HotelChatter

You'll also notice the bright and cheery food bar. One of the ways the hotel has kept costs down is to ditch the full-service restaurant and have a self-serve commissary. But ALTcetera is not filled with stale tuna sandwiches; this is gourmet grab-and-go. After we checked in and went downstairs to explore, we picked up an olive oil panini with a grilled chicken breast and peppers, goat cheese and lemon emulsion. You can even get a passionfruit panna cotta at 3 a.m. if you want, because it's open 24/7.

Our room was surprisingly big with absolutely no evidence that it was built off-site. The bed was comfy with a snuggly duvet, there were plenty of nooks to store your stuff, a bee-yoo-ti-ful Italian ‘Calla’ chair, a big glass shower with Canadian brand Fruits & Passion toiletries in big bottles –- so no pilfering -- and a rainfall showerhead (there’s even a faucet at foot-level so that you can check the temperature of the water with your tootsies before you commit).

Other niceties? An entire wall of windows; an airline arrival and departure marquee in the lobby; multiple seating areas in the common area that make it feel cozy with different areas for different moods including one lounging space with a fireplace; and, although there’s not a pool in the hotel, there IS a pool table.

As we promised, the hotel is big in style and low in price: Rates anytime are $149, whether single or double or one bed or two.

Is that a great ALTernative or what?

[Photos: Janice Tober/HotelChatter]