Best place you've ever stayed (as inspired by our GODESS)

[Chet]

October 1993.

My honeymoon. [avoid the cheap overtoneshere please]

I managed to book a stay-as-you-go plan with a UK group of hospitality corps. I pre-boooked at US $89 per night any one of 500 hotels. It was on a "travel as you please" package. I paid in advance and $89 US + local tax pd a night and could stay at any of the 500 member hotels with one day notice, if they had vacancy. Travelling at that time of season, they always did.

*8 days in Britain*

I managed to book a stay at an Inn in Salisbury -- and (im told) a room that Shakeseapre stayed in -- for the pre-paid voucher cost of an $89 / night voucher. Hmmm. The Inn was olde and rocked.

We were late, lost, jet lagged, and the Inn's staff stayed HOURS up awaiting our arrival. I was sooo impressed. They made us hardy beef sandwiches although the kitchen was closed, and served us ale until we deciced we were done, although the pub was closed. We stayed in a room where you could SEE the thatch of the roof when you layed on your back (no snide comments please) .

In the morning, we saw the splendor of the place. A courtyard covered in ivy vines. Briliant red. We were then told that the ivy is red only 10 days a year. And that guests here at this time were blessed to a special event.

Well, the trip was great. I'm still waiting for the event.

Thats another story...

 

[H]

Mine, also in South America (see the worst places post). Stayed in some places that were indescribable with all amities and services (not dirty though, get your mind out of the gutter). One hotel in Lima was like a tropical paradise, where singing birds in the atrium were my alarm clock, I felt like movie star. Too many details to describe it in full.

I have also stayed in some incredible hotels in Europe and the US (New York, Atlanta and Miami).

 

[tsc]

Carlton (?) in Edinborough Scotland... after 6 weeks of Eurorail/hostels/bus depot floors....... own bathroom, large bed, and mini bar. I got to meet up with a friend who was at a conference there....and I didn't want to leave the room.

 

[donk]

A B&B in Anse Saint Jean PQ.

The lady was totally cool with us showing up. Only 2 of our friends booked a room to share. She ended up letting 8 of us sleep on the fllor in her living room. She made us breakfast, packed us lunches, let us do our laundry and invited her daughters over to show us around town. ll this for $10 a night.

Condos at Mte Ste Anne during the World Championships.
Just plain nice, close to the start line, close to the gondola. And reasonably priced. $150/night- slept 8 comfortably.

 

[Tranplanner]

The first night of our honeymoon, my wife and I had a fancy suite at the Royal York (Toronto). Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

 

[Jeff]

Ambrosio House II -- Key West, FL

It just doesn't get much better than that if you liek Jimmy Buffet, parrotts, and boat drinks. "Waitress I need 2 more boat drinks."

 

[kms]

A B&B in Lancaster, PA. The owners were so cool. The wife was a free spirit, and she and my husband got along well. The husband was a volunteer with the watershed association, so he and I shared interests. They planted wildflowers and herbs around the property. After breakfast, he took the guests on a tour of the gardens. He included the rest of the guests as a courtesy, but it was clear that the tour was for me.

 

[Gedunker]

Best Place

On our wedding night we stayed at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Ky. Very elegant place with a rich history. Al Capone played cards in a secret back room here, and F. Scott Fitzgerald used the Seelbach as inspiration for the hotel scenes in The Great Gatsby . The Rookwood Room in the basement is a must-see!

OT: while we were enjoying drinks in the Oak Room, we noticed everyone gathered by the small tvs near the bar. The tv kept splitting the screen between an NBA playoff game and what looked like a California car chase. We asked the waitress what was going on and discovered -- OJ was fleeing in the white bronco! We retired to our room.

 

[NHPlanner]

As I've mentioned before, the Sterns Mansion B&B in Dartmouth, NS

www.sternsmansion.com

 

[El Feo]

Lots of Honeymoon bests here - mine too.

It was The Empress, In Victoria, B.C. My oh my - on the harbor, a suite, with a view across the Juan de Fuca straight to the Olympics. It was hands down the best hotel I've ever stayed in...

After I'm elected President and the U.S. takes over America, Jr., I'm gonna make The Empress my summer White House.

[ot]Gedunker - you stayed at the Seelbach - are you from Louavull?[/ot]

 

[Gedunker]

[ot]Gedunker - you stayed at the Seelbach - are you from Louavull?[/ot]

You mean Louey-ville, right? Just over the river in sleepy little New Allbenny.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Seattle, at the APA conference. First, my rental car was to be a Dodge Stratus. The paperwork said Dodge Stratus. When I checked in to pick the car up (keys were given at a different location than the car) the assigned car turned out to be a Mitsubishi Montero. No complaint. Then when I went to the hotel, my room was not ready so they gave me a suite on the top floor looking out to Mt. Rainier. This also offered me a great view of several couples in the adjacent hotel getting very affectionate.

 

[El Feo]

You mean Louey-ville, right? Just over the river in sleepy little New Allbenny.

Well, if you hadn't told me, I coulda guessed - you pronounce it like a Hoosier...

 

[Mud Princess]

Mountain Home Lodge in Washington State. My husband saw it on "Best Places to Kiss" on the Travel Channel, and decided we HAD to go. Plus we were already planning to visit my relatives in Seattle, about 2 hours away.

We stayed in the Cascade Suite: "A spacious suite with handcrafted pine peeled king bed. Enjoy spectacular, panoramic views of the Cascades from the vine maple loveseat and amish style rocker. Romance is in the air as you snuggle by the river rock fireplace or enjoy your private Jacuzzi for two. This suite pampers you with plush robes to wrap up in, a cd stereo system for your listening pleasure and complimentary ruby port to sip for your evening enjoyment."

http://www.mthome.com/

The property has an outdoor pool & hot tub, a huge meadow with fruit trees, and 40 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails -- all of which we enjoyed, along with the incredible food and wine.

<sigh. We've got to go back.

 

[Gedunker]

Well, if you hadn't told me, I coulda guessed - you pronounce it like a Hoosier...

El Feo halfway to the clube with that post!

I'm a Jerseyan by birth, so I can't even begin to tell you how I would have said it when I was young. I personally subscribe to the Dixie Highway pronunciation, wherein you make your tongue do as little work as possible (that'll get a rise out of Chet), something akin to "loolvull".

You are out west now, aren't you?

 

[Richmond Jake]

Mountain Home Lodge in Washington State

MP - Thanks for the tip; I'm all over this place when time permits.

 

[El Feo]

El Feo
You are out west now, aren't you?

New England - my wife's a native of MA, but I get back to da 'Ville a few times a year.

Back OT - another great place to stay is the Wigwam Village in Cave City, KY.

 

[Queen B]

Back OT - another great place to stay is the Wigwam Village in Cave City, KY. [/B]

Ya know I have been by that Wigwam Village and although it is interesting I would not have thought it would get in best places to stay list.

 

[El Feo]

Ya know I have been by that Wigwam Village and although it is interesting I would not have thought it would get in best places to stay list.

Well sure, Queen B...it's not The Plaza, but you can say you did it in a teepee! And what could be better than that?

 

[Queen B]

Well sure, Queen B...it's not The Plaza, but you can say you did it in a teepee! And what could be better than that?

And maybe " that" should be the real indicator. Considering all the honeymoon references, do you suppose the "doing it" had something to do with the pleasurable experience memory?

 

[Cardinal]

Several possibilities, a couple from the sme chain. The Comfort Inn in Ocean City, WA, stuck me in an immaculate beachside room with a balcony and fireplace for $69 a night. The Comfort Inn in Thermopolis, Wyoming is a restored hotel from the 1920's, with a courtyard between to wings. In the courtyard is a hot pool with water piped directly from the springs, and flowing on into a cool pool.

Last year I spent a beautiful night in a sleeping bag on the shores of Lake Superior. It was a quiet, sandy cove miles from the nearest road. On another camping trip my girlfriend and I shared a one-person tent on a cold night. These were as good as any great hotel.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

The Gritti Palace Hotel in Venice. I was 15 and my dad took me along on a business trip to Europe. Dining and looking out over the Grand Canal. Cool. And the rooms were really plush, too.

When I was a kid, the folks took us to a place called the Deer Park Lodge (somewhere "out there", like Michigan, Wisconsin; sorry, Midwesterners, it's all the same to us). It was idyllic for kids, on the water, cool cabins, outdoors stuff all day.

 

[Rem]

Two bests:

One was a B&B on Isle of Skye (before the bridge). We had a tiny attic room, there was force ten gale blowing outside and it was just the cosiest place. The Drambuies probably helped.

Second was Fau Gassner's guest house outside Salzburg. We took a recommendation from Frommer's Europe and for once it was right. Oh, it was also the night I proposed - might have had something to do with it.

 

[SkeLeton]

The best place I've ever been (in a lodge or bungalow at least) is the Cochihuaz valley... wow... the bungalows where we stayed were quite rustic but decent and a-ok in context (the Cochihuaz Valley isn't very close to anything...) The mountains are quite cool, specially at dusk, and the silent nights (with the exception of the calming sound of the Cochihuaz river). There isn't much vegetation, but considering it's nearly in the fringes of the Atacama Desert, it's quite well. The river is quite cold though (as one could expect), but you can swim a bit in the natural pool the owners of the bungalows made.

Now, the best place I've gone camping is a small lake called Tinquilco, that's the opening gate to a very interesting national park called Huerquehue (near Pucon). One of the greatest things is that since the lake is small and a part of the national park, no motor boats are allowed. And for people that like trekking, there's a lovely trail in the national park, one of the heaviest parts of the trail is the 7km (~4-5 miles) of climbing a steep trail. Afterwards you have a few lakes that are even more quiet than Tinquilco (because the only way to get there is the trail, that is quite narrow so at most you can do it with a MTB).

 

[Trail Nazi]

The Connaught Hotel in London. Awesome place. It has period furniture, floors that squeek (old wood), and is totally charming. Since my father constantly passed gas while we were there, he blamed it on the squeeky floors. So still today whenever one of us farts in our family, we blame it on the Connaught floors. Would love to stay there again, but you have to be on some list that makes you worthy of staying there. My dad was allowed to stay there for some reason. Even when you go on tours of London, it is mentioned that you have to be worthy of something to stay there. However, just because you are famous you cannot stay. I remember thinking that it was pretty cool that we could stay but Madonna could not. Tee hee. Hey, I was a teenager when this happened.