Cool Hotels

Marfa in the spotlight

With No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood both doing well at last night’s Academy Awards, it has drawn attention to the small Texas town where both movies were filmed. Marfa, famous for its lights, art and being the location where the 1950s semi-classic Giant was filmed, was also recently the subject of a flattering wire article.

So now is probably the time to mention that the Hotel Paisano has just completed its series of renovations. According to a recent letter sent to its patrons, this includes the renovation of the pool and the addition of a gym. As if anyone needed an additional reason to visit Marfa. But still, this is a great year for the little town that draws film buffs, filmmakers, paranormal-ists, artists, art collectors and other assorted adventurers.

Lowes Philadelphia

Okay, the general rule on this site is no chains...blah...blah...blah. Rules were meant to be broken, especially when it involves the Lowes Philadelphia , which kindly hosted and sponsored the Good Dog Gala for the PSPCA last night. Not only is Lowes Philadelphia right across from the Convention Center and Reading Terminal Market, located in a historic modern skyscraper and steps away from Old City - it is one of the most pet friendly hotels anywhere. Not only do they happily allow dogs and kitties to stay in their rooms, they hosted a formal gala in their ballroom to which the attendees dogs were invited. Burmese mountain dogs, newfoundlands, italian greyhouds and PSCPA specials (or mutts as they are sometimes called) mixed and mingled with their glamorous humans. The guest of honor was Etara, a boxer-pit mix who was cruelly set on fire last year. She's doing great now and lives happily with her new family.

If you check into Lowes with your pet, expect to be given the proper treatment, including bowls and biscuits.

Chisos Mountain Lodge

I’m not one for camping or RVing or anything too rustic. After all, I wouldn’t be so obsessed with hotels if I had any inclination to sleep or pee outdoors. I do neither. However, I adore nature, sublime vistas and leisurely hikes through the wilderness- just as long as I don’t have to run into thousands of other hikers with the same idea. This is why I adore the Chisos Mountain Lodge inside Big Bend National Park. Tucked away in the park’s gorgeous mountain range, the motel-style Lodge offers a few motel-style rooms and a few cabin-style rooms, as well as a restaurant, rangers’ station and convenience store. Note: the convenience store helpfully sells flashlights, since there is little in the way of artificial illumination. I also prefer the motel rooms since some of them sport views of the spectacular Chisos Canyon. You won’t find anything icky or silly like plasma screen televisions or telephones in your room. Just a comfy bed that feels good after a day of communing with bears, javelina, mountain lions, road runners and coyotes.

By the way, Big Bend National Park remains one of the least visited, largest of America’s national parks. And it is totally worth the trip.

Allaire Timbers Inn

The cozy and wonderful Allaire Timbers Inn, tucked away at the end of Breckinridge’s main street, offers everything one could want in a ski lodge. The warmth of a fireplace. Log Construction. A hot tub. And whimsical slipper socks in every room. Local art hangs on the walls, and the Rocky Mountain views are spectacular. The small lodge has ten rooms, all of which have private baths.

The friendly proprietors own and operate the inn, are always on premises and sincerely want to make one’s stay as perfect as possible. This includes preparing coffee and breakfast (including their famous granola) that is far better than any normal hotel fare. It truly tastes homemade. And their pets live there as well, adding to the homey ambiance.

Marathon Motel & RV Park

Just outside the sublime Big Bend National Park, with its mountains and mesas, desert flowers, roadrunners and coyotes, lies the small West Texas Town of Marathon. Artists and wanna-be cowboys make their home in Marathon, which is appropriate since the sunsets and star-scapes here outdo anything ever seen in an old western film.

On the edge of Marathon sits the aptly named Marathon Motel & RV Park. You can can’t miss it because its terrific, 1950s vintage motel sign appears on postcards throughout Big Bend Country. My favorite is the black-and-white photo of the sign being struck by lighting.

The motel itself is cozy and comfortable, with rooms spread across the property in little cabins. The adobe courtyard (and garden) makes an idea spot for star gazing, and there’s a little cabin where breakfast is served in the morning. Eggs and bacon, just like a cowboy would like it. There's also a little cabin from which the very local radio station, Basin Radio, broadcasts. This is a great service, since most commercial radio stations don't reach this remote area.

The Marathon Motel isn’t expensive at all, but its views are far better than anything I’ve ever seen at any Ritz Carlton, and I guarantee the company of the other guests is better, too. In fact, whenever I run into a travel writer that sniffs at me that they “only cover luxury properties” – I think of the Marathon Motel and feel terribly sorry for them.

Shameless Promotion of Article that Drove Me Crazy

Normally I don't plug articles I write here, but the editorial process for this Budget Travel article memoir/list of call outs proved such a hair-pulling nightmare, I'd love some feedback.

You'd never know it, but they chopped out some really fun stuff. The main issue was that they told me that they wanted back roads, real Aruba stuff. And I wrote that. 2000 words of it, actually. But what they really wanted was a list of tourist attractions. Which is fine, but I wish they had told me that from the beginning. Tell me, is it as bad as I think?

Most Infamous Hotels

Okay, normally I don't like to point out that other writers' sometimes share my sensibilities about hotel trivia, but I wanted to call attention to this crackerjack article on infamous hotel rooms from Forbes Traveler. The writer is totally giving me ideas about where to stay the next time I happen to be in any of those cities.

And if you think staying at the place where Nancy Spungen was murdered or Michael Jackson dangled his baby, consider the following: the stall where infamous denial-plagued Senator Craig was arrested has become a tourist attraction.

Hotel Monaco Denver

The Hotel Monaco in Denver, a relatively big, hip boutique style hotel distinguishes itself with its pet-friendliness. Sure, some luxury may welcome furry guests with a treat or something, but the Hotel Monaco does all that and ALSO has its own Director of Pet Relations in the form of Hercules, a young Shih Tzu. All pets are welcomed on a special “Welcome Board” each day, and walking and sitting services are available. And the staff will give you the scoop on all the best places to walk your dog. Although my dog Max has never stayed here, his cousins Goldie and Duchess highly recommend the hospitality.

If you don’t have a pet, it’s still a great hotel with individually decorated rooms and suites (most often in bold colors) and some are named after famous musicians like Grace Slick, John Lennon and Miles Davis.

The Library Hotel

There are hotels for wanna-be princesses and those who are hipper than thou. There are hotels for those with underwater fantasies and hotels for people with a sense of kitsch. But what about the bookworms? What about the people who stay at the library until closing time, wishing that they could live among the dusty but well-organized stacks of non-electronic reading material. Well, finally, someone opened a hotel specifically for bibliophiles.

The Library Hotel, located conveniently in midtown Manhattan, has a collection of 6,000 books, which are shelved throughout the hotel. Each of the twelve guest floors houses a specific category in the Dewey Decimal System. (Floor 8 houses Literature, Floor 12 houses Religion) Each room is decorated with books and artwork that fits the category of its floor.

There are 60 guest rooms, making it rather intimate for a midtown hotel. The rooms are small, but they have all the necessary amenities. Plus books. Lots of books.

The Eliza Thompson House

Savannah, in all its southern gothic glory, makes a great place to visit. Just ask John Berendt. Sure it’s been a long while since he made the quirky denizens of Savannah international superstars, but thankfully the city remains a cultural labyrinth in which the history, social stratifications, art, architecture and charm of the city twists and winds itself into a fascinating knot.

And there’s no better way to experience what Savannah was and is than to stay at a place like The Eliza Thompson House. A mansion built by the wealthy Eliza Thompson in 1847, the prosperous Eliza threw elegant parties and was a fixture in Savannah’s social scene. Now, visitors can experience a taste of her lifestyle, albeit updated with high-speed internet, while staying in the heart of the city – steps away from many of the city’s shops and restaurants.

Rooms are decorated with lush period furniture and guests can enjoy wine and hors d' oeuvres each night.