When planning a vacation, accommodations are usually only one part of the equation. But we all know from experience that a leaking faucet, a window with a view of a wall or a room the size of a shoebox can ruin a good holiday. So we’ve tracked down some of the best hotels, resorts, lodges and inns to stay in when you’re criss-crossing the globe. These accommodations will break neither your heart nor your budget.
___________________________
UNITED STATES
California
 The Ambrose Hotel
www.ambrosehotel.com
This 77-room boutique hotel in the heart of Santa Monica’s residential district is an eco-friendly, 20th century Craftsman-style building with an Asian flair, complete with koi pond and fountains. The rooms are small but cozy and come with Frette linen kimonos and Aveda bath products. It’s also located just five minutes from the hip Santa Monica shopping districts, including the 3rd Street Promenade and Montana Avenue.
Delaware
Inn at Montchanin Village
www.montchanin.com
This restored 19th-century hamlet in Delaware’s Brandywine Valley has 28 rooms dotted throughout eleven restored buildings, linked via a maze of ornate gardens. Every room boasts period and reproduction furniture and marble baths, and many have private gardens and gas fireplaces. Named for Alexandrine de Montchanin, grandmother of the founder of the DuPont Gunpowder Company, this is the perfect getaway when you want to savor the world at a slower pace.
Texas
The Tremont House
www.galveston.com/thetremonthouse
Nestled in the heart of Galveston Island's Strand Historic District, The Tremont House boasts a Victorian-inspired ambience, complete with a four-story atrium, ironwork balconies and bridges and birdcage elevators. The hotel is just minutes from scores of shops, galleries, restaurants and historic attractions. Take a trip down to the water’s edge on the Galveston Island track trolley that stops at the hotel’s front door.
___________________________
CHINA
Beijing
Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing
www.ichotelsgroup.com
Situated in the heart of Beijing’s prime shopping and cultural district, the newly upgraded nine-story hotel is a ten-minute walk from the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Lama Temple. With 360 rooms, the hotel is large, but the service is personal. Standard rooms and suites come equipped with in-room safes, cable TV, minibar, and Internet access. And the hotel's fine restaurants provide a selection of both Western and Chinese dishes.
___________________________
COSTA RICA
Santa Teresa & Malpais
Hotel Milarepa
www.milarepahotel.com
Pale gold beaches, tide pools and densely wooded hills are the hallmark of the Milarepa Hotel, a small collection of only four bungalows with beach access on the south west top of the Nicoya peninsula. Each bungalow boasts teak furniture, antique four-poster beds and overhead fans. Named after the famous Tibetan yogi, Hotel Milarepa combines elegant Asian architecture with a beautiful natural setting, and offers horseback riding tours of the region, along with an array of water activities.
___________________________
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague
Andel's Hotel Prague
www.andelshotel.com
Based on a design concept embracing innovative thinking and creative architecture with local inspiration by leading British architects and designers Jestico + Whiles, this five-story hotel with 231 rooms and eights suites, boasts floor to ceiling windows, modern furniture and state-of-the art equipment. The hotel is conveniently situated near the historical district as well as the Obchodni centrum Novy Smichov commercial center, with 130 shops and restaurants.
___________________________
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Punta Cana
Iberostar Dominicana Hotel
www.iberostar.com
Located on the southern coast on the palm-lined beach of Bavaro, this resort-style hotel forms a complex with the adjacent Iberostar Punta Cana. All 346 spacious rooms and suites boast balconies or terraces. The resort also has four specialty restaurants. Try your luck at the casino, work out in the fitness center, relax by the pool or take your complimentary lounge chair, umbrella and beach towel down to the water’s edge.
___________________________
SCOTLAND
Fort William
Inverlochy Castle
www.inverlochycastlehotel.com
This uniquely located hotel is situated amongst the glens, lochs and mountains of the West Highlands of Scotland. Nestled in the foothills of the mighty Ben Nevis, this 17-room hotel boasts elegant and ornate rooms along with stunning views of the grounds and surrounding mountains. The hotel offers everything a Highland fling vacation should: tennis, fishing on the loch, a walled garden, clay pigeon shooting, Falconry display and a snooker table.
___________________________
SPAIN
Bilbao
Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao
www.hoteles-silken.com
Facing Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum, the Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is a modern architectural space with a selection of 20th century furniture dotted throughout its 131 rooms and fourteen suites spread over five floors. The highlight is the stunning floor-to-ceiling atrium flooded with interior light and highlighted by the Fossil Cypress: a 26-meter, two-ton sculpture by Mariscal. This is the hotel to stay in when you’re looking for a unique experience.
___________________________
TANZANIA
Serengeti National Park
Kirawira Camp
www.serenahotels.com
The best way to safari in style is at the Kirawira Camp in Serengeti National Park. The epitome of colonially-styled safari luxury, this hilltop tented camp with stunning views over the Serengeti plains is decked out Edwardian style, with Persian rugs, old-fashioned wind-up phonograms, chintz furnishings and leather bound traveling cases. Situated in the remote regions of the Grumeti River, you’ll have world-class views of lions, buffalos, cheetahs, wildebeest, giraffes, baboons and gazelles.
PKH032408 |
(Updated: 04/09/08 ET) |
|
