Sylvia Beach Hotel

"My partner and I went to Sylvia's for dinner. She stayed there some years back and told me all about the author themed rooms and having stayed there, but I can't comment on them. I can comment on the dinner and the general ambience of the place. And what a place! From the moment of walking in through the front door and being greeted by a cat, meeting others who have gathered for the feast and then being ushered into a dining room with large common tables, there is a feeling of calm excitement, such as one gets when reading a good book. The large tables were set for eight, pick your own spot. Coat and hat racks were located in a hallway - no having to hang your coat on your chair! We started with selecting from a menu of wines, appertifs, beer or non-alcoholic "mocktails" and ciders. One person at our table had the house special and noted it was very tasty - and it looked it too! Glad they offered NA items, but I like beers and settled on a pale ale from The Good Life breweryin Bend, Oregon. My partner got the "chef's selectionsl" - a selection of three wines to go with the courses, starting with a white with the first, then a red for the main, and a port for dessert. Very nice indeed! The food was placed on our table in bowls which we passed around. We had squash soup - which was served from a pitcher - and like I've never had a soup before! The main course consisted of stuffed mushrooms, mashed root vegetables with butter and rosemary and a plate of stuffing and a bowl of tempura vegetables - all passed around - and a plate of turkey (it was the day after Thanksgiving after all!) (This was our Thanksgiving day dinner - a day late, but who cares?) To top it all off was the gravy! Oh man oh man! Mushroom gravy like I've never had gravy before! Then dessert... Can anyone say Creme Broulee? Lemon tarts? Baked apples covered with crusty yummy raisins with (presumably) brown sugar and cinnamon?? And a cup of "French Pressed" coffee to top it all off at the end? Whoa, dude! It was a pretty penny, but well worth it! We had good conversations, excellent food, and a very memorable evening. The cooks even came out and introduced themselves and received a round of applause. If you have the time (it was about one and a half to two hours from beginning to end) and opportunity, then you need to start making memories here. Oh, and by the way, did I mention the view of the Pacific Ocean? Because Sylvia's is built up on a bluff, well, need I say more? Spectacular!! (Plus, we all got to take a box of "leftovers" home. Very handy the next day!). Blessings everyone! Uncle Al"

"Thought about staying here someday but I would never do so now knowing how they enacted extreme covid policies to exclude people who would not get the experimental jabs. My wife and I were looking for a getaway for our anniversary last year when we discovered this. Maybe we'd consider again if they issued an apology and promised never to intrude into personal medical decisions again."

"Have wanted to visit for decades and finally made it; absolutely as charming as hoped. The big surprise was dinner; signed up for the full experience and was absolutely STUNNED by the quality and attention to detail (locally sourced, and on a Steinbeck theme, no less!). Probably would have balked at the family-style service as well, but had a really nice, rambling, quiet and conversational evening with folks from all over. Simply a great, relaxing, companionable night. We're planning to hurry back."

"We were married at the hotel 25 years ago. Our return was most definitely underwhelming. Gone are the creatively decorated rooms. Now they’re just paint and a poster of the author. Dinner wasn’t served the night we came which was very disappointing. Rooms feel really old now. Restaurant filled with dolies and tea cups. Which describes the age of the clientele. This place is such a masterpiece, it really needs new owners who can inject some youth into this aging and very outdated hotel."

"Highly recommended! Wish we had more time to spend here, maybe next trip. We stepped back into a simpler place here, it was wonderful. No TV or Wi-Fi- but plenty of books. Located directly on the beach where we viewed the sunset while sipping the provided hot spiced wine. Rooms are theme decorated according to authors, we had the Shakespeare room. Breakfast in the morning was great and included in the room cost. Can’t say enough good things about this place."