The Viva Sky is a combination of the mostly good, some bad, and a sprinking of the unusual. First, the unusual.
We were traveling by auto and found the hotel quite easily using our GPS. A couple of temporary parking slots are available on the ground floor for bag drop & check-in purposes. Upon entering the front door it took me a bit of time to locate reception – if I hadn’t noticed the small sign with the words “Viva Sky” and an arrow pointing towards the elevator I might still be there. Reception is actually located on the top floor in their signature glass-enclosed “Sky Lodge”. Once located, the check-in process was quick & smooth.
Upon entering our double room the bad was quickly evident. The room was on the fifth or sixth floor (I can’t remember which off the top of my head), facing almost directly west into the afternoon sun, and it was an oven. There are no drapes on the window, rather, there are metal louvers on the exterior of the windows that are raised, lowered, opened, and closed via extension handles on the inside…however, the louvers were wide open. The rooms are not air-conditioned, so we immediately opened the windows and lowered the louvers to block the sun, but the room was so heat-soaked it never did really cool down. Once we went to bed (with the windows open) noise from the cafés in the street below, combined with a warm room, made it difficult to sleep. The beds were comfortable, but the pillows were a rumor at best – my advice is to request at least one extra pillow per person, maybe even two.
Other than the heat, the room & bathroom were very nice & modern. No tub, but a nice shower and fixtures. The room was not huge, but certainly large enough for two people and the space is well-utilized. Furniture amounted to one small armoire and a small table in the corner, as well as shelves above the bed and on a wall opposite the bed.
Breakfast in the Sky Lodge was excellent…scrambled eggs and sausage with a good selection of cereals, baking, fruits, cold cuts, and cheese. A waffle-making machine was available for making your own waffles if desired. It was quite warm sitting on the large veranda surrounding the Sky Lodge due to the unseasonably warm temperatures and the sun reflecting off the windows, but indoor seating was plentiful for those people who didn’t like the heat.
Parking is not available at the hotel, but is available nearby in one of several public parkades. We chose to park at the mall across the street. The location of the hotel is quite favorable, situated at the south end of the “historic center” making all the shops and restaurants easily reachable on foot.
To summarize, the Viva Sky had many nice features but would certainly benefit by more clearly marking access to the reception area, upgrading their pillows, and maybe take a look at ways to keep the rooms with afternoon sun exposure cooler (reflective window coatings, or work instructions to maids to lower and position the metal louvers to block the sun during the day).