After having to move out from our Metroplace penthouse, we decided to make Downtown our temporary home as we continued to look for a new home (which we have now found). Last time we went through such period, we took a small and cheap 1BR apartment in Yaletown, which we didn't really enjoy. With that learning, this time we decided to invest a bit more into a nice furnished unit that we have enjoyed during these 5 months.
So, we ended up moving into
Trump Tower. I was curious to see if living in such a luxurious building would be any different and we made a nice east-facing 1BR unit on the 32nd floor our home. You can see the unit somewhere there in the middle of the building in below picture.
First 22 floors in the building are occupied by the 5-star Trump International Hotel & Tower. Both hotel and private residences have separate entrances and elevators, which are the fastest I have been on in this town. They will whisk you on the 32nd floor in ~20 seconds with ease. They are also super-reliable and I have not seen one being down during the last 5 months. I may also add, that they are beautiful with dark glass walls.
There are 63 levels on this building, which makes Trump Tower the second tallest skyscraper in Vancouver. Floor numbering extends all the way to 68 with the three penthouses (unoccupied AFAIK) being two floors in height.
Our 1BR unit is 640 sqft in size. That is fine for a temporary home in the city and larger units quickly double in price.
Build quality and appliances are all top-notch and more high-end than you normally find in a new tower. Everything is also only 1-year-old. In this unit the kitchen is small, but still practical.
Electric curtains help to make the unit private despite an office tower next door. The only two complains I have about the unit is that walls are very thin and one can hear sound from neighboring units. This is surprising and unfortunate, as a lot of young people live here and there are parties. Fortunately security team has been effective in calming the noise, but it can be somewhat frustrating.
Another issue at least in our units has been pot smoke, which travels from one unit to another. As we have been told, the problem has something to do with how the air circulation has been set up, but also the small window vents allow smoke from outside enter the unit. We have been unfortunate to have frequent pot smoking neighbors and this has been annoying us a few times.
I really love the bathroom which look very nice and feels like living in a 5-star hotel. Nice job there.
View from the 32nd floor is okay, although neighboring buildings require one to be above the ~38th floor to have truly open views. Since one is located at the epicenter of Downtown Vancouver, blocked views are to be expected unless you live on one of the top floors.
All building amenities are shared with the hotel. The gym is top notch and never busy, but the specialty is the pool which is located inside the Drai's night club. It's a slightly odd setting to be swimming, with (not loud) music playing at all times.
Since us moving in, the night club has closed down due to some security issues. As far as I know, they are now in process of converting the space to some kind of lounge space. It is slightly shame that they couldn't make the unusual concept work and I have to wonder what partying at Drai's has been like?
And there you have it. Trump Tower has been a nice place to live for 5 months, but I am also super happy to be moving out in couple of weeks.
It was interesting to see how "the 1%" lives and the building has a lot of things going for it. I still have to say that the building doesn't feel all that welcoming, and people rarely greet you in the elevator. I have a feeling that a lot of the residents are newly rich, which is backed up by the dozens of flashy cars inside the parkade. The number of Ferraris...
I could never afford to live in a larger unit in this building and if I could, I would likely check out other towers before settling in here. As it stands, I am happy to soon enjoy much more lebensraum back in Burnaby.
I hope you enjoyed the small tour of the building!