Alya's apartment on Hornby Street is in a really great location and is a lovely apartment! It's really central and so easy to get around to everywhere you need to be. With Granville Street about 200 metres away it's a great place to base yourself to be in the midst of Vancouver life. Alya and her sister, Inna, were a pleasure to deal with.
Others have mentioned the noise around the apartment, whilst there is building work happening and the restaurant noise next door is pretty loud, the soundproofing on the apartment is great and so the noise is minimal with the door and window closed.
I'd recommend you stay at Alya's place if you want a real taste of Vancouver life!