guide to Vancouver

I found Canada’s best doughnut

8 reasons to get to Vancouver right now

Originally published as We stayed at… the Fairmont Vancouver Airport in Vancouver, Canada