Perched on a bluff above the Pacific surf in Newport, Oregon is a unique 100-year-old hotel dedicated to book lovers.
It's called the Sylvia Beach Hotel - a nod to outstanding literature patron Sylvia Beach (owner of the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore in Paris during the 1920s and 30s).
I just love this place. Each of its 20 guest rooms is named for and cleverly decorated in the style of different authors. As you walk down the hotel's front garden path, it's a step back in time. There are no TVs, phones, radios, or wi-fi. Instead, there are books everywhere, author tributes, a cozy oceanfront attic library, fireplaces that burn real logs, spiced wine served in the library, an oceanfront dining room called "Tables of Content" that serves gourmet family style meals, a resident kitty, and a quaint gift shop.
Some call it a bed and breakfast, because when you rent a room here, a full family-style breakfast is included.
Situated in Newport's historic Nye Beach neighborhood, the hotel was originally called the New Cliff House. During the early 1900s, this was the honeymoon capitol of Oregon. The place is on the Register of Historic Landmarks.
On the family business's website, co-owner Goody Cable has this to say about her beloved old hotel:
"When you walk up our garden path to the front door, the old building will give you a big hug or spit you out, depending on what really matters to you! We've been open for 26 years , and the magic that happens at the Sylvia Beach continues. In the last year, we have created three new rooms --Amy Tan and Ken Kesey''s Cuckoo's Nest and Jules Verne--and have updated Herman Melville and the Library-Reading area. There are volumes of journals in all the rooms, including the library. In reading these guest books we have a pretty good idea of how people feel about staying with us. They share with us the peace and revitalization the view itself inspires. Not to mention the walls, the books, the photos, Shelly the cat, the art, the fabulous food, and the fellow guests. The frequency with which hotel guests make reservations for their next stay, as they check out, is the best indicator. This is truly a hotel for book lovers...
"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. 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 and is enjoyed by the majority of the rooms. These mid-priced rooms are affectionately called 'Best Sellers.' There are only three of the rooms that are directly over the surf. They are the 'Classics' and they have fireplaces and decks. The least expensive rooms are the 'Novels.'"
If you find yourself on the central Oregon Coast, check this place out. In fact, go to the Oregon Coast just to check it out. You won't be sorry. I hope this hotel stays in business forever.
For more details, go to
http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/home.cfm?dir_cat=39281
It's called the Sylvia Beach Hotel - a nod to outstanding literature patron Sylvia Beach (owner of the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore in Paris during the 1920s and 30s).
I just love this place. Each of its 20 guest rooms is named for and cleverly decorated in the style of different authors. As you walk down the hotel's front garden path, it's a step back in time. There are no TVs, phones, radios, or wi-fi. Instead, there are books everywhere, author tributes, a cozy oceanfront attic library, fireplaces that burn real logs, spiced wine served in the library, an oceanfront dining room called "Tables of Content" that serves gourmet family style meals, a resident kitty, and a quaint gift shop.
Some call it a bed and breakfast, because when you rent a room here, a full family-style breakfast is included.
Situated in Newport's historic Nye Beach neighborhood, the hotel was originally called the New Cliff House. During the early 1900s, this was the honeymoon capitol of Oregon. The place is on the Register of Historic Landmarks.
On the family business's website, co-owner Goody Cable has this to say about her beloved old hotel:
"When you walk up our garden path to the front door, the old building will give you a big hug or spit you out, depending on what really matters to you! We've been open for 26 years , and the magic that happens at the Sylvia Beach continues. In the last year, we have created three new rooms --Amy Tan and Ken Kesey''s Cuckoo's Nest and Jules Verne--and have updated Herman Melville and the Library-Reading area. There are volumes of journals in all the rooms, including the library. In reading these guest books we have a pretty good idea of how people feel about staying with us. They share with us the peace and revitalization the view itself inspires. Not to mention the walls, the books, the photos, Shelly the cat, the art, the fabulous food, and the fellow guests. The frequency with which hotel guests make reservations for their next stay, as they check out, is the best indicator. This is truly a hotel for book lovers...
"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. 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 and is enjoyed by the majority of the rooms. These mid-priced rooms are affectionately called 'Best Sellers.' There are only three of the rooms that are directly over the surf. They are the 'Classics' and they have fireplaces and decks. The least expensive rooms are the 'Novels.'"
If you find yourself on the central Oregon Coast, check this place out. In fact, go to the Oregon Coast just to check it out. You won't be sorry. I hope this hotel stays in business forever.
For more details, go to
http://www.sylviabeachhotel.com/home.cfm?dir_cat=39281