Booked this hotel after research on Trip Advisor, and were not disappointed. It's in a great location, just a short walk from the beach and Stanley Park. We loved this area so much that we spent all our time (2 days) here and didn't get to downtown Vancouver because the weather was so fine. Staff were very friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean, comfortable and spacious. There are plenty of good restaurants close to the hotel. Highly recommended.

We walked in that day looking for something along Davie Street. We were quoted $199 (I knew prices would be high being peak of tourism)

The room was clean but the air conditioner barely worked. We were hot all night long. The front desk staff were rude from the time we check in until the time we left. This is a stripped down very basic hotel, needs a makeover. There is no ice machine on our floor so we were told either go up or down a level to get ice. Kind of annoying but again not a big deal.

For $200 down the street our friends got a MUCH nicer "posh" place with great views.

I would have been ok with this place for maybe $100 but definitely not 200.

I won't stay here again, mainly because of how rude the people were when we mentioned the air conditioner--they were robotic, unapologetic and seemed annoyed from the minute we checked in until the second we left.

First things first - Vancouver is an expensive place to stay. I travelled with two friends as a group of 3 guys in their late 20's and stayed in the city for 3 nights before embarking on a Canadian road trip from West to East.

It was extremely difficult finding both a hotel which suited our budget and one that had decent reviews on Trip Advisor. (I will only stay at places that average a score of 4/5 ). The Sands by the Sea solved our problem and we were very glad we stayed there having passed a few of the hotels in the same price bracket in the city which looked pretty run down.

The Lobby, Restaurant/Cafe and Bar were tidy and service was excellent. The room was average - nothing to write home about, but equally nothing to complain about. We had a room at the rear of the hotel looking the car park so it wasn't interesting, but it was quiet.

The surrounding location was lovely. 1 minute away from the Western facing English Bay beach which meant a stunning sunset every night, 2-3 minutes away from Stanley park, and it was about 5 minutes from the top end of Robson street, 15 minutes from the harbour area so certainly not a huge walk away from the hotel areas charging 3 or 4 times the amount we paid.

Very vibrant area, no seediness about it that I've read can be the case near some of the other hotels in the price bracket. Plenty of bar/grills where you can get good food and have a drink at sunset and a huge variety of international cuisine available on the same street. Personally I like being able to drink and dine close to a hotel I'm staying at when I stay in a City and the area was both full of choice and felt safe.

The best way of putting it (which the three of us agreed on) is that we'd get away with bringing our girlfriends here! Decent rooms, excellent and safe nightlife and not too much walking!

I stayed at the Sands in late June. First of all, the best thing about the Sands is the location. It's a block from English Bay and an easy walk to Stanley Park. Many of the fun activities (walking, biking, kayaking) in Vancouver couldn't be closer. Also, the neighborhood has a wide assortment of cafes and restaurants that should appeal to everyone. Now the downside of staying at the Sands. The property isn't aging well. The rooms need serious work. I encountered numerous problems in my room (i.e. the bathroom fan didn't work, the water in the shower alternated between very hot and very cold, the knob for the air conditioner came off in my hand.) Clearly, the management has done very little to keep up the place, and it shows. But for the location, I would give the Sands two stars. The rooms are just not in good shape. If you're not prepared to rough it a bit with worn rooms, the Sands isn't the place for you. On the other hand, if you're willing to put up with an older facility that needs some work, the location can't be beat.