11 Stations

August 16th, 2010

Stayin’ and Playin at the Grand Villa and Delta Burnaby

by Mana Mansour

There’s a little bit of Sin City right in heart of Burnaby. I’m talking about the best of what Vegas has to offer- the crank of slot machines, the sound of piling chips alongside the roar of excitement of those touched by lady luck, the rich textures of plush velvet furniture and the savory tastes of first-rate restaurants. Don’t believe me? Venture down Dominion Street, right off Willingdon Avenue, and you’ll know what I mean.

There you’ll find the Grand Villa Casino and Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre…unassuming and conservative from the outside, but completely opulent, sexy, and ever the more inviting from the inside. To my surprise, I recently learned that Burnaby had a casino for years, located right in the same location as the Grand Villa. But a few years back, the whole place went under a massive renovation and revitalization, with Gateway Casinos reopening the casino in the fall of 2008, reintroducing it as the Grand Villa Casino. Shortly afterwards, the Delta Burnaby Hotel and Conference Centre opened in early 2009, conveniently in the adjoining building.

Back in mydays of being a pupil of Journalism, while heading to BCIT every morning, I remember seeing the cranes and construction trunks erecting the Grand Villa…not knowing what it was to eventually become. With my visit this week, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with my reintroduction to the now finished product.

Obviously the hotel and casino attracts many business travellers and corporate conferences, being that Telus’ head offices and McDonalds Canada headquarters are just around the corner. My tour of their 7,500 square foot ballroom was a testament to just that- the hotel’s strong presence in the business travel market. What interested me the most wasn’t what the business tradeshow clientele could enjoy, but rather, what locals and out-of-town folk looking to have fun could find at the Grand Villa.

The Delta Hotel at the Grand Villa has all the offerings of any great hotel: a beautiful lobby, friendly and courteous staff, a first-rate restaurant (more on Ebo Restaurant later), 24/7 gym, hottub, sauna and soon a full-service spa (to open in October). What makes it unique is the feel you get when you’re there…. class without the snobbery. In other words, it looks and feels like a top star hotel, but doesn’t come with the pretentious, only-catering-to-the-rich, elitist mumbo jumbo you usually see at some top hotels. The décor is truly lovely… I loved the purple motif repeated throughout the property, and the Italian theme was not stuffy like an old manor, but rather fresh and elegant. My only complaint was probably a favourite guest convenience- the Starbucks smack dab in the middle of the lobby. It slightly pulled me away from the “far from home” exotic vibe the rest of the hotel emulates. I was lucky enough to experience their one-bedroom Signature Suite during my stay. The suite had a lovely view of Burnaby, really nice tall ceilings (which greatly averted the claustrophobic feel I get in a lot of hotel rooms), and again that really pretty décor in all the furnishings and fixtures (this time in blue and grey rather than purple). An added perk to the suite was the ability to access the Club Lounge, a beautiful lounge equipped with comfy seating, complimentary continental breakfast and refreshments, not to mention a great array of board games and magazines to keep you occupied for hours. But you don’t have to stay in a suite to get the same level of comfort. It was nice to see on my tour of the hotel that even the Delta category room (which is their most basic room type) had the same stylish décor, great view and roomy bathroom.

I have to say my most favourite part of my experience at the Grand Villa Casino and Delta Hotel would be definitely their Ebo Restaurant. I had two exquisite meals there, a 6-course (that’s right, you just read 6) dinner and breakfast. For dinner, Executive Chef Dan Craig created a whirlwind of flavours to satisfy so many of my taste buds with a specially tailored menu just for my guest and I. There were all sorts of unique touches…the foam foie gras (which comes out of a device that puffs air into it!), the balsamic vinegar pearls in the Heirloom Tomato Salad, the rice crusted outer layer of our seared albacore tuna, and even in-house made mango and blood orange sorbet. If I had to choose a favourite of the meal (as hard as it is, being that I enjoyed pretty much everything I tasted), I would choose the Roast Tenderloin of Beef, which was served with a new potato and mushroom sauté, Dungeness crab (already pulled from the shell mind you) over a bed of asparagus. All this paired with a taste of what the best in BC Wineries have to offer: a glass of Quails Pinot Noir and Inniskillin Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon. I bet you got a food orgasm just reading that…what until you taste it! Ebo Restaurant is NOT just for hotel guests; it’s a great place to come have a really amazing meal, especially when you want something more original than the usual chain restaurants of the Cactus or Earl’s variety. The prices are very reasonable too. On their menu I saw that most items cost exactly the same as what you would expect at the chain restaurants. But this time, affordability doesn’t mean you get short changed with the quality.

After stuffing my face there was only one thing left to do…. GAMBLE. I was at a Casino and Hotel resort after all (operative word- AND)! I had no idea that the Grand Villa Casino is the largest casino in the Lower Mainland, having about 50 gaming tables and over 1000 slots. And trust me, it’s very apparent it’s the largest when you walk in. “So many slots, so little time” was what kept repeating itself in my head, especially when I saw the huge jackpot of the crowd-favourite BC Gold (players are connected to casinos all over the province and can win over $100,000!). Thankfully I saved myself from spending my entire life’s savings with a quick visit to the Scala Show Lounge.

This 120-seat theatre and lounge, named after the famous Italian villa, has a small but intimate stage and dance floor, hosting local talent various times during the week. Blues singer Taylor James was on stage that evening as part of Blues Week, and although the sound was quite loud, I could appreciate the level at which the band was able to play at for a venue of that size.  Next time I visit Grand Villa Casino, I am going to make sure to go to the Party Zone, which happens every Thursday, Friday and Saturday on the top level of the casino. The Party Zone is a section of tables that offer more of a casual and fun casino experience. They have theme nights (past examples include Hawaiian and Western), good music and the ability to place lower minimum bets. The Party Zone sounds like a perfect choice for those who want to visit the casino but would rather it be more of a social experience with little to loose, rather than what caters to the more experienced gambler.

Lady luck may not have touched me at the slots at the Grand Villa Casino and Delta Hotel, but the experience of staying there and seeing all what they have to offer, was definitely a big win.

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