i used to live in vancouver a couple of years ago, not far from the broadway HI. It's a great location and if you can get a room on the north side, you'll have an absolutely spectacular view of downtown.
i would recommend the downtown location for the things you mention although there is a fairly high concentration of micro-breweries on (and just off) main st around 7th. Main St Brewing Co, Brassneck (my fav), 33 acres, nearby there is brewhall, big rock, faculty. red truck.
although there is no uber or lyft in vancouver, taxis are relatively cheap and the distances are walkable. the Canada Line will take you from the broadway station, two blocks from the HI, to yaletown or downtown in a couple of minutes. it's only one to three stops.
feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.