Lodging

The red brick facade of the historic Incentra Village House.

Last weekend, I abandoned my children and husband for a weekend jaunt to my other favorite city.

Yep, Frisco mama became Manhattan mama for three lovely days.

My cousin, who is like a sister to me, and I share birthdays on the same week of November. With the incentive of low off-season fares on Jetblue and an invitation to stay a night at the Incentra Village House, I jetted off across country on the red-eye, while Jules took Amtrak down from Boston.

Scorpios raised on the East Coast know the dismality of November weather. But we were willing to chance it. It turned out we were blessed with an incredibly stellar Indian summer weekend.

The cozy Victorian parlor with windows to Eighth Ave.

We spent the first night on the Upper East Side with friends where we strolled through Central Park that afternoon, dined on Spanish tapas at Quixote in the Chelsea Hotel, and got styled with VIP treatment at Gotham Comedy Club to see Jake Johansen. (My husband is their house photographer and has considerable juice there — thanks D!)

On Sunday we checked into Incentra Village House, two cozy, historic adjacent red brick guesthouses built in 1841. According to Lonely Planet, it is New York’s first gay inn and with a room named for Stonewall, I gather that’s true. It definitely has a gay friendly vibe. Rates for the studio rooms range from $169 to $279, depending on the number of occupants; the Bishop suite goes for $199 to $309. Vincent, our host that night, was charming and helpful, steering us toward some of the neighborhood landmarks.

Our room, the Washington, faced bustling Eighth Avenue but due to double-paned windows was surprisingly quiet. It was spacious by New York standards with a queen-sized bed, teeny bathroom, fireplace, kitchen area, and a loft with a full-sized futon. It felt like having our own little Manhattan pied-a-terre. With the exception of the rather dim lighting, I loved it.

The adjacent townhouse where we checked in houses a charming Victorian double parlor with a baby grand piano. Vincent invited us to kick back and watch the season finale of Mad Men in the comfy drawing room.

But it is the location that really shines. In the West Village above Abington Square and just blocks from Chelsea to the north and the Meatpacking district to the West, it is an eating, drinking, shopping, and people watching mecca.

We walked for miles around the Village, popping in to shoe stores, galleries, and shops, and dined on decadent pastas in Little Italy that night, where the waiter plied us with free wine.

The High Line in New York.

When Jules left a few hours before I had to make my way to JFK on Monday, I headed off to discover the High Line, a beautiful urban park created on the tracks of an former elevated freight train line next to the Hudson River. It was totally amazing and worth the blisters.

The weekend flew by but was definitely worth the effort to satisfy my New York jones and spend a long weekend with my sistercuz.

Incentra Village House
32 Eighth Avenue
New York City, NY 10014
(212) 206-0007

Photo credit: Lisa Dion

San Sebastian, in the northern Basque area of Spain, is one of the country’s most beautiful resort towns. Its crescent beach lures Spain’s elite, who stay in glitzy high-rise hotels with ocean views, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants and generally live the Spanish high life. For those on a more modest budget,  Pension Bellas Artes, a 10-minute walk from the beach, is a less expensive and more personal option.

The Beach at San Sebastian

Owner Mari Carmen and her English-speaking daughter Leire welcome guests as though they were family, elevating an average hotel into something truly special. Each visit starts with information on the best restaurants and sights in the city, plus tips on getting around and hidden gems to check out. On special occasions, the staff will even go above and beyond with special treats like champagne toasts on New Years Eve.

The rooms are basic, but comfortable. Standard rooms include double beds with spacious bathrooms. The building has wi-fi and Leire will even lend you her laptop if you are traveling without one. She’ll also arrange tours, cabs, and restaurant reservations.

Double rooms start at 59 Euros in low season (October to April), 72 Euros in May and 79 Euros in high season (June to September and the holidays).

Address: C/ Urbieta, 64 1B, San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa
Telephone: 943 474 905
Email: info@pension-bellasartes.com

Photo Credit: Katie Hammel

Like most accommodations in the Cinque Terre, Arpaiuis not a full-service hotel. The Cinque Terre is a collection of five once-sleepy fishing villages that have now been discovered by tourists, but still retain much of their undeveloped charm. With the exception of Monterosso, none of the villages are open to cars, and there are no chain hotels.

Arpaiu is situated high above the sea in the village of Manarola. It’s a long climb up to the hotel but the hike is worth it. The rooms are sparsely decorated in Ikea furniture – you’ll find little more than a comfortable bed, dresser, safe, mini-fridge, and tv in each room – but visitors to the Cinque Terre don’t spend much time in their rooms.

Arpaiu view

With the time that guests do spend in their rooms here though, they’ll be delighted to see that Arpaui has one of the best views in town. Its position on the top of the cliff means guests can look out at the whole town below, and the sparkling blue Ligurian Sea in the distance. The shared balcony invites guests to linger over a bottle of Cinque Terre wine as they take in the sight of the setting sun.

Rates start at 90 Euros per night in high season. For those staying longer, there is also an apartment option, outfitted with a kitchenette.

Address:
Via Belvedere n. 196, Manarola 19010 (SP), Italy

Telephone: +39 340 6879732
Email: info@arpaiu.com

Photo credit: Katie Hammel

OK, we all know one. Or two. Frugal Frannies, Uncle Scrooges. They can’t part with a dime, tip a lame 10 percent, and are surgically attached to the first nickel they ever earned.

Well, The Orchard Hotels in San Francisco, have a deal for the Frannies and Scrooges in our lives — and everyone else who would like to save some dinero.

Known for their eco-friendly “green-from-the-inside-out” policies, the Orchard Hotel and the Orchard Garden Hotel, both located on Bush Street in downtown San Francisco, are currently offering the 50/50 holiday package that begins November 23 (in time for Thanksgiving fetes and shopping excursions) and runs through December 30.

The package offers guests a deluxe room for $50 for one night when the guest spends at least $50 during their stay in either of their signature restaurants.

The rooftop terrace at the Orchard Garden Hotel.

Breakfast, dinner, and cocktails are served at Roots Restaurant at the Orchard Garden or Daffodil Restaurant in the Orchard Hotel, two blocks from each other.

Roots specializes in contemporary American cuisine with Mediterranean touches and uses mostly local and sustainable ingredients, it also features a cozy bar for cocktails.

Daffodil is known for hearty, homestyle comfort foods and decadent desserts, as well as great people watching from the street level bar.

Amenities include large-screen televisions, a DVD library, free wi-fi, and the knowledge that you are contributing to the solution when you stay at a LEED certified hotel, the first of its kind in San Francisco.

The location is a big asset — steps from Chinatown, Cable Cars, and Union Square and walking distance to the Ferry Building and the SoMa museums.

The Orchard Hotel
665 Bush Street, San Francisco
415-362-8878

The Orchard Garden Hotel
466 Bush Street, San Francisco
415-399-9807

Photo credit: The Orchard Hotels, San Francisco

During our trip out West, I had the fortune of being given the opportunity to try out a couple of the hotels in the Country Inn and Suites family. I will say, I had never stayed in one before, and wasn’t really sure what to expect. 

Our first experience with them was in the Country Inn and Suites in Billings, MT.

Billings, MT is about a 4 hour drive out of Missoula, MT where we had stayed at the night before.  We were tired and eager to get to our room when we arrived.  The hotel is located across the street from a very busy thruway and it is surrounded by eateries, such as Papa John’s and Subway, as well as some shops.

Once we entered the site it smelled like apples and was very homey, clean, and quiet.  I thought it was wonderful.  I love that feeling of complete serenity when I enter a hotel.  Most of the best hotels in NYC are full of the WOW effect in that they are grandious and extravagant, but they are also loud…at least in the lobby and public areas, and it’s hard to find that serenity until you are in your room.  So, I appreciated this right away.  My kids loved the pool and the free cookies on the reception counter.

Country Inn & Suites, Billings, MT

Our room was wonderful.  It was about as big as our NYC apartment, with a huge bathroom, and whirlpool, a dining area, living room area, work area, and separate bedroom with a king size bed.  One of the two televisions helped to get the kids acclimated, while I enjoyed resting and relaxing with my husband.

Our next experience was in Madison, WI.  As far as locations, I like the Country Inn and Suites in Middleton, WI the best. Granted, I have a special affinity for the Madison area, but also the shops and eateries were of a higher scale, and places I would enjoy going into.  Inside, I felt the same serene welcome as in Billings. I also liked the free cookies, and amazing pool area.

Country Inn & Suites, Middleton, WI

Our room was gorgeous here as well.  It was spacious and comfortable, clean and fresh, all the same amenities as the room in Billings, MT except that it didn’t have the whirlpool bathtub. 

We enjoyed our stay with the Country Inn & Suites family.  The staff is friendly and helpful, and the environment, as well as those visiting were very welcoming of our children. I would recommend this chain to traveling families, who are on a budget, but still want to have a comfortable, positive family hotel experience.

All Country Inn and Suites locations offer complimentary breakfasts and Internet service. The rooms we stayed at were the one bedroom, king size suites, and at the time of our stay, the rates for these room were between $110 and $116 a night for Billings, MT and Madison, WI respectively.

Photo credit: Carol Cain

The Powell Hotel in the middle of the action.

It doesn’t get any closer to the pulse of San Francisco than the Powell Hotel.

The one-hundred thirty-seven rooms sit right above the Powell and Market cable car turnaround smack in the middle of downtown, which depending on what kind of person you are, may or may not be a good thing.

If you like being in the thick of the action, this hotel, built in 1908 and recently renovated, puts you in the heart of it. The street below is heavily trafficked with commuters, tourists, shoppers, vendors, street performers, lunatics, and vagrants offering a real slice of the city’s character. Light sleepers beware — “view” rooms are noisy with the cacophony down below

Standard rooms are  small but affordable starting at $119. Deluxe rooms, suites, and the “Presidential” suite offer more room and work well for families.

The location is particularly good for those taking public transportation to and from the airport, a BART station is yards away from the front door. The Powell is three blocks south of Union Square and right across from Westfield Shopping Centre, which though I’m not a fan of malls, I must say, this one which houses Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s is quite impressive. Take the vintage escalator all the way up and check out the dome on top. There is also a United Artists move theater there.

The cable car turnaround is below the Powell.

A cute cafe occupies part of the lobby selling good quality pastries, excellent coffee, and a choice of soups. I sometimes stop there on my way to work and can recommend the tortilla soup.

There is just about any type of cuisine you can dream up within a few blocks and one of the city’s best dives, the Gold Dust Saloon is right up the block.

Currently the Powell is offering an SF Giants Baseball Package that includes viewbox tickets over third base, and one- or two-room suites.

Don’t forget to stop in between 5 and 8 p.m. and partake of the Hospitality social and throw back a complimentary cocktail, beer, or glass of wine.

A double room at the Hotel Powell.

The Powell Hotel
28 Cyril Magnin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 398-3200

Top photo by Lisa Dion; middle and lower courtesy of the Powell Hotel.

When my husband first suggested that we go camping near Yellowstone Park I have to admit I cringed…a lot.  I couldn’t help it, I’m a city girl, I like my hotels to come with all the amenities, including a king size bed.  I love room service, and free Internet and cable. 

Camping is a hard sell.  But, as I looked at my little boys I realized that in this instance I was (again) out numbered, because camping, if we want to stick with generalizations, is a “guy thing”, and mine is a “guy dominated” home.  So I caved in to the idea.  But not without packing up extra sheets and pillows and insisting that we sleep on queen size air mattresses as opposed to flat, confining sleeping bags.

My husband did his research trying to find a compromise and what we found was KOA Kampgrounds, about 10 minutes outside of Yellowstone Park on the Montana border. And I guess they have several throughout the U.S.

The campsite has all the amenities for sure.  It has a 24 hour laundry room, which provides all the supplies you would need, including a change machine.  It has a store for those last minute purchases, such as milk, or toothpaste, or paper towels.  They have a coffee shop, though on the first morning, my city slicker husband asked for an Espresso and was quickly offered a no frills cup of coffee instead. They also offer hot breakfast in the morning, made to order, consisting of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon.  The eggs were a little strange tasting, but otherwise the food was ok and not expensive. They also have free wireless service which you can access every where on the  grounds (including from your campsite), a pool, a playground, bike rentals, and a game room. The bathrooms are clean and have private showers and toilet stalls, ample room to hook up hair dryers and spread out make up.

Then there were the campsites.  They have cottages as well as what they call “tent villages”.  I convinced my husband that since we were going to go “camping” we should go for the full camping experience.  So we settled on the tent village.  I am not exactly sure what size the section they provide for your tent is.  I guesstimate it is about 30×20.  It comes with a picnic table, a fire pit (bring your own wood), and ample space for a large tent, which we had, and your car, or RV.

And it was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect site for a city girl like me.  It had all the conveniences one could need, especially with little kids, and activities galore.

It was close to the West entrance of Yellowstone Park, and we had tons of fun there, so that was really great for us. But in the end, except for the part where we slept in a tent, it didn’t much feel like “camping” at all.  I had envisioned my camping experience to be a bit more rural, more isolate.  I psyched myself up to “rough it” and in the end, it wasn’t that at all.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park

It is not KOA’s fault, they have set themselves up for providing traveling families with everything they could need and want.  But personally, I felt like I cheated my kids out of a true camping experience.  Maybe, for now, this option is the best.  The two youngest are pretty small still (2.5 and 4).  And though we enjoyed our stay, I felt at times I was in a trailer park and not really camping…and I think next time, when the boys are a little older, I will aim to really appreciate more of nature and without so many of the conveniences.

Photo credit: Carol Cain

For those looking for discount travel to the Caribbean, look no further than the tropical island of St. Croix with white sand beaches, tropical reefs, a golf course, tennis courts and more. The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism has just made an island escape more affordable by offering a special “St. Croix Fantastic Flight” promotion, which includes:

• $150 per-person airfare credit
• A fourth night free at select resorts and hotels

Carambola Resort

Must book by October 5, 2009.

Travel deadline is November 15, 2009.

Choose from resorts on every side of the island, including The Buccaneer Hotel, Carambola Beach Resort & Spa, Chenay Bay Beach Resort, Club St. Croix Beach & Tennis Resort, Colony Cove Beach Resort, Company House Hotel, Divi Carina Bay Resort, Hibiscus Beach Resort, Hotel Caravelle, King Christian Hotel, the Palms at Pelican Cove and Sand Castle on the Beach.

Special thanks to Ken_Mayer for the gorgeous shot of Carambola Resort on St. Croix.

Posted by Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Pike's Waterfront Lodge

Our pod of travelers disembarked Royal Caribbean Cruisetour’s Radiance of the Seas in Juneau during a torrential downpour. We boarded a plane bound for Fairbanks and were greeted with sunshine. Not the liquid sunshine that Alaskans refer to, but honest to goodness warm weather for August. Minutes from the airport, our motorcoach pulled up to Pike’s Waterfront Lodge, which sits beside the Chena River. The lodge is a large 208 room property that is clean, dog-friendly and affordable for man and man’s best friend.

SOLAR ENERGY GREEN STAR AWARD

The folks at the lodge are not only friendly, they are eco-conscious and social media savvy. The lodge recently received Alaska’s Solar Energy Green Star Award with the help of  its eco-friendly solar panels, commitment to environmentally-friendly chemicals, recycled carpet and such. It’s also home to one of the largest private art collections featuring Alaska locations and created by Alaska artists.  Techies will appreciate that Pikes Landing offers free wireless internet access. By the way, you can follow Pikes Landing on Twitter and become a Facebook Fan. Don’t forget to check their website for specials. In fact, if you live in Alaska, they’ll give you a wooden nickel for a free scoop of tasty ice cream served at the lodge. (They import their ice cream from Oregon.)

Deluxe Two Queens in Room 305

I didn’t get a chance to walk next door to sit on the deck and sip a cold one, but I did have a nice slab of salmon at the Pumphouse Restaurant, also located on the Chena River. By the time I returned to my hotel room, a deluxe with two queen beds, I was ready to hit the sack. No writing on the laptop, visiting the sauna or steam room or meandering through the grounds. I needed to be up and out the door at 7 a.m. to climb aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Motorcoach which would take us to the Riverboat Discovery Sternwheeler.  Once on the Sternwheeler, we would pass by Dave Monson’s Trail Breaker Kennels to learn about famed Iditarod Champion Susan Butcher (now deceased) and the dogs they raise, as well as a visit to the Chena Village to learn the ways of the Athabascan Indian people.

Photos by Nancy D. Brown

Pikes Waterfront Lodge 1 (877) 774-2400

1850 Hoselton Road, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709

An historic, Art Deco gem by Ocean Beach.

Art Deco architecture is one of my passions. I’ve taken walking tours, gone to weird but fun Art Deco Society parties where everyone dresses in period clothes, and marveled at such Deco masterpieces as the Paramount Theatre in Oakland and the Golden Gate Bridge.

So, I was completely jazzed to stumble upon an Art Deco motel near the San Francisco Zoo last weekend.

Little did I know that this gem, built in 1936, was San Francisco’s first motel — I’d hit the history jackpot, too!

According to owner Vicki Duffett, when the Ocean Park Motel was built it was actually on the ocean. You could run right out the doors into the sandy dunes of Ocean Beach. Since then, highways, houses, and buildings have gone up obstructing the views.

The courtyard motel was built in the streamline moderne style, with lots of nautical touches like porthole windows, ships’ wheels, and curved railings.

The beautifully manicured courtyard separates the buildings and a little garden has a children’s play structure. An inviting hot tub is the perfect antidote to chilly fog-swept days and evenings in this often shrouded part of the city.

Take the chill off in the hot tub.

Several different floor plans offer the correct level of desired privacy. Many rooms are quite small but the motel also has larger two-bedroom family suites with either two or three queen sized beds. Eight of the suites have cozy, fully-equipped kitchens. A number of the rooms have the original deco tile in the bathrooms.

Rates are adjusted seasonally and range from $90 to $135 for one queen; $100 to $145 for a queen and twin; and $125 to $195 for two to three queen bed units. Kitchen units cost up to $20 extra per day and require a four-day minimum stay, but do ask — they can be rented on a space-available basis.

The Ocean Park is family owned (the Duffetts live on the property) and also dog friendly.

The San Francisco Zoo is a block away and several restaurants and cafes are within easy walking distance.

A trip down the Great Highway to the Beach Chalet is a must for hungry history/architecture buffs like myself. The views are magnificent and the WPA murals are exquisite National landmarks. If it’s crowded, as it often is (especially for brunch), check the Park Chalet in back of the same building for relaxing views of Golden Gate Park and live music.

Ocean Park Motel
2690 46th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 566-7020

Top photos by Lisa Dion, lower right courtesy of Ocean Park Motel.