Entry window, Le 71 Hotel Cafe, Quebec City, Canada

Entering the lobby of  Le 71 Hotel Cafe (pronounced le soixante-et-onze) on rue St. Pierre in the old port section of Quebec City, travelers are greeted by cool simplicity and warm hospitality. There’s no sign the 19th-century neoclassical building once housed a bank, except perhaps the high ceilings and tall arched windows, some graced with stained glass medallions.

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Cheeca Lodge and Spa

HOTEL SITE

Jim Carrey

CELEBS SPOTTED: President George Herbert Walker Bush, Chrissie Evert, Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Salma Hayek, Kevin Costner, Jack Nicklaus, Forest Whitaker, Jim Carrey, Brooke Burke, Denise Austin, Pink, Billy Idol, Jennifer Lopez, Bruce Campbell, Jane Seymour, Katie Couric, Jason Alexander

Called the “Queen of the Florida Keys,” the Cheeca Lodge & Spa is located in the beautiful Islamorada in the Keys, and you’re likely to spot a number of famous people while staying there. It’s kind of a hideaway for the stars. Everyone from Salma Hayek to Katie Couric to even President George H.W. Bush has stayed at the Cheeca, and with good reason. It’s on a glorious 27-acre estate, full of luxurious views. NOTE: the Cheeca is due to reopen in December, 2009.

Cheeca Lodge Dining Outdoors

With rates starting as low as $250 per night, you’ll find the classic Keys style, mixed with West Indies decor…something the Cheeca calls “barefoot elegance.” There are 212 rooms, suites, and bungalows – you won’t be disappointed.

Beautiful rooms and amazing views at the Cheeca

The new Oceanfront and Island View Suites give you over 840 square feet, gorgeous ocean views, hot tubs, rain showers for two…all very romantic. And the Spa is nothing to sneeze at, either. Lots of different packages for you to choose from.

The Spa at the Cheeca

Casual Keys meets West Indies at the Cheeca Lodge

Amenities include oceanfront pool, a wooden fishing pier, tennis courts, golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus himself, private beach, fitness center, Camp Cheeca (for the kids), biking, Starbucks and Tazo Teas in your room, wifi, and several restaurants to choose from.

Dock at Cheeca Lodge & Spa

Islamorada has amazing restaurants, and the Cheeca Lodge & Spa has some of the best. In fact, Florida Trend magazine calls the Cheeca’s eating spots one of “Florida’s 500 Best Places to Dine.” There’s Atlantic’s Edge, with delicious seafood and steaks, as well as a magnificent hot breakfast buffet. The Lobby Bar serves cocktails, and the Tiki Bar is a beachfront spot with a view of the ocean, as well as drinks and Bahama stone crab claws. Nikai is the newest restaurant, offering fresh sushi and Asian cuisine.

Hot Tub at the Cheeca

Salma Hayek

It’s no wonder the likes of Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Lopez love the Cheeca. They get treated like the stars they are, and so can you. Think I’ll make it a point to head down to the Keys. I mean, I live in Florida…how have I never been there? Papa Hemingway awaits.

Photo Sources: Hotel Photos taken from Cheeca Lodge web site, Celebrity photos

If you know of a place that makes a good fit for Celebrity Hotel of the Week, please let me know. I can be reached at southernyank01@gmail.com

“I think it looks bigger than it really is,” my son commented as we sat in the front lobby of the Doubletree Guest Suites in Nashville, waiting to check out.

We were nestled into modern sofas inches away from the automatic front doors and a few feet from the hotel restaurant where we’d had a breakfast buffet.  I looked up at the three floors rising above me and reflected on the past night’s stay.

“Yeah,” I nodded my head at him.  “I think you’re right.  It sure feels like a big, fancy hotel, doesn’t it?”

In reality, the Doubletree Guest Suites on Atrium Way in Nashville, Tennesse offers only 138 suites on three easy to navigate floors.  There’s one front door and one back door, accessible by room key, and you can get to any place in the hotel quickly and easily.  But at first glance, you almost expect a sprawling property with winding corridors and banquet rooms.

The Doubletree does an excellent job with the space they have, especially considering their rooms start at just $85 per night.

This is an all suite hotel, meaning each room comes with a bedroom and a well appointed sitting room.  My family of four plus two grandparents spent a night on the sofas and chairs in one of the living rooms, and there was ample space for the two kids under 10 who insisted on running around.  The bedrooms themselves offer comfortable beds in spacious rooms with oversized bathrooms attached.

The bed was fantastically comfortable, right down to the numerous fluffy pillows for both the bed and the pullout couch.

I love a hotel that doesn’t skimp on pillows.

The Doubletree also features an indoor and outdoor pool.  The indoor pool was reserved for a party during our stay, so we were limited to splashing around in the outdoor pool.  The pool ran from 3 feet to 5 feet with wide stairs for my four year old to lounge on in the shallow end.  The pool itself was surrounded by cushioned chaise lounges and umbrella’ed tables.  And while it did takes us three trips to the front desk to convince them that there were, in fact, no towels available poolside – when the hotel employee finally arrived, we were pleased with the large, soft towels we were given.

My only complaint about the hotel was the breakfast situation.  When we booked online, it said that breakfast was included.  However, when we made our way downstairs in the morning, all we saw was an open hot and cold buffet with a gold plaque announcing “$9.95 per person”.  There was no wait staff to question, so we sat down to eat.  Upon finishing our meal, an employee who seemed to be a bartender asked if we had meal coupons – which we did not.  Insist on breakfast coupons when you check in. As far as free breakfast buffet goes, it wasn’t bad – but it’s barely a $10 per person breakfast.

The hotel is located near the airport, and it would make a great pit stop before or after a Nashville flight.  I would also recommend this hotel for family vacations with kids.