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I went to Poste for brunch. It's the restaurant at the Hotel Monaco in DC. I hadn't been there before, and they begin brunch service early -- I didn't feel like waiting until 11am for most other...
I went to Poste for brunch. It's the restaurant at the Hotel Monaco in DC. I hadn't been there before, and they begin brunch service early -- I didn't feel like waiting until 11am for most other options to open.
The food was good, the service was not. Nobody was roof or aloof, everyone was just consistently clueless.
A bread basket and butter was presented to the table, but no butter knife or bread plates were provided. I asked for bread plates. Using a steak knife on butter is a small sacrifice, but actually pretty difficult if you're trying to spread something evenly.
It's good that I asked for the bread plates, because I was sharing an appetizer and no separate plates were brought to the table to facilitate the sharing.
After the first course, my waitress helpfully removed my silverware. Unfortunately she didn't bring replacements.
I also had to ask her to remove the dirty juice glasses that were set on the table when I arrived. (One of the three jams on the table was open and partially used, but I didn't mention this or the scratched coffee mugs.)
My water was never refilled, towards the very end of the meal I finally asked for more.
On and off during the meal the bartender could be seen climbing on the bar to reach bottles in order to clean and polish them. Couldn't that be done before or after service?
Once we had finished our entrees, the waitress brought our check. We asked whether they offered dessert? And she took away our check and brought new menus. No, she wasn't trying to get rid of us. I wasn't commenting on all of these deficiencies during our meal, we were more than pleasant! It just never occurred to her that at 11:45 am we might want dessert after brunch. Bad for the restaurant (it reduces average bill amounts) and bad for patrons (it's hardly anticipatory service, and if she's unsure if we'll want something she might do better to ask).
For a 'nice' restaurant, it was a little odd to have the dessert dishes stamped "Crate and Barrel" ...
I guess it shouldn't surprise me that the floor manager was wearing a tank top...
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The building itself is tired, the hallways muggy (though the a/c worked well in the room). We were given a large suite and welcome amenity of chocolate covered strawberries (or maybe it was...
The building itself is tired, the hallways muggy (though the a/c worked well in the room). We were given a large suite and welcome amenity of chocolate covered strawberries (or maybe it was chocolates and strawberries).
We ordered a quick room service burger to share (only one, didn’t want to spoil appetite for Citronelle), it was truly an outstanding burger and delivered in 17 minutes.
At the hotel, turndown service included slippers and shoe-shine is complimentary if you leave your shoes outside by midnight they’re returned before 6am.
Service at the hotel met my expectations. In the morning I called downstairs to find out when the Starbucks across the street opened. They didn’t know, but sent someone across to find out and returned the call in 2-3 minutes. Water pressure in the shower was outstanding, by the way.
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Hot and muggy in September, public spaces are insufficiently air conditioned.
First room was infested with ants, I had to insist on a new room (they just wanted to spray).
Second room was...
Hot and muggy in September, public spaces are insufficiently air conditioned.
First room was infested with ants, I had to insist on a new room (they just wanted to spray).
Second room was terrible, next to noisy guests who wouldn't be quiet. Hotel said they couldn't do anything because they had no security on duty (!) and guests wouldn't answer their phone, so we were moved again.
Third room was an improvement. We ordered room service, it took an hour and a half.
Would not return.
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I stayed at the Wyndham El Conquistador in Fajardo, Puerto Rico (about 30 miles from San Juan). It's a bit of a controversial hotel in the eyes of many. It's a huge resort -- 900 or so rooms. My...
I stayed at the Wyndham El Conquistador in Fajardo, Puerto Rico (about 30 miles from San Juan). It's a bit of a controversial hotel in the eyes of many. It's a huge resort -- 900 or so rooms. My general take is most complaints stem from room choice or being surprised at the price of food. A little careful planning, combined with realizing the food at resorts are expensive (think eating out in Manhattan for every meal), and this place can be truly outstanding.
It's phenomenally beautiful. The grounds are great. But some of the rooms and furniture show their wear.
This property also has a five-diamond resort within the larger complex called Las Casitas Village. It gets lots of good press, and is known for hosting J. Lo and Ricky Martin.
My stay was complimentary, direct-billed to Wyndham, the result of winning a door prize at the Freddie Awards.
I didn't get a Casita, but I did have a junior suite on the Marina with a direct ocean view and a huge balcony. That struck me as being just as good as having a Casita, just without the butler service. My advice would be to book the deluxe ocean view and request the Marina level. Join Wyndham's ByRequest program and then either request and hope for a room upgrade, or ask the ByRequest Manager about buying an upgrade to a room like I had (1208, right at the very far end of the Marina).
Aside from the Casitas, the resort is broken up into four areas: the Vista and Brisas wings of the main hotel, Las Olas Village half-way between the main hotel and the ocean level, and the Marina right on the water.
When you land in San Juan, you'll likely see an El Conquistador staff member and a Westin Rio Mar staff member waiting at baggage claim. The El Conquistador staffer will walk you over to their airport transfer desk. Transportation is $60 roundtrip per person. A cab runs about $75, so if there are more than two people in your party and your rate doesn't include transfers, get your own cab. Otherwise go with the hotel's shuttle. It is a van with a VCR (on the return we were shown old Hooneymooners episodes taped off television in the 1980s) and a bar (complimentary drinks).
When I arrived the van wasn't at the airport, so they had us wait for about 20 minutes while they gathered up some other folks coming in on another flight and then stuck us in a shared cab.
I noticed that the other folks on my shuttle were ahead of me in line to checkin and I saw they got placed in the main hotel. One had a confirmation printed with a hotels.com logo. That person seemed to get a pretty standard room, assigned to them at checkin. I got to the front of the line and the clerk saw that I had been preblocked in a room that I was ultimately very pleased with. My stay was arranged directly by Wyndham's Vice President for the ByRequest program, and the ByRequest manager picked an appropriate room (and checked on me more than once during my stay).
On the way to the room I walked through the main hotel and to the funicular, the "elevator" on a track that takes you down from the main property (Las Vistas and Las Brisas) to the middle level (Las Olas) and down to the Marina. There are two funiculars -- one that's an express straight to the marina and one that stops at the Las Olas level.
Once down at the marina we walked to the far end where we were shown a secluded room. Despite the size of the property, it was very quiet at the far end of the Marina and almost secluded. The room was large. The bathroom was huge. There was a pool that was seldom used right next to the room. The bed was very comfortable.
But the real benefit was the balcony. It was huge and had a direct ocean view, with the pool off to the right (and a mountain behind it). Absolutely stunning. My favorite part of my long weekend was just sitting out on the balcony and relaxing.
In the morning I went to breakfast at the buffet restaurant. For a resort with so many food options (more than a dozen) they're lacking a bit at breakfast. The Casitas have their own complimentary continental breakfast, but for the rest of us there's the Cafe Caribe in the main hotel, the Las Brisas restaurant which has only a buffet (but stunning view) and more or less just room service as the other option. On future days I just popped up to the little bakery in the hotel first thing in the morning for a mocha (I hate in-room coffee) and then ordered room service which I enjoyed out on the balcony.
Next I went out to Palomino Island, the resort's leased private island which is the site of the beach. Plenty of chairs and shade and good bar/cafe service as well as watersports and horseback riding. The boat leaves every half hour from 9-3 and takes about 20 minutes to get there.
Came back to the room and made dinner reservations at the seafood restaurant at the Marina. The menu wasn't all that exciting, and didn't live up to its billing for Carribean-influenced cuisine. Everything was offered either with rice or truffled mashed potatos. So I made a meal of soup, two appetizers, and dessert which was really excellent.
The next night I had dinner at the teppan yaki restaurant, which is a bit of a factory and the whole affair was over in 45 minutes or so. That restaurant also offers sushi and chinese -- the chinese I ordered the following night as room service and enjoyed it on the balcony.
The rooms outside of the Casitas aren't quite as finely appointed. The archetypical example would be that the toilet paper was Scott tissue. The Spa phone line rings off the hook... if I were in a Casita I would have had the butler make my appointment for me. As it is, I should have had the ByRequest desk do it. Instead I waited 20 minutes to schedule a massage. But the Spa itself was quite nice.
In the end, the resort had everything I wanted. The weather was perfect and I was perfectly located on the property. My balcony absolutely made the trip. The grounds are huge, and with such a large resort comes an enormous number of options. The place is really a self-contained city (there's even a Sunglass Hut franchise on the property, along with several other shops). It's far away from anywhere one would want to go, but there's an Avis rent a car on property and several hotel sponsored excursions.
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My wife and I spent our wedding night here in May, 2005. We got married in Seattle and needed to overnight near LAX on our way out of the country. The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey is close to LAX...
My wife and I spent our wedding night here in May, 2005. We got married in Seattle and needed to overnight near LAX on our way out of the country. The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey is close to LAX without being an airport hotel. (I also considered Beverly Hills (e.g. the Pen) and the Hotel Bel Air.
My stay was booked with Marriott points, which technically meant being booked into the lowest category of room. I've read that the standard rooms at this property are tired and small. A better deal would have been to book the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts rate which was about the same as the best available rate, but came with a marina view, late checkout, and food & beverage credit for dinner and breakfast. Still, my conceit to pay for the whole trip on points got the better of me.
A kind request a few days in advance and we were upgraded to a suite with a direct view of the marina on the 9th floor.
The bellman brought up our bags, brought us ice, and may generally have been the friendliest and most enthusiastic hotel employee I’ve ever come across. He pointed out their complimentary shoeshine service which required only leaving shoes outside the door (a nice feature, very common, but I really like it).
In the room we found the bed turned down with slippers, chocolates, and water bottles on each nightstand. There was a real marble bathroom and a nice bed. Bathroom had some of the most extensive amenities I’d seen, products by Bvlgari plus toothbrush, nail file, etc etc etc.
The balcony extended only about 3 feet, conducive to walking outside briefly but not to spending any time out there. We placed a couple of our leftover wedding cakes out there for the night as a substitute for refrigeration and ate them in the morning with room service coffee.
We walked around the Marina mid-morning and had a nice but pricey lunch at the hotel’s restaurant, Jer-Ne. The duck and cheese eggrolls were outstanding.
This suite was anything but small or tired, a real treat. Not sure how I would have enjoyed a regular room, but I had absolutely no complaints with this one.
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I've stayed at this hotel twice -- in September 2004 and June 2005.
Most recently I arrived for a simple overnight on my way back from Melbourne, Australia. I'd been traveling for the better...
I've stayed at this hotel twice -- in September 2004 and June 2005.
Most recently I arrived for a simple overnight on my way back from Melbourne, Australia. I'd been traveling for the better part of a day, Alaska Airlines had lost one of my bags, I arrived at the hotel tired and wanting a room. I share this by way of leading up to the major problem with this hotel.
Arriving in the driveway, there was a ton of activity. No one was available to meet the cab or help with luggage (the ones that Alaska DIDN'T send to Reno). Dragged the bags inside and upstairs myself.
Next comes the checkin area. It is seemingly ALWAYS busy. This is a huge hotel, and while there are several people at the front desk there's never enough for the volume they do. Fortunately there's a SPG Gold/Platinum checkin line in a separate 'room' at the far right, but even that had a line.
Checkin agent appeared to act like checking me in was a great chore, standing in the way of something she'd rather be doing. I've never had a problem getting a room with direct view of the water. The views here are wonderful.
Continuing the theme of busy hotel staff -- too busy to help -- I asked about a bellman to assist with luggage and was told that I could wait (awhile) for one, but that I'd probably just want to take bags upstairs myself.
I had a room view a great view of the water on a high floor, somewhere in the 30s.
Heavenly bed is great as usual. Heavenly bath more or less limited to a shower curtain extending out into the bathroom to create the illusion of a bigger shower/tub.
Room itself was a bit worn, scratches in the wallpaper and some stains in the bathroom.
Upshot on the property is that the rooms are fine, views are nice esp. if you are facing the water, but it's very busy and geared towards conventions. I prefer the W and Sheraton.
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I really do love this hotel and always have. It’s my favorite place to stay in Seattle. I like the Sheraton, have a bit of love-hate with the Westin, but the W is my first choice.
Upgrades: There...
I really do love this hotel and always have. It’s my favorite place to stay in Seattle. I like the Sheraton, have a bit of love-hate with the Westin, but the W is my first choice.
Upgrades: There are only about 8 suites here, half of which are smoking and one of which is ‘accessible’ so there aren’t a lot of suite upgrade opportunities. But a Kool Korner room on a high floor has never been a problem.
When I stayed in May 2005 there was a large conference booked over several days staying at the hotel, and they’d wrapped up a bunch of the small number of suites that the hotel had. Plus Snoop Dogg was staying there. So I was in a Kool Korner room.
I did notice a few areas of the room where form overtakes function. I didn’t have enough drawers. 1/3 of the chest is taken up by the safe and it’s only about half the size of the usual hotel chest. (Regular rooms seem to have more chest space, oddly enough.)
Our first night at the hotel we had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Earth & Ocean. It’s much improved over two years ago. The chef is very creative with presentation and they offer very high quality meat and fish. The sweetbreads were a nice size with no sinew whatsoever. Despite the food, though, it’s not a great restaurant, at least it wasn’t on this occasion. Service lacked. Several times they dropped silverware by the table. I cringed when someone in the party asked for a Miller Lite and the waiter said “I don’t think so. But I’ll check.” with a roll of the eyes. He never returned to the subject (such as to followup and apologize for not having the first choice, and perhaps offer a suggested alternative).
Ordered room service breakfast around 6:30, it arrived in 14 minutes. I had an excellent avocado, bacon, and cheese omellette. Truly delicious. The food at the W, from the restaurant to room service to banquet, is good across the board.
For folks who haven’t been there, it’s a typical W: lighting is dark, ‘hip’ music plays in the lobby. There’s a funky ‘living room’ in the lobby to relax in. The bar scene is trendy. Rooms are comfortable. The hotel aspires to be high-end in service, touting its ‘Wherever/Whenever” line (they’ll handle any need you have) but this is no Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton. Hotel employees are mostly attractive twenty-somethings dressed in black, and not as well-trained in service as are staff at the high-end chains. If you want refined service, stay across the street at the Fairmont. The W is funky, fun, and for me comfortable.
It’s sometimes surprisingly inexpensive. TravelZoo sometimes promotes great deals, I’ve seen it for as little as $139 there. It occasionally participates in Starwood’s cash & points award program, which this year means 4000 Starwood points and $60 for a night. But without deals it can run $230 or more, even $289. I’m not sure it’s worth twice the price of the nearby Sheraton.
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A great little Cuban restaurant on the corner of 47th and Flagler.
Clientele is mostly Cuban and the staff speaks mostly Spanish.
Portions are huge and prices are low.
Go to the one I...
A great little Cuban restaurant on the corner of 47th and Flagler.
Clientele is mostly Cuban and the staff speaks mostly Spanish.
Portions are huge and prices are low.
Go to the one I recommend, not to their other location in Coral Gables.
I've been several times, will go back next month, and everyone I've ever suggested it to has loved it. Just go!
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Inde Bleu
Category:
Restaurants
707 G St NW
Washington, Dist. of Columbia 20001
(202) 333-2538
If you're in DC needing a hip place for dinner with good food and excellent service, recently I've been a big fan of IndeBleu.
It's Indian-French fusion, decor is straight out of a W Hotel, and...
If you're in DC needing a hip place for dinner with good food and excellent service, recently I've been a big fan of IndeBleu.
It's Indian-French fusion, decor is straight out of a W Hotel, and the staff were brought in from European charm schools.
Outstanding, though a bit pricey. The biggest driver of cost is that the menu is set up as four courses. I keep it affordable by ordering a couple of second courses, using one as my main.
Bar is very cool, too, drink menu is a metro map.
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A quick plus for the Renaissance Boca Raton. I spent the weekend there and was thoroughly pleased with value for the dollar, admittedly in their off-season.
The lowest available rate was $85. I...
A quick plus for the Renaissance Boca Raton. I spent the weekend there and was thoroughly pleased with value for the dollar, admittedly in their off-season.
The lowest available rate was $85. I paid $90 and received two full breakfasts and two cocktails daily.
This isn't a five-star property, but the grounds are nice. The palm trees provide a nice backdrop and the pool is comfortable. The rooms were more than fine, although a bit dated (and my room had an industrial-style toilet). Parking is free.
Where they really shined, though, is in service. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Friday night they didn't miss a beat in providing a dozen champagne glasses and a dozen wine glasses out by the pool in about five minutes, and provided a dozen complimentary water bottles as well.
Can't beat the property for the price. The Holiday Inn next store goes for the same money. The full breakfast for two with made to order omellettes and smoked salmon was worth $40 and the cocktails were worth about $10. So in the end my $90 rate was really good, plus it earned points and I wasn't worried about being given an inferior room.
The hotel is nestled inside of the Towne Center shopping mall, but you wouldn't know it from inside the property. It's right off Interstate 95, and next door to high end shops and a Starbucks. Mostly it's just around the corner from my family which meant I could visit with folks and head back to the room conveniently. So a big thanks for the hotel's staff for all their help over the weekend!
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