Sylvia Hotel in Vancouver......
 

I know, I know..if I do a search on this I can see it's been discussed but some of the posts are rather old so I thought I'd bring it up again.

I would love to hear from people who have stayed at the Sylvia Hotel. I've checked the reviews on trip advisor and it gets some good marks but then someone else will say it's horrible. If people love it so much then why does AAA give it 2 stars? Normally, I won't go below 3 stars but this place intrigues me because the people who love it really love it. I understand it has a great location but I don't want a great location if we're miserable sleeping in the room at night.

I absolutely don't mind old IF old doesn't mean dirty.
Some things I'm wondering...
are the rooms clean?
are the sheets of good quality or are they paper thin?

The reviews I've read just seem to harp on old. Please, if you've stayed at the Sylvia...give me the best review you can!

I also posted about the Best Western Sands (which is AAA 3 star rated). Why would I choose the Sylvia (at 2 stars) over the BW (at 3 stars)?

Thanks so much for reading all the way through this!

I sure appreciate this board!

I have booked the Sylvia for four nights in July 2007, largely on the recs of tripadvisor and also AndrewDavid who posts here and whose opinion I trust implicitly. Frankly shabby chic appeals to me just way more than some chain hotel, where yes, you will be guaranteed an alarm clock, but without the experience that goes with 'old' and 'charming'. I live in a structure built in 1897, so I 'get' old. Nothing I've read says 'dirty' except for that person who clearly needs to never leave New York or stay only at Four Seasons. I'm excited about our stay there, and looking forward to meeting the type of people who stay there as well. I called the hotel to book and have a corner queen on the top floor facing the bay. If you can wait til mid summer, I'll update you then.

thanks, oliverandharry

We'll be going mid June 2007 so if I decide on the Sylvia I'll be the one updating you!

tprsrs6,

I've never been inside of the Sylvia, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt, but here it is...

You've probably read already, but the building itself is quite historic, at one point being the tallest building in the British Empire. It's a landmark on English Bay. It used to be an apartment building and, what's his name... Errol Flynn, it's been rumoured, died there.

However, it's a historic building, and likely hasn't undergone much renovations, I'm guessing, aesthetically. The reviews I've read speak of worn carpets and old sink fixtures, but I've never read anything about it being dirty.

I've stayed in a similar hotel in Victoria (the Dominion) where, it was historic, just as old, very clean, but definitely old and quite bare-basics... which is why they can offer a really low price for such an excellent location. I can only imagine that the Sylvia is also "bare basics", and since it is not as new as your typical Best Western, can't offer the same star rating.

I'd also say that the Sylvia oozes charm, whereas I can't say the same for the BW Sands. I think that's half the appeal. It's bare basics, but clean, and charming. For the price, you can't beat it.

But it really depends. There's nothing wrong with the BW Sands. But when I did that tour there last summer, all I could remember were the dark hallways, the emerald green carpeting and dated burgundy/pink decor, in addition to the strong smell of deodorizer. Perhaps this has changed since then.

There's also no real view. You're either looking at the back alley, or over Davie Street. You can see the water from Davie Street, however, unfortunately there's an apartment complex across the street that refuses to clean their defunct swimming pool. So the view over Davie Street includes looking over an algae-infested pool.

Regardless, the BW Sands itself was clean, and you are literally across an intersection from the beach, so the location is great too.

The '<i>old</i>' building is just that.

The '<i>new wing</i>' is the one that gets the most complaints-60's era soulless, grubby and worn.

That would explain things...

Thanks, Sam_Salmon....that definitely would explain the mixed reviews!

Do you know if this &quot;new wing&quot; is a separate building or is it just an area within the existing building?
I want to be very specific about where I don't want to be when I call for the reservation.

Thanks again!

I stayed at the Sylvia the last week of July 2006. We had a suite looking out at English Bay. The rooms were spacious, had a lot of character and were clean, with nice linens. However, Vancouver was experiencing a heat wave and our room was stiflingly hot at night. Our room had no air conditioning, and the hotel had run out of portable fans. We had to open a window which let in a lot of noise from the street below. That said, I will definitely stay there again because I love the ambiance of the Sylvia, and the fantastic location. I'll just make sure I have ear plugs and be prepared to buy a small fan. Just something to keep in mind.

Have posted on this before too. Sylvia is a family owned treasure. Best location you will find at the best price. Bar and restaurant are handy. There is a reason they do not advertise - anywhere...they don't have to because of referral business and repeat customers.

My work colleague is very wealthy, very snobby and yet very cheap. She stays at the Sylvia every time she is in Vancouver. To me this means it is a very nice place, but does not cost as much as every other nice place in Vancouver.

For what it is worth...

Based on comments here and elsewhere, we have a reservation at the Sylvia for May 9-11. We've stayed at a few &quot;shabby chic&quot; hotels in Europe and, as long as it's clean, prefer that to the sterile motel type of accommodation.

tp and betty, please post reviews of the Sylvia after your trips. I stayed there, ooh, 15 years ago and I'd like to hear an update.

My parents visit Vancouver a couple of times a year and always stay at the Sylvia. The location for them is ideal. I think they always request a room in the old wing.

We stayed at the Sylvia for the first time a couple of years ago and have been back two or three times since, most recently this past November. If we had unlimited funds, we'd probably stay at the Wedgewood, but our next choice would be the Sylvia. It's affordable and while definitely not glamorous, it's clean and pleasant. The location is wonderful and there isn't a thing wrong with the rooms. We've stayed in the renovated part as well as the old part. The only minor complaint I would have about the old part is that the room could probably use slightly better lighting for reading in bed at night, but it wasn't a huge problem. We really like the place a lot.