Cool Hotels

Penn's View Hotel

Penn’s View Hotel sits right on the edge of Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood, right near the waterfront walk that is Penn’s Landing. Penn’s Landing has a lot of old restored ships, booze cruise boats and in order to class up the neighborhood they are thinking of building a Planet Hollywood Casino there. I hope they don’t do that last part, even so Penn’s landing is a bustling and fun place to place to walk and enjoy a river view.

Meanwhile, Old City has some of the best restaurants (including some of the famous BYOBs) and the big historic sites like Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center and the Constitution Center.

So, the Penn’s View Hotel sits right where you want to be if you are visiting Philadelphia for the first time. The restored warehouse (which feels more like a townhouse) not only has a few river view rooms, but the proprietors have decorated the place with a colonial/federalist flavor that sets the mood nicely for exploring American history. The hotel’s bar and restaurant also has a truly great wine list and, for oenophiles, offers wine tasting weekends.

The building is on the national register of historic places and has even won awards for its clever use of space and top-notch renovations.

The Chestnut Hill Hotel

Chestnut Hill, an upscale village on Philadelphia’s western edge, feels far away from the city’s urban decay, yet a decidedly non-suburban sophistication seems to imbue all the little shops, galleries, restaurants and antique stores along Germantown Avenue. Just beyond the main drag, you’ll find stone mansions, a beautiful old college and a fine arboretum, complete with model trains, a rose garden and a temple to Mercury. All in all, Chestnut Hill makes a great place for a sophisticated weekend of shopping and exploring.

Best of all, most chains are forbidden. The one hotel, the aptly named Chestnut Hill Hotel, is a lovely little indie hotel with a restaurant that is actually enjoyed by locals as much as guests. It’s also adjacent to an indoor farmer’s market (open Thursday, Friday and Saturday) that contains food stands that peddle delicacies straight from the Pennsylvania countryside.

The rooms are lovely, with antique and vintage furniture that fits the whole cobblestone-y vibe of the little hamlet. And despite the whole we're-rich-as-Croesus vibe of Chestnut Hill, the hotel itself appeals to the frugal millionaire that lives in all of us.

Dromoland Castle

Back in the day, the only way rich, pretentious Americans could stay in British Castles they couldn’t really afford was to become a paying guest of otherwise impoverished aristocrats. I suppose there were Americans who actually made friends with people who lived in castles, but remember, I said rich, pretentious Americans.

Anyway, the trend of the paying guest has fallen by the wayside. Now, many of the great castles of Europe have become hotels that anyone can stay at, pretentious or not.

Just such a place is Dromoland Castle in Ireland. First established in 1002 (Yes, that’s 1002), the castle spent most of its life as a stronghold of the O’brien family. Back in the day, it was more of a practical stronghold. Much later, in 1543, the family built the current stone castle. Over the years, they revamped and restructured the stone structure into more of a luxury residence. But it’s still got towers. And now it’s got a number of guest suites, a couple of restaurants and a wholly unnecessary spa. The castle sits on 410 acres of green, Irish rolling hills and gardens. And it’s popular for those who want to live out their aristocratic fantasies.

No word on ghosts, but I’m sure they are there.

Inn at Irving Place

In a city overflowing with modern boutique hotels, New York City’s Inn at Irving Place stands out by reaching to the gilded past rather than an imagined future. Located in two meticulously restored townhouses just steps away from the old-school-upper-crust Gramercy Park, the inn boasts fireplaces and four poster beds that would please Henry James. All this lushness has made the Inn one of the most popular hotels in the entire city for romantic weekends – even among people who live there. Old fashioned though it is, rooms also sport updated amenities like wireless internet and television.

There’s also Lady Mendls, a restaurant and tea room on premises that keeps the turn-of-the century theme going. It even serves a five course tea that would have made Mrs. Vanderbilt, with all her anglophile ways, proud. Interestingly though, there’s a private room named after Evelyn Nesbitt. Since I wrote the long article about her and Stanford White over at crime library, I Ms. Nesbitt was a great and notorious figure of the gilded age but she was hardly respectable. No matter though, she and Edith Wharton have both gone to the grave, which is the great social equalizer.

Hotel Ranola

I used to brag to my ex-boyfriend about how good I was at finding travel bargains. After all, at the time I was
writing full time for budget guidebooks. “Oh, really,” he would say with withering skepticism. Then, he would challenge me to find a cheap hotel in Florida at high season on the beach. On the weekend, of course. Preferably a holiday weekend. And with a waterfront view. When I couldn’t deliver, he’d really enjoy that. I don’t miss him. But that’s neither here nor there.

The truth is, when you want a bargain, you usually have to compromise. But sometimes a compromise turns into a surprise that makes you stay more interesting and fun that it otherwise would have been. Such is the case with the Hotel Ranola in Sarasota, Florida. It may not be on the beach, but it is in downtown Sarasota and allows you to walk around the old city, which has a great deal more character than any homogenized beach resort. And the beaches aren’t far, anyway.

What was once a pretty drab apartment hotel for snowbirds has been transformed into a modern, welcoming and economical boutique hotel with a wide variety of room configurations and luxuries like flat screen televisions, hardwood floors and pillow top mattresses. Most of the rooms are set up for extended stay, and the hotel also offers discounts if you stay twenty days or more.

International House

International House, a modern boutique hotel just a couple of blocks from the French Quarter in the Central Business District, incorporates stylized reflections of New Orleans’s cultural history in its decor. The airy lobby, with white slip covered furniture, is often peppered with colors and accessories that match the season, whether it’s the Voodoo Festival of RaRa in April or Louis Armstrong’s birthday in July.

The hotel also offers the Sanctuary of Love package for couples looking for romance, which incorporates a voodoo love ritual that includes a personalized altar set up for the couple as well as a bath of flower petals.

Popular with musicians, the International House is located on a quiet block away from the noise of the quarter, but all the fun is just steps away.

La Colombe d'Or

Houston may be more known as a town of glass skyscrapers and oil men, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its share of culture. Okay, oil funds whatever culture there happens to be, but that’s neither here nor there. La Colombe d'Or is still a great boutique hotel.

Built in 1923 as the private residence of a founder of Humble Oil, the Mediterranean-style villa now houses once of Houston’s oldest and well thought of small hotels. Located right on one of Houston’s hippest streets (Montrose Avenue), the oasis-like complex is right in the heart of the museum district, where most of Houston’s scenesters like to be seen. The building itself is surrounded by lovely gardens, which provide much needed shade on those blistering hot Houston days, and the courtyard even has a lovely fountain and wrought iron tables.

La Colombe d'Or is also interesting in that the hotel is not nearly as famous or as well known as the on premises French Restaurant, popular with potential grooms as a location to pop the question. Ask a Houstonian about La Colombe d'Or and they’ll likely tell you all about the food and not even know there are lovely, plush Franco-centric hotel rooms. Think thick floor-length curtains and flowery bedding.

Canarios Park Hotel

Some years ago, when my mother returned from a glamorous sailing trip around Spain’s Balearic Islands, I asked her what her favorite island was. Having read Morvern Callar, I fully expected her to say Ibiza. But she didn’t. She said, “Majorca, by far. It’s like Ibiza but mellower, prettier….and not nearly so much partying.” And she meant that as a high compliment. Let's face it, moms, even my mom, prefer the well-developed but still lovely Majorca.

So, if you want to enjoy the glorious Mediterranean for peace and family oriented fun, head to sunny Majorca. And, one of the more fun places to stay is Canarios Park Hotel. The big, family oriented resort is a short distance from the beach and major resort area, but that just means its quieter, less expensive and has a crowd more willing to explore the island. There is also a little train service that will take your right to the beach, when you want to go. The hotel’s got two swimming pools, a restaurant, pool and snooker tables, an on site mini-market and a sun terrace. Rooms are clean and well-maintained, and although they are not overflowing with silly luxuries, they’ve got everything you need – including private bathrooms. Also, the hotel offers all inclusive packages.

By the way, this post has been sponsored by a lovely UK company that offers cheap, European style beach holidays. But it’s all true, and booking holidays through European companies is a great way for Americans to get deals and discover cool places.

Barley Sheaf Farm Estate and Spa

The Barley Sheaf Farm Estate, first established as a private home in 1740 and now a ritzy guest house, offers its guests a chance to live like an aristocrat while enjoying the bucolic countryside of Bucks County and nearby access to the adorable village of New Hope. The brick manor house, a stone barn and even a guest cottage have all been meticulously restored and updated with lush amenities – including lots and lots of fluffy throw pillows. Don’t look for ball claw tubs and old fixtures; this place aims for comfort so you’ll find shiny whirlpool tubs and new furniture designed to mesh with period detail.

There are sixteen guest suites, conference facilities and an on-premises spa, which is nice, but unnecessary. I find the quiet countryside and views of the woods and meadows are all the relaxation I need. I’d rather go hiking or horseback riding or something more befitting of the gorgeous 100-acre setting. (Why so many hotels have grabbed on to the spa trend is beyond me, but it is a rather lovely spa and clearly my habits and opinions don’t reflect the tastes of the masses.)

They have also named each suite with a touch of whimsy. The coolest suite is ironically named “Beggar on Horseback Suite”, likely due to its barn location. But don’t let that fool you. It’s got a stone fireplace, exposed beams and a loft bedroom. But its aesthetic is more rustic than the manor house’s more formal suites, which appeals to me. Perhaps you’d rather enjoy the “Dancing in the Dark Suite” with its many windows and garden view or “Once in a Lifetime Suite” with its flowery murals.

The Island Hotel and Restaurant

Just read any Carl Hiaasen novel, and you’ll learn all about Florida’s curious relationship with its own history. Whether it’s a charming Spanish-colonial mansion or a peaceful marshland that serves as a rookery for shore birds, a developer is bound to come along and “improve it” with some combination of a wrecking ball, concrete, steel and perhaps an award-winning golf course design. Sure, there’s South Beach, but many of its deco masterpieces nearly got razed before the urbane taste makers intervened.

But Florida has a history that goes back further than the twentieth century, and through a combination of luck, tenacity and storm-proof construction The Island Hotel and Restaurant, which was build around 1860, has been preserved as a prime example early Florida architecture. Although the two-story hotel was built by Americans, the wrap around balconies and porches definitely give it a euro-colonial flavor. Solidly built from seashell tabby and limestone, the hotel has survived the onslaught of developers, abandonment by its owners and innumerable floods, hurricanes and other storms. The ten guest rooms are cozy and romantic, with original wood floors and detailing. Some rooms even have claw-foot tubs. Since it is an old building, the floors creak and slope, but that just adds to the charm.

The hotel has a bar, which is the only bar in the county that doesn’t have a television, and a restaurant that serves gourmet food.

There are also plenty of ghost stories. Some of the spirits that haunt the hotel include a nine year old slave boy who died before the end of the Civil War, a Confederate private who guards the second floor, a prostitute and some poor soul who was poisoned by the hotel manager. FYI: That manager has long since departed the hotel and this world.