This is the first hotel I ever stayed in on a mom and daughter trip to Vancouver when I was a teenager. I have stayed in it many, many times since. With friends, with my hubby, with my kids. It isn’t a fancy hotel. But it is clean and well appointed. It is quirky in the way an older building that has lived many lives is; as an apartment building, and a transient hotel. Now, the Sylvia is a well maintained, perfectly located hotel. You can step out the door and cross the street to English Bay. From there you can take the path left to go catch the False Creek Ferry to Granville Island or turn right to walk the Seawall.
It is hard to imagine that its 8 stories made it the tallest building in Vancouver when it was built, those 8 stories now being covered with Virginia Creeper as a perfect landmark on the edge of English Bay.
There are some suites that have small kitchens and separate bedrooms so if you are travelling with your family and want the space and amenities call the hotel directly.