For accommodation I check multiple reviews, look at visitor photos, and I look at the hotel web site for photos of the rooms and bathrooms. It has to be nice. I am not of the mind set that “you are only sleeping there so it doesn’t have to be great”. No, it has to be as luxurious as possible for the price. Note: If you book 3 to 6 months in advance you can get great prices on luxury hotels. Summer is usually the most expensive. We don’t travel then. I added some hotels that we did not stay in, but that we would stay in next time, or because they are good options. Asterisk (*) denotes the hotel we stayed in.
The criteria:
- Must be visually appealing
- Minimum 3 star and good ratings
- Under $400 USD (occasionally I include top hotels as an option)
- Good location close to many attractions
- Quality beds, linen and duvets
- Good-sized room ideally with a view
- Generous bathroom with enough room to put lots of toiletries
- Decent sized shower – bath tub is optional
- An area with good lighting to put on makeup (in main room or bathroom)
- It goes without saying that it must be clean and have good reviews on that
- Flat screen tv
- Has an iron and ironing board
- Free wi-fi
- Coffee maker
- Nice to have, but not mandatory: Breakfast included, restaurant / food on premises, roof top sitting area, old world style or unique design (not cookie cutter bland)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Atlanta, Georgia
- Stonehurst Place B&B *
- Renaissance Midtown
- Four Seasons – Midtown
- Ritz Carlton – Downtown
Austin, Texas
B
Bangor, Northern Ireland
- Shelleven House B&B *
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Berlin, Germany
- Historic Hotel Adlon five star luxury with a neo classical pool right on Under De Linden near the Brandenburg Gate
- Rocco Forte Hotel d’ Rome * we stayed here and loved it. In Mitte, this was a former bank in East Germany. The pool is amazing! And it has a great roof top deck. Book in advance to get a good deal.
- Titanic Gendarmenmarkt Berlin four star hotel with large rooms and a great pool, also in the Mitte district.
- Gorki Apartments in Mitte district elegantly furnished apartments. Won travellers’ choice award. Not cheap, but very nice.
- Lux 11 Berlin Mitte is a nice boutique hotel close to central city attractions. Fantastic value for money.
- Orania Berlin is a great place to stay in Kreuzberg for those that plan to party in bars nearby. Nice hotel with only 41 rooms, a restaurant and live music lounge.
- Crown Plaza Potsdamer Platz is a boutique hotel close to everything.
- Hotel nHow is in East Berlin in a new trendy area called Friedrichshain close to Kreuzberg. This is a rock n’ roll place and you can even borrow an electric guitar to play! The rooms are ultra modern and quite spectacular! I’d like to stay here next time.
- Sir Savigny Hotel in downtown West Berlin Charlottenburg is close to Kudamm and has custom furniture in unique elegant rooms.
- Hotel Bikini Berlin overlooks downtown West Berlin, Kaiser Wilhelm Church, the Zoo and Tiergarten. Great location, beautiful hotel with floor to ceiling windows.
- Hotel Zoo Berlin dates back to the early 20th century and was a popular residence for many famous film stars and cultural icons.
C
Carmel, California
- Mission Ranch (hands down my first choice)
- The Homestead
- Carmel Mission Inn *
Chicago, Illinois
- The Gwen
- The Langham
- Virgin Hotel * no extra fees, great staff, large rooms
- Viceroy
Clarksdale, Mississippi
D
Detroit, Michigan
- Greektown Casino Hotel *
- Aloft Detroit
- The Inn on Ferry St.
- Detroit Foundation Hotel
- Trumbull and Porter
Dublin, Ireland
F
Flagstaff, Arizona
Florence, Italy
Frankfurt, Germany
G
Grand Canyon, Nevada
- Best Western in Tusayan *
- Hotel El Tovar
- Grand Canyon Park
- Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon
K
Krakow, Poland
L
Las Vegas, Nevada
- Bellagio *
- Monte Carlo *
Los Angelis, California
- Sunset Marquis (the Villas are the nicest but over $400) *
- The London West Hollywood
- Sunset Tower Hotel
- Mamma Shelter
- Charlie Hotel (Charlie Chaplin’s former home – cottage apartments)
- Palihouse
- Hotel Covell
Louisiana – Rural (White Castle area)
M
Memphis, Tennessee
Menlo Park, California
- Stanford Park Hotel
- Residence Inn
- Menlo Park Inn
- Rosewood Sandhill
- Cowper Inn – downtown Palo Alto
Monterey, California
Monument Valley, Arizona
Munich, Germany
- Mandarin Oriental is probably the top hotel in Munich with 5 star luxury and prices.
- Bayerischer Hof great location, luxurious with reasonable prices and old world charm.
- Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski vies with Bayerischer Hof as one of the most renowned hotels in Munich. It is located on Maximilianstrasse where the high end stores are found.
- Hotel Königshof destroyed in the war and rebuilt, it is one Munich’s grand hotels.
- Sofitel Munich Bayerpost is in a great location, with well designed modern rooms.
- Le Meridien * I like Le Meridien hotels. They are always nice quality for a decent price.
- Hotel Opera is a boutique hotel with stylish rooms and a beautiful garden.
- Hotel Prinz * inexpensive basic clean rooms and nice staff right on the river.
N
Nashville, Tennessee
New Orleans, Louisiana
- Royal Omni *
- Royal Sonesta
- Hotel Monteleone
- Ritz Carlton
- Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria
- Prytania Oaks Hotel in Garden District
- The Greenhouse Inn in Garden District
- Ace Hotel in Garden District
New York, New York
- Hilton Millenium – Financial district *
- Hotel Michelangelo – Times Square
- Novotel – Times Square
- Hotel Beacon – Upper West Side
- Roxy Hotel – Tribeca
- The James – Midtown and Soho
- The Public Hotel – Lower Manhattan
Niagara Region
- Fallsview Casino Resort
- Hilton Niagara Falls* at 6361 Fallsview Road
- Marriott at 6740 Fallsview
- All the hotels in the Vintage Hotel group are fantastic with beautiful old world charm (notably Prince of Wales, Pillar & Post, and Queens Landing)
- Oban Inn is right on the waterfront at the end of the Niagara river where it meets Lake Ontario.
- Charles Hotel is an 1832 landmark hotel in a quiet area but close to everything in NOTL.
- Harbour House is a reasonably priced red brick mansion on the waterfront.
- Grand Victorian is a beautiful period mansion located on the banks of the river outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
- Riverbend Inn is Georgian mansion, set on 12 acres of vineyards and charming gardens outside of town.
- Inn on the Twenty * is one of the best places to stay. It is in Jordan Village near good restaurants and wineries.
- Jordan House * is the Inn on the Twenty budget version near the main hotel.
- The Orchard Croft B&B located among the vineyards, is getting great reviews and is usually booked solid.
- Bonnybank B&B is also well recommended in the Twenty Valley area.
- Our favorite is The House by the Side of the Road.* This is a cute B&B right beside two wineries in Twenty Valley’s Beamsville.
P
Page, Arizona
Palo Alto, California
- Stanford Park Hotel
- Residence Inn
- Rosewood Sandhill
- Cowper Inn – downtown Palo Alto
Park City, Utah
- Stein Lodge
- Sunrise Lodge
- Park City Peaks Hotel
- Washington School House Hotel (pricey but unique)
Phoenix, Arizona
R
Rome, Italy
S
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Francisco, California
Savannah, Georgia
Scottsdale, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
- Best Western Inn of Sedona *
- Adobe Village Inn *
- Amara Resort and Spa
- Le Auberge de Sedona
- A Sunset Chateau
Sonoma, California
- Farmhouse Inn
- Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn
- The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa
- Timber Cove Resort
- Vintners Inn
- Inn at Occidental
- Hotel Les Mars
V
Venice, Italy
- Hotel Ca’ Sagredo
- Hotel L’Orologio
- Hotel Ca’ Vendramin *
- Hotel Danieli
- Gritty Palace
- San Clemente Place Hotel & Resort
- Hotel Cipriani
W
Warsaw, Poland
Washington, DC
- Kimpton Mason & Rook *
- The Jefferson
- The Rosewood – Georgetown