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-   -   Hotel Lucia or 5th Ave Suites? (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/hotel-lucia-or-5th-ave-suites-650089/)

neworleanslaura Sep 30th, 2006 04:31 PM

Hotel Lucia or 5th Ave Suites?
 
What are the pros and cons of each?

Thanks!
Laura

nytraveler Sep 30th, 2006 05:14 PM

I would love to help - if I knew where these hotels are. I'm sure somebody does.

If you put the name of the city in the title it would help everyone.

happytrailstoyou Sep 30th, 2006 05:39 PM

At 5th Avenue Suites the rooms are bigger; the decor is that over-the-top Kimpton kind.

Lucia has very stylish decor but some of the larger rooms have a view of an interior courtyard.

Both have good service.

5th Avenue Suites has an evening wine tasting (but the wine isn't all that great).

If you go for the parking-and-breakfast deal through the Portland web site, the breakfast at 5th Ave Suites is delivered to your room and consists of not much. At Lucia it is a huge and delicious breakfast downstairs.

In the final analysis, I suggest you try 5th Avenue Suites if you've never stayed there before.

Scarlett Sep 30th, 2006 05:40 PM

Hotel Lucia is small and nice, I have not stayed there but have browsed around the hotel lobby and have been told by people who have stayed there that is it a perfectly nice little hotel.
It is in a great location, my favorite Thai restaurant is downstairs, Typhoon and it is next door to the sister hotel of the 5th Avenue Suites-The Hotel Vintage Plaza.
I Love the 5th Avenue Suites!
We stayed there for 10 days on a visit to Portland.
We stayed there for 10 more days on our househunting trip to Portland.
We stayed there for a little over a week when we moved to Portland.
I have no complaints. The rooms are clean, pretty and nicely appointed. I love the very large bathrooms and closet and the very big very comfortable beds.
We always ask for a King Suite, we usually stay on the 10th floor.
The Dog floor is now located on the 3rd floor so that is where we stayed when we moved here.
We love the restaurant attached to the hotel, the Red Star Tavern & Grill. We still go there for brunches or tea and every once in a while, dinner.
Their waitstaff is excellent! As is the staff at the hotel.
It is about 4 blocks from the STreetcar stop, the concierge, a beauty named Meagan will book anything for you and help you with out of town trips,day trips, tickets, you name it.
Hope this helps :)

Scarlett Sep 30th, 2006 05:41 PM

Sorry, happy, but the wine they serve in the tastings always changes, making it a bit hard to say it is not that great.

neworleanslaura Oct 1st, 2006 02:54 AM

These hotels are both in Portland-- sorry about the lack of clarity. And thanks for the great advice above. I am still torn though. We like a modern aesthetic, but want the best stay possible, so torn. Any further thoughts?

landlcochran Oct 1st, 2006 03:31 AM

I've stayed at both and prefer the 5th Ave Suites.

I like a quiet room; and I found the street noise at Lucia to be a bit more. The staff and lobby at 5th Ave Suites is very upbeat, warm and friendly. And we enjoy the wine in the afternoon.

Linda

Fodorite018 Oct 1st, 2006 06:49 AM

I have not stayed at the Hotel Lucia, so cannot comment.

We have stayed at the 5th Avenue Suites though, several times. Very nice hotel! The location is great, you can park and then walk all over. The rooms are nicely done with large bathrooms, nice sitting areas, sliding doors between the sitting areas and the bedroom areas. The wine tasting is fun and yes, the wines change daily. There is an Aveda salon at the hotel. We have only had lunch and dinners at the Red Star Tavern, the hotels restaurants, but they have been very good. The valet parking here is underground, so you drive from the street to down under the hotel before you meet the valets. Many people really like this if it is rainy out, since you stay dry.

The first time I stayed here was when several girlfriends flew in from out of state (we live here) and we wanted to do a girls weekend. The GM was fantastic and our special requests during the stay were accommodated, and always with a smile.

Hopefully someone can chime in with some recent account of the Lucia so you can compare and see what fits your needs.

Scarlett Oct 1st, 2006 09:03 AM

Hi Laura,
The most "modern aesthetic" that I can think of would be the Paramount but they are having a major construction dig in front of the hotel, making a lot of noise 6 days a week.
Most of the hotels I know in the city are more of the plush drapes and cushy rooms, look at the Heathman, they renovated a lot of the rooms, added some suites but they might also be "plush" more than "modern"...let us know which you decide on :)

kimamom Oct 1st, 2006 09:32 AM

Are you set on these two places? If you want lodging downtown, we loved the Heathman. The Symphony Suite was gorgeous and our two meals at the restaurant there were outstanding. Great place and lovely ambiance. ***kim*** ((f))

Neopolitan Oct 1st, 2006 09:55 AM

Does the Heathman have a "modern aesthetic"? I thought it was very traditional, maybe even "old fashioned". Just asking, as I'm not sure.

Scarlett Oct 1st, 2006 11:02 AM

True, Neo, the Heathman is a grand OLD hotel with that sort of decor. They redid Some rooms but not what anyone would think of as a Modern Asthetic.
Too bad about all the construction in front of the Paramount...Laura, look at the Hotel DeLuxe ... brand new , used to be the Mallory. Not really modern but brand new .. our poster here, beachbum, stayed there recently, when he comes online, he can describe it to you..

happytrailstoyou Oct 1st, 2006 04:39 PM

Lucia definitely has a "modern esthetic." The rooms are stylish and the ones on the interior court are quiet. However, they have no view.

We have stayed at 5th Avenue Suites several times. Once we had a peek-a-view of Mt. Hood but other times we had views of office buildings.
The rooms' decor is eye-catching. The esthetic is not "modern," but it's not old-fashined either. Maybe it's Klimpton "modern."

If you stay at Lucia, pop into 5th Avenue Suites for the wine tasting and check out what they are serving. Maybe they will offer you a taste, even if you aren't staying there.


LucieV Nov 13th, 2006 07:56 PM

Stayed at Lucia 2 years ago, loved everything about it, including the fact that they're dog-friendly & we had our sweet, old lady Golden retriever with us, who was treated like a princess. btw, we did not find it at all noisy, & we're light sleepers.

jgg Nov 14th, 2006 09:45 AM

Just to note, 5th Ave. Suites is also very dog friendly!!

LucieV Nov 14th, 2006 09:46 AM

Thanks, jgg, that's good to know. We're always looking for dog-friendly places (yes, we do consult the websites & the books, & they are helpful, but sometimes not as up-to-date or reliable as they could be!)

Scarlett Nov 14th, 2006 06:37 PM

LucieV, we stayed at the 5th Ave Suites when we moved to Portland..bringing along our large dog. He was made to feel very welcome with his own water dsh and place mat and toys and cookies ...

LucieV Nov 14th, 2006 06:55 PM

Thanks, Scarlett. How are the prices compared to Lucia? I love Portland.

Scarlett Nov 14th, 2006 07:01 PM

I don't know what any of the prices are at this time, I just got a Kimpton email though, holiday prices. So the Vintage Plaza and the 5th Ave Suites will be something like 15% off..

http://tinyurl.com/yyakx8

happytrailstoyou Nov 15th, 2006 08:36 AM

It is always worthwhile to check www.travelportland.com for rates that include breakfast and parking.

At 5th Avenue Suites continental breakfast is delivered to the room; at Lucia a fabulous hot breakfast is served in the restaurant off the lobby.


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