You can fly around Europe cheaply now or you can really see something by taking the train, and the best Europe-wide ticketing agency Eurail has just relaunched their website. A very popular Eurail stop is Zurich (it seems everybody wants to stop in Switzerland, since it's right in the middle!). And for somewhere to stay in Zurich, the Widder Hotel has a lot going for it.
It's been created by renovating eight historic houses and turning them into 42 rooms and seven suites and it's filled with modern furniture from all the big name designers - the only downside here is that some might think the ultra-modern interior is too much of a contrast to the outside.
As far as service goes, the staff are good at learning your name, and inside the rooms the beds are comfortable and facilities include everything you need, including Wifi. There's also a hi-tech fitness room and even a butcher's museum - just what you always wanted in a hotel.
We all know that hotels create a lot of waste and it's probably something that we'd rather not think about. If we do think about it, then we can choose to stay in eco-hotels and try not to fill the garbage bin in our room every day.
But the Mount Nelson Hotel in Capetown has another method, one that may leave guests feeling a little uneasy: worms. The hotel has an "army" of worms, a million of them ready to break down the hotel's organic waste and gives it back to the earth. This apparently means less fertilizer and chemicals and more compost to create their exquisite gardens.
The hotel's resident worm farmer (here's a title we never thought we'd see) explained to the Seattle Times:
The hotel industry produces a lot of food waste...We're trying to deal with our problem and not pass it along to the next person. We're trying to do our little bit for nature.
My personal opinion: The more people who get involved in this, the better it will be for the whole world. It eliminates a substance, methane gas, which is damaging to the environment. It's helping the ozone.
Now as long as they can keep these worms where they should be, we'll totally support this happy Ozone, Earthy, Worm project.
(We couldn't handle real worms early this morning so this picture of jelly worms comes via Gotta_luv_Green/Flickr)
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
Cape Town, South Africa has got to be one of the most picturesque cities in the world. There are some world-class hotels in that city that get far more press than the comparatively humble Victoria & Alfred. But it's hard to top the view you get from their restaurant (the vista here) or the odd-numbered rooms on floors two and three above.
The more famous Cape Grace is pictured here, on the other side of the water, while Table Bay hotel is a few minutes' walk away--on the other side of a shopping mall.
Built as a warehouse in 1904, the V&A was converted into an upscale hotel in 1990. Victoria & Alfred's large rooms are well-equipped and have deck-out baths with separate stall showers and lots of stone and granite. With the U.S. dollar struggling on the world markets, however, you'll pay a premium for this view--close to $450 a night at published rates.
Apartment style hotels are all over the place these days. The Pinnacle in Cape Town's historic Bo-Kaap district, offers guests views all the way from Lion's Head to Robben Island.
Inside The Pinnacle offers loft style two bedroom spaces which include a living room and a kitchen. 20ft ceilings, hard wood floors, terraces, and an in-room virtual art gallery.
Yeah, that's right, you can lie in your bed and watch the world's greatest art galleries projected onto a wall across the room. Sounds just like eighth grade social studies class, except napping is acceptable.
To complete the experience you can head up to the rooftop where the hotel provides access to a salt water pool.
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by amandak
