Best Western Hibiscus Key West

This is my third installment about Key West, Florida hotels. And, believe it or not, I am writing very positive things about a Best Western! From my experience, Best Westerns are usually cheaply appointed hotels that are good for nothing else for a bed to sleep in at night. I’ve had some bad experiences at Best Westerns in the past – so many, in fact, that I completely swore off the hotel chain about 4 years ago.

To my pleasant surprise, the Best Western Hibiscus in Key West, Florida is a completely different bird. It’s new-looking, has a large pool that’s a common social gathering (think people sipping drinks poolside), has very large, bright and exceptionally clean rooms, and it’s within walking distance to fun Duval Street. There’s a good, free Continental breakfast too. Honestly, when I first walked in my first thought was “This is a Best Western?”

Here’s the thing. The hotel staff is not enormously helpful. You’ll probably come across an older gentleman at the front desk, with a beard, sort of looks like a sailor, who’s pretty grumpy and not at all forthcoming. That aside, though, our experience was excellent.

Prices are anywhere from $85-$199 a night (really!!), depending on the time of year you book. Definitely not your run of the mill Best Western, and I will for sure be back.

NOTE: Don’t confuse this hotel with the Best Western Key Ambassador, which is farther away from town. That one is nice as well, but a bit more expensive I think, and the rooms aren’t as nicely appointed.

Photo Credit: Best Western Hibiscus website

Prepare to have your breath catch again and again in St. Tropez.

Penelope Cruz on the St. Tropez beach

This week, we go international, baby! If you happen to be in France – more specifically, the beautiful St. Tropez (which is NOT pronounced Saynt Tro-PEZ, by the way) – you’ll definitely want to take a look at the luxurious Byblos hotel. It’s where you might see anyone from Kate Moss to Beyonce to Keanu Reeves.

St. Tropez boasts one of the Top 10 Party Beaches. Drop-dead-gorgeous scenery, tons of world-famous restaurants and clubs, St. Tropez is definitely one of the places that stars love to hang and be seen. And the Byblos is one of the best luxury hotels in town…precisely why Prince Albert II of Monaco chooses the Byblos to wind down from all that, um, royal stuff he does. Suddenly I’m reminded of the Prince-Albert-in-a-can phone prank. Hmm.

Located just 60 miles from the International Airport at Nice-Cote d’ Azur, or a short 11-mile jaunt from the Saint-Tropez airport, the Byblos hotel has been amongst the top 10 hotels in St. Tropez for 40+ years. A full Mediterranean village all in itself, you’ll find dozens of rooms, each individually decorated with a warm, homey vibe. Olives trees and bouganvillea are smattered about the patios and balconies. Sorry, in France, they say “terrace.” You know, because they’re fancy and stuff in France.

Luxurious, intimate dining at Spoon

There’s a charm and elegance all about the Byblos. You’ll find scrumptious food throughout St. Tropez, but you don’t have to leave the hotel to get it. There are two full restaurants: B., a restaurant that is poolside, and the Spoon Byblos, sort of a Mediterranean variant of Spoon Paris. The spa is incredible…just the VIEW will knock your socks off. See for yourself.

Beautiful view from the Byblos spa

Amenities include free wifi (always the first thing I ask about, because I’m a total geek that can’t stand to be disconnected for 5 minutes), fitness center, child care service, pools, air conditioning in every room, jet tubs, turndown service, free airport shuttles, steam room, concierge, room service, and the Caves du Roy discotheque. By the way, pets? Absolutely welcome. Oh, yeah, I’m there.

Every room is unique and inviting at the Byblos in St. Tropez

Oh, right. The rates. This is the part where my head explodes. A single room runs 325-500 Euros, which probably comes out to about $38,000 American, what with our economy running so splendidly. OK, no, not that much. That works out to $500-$720 a night. A Deluxe Room will run you $850-$$1,300 per night. And the Suite Deluxe? $2,250-$3,750 a night.

The decor at the Byblos will relax you

The Riviera Suite? With 2 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and a private terrace? Don’t even ask because they don’t even list the price on the site. Yeah, I’m so NOT there. Which is a shame because I’d love to hang with Penelope Cruz and Liz Hurley (LOVE her in “Bedazzled”) and Avril Lavigne, who all head to the Byblos whenever they get the chance.

Well, not Avril so much. That “Girlfriend” song still makes me convulse, ugh.

CELEBS SPOTTED AT BYBLOS: Paris Hilton, Kate Moss, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Avril Lavigne, Joan Collins, Beyonce, Penelope Cruz, Kylie Minogue, Liz Hurley, Naomi Campbell, Keanu Reeves

NEARBY RESTAURANTS: Salama, Villa Romania, Grenadine

You might just find Keanu Reeves at the Byblos hotel. There is no spoon.

Byblos Hotel in St. Tropez

PHOTO CREDIT | PHOTO CREDIT

(remaining photos from Byblos web site)

Monkey business in Washington DC has many meanings, but at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park, it means the National Zoo and Orangutan Outreach.

Baby Orangutan

Book this family-friendly hotel’s National Zoo package, and 5% of the room revenue will be donated toward Orangutan Outreach, an organization dedicated to protecting the endangered orangutan and its rainforest habitat.

In case you think that’s peanuts, there’s more – kids (12 and under) eat three meals a day for free and receive an Orangutan Welcome Pack.

This welcome pack comes with a stuffed orangutan toy, the illustrated children’s book The Misadventures of Ori Tang, and a DVD Set of Animal Planet’s Orangutan Island.

The National Zoo is but 5 minutes from the hotel, which enjoys convenient on-site Metro accessibility at the Woodley Park-Zoo stop on the Red line. But just in case you’re ‘geographically challenged,’ the hotel will equip you with a map of the National Zoo.

The National Zoo package, available Thursday through Sunday, includes complimentary overnight parking and accomodations. Offer valid until December 31, 2009. Use promo code ‘ARN’ for online reservations, or or call 1-800-228-9290 and ask for promotional code ARN. More details here – www.wardmanparkmarriott.com/.

Photo Credit – Kiwi Flickr

The Hyatt Regency Dearborn, Michigan

One of the perks of being a hotel review writer is that hotels offer you deals — or free rooms — all the time. This is usually accompanied by pretty good service because everyone wants a good review.

I try to balance out the inherent bias of this setup by totally spying on hotel staff, peering around corners and taking notes like my hero, Harriet the Spy. I also strike up conversations the strangers at ice machines and the hallway or lobby.

Yes, I’m that lady, and I keep trying to talk to you because I want to find out if “regular” guests get the same treatment as I do. Usually the answer is yes, as far as I can discern. But recently I was a “regular” guest at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, MI, and my stay kinda sucked.

The Room – Tiny, Dark and oh my God, is that Pizza on the Carpet?

This is exactly what my room looked like. Plus pizza under the desk.

I have a pretty broad tolerance for hotel rooms, but this one at the Dearborn Hyatt was small.  It was cramped and crowded with two beds, two chairs, a desk, the tv/bureau thing, and the luggage stand. Lose a chair, let us breath a little!

The bathroom was tiny, and the handle on the sink was wonky, accidentally turning on the hot water way higher, hotter and faster than was safe. I did appreciate the extra sink and mirror outside of the bathroom, which made it easier to get ready. That’s also where they keep the single cup coffee maker, which was nice to have, but they only provided two tea bags — one caffeinated, one decaf.

I sort of feel lucky that we didn’t die in an electrical fire during the night. All of the outlets were strangely too loose for my computer, phone, and ipod chargers. As in, the plugs kept falling out of the outlets. Then the bedside light was broken. And then my traveling partner and I both had to pay $9.95 for wifi, which isn’t an electrical issue, but is surprising and annoying considering this is a business hotel. You’d think most of the guests would be traveling with laptops.

When I found chunks of dried up pizza on the floor, I was done. The room was terrible, and we didn’t have time wait around for a manager/housekeeping/fairy hotel godmother to come make it better, so we left to go meet friends at the lobby bar.

The Service – Mixed but Mostly Good

They were nice to us in the bar. It helped.

A room can be cleaned — or upgraded — if you’re staying long enough to bother complaining to management. The kind of service you get is a better indication of how good the property is. At this Hyatt, the service was mostly good. Our bellman was very friendly and helpful. The valet guys (who were in love with the Taurus SHO lent to us by Ford) were attentive and fast. The waitress in the bar was terrific.

On the other hand, the clerk at the front desk was vacant and unhelpful — checked out if you will.

Three out of four ain’t bad. But it’s not stellar, either.

No Mini-bar = No Cashews

My favorite Real Life Review hotel measurement was not available at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn. No mini-bar in the room, so no cashews. We can deduce from the pizza on the carpet that room service is available. Also, because the website says they have it.

The Verdict

Next time I’m in the Dearborn area, I’m going back to the Ritz, where I stayed earlier in the week. For about the same price, in the same area, I get amazing service, a nicer room, and that Hospitality Suite with the bottomless bowl of Reeses and Rolos.  The only upside to the Hyatt is the big, modern lobby with a more happening bar. Which is nice, but not why I’m staying at a hotel. Sorry Hyatt!

Photos: Hyatt Regency Dearborn Hotel