Your Favorite Hotel,Where and Why?
 

I have read posts as to what is your favorite country...but I would like to know,What is your favorite Hotel, in what country and why? What makes it so much more special than all the others you have stayed in? I will go first~ The St James Court Hotel in London-It may not be the grandest hotel in London, but it was my first trip to London, and everything was magical.The room was great with a wonderful view of the gardens.Everything I had read and imagined about London that was wonderful-was true! The service is excellent at the hotel, the concierge was very good at getting us tickets to shows, we saw Sunset Blvd and had wonderful seats.And because that first trip was so perfect, we go back again and again and ~~~

The Hotel Flots d'Azur in Nice. Located on the Promenade Anglais, the view of the Bay of Angels is magnificent, the price unbelievably affordable, & the staff helpful & quite fluent in English. Breakfast on the terrace for a small fee is sheer delight, with a view of the bay & breezes blowing as you sit in the sunshine, sipping your coffee. Get a room on the upper floor (there are only 2) overlooking the Bay & you will not regret it. I've recommended this wonderful value many times & will continue to do so. <BR> <BR>Nice to me represents the best of both worlds. Spending time relaxing at the beach is great, but you can also enjoy the museums & use Nice as a base to explore other fabulous venues on the Riviera. <BR> <BR>Bon Voyage, <BR>BC

I have found good places to stay by asking on this forum and by soliciting advice from my European friends. <BR>I cannot limit my self to hotels because I have found that renting vacation apartments is a good approach that is both economical and convenient. <BR>Here are my favorites: <BR>In Munich, Hotel Astoria which is located in Schwabing and within a few hundred yards of the English Garden. <BR>Comfortable room; great breakfast included, convenient location, and competent staff. <BR>In Vienna, Hotel Carlton Opera. Again, good location, good staff, comfortable air conditioned room, with a great breakfast included in the nightly rate. <BR>In Paris, I have my favorite; write me for details. <BR>My favorite, all time champion AAAA Number One place to stay is "my" apartment in Haus Michael in Längenfeld - Astlehn, Austria. It is south and west of Innsbruck in a great hiking area not far from Garmish - Partenkirchen, the Zugspitze, Füssen, Innsbruck, and various beautiful mountain areas in the Tyrol and Bavaria. We drove all over the place from there. The apartment was well furnished, and it was as comfortable as can be. Had we not been constantly on the go, I could have spent more than one day just "vegging out". It is owned by very helpful people, and it is located in serene, pastoral setting with a great view of the Ötztaler Alps. Of course if you are city skimming, it is good only for Innsbruck, but if you are into the smaller towns of the Tyrol and Bavaria, and year round skiing, it was ideal. <BR>

The Hotel Excelsior in Florence--we spent our honeymoon there. I loved the huge and elegant bathtub in our room, the view out our window of the Arno, the elegant lobby, and the amazing croissants delivered to our room for breakfast. Only thing I didn't like was the coffee..I missed my Chock Full o Nuts!

The Hotel D'Angleterre in Paris,Left Bank,rue Jacob. When getting ready for our second trip to Paris, a friend who had lived in Paris for years as a professor, recommended the Angleterre.We were so pleased with this hotel that we go back there every year! Last year ,on our anniversary,they gave us a suite on the top floor,fireplace,a huge armoir, lots of charm and the big windows overlooking the courtyard..breakfast in bed every morning..what more could one ask for??? The staff is great!When you walk out the door, you are in the middle of the Left Bank, one block off of Blvd St Germain.There are antique stores galore, restaurants, the Cafe Deux Magot on the corner, it is so easy to pretend for a week or so that you live here and this is your neighborhood..it is our home away from home, until we are able to really call Paris our home:)

The Milestone Hotel in London. I was there for four nights in September, 2000 and it was heavenly. It is not a place that I would ordinarily stay (it is very expensive), but I used my American Express points to pay for the four nights. The Milestone Hotel is across from Kensington Palace - I loved the location. Close to a Starbucks and a tube station. The rooms are exquisite, the staff wonderful, etc. I'm saving my points for my next trip...

All good ones here. Please add the Mayfair in London and the San Pietro in Positano. Another wonderful one was La Mamounia in Marrakesh, but maybe not right now.

The Hotel Sylvana in Furie, just above Zermatt. Gorgeous view, indoor pool. The Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen. Awesome view, great food, nice owners. Hotel Umbra in Assisi. Close to everything, huge room, divine restaurant. Hotel Westland in London near Notting Hill. Huge rooms. Close to everything. Ahhhh...what a great thread. Sure brings back great memories...

I like the Hotel Borg in Iceland because we sat on a great bed and watched sleet smack against the windows as people scurried across the town square below.

This is great..Keep going, I want to know about everyones favorites~maybe we will meet one day at one of them, each trying out the others favorite spot in the world:)

Kate, we share your enthusiasm for the St. James Court. Far from the ritziest, but comfortable, quiet, and a great sense of history and place. <BR> <BR>Our all time fave, though, isn’t in Europe, but in Acapulco. Las Brisas comprises a couple of hundred <I>casitas,</I> each with its own pool and view of Acapulco Bay. The staff brings breakfast early in the morning and leaves it in a secret compartment; whenever you go anywhere you call on a jeep, which takes you to the reception or restaurant or the beach club, and while you’re out the housekeeping staff do your room and float fresh flowers in your pool. Marble baths, no TV. <BR> <BR>Acapulco has lost much of its glamour over the years (over a million people, so that figures) but Las Brisas remains a luxurious, romantic constant. <BR>

Hotel Regina Palace Stresa Italy , & Marriot Hotel Cap D'Ail France

John, I also stayed at Las Brisas years ago, and it was super! I love the jeeps, the guys that clean your private little pool and put fresh flowers on the water..waking in the morning to fresh fruit and coffee in a basket outside the casita.Ours overlooked the Bay and there were thunder storms, boy, was that beautiful,watching the lightening over Acupulco Bay..thank you for reminding me:)

The Washington Hotel on Curzon St in London..right across the street from Shepherds Market..in the heart of Mayfair with all of those lovely homes and window boxes full of flowers.The hotel is beautiful, the service is great, I ate such big breakfasts there, they have this huge buffet every morning. It was in November but unusually warm and we were out walking every day and went to Hampton Court,and Hapstead Heath and antiquing at Bermondsey and coming back to that luxurious room and soaking in that huge deep tub was the best!

In Paris, Pavillon de la Reine on the Place des Vosges. It was quiet, elegant, helpful service and in the wonderful Marais. It was also where we learned I was pregnant and where we stayed the last time we were abroad - 7 long years ago. I am planning to take our child to Paris in the early summer of 2003 - maybe we'll stay at Pavillon again!

For me, no hotel in Europe (in which I have stayed) has ever matched The Breakers in Palm Beach, the Biltmore in Santa Barbara, nor the Watergate Hotel in Washington. <BR> <BR>But I have generally not sought out high end hotels during my travels in Europe. The only three where I have ever stayed in that upper end class were L'Abbaye in Talloires (France), the Pulitzer in Amsterdam and the Schweizerhof in Lucerne - - all three eye-popping and budget-busting, with extraordinary services, furnishings and services. <BR> <BR>I actually DO like to visit high end hotels for lunch or dinner, and it's fun to put together a top ten list of those. <BR> <BR>In alphabetic order <BR> <BR>Alfonso XII, Sevilla (Spain) <BR> <BR>Chateau d'Artigny, Montbazon (Loire Valley) <BR> <BR>Chateau d'Esclimont, St. Symphorien (outside Paris) <BR> <BR>Le Metropole Palace, Monte Carlo <BR> <BR>Minerva (formerly Crowne Plaza), Rome <BR> <BR>La Parador San Francisco at the Alhambra, Granada (Spain) <BR> <BR>The Ritz, London <BR> <BR>St. Regis Grand, Rome <BR> <BR>Villa d'Este, Cenobbio (Lake Como) <BR> <BR>Villa San Michele, Fiesole (Florence) <BR> <BR>(whoops - - that was eleven, huh?) <BR> <BR>As for places I have stayed that stick with me as wonderful (but are not necessarily "best in class" by typical "guidebook" criteria): <BR> <BR>Hotel Albanis, Weggis (Switzerland) <BR> <BR>Hotel Albert le 1er, Chamonix (France) <BR> <BR>Hotel Elefant, Weimar (Germany) <BR> <BR>Hotel Erasmus, Ghent (Belgium) <BR> <BR>Fairlight Lodge, Windsor (UK) <BR> <BR>Hotel Hanseatic, Hamburg (Germany) <BR> <BR>La Parador, Seu d'Urgell (Spain) <BR> <BR>Parkhotel Wasserburg Anholt, Isselburg-Anholt (Germany, near the Dutch border) <BR> <BR>Thanks for letting me reminisce. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

gina, <BR> <BR>please tell us more about the Hotel Umbra in Assisi. <BR> <BR>I don't know if it's my "favorite" hotel, but I really enjoyed the Parador de Jaen. It's housed in a 13th century castle that sits on top of a hill. Our room was huge and had a disticnt medieval flavor - with a big canopied bed and a huge balcony (you could have a party). Awesome breakfast too.

REX, these don't have to be "high end" just favorites, I wish I could put together a list as long as yours :).I stayed in a little place on Ille St Louis, walked up to the 5th floor, room was tiny,but sufficient,but had two big windows.Opened those windows and all of Paris was spread out before me-Wandered the streets of Paris for days, discovering the Place des Vosges,sitting for hours in Luxembourg Gardens,the Rodin Gardens, and came home to the hotel with a fire in the fireplace in the lobby and a warm welcome every time..I have gone back many times and stayed in more expensive places, but that place stays in my memory as one of those special hotels.

My all time favorite has to be the Prinsenhof in Brugges - great rooms, wonderful staff and owners, great location and excellent breakfast. <BR> <BR>Second place is Hotel Eisenhut <BR>in Rothenburg, Germany(you MUST have Irish Coffee in the cafe there it is such a treat) <BR> <BR>Really enjoyed the Sol Melia in Madrid. <BR> <BR>Loved the Bristol in Paris. <BR> <BR>Thought the Hotel Rex in Rome was great. <BR> <BR>Hotel Barchetta Excelsior in Como, Italy is great. <BR> <BR>Central Hotel in Zurich is always pleasant. <BR> <BR>Moat House properties in UK tend to be top notch. <BR> <BR>Munich Marriott is pleasant. <BR> <BR>Hotel Cur Cafe in Fussen Germany is very nice <BR> <BR>Timhotel chain in Paris offers good value <BR> <BR>Grand Hotel Jeanne d'Arc Paris Marais good <BR> <BR>Grand Hotel Leveque Rue Cler Paris very good <BR> <BR>Manior Les Minimes in Amboise is wonderful <BR> <BR>Le Relais Saint Michel in village at base of Mont St Michel is very nice with great view of Mont <BR> <BR>Morgan Hotel in London is great <BR> <BR>Willet Hotel just off of Sloan Square in London is excellent <BR> <BR>Locando Sturion in Venice is very good <BR> <BR>Sheraton at Frankfurt airport is quite nice and good if you have early AM flight <BR> <BR>Ditto for Hilton at Heathrow <BR> <BR>Holiday Inn at Cavensham Bridge in Reading, Berkshire, UK is very nice <BR> <BR>Actually I have enjoyed most all of the hotels we have used, from 1 star to the top. Sorry can not recall names at this time but this is some of them

I am learning from reading this site, that I have a lot of traveling to do to catch up with some of you!~C