Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sylvia Beach Hotel

For our anniversary we had a delightful stay at this historic hotel on the Oregon coast. It overlooks about 2 miles of beach and is definitely a special find. Each of the rooms has been furnished and named after different authors.

This is truly a hotel for book lovers. There are no t.v.'s, no radios, no phones. It is a quiet place on most days. Except for the glorious storms. Then the wind howls, the building shakes, and the rain pounds down. Some days it's warm and sunny and the sky is bright blue. Some days there's morning fog. Some days the wind makes you stay inside and read! Some days are rainbow days, the weather just can't decide. The ocean is always present. (The hotel is on a 45 foot bluff right above the surf.) You move into the rhythm of the sea. Perhaps that's why time seems to slow way down, almost to a standstill.


Some don't look up from the book they're reading until it's finished (and they think they're in paradise!) Some finish manuscripts they've been writing! Some come up with grand ideas. Some guests say the hotel is such a romantic place to celebrate anniversaries, or honeymoon. But it is also a wonderful place to go with a friend, or your mom, or your daughter, or old college roommate.


Breakfast comes with the room-rate and is enjoyed by all at the tables of 8 in the *Tables of Content* dining room. And the food and company are both delightful. The guests seem to come from all over the country, and sometimes out of the country, and they're thoughtful, curious, and high spirited.
The restaurant also serves a wonderful dinner.


No matter how nice your room is, (and we had one of the best, Agatha Christy, with fireplace, ocean front view and deck) guests often spend much of their time up in the reading room. It has the best view in the whole building, lots of overstuffed chairs, a fireplace, plenty of books (from the library shelves in the loft),puzzles and board games, tea and coffee always available.


There is a great beach right in front of the hotel. At any given time just a handful of people can be seen walking the beach. The Sylvia Beach Hotel has a particularly beautiful coastal panorama which includes the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. This view is to the North.

Some of these wonderful descriptions are taken in part from the
Sylvia Beach web.site.

The photos are all mine.

1 comment:

Trish said...

Looks lovely, Cheri! Enjoy! I would definitely write well there (not to mention read well!).

Trish
http://www.trishlawrence.com/blog