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The "Adventure" of Choosing an Atlanta Hotel
Traveling to Atlanta next February to check out real estate possibilities. Thinking we will stay in the Buckhead area and will have a car. As usual every hotel has its detractors to include things such as "vagrants in the elevator" about which "the staff did not care," to "disgusting Front Desk staff members" and "a substance on the table I did not recognize."
I wish I were one of those people who had been to an establishment before, even one of those pet lovers who have "used the hotel for hurricane evacuation before" so I'd have some idea. This "adventure" will be one of those put on the blindfold and hope for the best; this is the planning part I never enjoy. |
Comments like that are common for hotels in any city. If you want to hear complaints about vagrants, read some of the reviews for San Francisco hotels.
If you want to consider something different and outside of Buckhead, look at this option - Stonehurst Place in Midtown https://stonehurstplace.com/ You certainly won't read any of those comments about it. "This "adventure" will be one of those put on the blindfold and hope for the best; this is the planning part I never enjoy." It's an upscale area of Atlanta. You'll survive unscathed. Here's what Fodors has to say - https://www.fodors.com/world/north-a...ls-in-buckhead The Mandarin Oriental is now the Waldorf Astoria. That's the one I'd probably choose in Buckhead - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...a_Georgia.html Also look at the Lowe's in Midtown - https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...a_Georgia.html |
Originally Posted by starrs
(Post 16983358)
Comments like that are common for hotels in any city. If you want to hear complaints about vagrants, read some of the reviews for San Francisco hotels.
If you want to consider something different and outside of Buckhead, look at this option - Stonehurst Place in Midtown https://stonehurstplace.com/ You certainly won't read any of those comments about it. |
Dukey, we visited Atlanta a few weeks ago and I spent a lot of time mulling over hotel choices too but it was more about location for me than anything else because I didn’t want to use the car. We had decided to stay in Buckhead and I chose The Grand Hyatt. It was gorgeous and I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like about it. The staff was wonderful, the hotel was clean, and the rooms were spacious, plus they gave out root beer floats one afternoon. If you do stay there, go to the second floor and walk through the Japanese garden. It’s a lovely spot of tranquility in the middle of the city. Bistro Niko has excellent French bistro food and Flying Biscuit right behind the hotel is a great place for a casual breakfast. We also loved Storico Fresco for dinner but it was extremely loud. Have fun and good luck with the real estate hunt. |
I added a couple of hotel options too. I've not stayed at either of those recently but family members do. One basically lived at the Mandarin (hotel not residences) when in Atlanta. Family stayed at the Loews for a wedding. I stayed at the Clermont, which I'm not recommending to you because I doubt it's anything you are looking for.
I like Birdie's recommendation of the Grand Hyatt. We used to stay there a lot when in town, but it's been years. We also liked the JW Marriott but I've only been there for meetings in the past few years. On the other side of Lenox Square is the Westin, which I loved when it first opened at the Swissotel. I only go there now for the summer lobster special at the Palm, so can't recommend the hotel personally now. I'd check recent reviews for both, but both offer easy access to Lenox Square which is nice in Buckhead if only for the easy walking options to and from (and inside) the mall. Buckhead it not very walkable/ pedestrian. |
I’m glad you mentioned Midtown, starrs. I meant to and forgot. We stayed there last year at the Four Seasons and loved the neighborhood. I preferred it to Buckhead. It is much more walkable and there’s lots of fun little restaurants and bars. Piedmont Park is a gorgeous green space to walk through. |
I love Midtown. It's where I would live if I moved into "town". Very walkable. Great restaurants. The High Museum, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Piedmont Park, Fox Theater, etc.
Re real estate - I have no idea what you are looking for and what your goals are. If you are interested in ITP, then Morningside, Va-Hi and/or Inman Park would be my picks. North Fulton - Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, etc - are nice and upscale but the traffic slays me. I remember when it was mostly country and you recognized cars coming north on 400 as you drove south. Those days are long gone. But the mention of Buckhead made me think of the stretch of road in Greensboro which is pretty much Buckhead South as far as doctors and specialists are concerned. Many have moved full time to their vacation/ second homes on Lake Oconee and practice there and/or still split their practice with Buckhead. But if you want high quality medical care - as least as far as doctors are concerned - then check out the area around the Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee. Very upscale but still mostly rural with little (or no) traffic. If you need VA hospital access, then Atlanta is the better choice. Midtown would work great for that. |
I have to say that between the two of you (Starrs and Birdie) I couldn't have hoped for better respondants. I'll also look at the recommendations further.
The actual purpose of this trip is the real possibility of moving. I'm not sure I want to be worried, needlessly or otherwise, about storms and also want to be somewhere with mild winter weather with decent healthcare available. Financially, Georgia is more advantageous than some other locations despite the reality of a state income tax. Property taxes in Florida can be the killer but there are many other considerations. We have found that we are able to "maintain" a property as well as, if not better, than resorting to a condo with less money spent and will be considering that. The presence of the airport remains key for us. So many factors in this and won't bore you with greater detail except that we are going to come up in February when I assume the weather would be the worst which is what we need to experience first-hand among other things. I remain grateful to both of you. |
The worst weather will be rain which isn't that bad at all. Atlanta can get ice or snow but it averages once every few years and we wait a few days until the sun melts everything again. If you wanted a condo, I'd recommend one of the gorgeous new high rises in Midtown. A friend and former neighbor in the mountains sold that property, the one in south FL and the one in Va-Hi after his partner died. Loves it. If you want a stand alone house there certainly many to choose from. That's the norm in Atlanta. I like the Episcopal church in Midtown although the one in Buckhead is a gorgeous cathedral. I think you will enjoy Atlanta.
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Starrs, again, thank you.
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