Where to stay · Lillooet & Seton Lake
Reynolds Hotel
A 1941 hotel restored with themed rooms, local antiques, and beds that inspire actual devotion.
what it is
restored 1940s heritage hotel
the damage
from ~$120/night, seasonal deals lower
rated
★ 4.3 (568)
from Vancouver
~3 hr 45 min to 4 hr by car
The Reynolds went up in 1941 and has since been renovated with a level of care Lillooet did not strictly demand but you will be grateful for anyway. The lobby is fitted out in locally cut and milled wood, the antiques were collected around town, and each of the ten rooms is themed to a chapter of local history. One of them is a log cabin recreation. Inside a hotel. Somehow it works.
The rooms themselves are immaculate and sensibly equipped, with walk-in showers, mini fridges, air conditioning, and mattresses that reviewers describe with the reverence normally reserved for religious experiences. Downstairs there is a restaurant, a bar, and a beer and wine store, which means an entire evening can be conducted without once crossing a road. In a town of about 2,300 people, that is what passes for decadence, and it is plenty.
Step outside and you are on Main Street, with the jade shops and the Fraser River a short stroll away. The real event is ten minutes up Highway 99, where the Seton Lake lookout presents a sheet of water in a shade of turquoise that looks aggressively Photoshopped and is not. Come back down and order dinner. You have earned it by standing still.
The setting
On Main Street in downtown Lillooet, walking distance to the jade shops, the museum, and the Fraser River, and about a ten minute drive from the Seton Lake lookout.
Getting there
Drive Highway 99 from Vancouver through Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton, then over the Duffey Lake Road: roughly 4 to 4.5 hours of escalating scenery. No ferries, free parking at the hotel. Winter tires are required October to April and there is no cell service on the Duffey. A car is essential.
good to know
Why it works
- Ten themed rooms, including a log cabin recreation
- 1941 heritage building full of local antiques
- Restaurant, bar, and wine store on site
- Walk-in showers and famously comfortable beds
- Ten minutes from the Seton Lake lookout