Favorite US Hotels

 

 

From: Oxsan
Date: 04 Mar 2003
Time: 11:55:58

Following are some of my favorite places to stay in the US. These in general are not the big luxury hotels but some quaint or historic hotels or places that I have some very good memories about.

Hotel Monteleone — New Orleans. If I had to pick a place to be tomorrow night it would be the Monteleone. Tomorrow night is Mardi Gras, and New Orleans will be jumpin’. It is in the heart of the French Quarter at 221 Rue Royale, and its balcony would be a great place to sit and throw beads to the girls. It dates from 1886, and while expensive (what is not in New Orleans), it is a special place with a historic milieu. Don’t forget to order your Ramos gin fizzes.

Talkeetna Lodge — Talkeetna, Alaska. When I stayed there it had a big sign out front that said “EVIL ALICE’S MOTEL & WHOREHOUSE” and that is what it was. Alice Powell, known all over Alaska as Evil Alice, owned and ran the place and tended bar and cooked in the kitchen and would join the dice game in the bar if you got one going. No one got out of line at the Talkeetna Lodge; Evil Alice kept a loaded shotgun behind the bar. She was about eighty years old when I knew her. There is a beautiful view of Mount McKinley out the window of the dining room. I had a lot of fun at the Talkeetna Lodge. Alice is dead now and even though the lodge still exists I have no idea how it is now.

Mark Hopkins Hotel — San Francisco. A beautiful luxury hotel of which I have many fine memories. The restaurant and nightclub on the penthouse floor called The Top Of The Mark offers first class entertainment and is supposedly where the song “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written. Views from the guestrooms can be breathtaking. I had a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay the last time I stayed there. It is expensive, but if you want to go first class, this is a good place to do it. A funny line from San Francisco: With a crowd of others I entered a nightclub on Broadway that featured topless all-girl band. I was delayed a moment to pay the taxi driver and as I entered the saxophonist leaned over a little railing and said, “We used to have an accordion player but she is in the hospital”.

If you feel like lolling in luxury go to the Mark.

Sheraton Lexington Inn – Lexington, Mass. I don’t really know what gives this place its appeal but it really has it. All of the attendants are in colonial dress. The menu features things I’d never eaten before (Indian pudding, Boston scrod, New England clam chowder, lobster). It is a nice place to stay and the little rustic downtown Lexington is neat.

Hotel El Convento - San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over 350 years old this old building was a convent for much of its existence. There is excellent dining and live entertainment every night in the dining room starting at 9 p.m. They used to make the world’s best turtle soup but I bet that they don’t anymore because it is not PC. Try the “langustino” instead. It is a large fresh water crayfish or small lobster however you want to look at it. Located on an island in San Juan Antigua connected to the main street of Condado by a short causeway.

Menger Hotel - San Antonio, Texas. Less than 100 yards from the Alamo, with access to the river walk, the old Menger has seen a lot of history. It was built in 1859. It was in the bar of the Menger that Texas Ranger “RIP” (Rest In Peace) Ford pulled a gun on four outlaws and killed all four before any one of them could fire a shot. Teddy Roosevelt, US. Grant, Robert E Lee, and Sarah Bernhardt have all signed the register at the Menger, and they will be glad to show you. The Menger, incidentally, has a resident Ghost - you might get lucky and have him in your room.

Cerromar Beach Hotel — Cerromar Beach, Puerto Rico. Beautiful views from every room, and it over looks the famous Cerromar Beach Golf Club where Chi Chi Rodriguez is the pro. It is customary for the hotel to deliver a very tall pina colada on the house when you get to your room. And for breakfast I certainly recommend the fresh guavas and queso de pays. Rockefeller built the Cerromar, and it is true luxury. The casino is open 24-7.

Hotel Jefferson — Jefferson, City Texas. All of those people who stayed at the Menger also stayed at the Jefferson about 150 mile northeast. The Jefferson is Old South, whereas the Menger is Old West. Here at the Jefferson you’ll get grits and red-eye gravy for breakfast with buttermilk biscuits and they don’t put sugar in their cornbread. It is a beautiful, quaint, friendly, and inexpensive old hotel, which reeks of history.