Couple of Coffees

The best of hotels

When on a road trip and you land in a town where you don't have people to stay with, lodging becomes very important. We picked the best of hotel rooms and the worst of them. The good ones, of course, were all about us doing our research and comparing rates, while the worst were simply flukes and bad luck. Yeah right. If only we were that smart. In truth, we traveled by the seat of our pants and made decisions as we rolled into towns, with a few exceptions.

Here's a list of our top picks, in no particular order, and some reasons why we loved them:

Maison Dupuy, New Orleans
This boutique hotel won our hearts with its comfortable bed, puffy pillows and beautiful, historic lobby. The valet parking was an added bonus. We drove in and ditched the car, although we had to pay extra for the privilege. The price, overall, was well worth it to spend two nights two blocks from Bourbon Street. I wouldn't want to do New Orleans any other way.

Boulder Broker Inn, Boulder, Colorado
This quaint hotel near the University of Colorado campus had spacious rooms, an outdoor pool and jacuzzi and a full hot breakfast in a dining room. We procured a great rate, which included two free drink coupons, and stayed for two nights. The beds actually had mini-canopies over the pillows. It had a lot more style and pizzazz than Joe Chain Hotel. We were utterly charmed and congratulated each other a few times on the rare find of an affordable gem.

The Inn at St. John, Portland, Maine
We fell in love with this hotel from the moment of walking in the beautiful, well-appointed lobby. Our room was on the second floor, and the staircase turned left, then twisted, then rose again. Our room was definitely old school, in the best historic sense, and the bathroom was large enough for us to sleep in, had we wanted to. We loved the old fixtures and the beauty of the place. The breakfast nook had tons of historic photos of the area to admire. The best part is the price was a steal, especially for it being the Fourth of July.

Embassy Suites, Austin, Texas
Need we say more? Well, maybe just a little more. We crashed on the sofabed of a suite with a friend, and it was a high-class experience all the way. (Thanks again, Ricky!) The breakfast in the morning was the best of the trip, including a made-to-order food bar offering all the hot specialties. It obviously was in a terrific location downtown, too, just across the Congress Street Bridge.

The Maple Inn, Chautauqua, New York
Of course this is on the list, because I've been staying there for years with my folks. We had a lovely room with a balcony and free WiFi, just steps away from the Athenaeum Hotel, where we were attending the wedding. It was pretty quiet pre-season, though, and we missed the usual suspects hanging out on the porch.

Santa Fe Inn, Winnemucca, Nevada
Seriously, this made our list. We had a huge room, with a couch and tons of floor space, for practically pocket change, and we were especially glad after hitting a number of overpriced, rather dirty rooms along the route. We had an afternoon swim in the outdoor pool and enjoyed once again not being in a chain hotel. The strip in Winnemucca is lined with cheap deals, which may be why this one was such a deal. It was squeaky clean, too.

Summer Lake Hot Springs, Paisley, Oregon
We stayed in a little cabin for a good price with our own bathroom and kitchen in the middle of rural, eastern Oregon. The sunset views were spectacular, but the real draw is the hot springs bathhouse. There are even floation devices for soakers to rest on as they absorb the minerals in the water. It was toasty warm, around 104 degrees if I recall correctly, in the water, and our skin really did feel great afterwards. The water unknotted my then-stiff back. We're ready to go back again.

Radio City Apartments, New York City
This was the priciest of them all, but also among the most delightful for its location. There's nothing more incredible than spending a night in Manhattan, right in the center of it all. Our room was a suite with a living room and a nice kitchen, and it was wonderful to walk to and from a Broadway show that night. The next morning, we stashed our baggage with the hotel clerk and spent another full day in New York City. We collected our bags from the hotel around 8 p.m., and headed back to Jersey.

The Olde Mill Inn, Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Although the hotel was gorgeous and the rooms were sumptuous, the best part of our stay at the Olde Mill Inn was my friend Chiara getting married there. As a result, the corridors were full of faces from long ago. The wedding setup and the reception were beautiful, and the food was delicious. A main staircase was a gorgeous centerpiece to the lobby. The bride and groom and their families did a great job with the wedding, and the hotel itself only added to the experience.

And finally, the hotel in McCook, Nebraska, and the name escapes me, but the nice counter lady saved our evening by squeezing us in despite having no official vacancies. We'll update this with the name once I get my paperwork in order. Not only was the room luxurious for a rock-bottom price, we had free breakfast coupons at the restaurant next door. It was fantastic.

posted by Laura the Writer @ 9:07 PM