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HotelChatter Reviews
We Dialed A Bath At The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay
December 3, 2008 at 9:55 AM | 2 Comments
Staying at a luxury resort can sometimes feel like falling through a rabbit hole of helplessness. Even if you're accustomed to, say, setting an alarm clock or parking a car, why should you when someone is at the ready to do it for you? It's like being a baby who can drink.
We thought we'd seen the best of this before we encountered the Bath Butler at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay in California. A Gatsby-esque mansion blown up to Size XL along the foggy coast, the property, which opened in 2001, advertises such amenities as a cart for returning joggers offering towels and water (chilled or room temperature?) and a bagpiper who plays on the terrace at sunset.
Really, for this apartment dweller, the lounge-worthy alcove bathtub would have been delight enough, but having someone draw the bath for us sounded like a pretty great deal.
Korea Hotels
Behind the Anti-View: Metro Hotel Myungdong Redeems Itself
April 30, 2008 at 10:58 AM | 2 Comments
Have you heard about Seoul's hotness? South Korea's hipper-than-thou capital is gaining street cred due to a recent opening of a 10 Corso Como, a Fashion Week growing quickly in international regard, and not to mention the popularity of Korean TV dramas around the world.
The development of Seoul as a sort of new Tokyo (albeit slightly more affordable) is creating a distinctive thirst among tourists and locals alike: for luxury and high design.
This is why, in a city where women wear high heels everywhere, the Metro Hotel Myungdong looks and feels so good. So it doesn't have the best views, but then what is a great view in a city planned without much regard to green spaces and well...city planning?
Vietnam Hotel Reviews
Vietnam's Evason Hideaway is Romantically Cromulent
March 21, 2007 at 5:07 PM | 2 Comments
Beach Villa or Hill Top Villa? That is your choice at Evason Hideaway Ana Mandara. Whatever your French villa preference this cromulent resort in Dalat has you covered.
You still have a chance to hit this place in April before the mercury jumps to possibly unbearable levels in Vietnam. Thing is, as the temperature rises the prices go down, so you may be able to score a deal if you can stand the heat.
Top notch service, plenty of snorkeling, a bit of windsurfing, a beach, which is cleaned daily, and a brand spankin' new spa-- pretty much all the upscale resort prerequisites.
Oh, and there are wild monkeys on the premises who are known to playfully shake the trees behind some of the villas, who knows maybe they even shake the villas themselves--just in case you and your significant other can't get the job done--this place has romance written all over it.
Insider Tip: If you are a hotel view-o-phile stay in on of the Hill Top Suites for a killer view.
[Photo: Notorious S.I.G.]
Related Stories:
· Evason Hideaway Comments [TripAdvisor]
Hotel Heaven
Hype and Heaps of Advice at Copenhagen's Fox Hotel
March 6, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments
Most people rave about a great hotel after they've stayed there, but some get all excited just knowing it exists. At Susan Connor's Spiralbound blog, she's practically started hyperventilating after discovering Copenhagen's Hotel Fox. Susan says:
When I was skimming through some back-issues of Artichoke magazine, I just couldn't help but drool all over the article about Hotel Fox ... I can definitely see staying here and never even going out to any museums. This place looks like heaven. There should be more visionary, profit-making projects like this in the world. Fun for all.
Of course we'd prefer Susan checked in first before publicly claiming the Fox is the place, but there's something else new this month that we like about it. They've started their very own Ask Me page with experts for every aspect of Copenhagen life--so if you want to know where to see new exhibits, what sport you can catch while you're there or (most importantly, we think) where to eat and drink, there are a bunch of cool, knowledgeable Danes to ask.
[Photo: Christellefv]
Related Stories:
· Hotel Fox Copenhagen reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Farfegnugen at the Hotel Fox [HotelChatter]
Luxury Lodges
New Zealand B&Bs are Different: Just Look at the Riverrun Lodge
February 27, 2007 at 10:50 AM | 0 Comments
If you're aspiring to a luxury holiday with a difference in New Zealand, you'll either hate our pun or be pleased to stay near Mt Aspiring National Park. An hour from Queenstown in New Zealand's Southern Alps, Riverrun Lodge is a small, personal-touch guesthouse with a 5-star feel.
Previous guests rave about it, enjoying factors as diverse as the "woodsy smell of fresh timbers" and the "porch overlooking the hillside" to the relaxing atmosphere. A big kudos to what's outside the lodge, too:
When you are tired of just looking at the beautiful countryside, you can take off walking from the hotel. You'll cross a turquoise stream, walk through bushes that are solid flowers, then climb a small, flower-covered mountain that will give you a breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains beyond, and a turquoise blue river below. Thought I was in Heaven, but alas, it was just the Riverrun Lodge.
So if you want to get a feel for the natural beauty of the South Island of New Zealand, a couple of nights near the mountains is probably a good way to do it. Oh, and before you ask why it's called "Riverrun", the mighty Clutha River (NZ's largest) runs along its border. Why they didn't bother with a space between River and Run, however, is something we can't answer.
[Photo: Girl loves to go]
Related Stories:
· Riverrun Lodge reviews [TripAdvisor]
Venice Hotel Reviews
Venice Hotel Find Pans Out For Reader
February 19, 2007 at 2:16 PM | 0 Comments
For as long as we have chronicled hotel reviews, it has been duly noted that finding excellent, decently priced, accommodations in Italy can be, how do you say, spotty.
In light of this plight, when we find Italian hotels that appear to hold up, we always try to let you in on the secret.
Back in 2005 we found Pensione Accademia in Venice. A hotel even Philly Phan could love.
A HotelChatter reader recently put our post to the test in Venice. His thought are this way.
Egypt Hotel Reviews
Clean Sunglasses and Perfect Service in Sharm El Sheikh
November 30, 2006 at 9:19 AM | 0 Comments
Where is Jennifer? Okay, perhaps the right question is who is Jennifer, but blogger whereisjennifer is in Egypt right now, raving about how wonderful the Grand Rotana Resort at Sharm El Sheikh is. Not only is the price good (as she mentions, thanks to the terrible intermittent terrorist attacks that make this Egyptian destination just a little less popular), she scored an upgrade to a "super-deluxe ocean view room". But the largest chunks of praised are reserved for the swimming pool and the employees who lurk there:
Friendly pool employees jumped to adjust our pool chairs, put up our umbrella, bring us refreshments, clean our sunglasses, and practice their commendable command of the English language. We were in heaven. Everywhere we went, employees were standing by to treat us like national treasures.
Whether or not you want someone else actually cleaning your sunglasses is another question (we can live without it ourselves) but plenty of reviews from other happy customers seem to support Jennifer's rave.
And if being waited on hand and foot at the pool all holiday isn't your thing, from the Grand Rotana Sharm El Sheikh you can also get into diving, snorkelling, windsurfing, horseriding and even camel riding and desert safaris. They just probably don't clean your sunglasses for you out in the desert.
Related Stories:
Grand Rotana Resort and Spa reviews [TripAdvisor]
Egypt Hotel Reviews
Hotel Heaven in Egypt...If You Can Get There
September 14, 2006 at 12:22 PM | 0 Comments
With review titles like "Heaven," Brilliant," and "Wonderful Staff, Wonderful Hotel," it's safe to say the Le Meridien in Luxor is worth a stay. With 228 rooms, some overlook the Nile and others the courtyard, amenities run rampant, and hotel staff is touted as excellent again and again.
Guests can swim in the pool while peering over the ledge at the sailors on the Nile. Jet up into the sky on a hot air balloon or dine in a "sailing felucca." So there is plenty to do and the property is great but we are always interested to read up on the staff:
What a fantastic holiday we had. We can not fault the hotel and all of the staff. All of the staff were helpful and so friendly. it they appeared more like a family of staff. Rooms were cleaned daily. We requested extra pillows at reception one day and ten minutes after returning to our rooms there was a knock on the door- pillows had arrived.
Voila! A little hotel heaven in Eygpt. Le Meridien and Luxor have done their part in providing a top hotel with superb service. Now if only the political climate would clear up maybe we'd have the guts to jaunt to Egypt without considering a Vegas substitute instead.
Related Stories:
· Le Meridien Luxor Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Argentina Hotels
Old Money vs. New Money in Buenos Aires
July 24, 2006 at 9:29 AM | 0 Comments
[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven Tim Leffel's last report on Argentina gives us an inside look at two polar opposites serving wealthy visitors to Buenos Aires: Alvear Palace and Faena Hotel & Universe. Enjoy.]
At La Cabaña, the best steakhouse in Buenos Aires (which is really saying something), general manager Mirco Zampieri says he can spot a reservation from Alvear Palace Hotel or Faena Hotel & Universe as soon as the visitors walk in the door. "The ones from Alvear are wearing the best tailored clothes, the most expensive jewelry, and look very refined and sophisticated."
Visitors from Faena, however, tend to be less subtle. "They look like they walked straight out of a fashion magazine. Very stylish and brash, usually young and beautiful," Zampieri says, calling the difference the embodiment of old money and new money. Captains of industry and finance on one hand, the new leaders in fashion, design, and entertainment on the other.
Alvear Palace Hotel is all about grandeur the way it was in the roaring 1920s: acres of marble, crystal chandeliers, gilded mirrors, fine china, and impeccable service from people in formal attire. Classical music and jazz fill the public areas. The full-page celebrity guest list would be the envy of nearly any hotel in the world. Who else has hosted the King of Spain, the Emporer of Japan, Walt Disney, George Soros, Francis Ford Coppola, and Pamela Anderson? This is no fading relic, however. Rooms are luxurious and spacious and are tricked out with plenty of gadgetry, as in phones that control the lighting and music, and flat TVs over the tub in premium rooms.
More on New Money vs. Old Money after the jump.
Hotel Heaven
What Happens When You Stay in Hotels on Drugs
June 19, 2006 at 10:02 AM | 1 Comment
[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven Zorba the Greek has written to us about his recent stay at the Le Meridien Cochin in India. The full letter is here for your viewing enjoyment, but we take no responsibility for Zorba's over-enthused and possibly drug-induced praise of the place.]
The sun was smiling at me, the air was fresh and alive, the skies a crystal blue and I smiled. I admired the shimmering blue-grey backwaters while I sipped my cup of coffee. The green lawns, the bright clear swimming pool, the backwaters alongside all beckoned me for a stroll just to feel what it would be like to walk in paradise.
I wandered down meandering pathways and the flowers winked at me from behind lush greens. The coconut palms swayed in the breeze, the birds chirped at me and the ducks invited me for a quick dip in the ponds.
Le Meridien Cochin, so pristine, so relaxed, so comfortable, with nature at its core; A style beyond the ordinary in God's own Country. A chilled glass of beer, a quick dip in the clear waters of the multi-tiered swimming pool, a cool twirl in the whirlpool and I was ready to be pampered.
More on the experience after the jump.
Hotel Heaven
The Post Inn has Something Dubai May Never Understand
June 15, 2006 at 10:05 AM | 0 Comments
We wonder what marketing gurus in Dubai would think of Travel and Leisure's pick for the top of their 500 Best Hotels list, The Post Inn of Big Sur. We know it kills them at the same time as bewilders them as to how this small hotel (only 30 rooms and one restaurant!?) could take the cake.
Although they would probably give credit to the beauty of Big Sur's coastline that the hotel has a perfect view of, the lack of mile-high tennis courts and super-speed elevator systems jetting 50 floors up would leave them open-mouthed and giving each other looks of pure cluelessness.
One of the Post Inn's guests claim that this should be the first 6 star hotel:
I recently stayed at Post Inn ranch and all I can say is that it is unreal. It is the most peaceful place I have ever stayed. We stayed 3 night in the ocean house room and it is by far the best room I have ever stayed in. This is the first 6 star hotel mark my words!
At this point our table of snazzy men sitting at their long polished table on the 70th floor of some architectural wonder in downtown Dubai, are actually sweating; they are offended by this preposterous claim. The only 6 star...wait no, make that, 7, 8...9....hell, 10 star hotel that there will ever be shall be in DUBAI!
Back to reality though, the Post Inn truly is hotel perfection. The cozy rooms will feel like your very own and the view will make you forget anything that's bad in this world. If you've got the money or even if you don't, well here's your hotel.
Related Stories:
· The T+L 500 2006 [Travel and Leisure]
· Post Inn Reviews [Trip Advisor]
Hotel Heaven
Amazingly, There Are Nice Places to Stay in Jersey
June 13, 2006 at 2:39 PM | 0 Comments
[Ed. Note: HotelMaven Kjbert checked out the Jersey Shore staying at the Blue Bay Inn in Red Bank and did not get infected by a hypodermic needle nor was the experience marred by rough-talking, Z. Cavaricci-wearing guidos. Enjoy.]
This hotel is a gorgeous boutique hotel around the corner from the beach. [Another Ed. Note: actually it's two miles away.] I came into town for a family gathering and was wary of staying in a place that we found on the internet.
Needless to say, I came away impressed and would definitely stay there again. The rooms were very comfortable, especially the beds. I stayed in what is called a Deluxe Double room. Our room had a balcony with a view of the water. The hotel is located about 3 blocks from the marina in Atlantic Highlands. We happened to stay on a really pretty weekend. We walked down by the marina at night and there was a great breeze.
The bathrooms were nice. My favorite part of the room was the balcony and our view of the marina.
The staff was courteous and attentive. By the end of our stay, I was on a first name basis with a couple of the staff members, including the General Manager, Bill. Because of our travel plans, we needed to check-in early and the staff could not have been a bigger help. Not only did the front desk clerk carry in all of our baggage but he was able to get us a room a few hours before we were supposed to check-in.
The restaurant they recommended for us Friday Night was the Copper Canyon. It was a little spicy, but everyone in our group left raving about the food. Overall, it was a tremendous experience and I would definitely go back again and recommend this hotel to others.
For More on the Jersey Shore, skip on over to Jaunted for the interactive Chasing New Jersey Beach Houses Map.
Related Stories:
· Blue Bay Inn reviews [TripAdvisor]
