Hotels In Beach Of Carolina|"Charleston’s Tides Folly Beach Hotel … a Great Stay Pre- or Post-Cruise"

Source: allthingscruise.com
Category: Hotels In Beach Of Carolina
By: Renee Goyeneche
Posted By: Hotels Carolina Beach NC

Carolina Beach Hotel

I recently visited Charleston, South Carolina, and have a few recommendations there, including the Tides Folly Beach Hotel… a perfect sanctuary on the Atlantic to prepare for your cruise or unwind afterwards.

Our trip to Tides Folly Beach Hotel in Charleston started off in a whirlwind as I am sure most American vacations do. I finished up a conference call on my headset while packing, loading the car and pulling out of my driveway around 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. I was coming from Charlotte, about three hours away. Not too long of a drive for a quick two-day vacation.

We arrived in Charleston around 6:30 p.m. and decided to eat at a restaurant known for its shrimp & grits, called the Hominy Grill. The feel was very homey, with lush plants surrounding the entrance. It reminded me of downtown Savannah. We promptly ordered the Jalapeno hush puppies as an appetizer, as we were famished. The hush puppies were delicious and they were served with a side of Tabasco to enhance the spiciness of the jalapeño. For the main course I had to go with the shrimp and grits, and my girlfriend had the catfish. The shrimp was seasoned just right, allowing the flavor of the grits to compliment the flavor of the shellfish. The catfish was also excellent, fried to the point where it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. After the main course we shared the world famous chocolate pudding and can’t say enough about how delicious it was. The consistency was that of gelato with the flavor of chocolate that made my stomach smile with enlightenment as chocolate had never tasted so good. After dinner we proceeded to the Tides hotel to check in and adventure in and around our new surroundings.

We arrived in Folly Beach to a barrage of cars and people lining the streets. The people in vehicles were looking for parking while the people lining the streets were all headed to the beach and pier. The village immediately reminded me of something out of the Caribbean with open deck bars and restaurants. It just had that Caribbean feel.

We pulled in to Tides Folly Beach Hotel private parking lot and were happy to see parking spots aplenty as everyone not staying at the Tides was circling, waiting for someone to leave. We walked in to the lobby and were quickly greeted at the front desk. Underneath the desk in a glass enclosure was a beautiful piece of driftwood showcased like a trophy. It immediately had the beach feel and we were both very excited to check in and get to the beach just before the sun set. The room was nice with the beach home feel. Artwork of sunsets and the beach along with the lighter colors of the paint contrasted with the dark wood furniture allowing for the feeling that we had finally arrived. The room itself was cozy and homey, and the view was amazing! We were able to see the whole beach without any obstruction and there was a beautiful pier that jetted in to the ocean around 250 yards.

We immediately put on our sandals and headed to the beach. It was great to feel the ocean breeze and hear the waves as we removed our sandals to feel the soft South Carolina sand. We walked toward the pier and watched the sunset as we made our way to the very end. There was a nice little party going on at the very end of the pier and we promptly showed our ID, ordered and enjoyed a 420 Sweetwater while taking in all that Folly Beach had to offer.  Around 9 p.m., we returned to the room to change and prepare for our adventure in to downtown Folly beach. The Tides is literally right across from the downtown area and from what I could see it was the only hotel on the water. The streets were lined with people going in and out if Bahamian style bars restaurants and gift shops. We stopped by a couple bars having a drink at each to experience the ambiance before changing our course to the next.

The next day we spent most of the time at the beach before going to dinner at the in house restaurant, BLU. The décor was magnificent with twinkling colored lighting, upscale and modern furniture and a great view of the ocean. We had the seared tuna for an appetizer,  which was delicious. I then had the seared scallops as my main course and couldn’t have been more pleased. The staff was very friendly and provided us with first class service. I would definitely recommend BLU if at Folly Beach and staying at Tides.

The next morning we packed up and left early for our drive back to Charlotte. Once again, Tides was very conveniently located leaving us a few hours’ drive home.

Beach Hotel is a very nice establishment, reasonably priced and a great location with very nice restaurant right inside the hotel. Nicest hotel on the beach at Folley. It’s beachfront and just minutes from historic downtown Charleston, local attractions and the best local restaurants.

Amenities include a private beach, outdoor pool, great restaurant with room service, 24-hour business center, fitness center and 100% pet friendly. Guestrooms open to private, oceanfront, balconies or semi-private patios and feature cable televisions, mini-fridges and MP3 docking stations.

Carolina Beach Hotels |"Crestline Hotels Announces the Completion of a Major Renovation at the Courtyard by Marriott Carolina Beach, NC"

Source:http://www.carolinabeachtoday.com
Category: Carolina Beach Hotels
By: Marriott
Posted By: Hotels Carolina Beach NC

Carolina Beach Hotel

The Courtyard by Marriott Carolina Beach announces the completion of a total hotel renovation and upgrade in time for the busy summer travel season. Crestline Hotels & Resorts, which manages the popular beachfront hotel, reports that all 144 guest rooms and suites are newly renovated including the addition of flat panel TVs, as well as new bedding, new lighting, furniture and fixtures. In addition, the Lobby and Restaurant areas have been upgraded to incorporate Courtyard's refreshing business renovations. This includes the "S Bar" for food and beverage service including the breakfast buffet; new Lobby amenities such as a communal table for work and meetings; as well as a "Go Board," to check out area weather and entertainment; and a TV/Wi-Fi seating area. In addition, the hotel's more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space has been upgraded with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment.

The Courtyard by Marriott Carolina Beach is a focal point of this quaint North Carolina coastal community and is about 15 minutes by car to Wilmington, NC. The hotel's 144 well-appointed guest rooms feature private balconies and full oceanfront views. The Spa King Rooms include a private hot tub. Each guest room includes: complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, a mini fridge, a coffee station, cable TV with Pay-Per-View movies and video games. Additional hotel amenities feature an outdoor pool, an indoor heated pool, a whirlpool spa and updated fitness center, as well as a full-service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and room service.

Local activities and attractions include: the Carolina Beach fishing pier, party and dinner cruises, Carolina Beach boardwalk, shopping, NC Aquarium and Civil War sites at Fort Fisher, NC Underwater Archaeology Center, and the Federal Point History Center. For more information and reservations

About Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Crestline Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is one of the nation's largest independent hospitality management companies. Founded in 2000, the company presently manages 65 hotels, resorts and conference and convention centers with more than 13,000 rooms in 13 states and the District of Columbia. Crestline Hotels & Resorts manages 13 independent properties in major US markets including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Crestline also manages properties under such well-regarded brands as Marriott, Hilton, Westin, Renaissance, Sheraton, and Crowne Plaza. 

Courtyard Virginia Beach Hotels|" Virginia Beach Oceanfront South >>"

Source: en.worldhotels-reservation.com
Category: Courtyard Virginia Beach Hotels
By: worldhotels-reservation
Posted By: Hotels Carolina Beach NC

Virginia Beach Oceanfront South

Numerous popular sites are within easy reach from the Courtyard by Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront/South. Among these are the Virginia Sportsplex、 Ocean Breeze Fun Park and Motor World、 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. A host of restaurants and golf courses are also nearby.

There are 113 guest rooms and 28 suites at the Courtyard by Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront/South. All units come with balconies、 cable televisions、 free wireless Internet connections、 mini fridges、 coffee/tea makers、 ironing equipment、 work desks and telephones with voice mails. Bathrooms have hair dryers and shower/tub combinations. Sofa beds and wet bars can be found in select accommodations.

The Courtyard by Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront/South has an indoor swimming pool、 a whirlpool and a fitness gym. Aside from leisure facilities、 this 11-storey hotel also provides a business center、 a 950-square-foot meeting room、 vending machines and safe-deposit boxes. Guests can relax and dine at The Courtyard Cafe.

Carolina Beach Hotels | "British tourists stage sit in at luxury beach hotel after locals pee in pool and steal food."

Source : http://scallywagandvagabond.com

By : scallywagandvagabond

Category : Carolina Beach Hotels

Post By : Hotels Carolina Beach NC

Carolina Beach Hotels

A dream vacation for British tourists at one Dominican Republic luxury beach hotel has turned into a nightmare after claims that locals urinated on holiday makers and went on to eat all the food at the buffet.

The claims have come amidst assertions that locals arriving on cheap package deals went on to cause chaos at the upscale ClubHotel Riu Merangue.

Guests who went on to pay up to 12 000 pounds ($17 880 US$) for an all inclusive deal went on to say that their holiday was ruined after local vacationers used the hotel’s pool as a bathroom as well as urinating on sun loungers.

One furious vacationing guest, Tony Walton who had paid top dollar for the inclusive package went on to tell the UK’s dailymail that to date the tour operator had only offered him a scant 30 pound price break for the disruption.

Recalled Tony Walton who had arrived with his wife and teenage son and daughter: ‘The hotel in itself was fine. But then there was an influx of lots of local people who deteriorated the atmosphere. They had come on a very cheap package holiday that is all inclusive for locals.

‘They destroyed everything, ate everything. They were s****** and p****** in the pool and on the beach. They were washing themselves down fully in the shower by the pool. And there was no food – they took it all.

‘I have nothing against Dominicans, these people were not at all representative: they were drunk and rowdy.’

Hmm, could one possibly say the same of British vacationers?
to1 British tourists stage sit in at luxury beach hotel after locals pee in pool and steal food.

Bare: Tony Walton took this picture of the empty buffet at the hotel where he was on an all-inclusive break

Added Tony Walton: ‘People were peeing on the sun loungers with people on them. These people had no respect for anything. They peed up against my sun lounger while I was lying on it.’

When vacationers went on to complain to staff they were told to take excursions – which they would have to pay for (I know the slap in the face is too brilliant) – to get away from the hotel.

When Tony Walton asked for his family to be moved to another hotel, he says he was initially refused help and then told if he moved he would have to pay an extra £1,800 (2682 US $).

I know kids, your head is swimming in the pink champagne too…

By July 4, Tony Walton had become so angry that he organised a sit-in at the tour operator, Thompson desk in reception.

Joining Tony Walton were 160 other complaining guests who went on to sit and camp at the desk for a day and a half, during which time Tony Walton reckons he was threatened by the manager.

Told Tony Walton: ‘We asked for the manager to come out and address the 50 or 60 or so people gathered in the foyer,’

‘He said he was going to do nothing about it, that these people had paid to come here. He said he didn’t care and then went on to threaten me saying “You don’t scare me, I will sort you out”.
to2 British tourists stage sit in at luxury beach hotel after locals pee in pool and steal food.

ClubHotel Riu Merangue as portrayed by Thompson brochures.

Tony Walton, who is spending the second week of his holiday organising complaints from 176 people in the hotel, went on to tell:

‘Most of the other guests became ill with stomach upsets, including myself.

‘When we approached Thomson to complain they tried to send people on excursions to get out of the hotel at people’s cost – it was as if they wanted to make money out of people’s misery.

‘After three days, my brother-in-law and I tried to approach Thompson to change hotels. The lady said: “No, you can’t move”. I said “I’m staying here until we go.”

‘They wanted to charge me £1,800 to move my family to an acceptable hotel of the same standard.’

‘I said: “I’m not going to pay for another hotel.” The holiday already was approaching £12,000 for the eight of us.

‘I sat at the Thomson desk all day and watched people come with complaints at the rate of about 15 an hour.

‘I told the young lady who was trying to man the desk to call her boss. I’d been sat there from 9am to 3.30pm at this point.

‘By that time there were 160 complaining guests there. The [Thomson area] manager came and promised to look into it.

‘The hotel was expecting another 1,700 locals the next day so something had to be done.

‘We said we would cause a sit-in at the evening entertainment and welcome meetings. Even people who only had one or two days left of their holiday wanted to move.’

Kids do you get the feeling that Tony Walton is not having the time of his life in the Dominican Republican?

‘It has ruined our holiday and my wife’s birthday.

‘I paid a lot of money and I have wasted it. Thomson have been absolutely useless and Riu [the hotel chain] even worse.’

Tony Walton then goes on to tell when he returns home he will take legal advice: ‘The fight is not over.’

A spokesman for Thomson went on to offer the following: ‘Thomson is sorry to hear that Mr Walton was disappointed with his stay at the Riu Merengue in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

‘We are aware that some customers expressed a disappointment with the levels of service during high occupancy and, as a gesture of goodwill, have moved them to a hotel nearby, including Mr Walton’s party.

‘We are not aware of any reported cases of illness and the majority of customers at the hotel have opted to stay and continue their holiday.

‘Thomson takes customer satisfaction very seriously and is currently working with the hotelier to fully investigate Mr Walton’s complaint.’

A spokesman for Riu Hotels also went on to offer the following: ‘During the summer months, we do have local clients in our hotels in Puerto Plata, especially at weekends.

‘The culture in the Dominican Republic is very different and it is very important to us that all clients enjoy their holidays in our hotels.

‘We are working closely with the hotel and tour operators to investigate the complaints and solve any issues in the best possible way. ‘

A Trip Advisor review of the same hotel posted yesterday upheld Mr Walton’s complaint about the hotel.

Reviewer Natalie Steer, who stayed there from June 30 – July 7, wrote: ‘The food times was a big problem as we was queuing for around 25 minutes sometimes, then getting pushed about and food running out due to locals stacking plates up with every choice on the buffet.’

‘The pool was nice before the locals arrived and then we heard one of the locals urinating at the side of the pool and then to top it off someone pooed in the pool which meant the pool was closed for 24 hours.’

She added: ‘We booked trips as was advised by our rep to get out of the hotel during busy periods. Which isn’t right as we had paid for the all inclusive so why should we be kicked out and made to feel unwelcome?’

And there was this reflection that brought a rueful smile to my face too: I thought they were talking about the brits.

Beach Hotels In Carolina | "Deadly holiday at Carolina beaches sparks rip-current concern"

Source     :   http://www.charlotteobserver.com
Category   : Beach Hotels In Carolina
By             : Ann Doss Helms and Steve Lyttle
Posted By  : Hotels Carolina Beach NC

Officials in Brunswick County will consider adding beach warning flags and lifeguards after a July 4 holiday that saw seven people drown in rip currents along the Carolinas coast – nearly twice the number of deaths in an average year due to the dangerous water condition.

Carolina Beach

One victim was a Fort Mill school employee, and another was a judge who tried to save her. The victims also included a Catholic bishop and an Ohio man who was nearing the end of a weeklong family reunion.

“If it brings everyone to the table to try and help the public, that’s at least taking something positive from a tragedy,” said Anthony Marzano, director of emergency services in Brunswick County, where four of the deaths occurred. The area is a popular vacation destination for Charlotte-area residents.

Two other drownings happened just south of that county, along the Myrtle Beach, S.C., coast. The seventh was farther south, on Hilton Head Island.

A surge of water coming in from storms and tourists arriving for the Independence Day holiday created a death toll that shocked long-time coastal residents.

“After we’ve had this rash of things happening, anything’s on the table,” said Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith, a lifelong resident who said she can’t recall the last ocean drowning in her town, which has 7 miles of coastline.

The Myrtle Beach area has lifeguards, but Brunswick County, with six municipalities responsible for more than 40 miles of coast, does not. Nor do any of the Brunswick County beaches have flags to warn visitors when there’s a high risk for rip currents, which can quickly and unexpectedly pull swimmers out to sea.

“It’s always been kind of ‘swim at your own risk,’ ” said Smith, who says the gently sloping beach and calm waters generally keep the risk low.

Town officials from Sunset and Holden beaches, Brunswick County towns that also had drownings, could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.

The risk was high on Wednesday and Thursday, when the N.C. deaths occurred, Marzano said. But visitors would have had to go online or watch local TV to know that.

“As a tourist, you’re not going to spend a lot of time watching the news while you’re on vacation,” Marzano said. “We don’t see a lot of problems with the local public. It’s the transient population.”

Chris Brewster, president of the California-based U.S. Lifesaving Association, said the Brunswick County scenario sounds like a case of “irresponsible local governments,” which promote profitable tourism but “are unwilling to provide safety services that are necessary.”

It often takes tragedy to bring change, says Brewster, whose group is a nonprofit association of beach lifeguards and water rescuers. “The biggest mistake is to have these kind of incidents and take no action.”

Danger builds

The unusually high number of rip current deaths resulted from the same weather pattern responsible in part for the rainy weather inland across the Carolinas, one meteorologist said Monday.

Dave Loewenthal of the National Weather Service office in Wilmington said a high pressure system over the Atlantic allowed a southeast wind to blow for hundreds of miles before reaching the Carolinas coast.

“We call that a long fetch,” he said. “The waves aren’t super big, but there’s a lot of water coming in.”

Scientists say rip currents are nature’s way of returning water from the shore to the open ocean. Small channels develop from the shore to deeper water, pulling the water out at speeds up to 6 mph — faster than an Olympian can swim, according to Marzano.

Signs at beach access points warn swimmers how to respond: Swim parallel to the beach to escape the currents, rather than risk exhaustion trying to fight the current back to shore. But that’s hard to remember in a panic situation, Marzano says.

The first three drownings came Wednesday, as the holiday began. William Nicolaro, a 72-year-old Apostolic Catholic bishop from Florida, drowned while spending time with family members at Ocean Isle Beach.

The same day, two people died at Sunset Beach, which borders Ocean Isle on the southwest. Maryanne Galway, a 55-year-old school attendance counselor from Waxhaw, began experiencing trouble in the water. Mitchell McClean, 54, a District Court judge from Wilkes County since 1998, jumped into the surf to help. Both people died. Galway’s husband, who also tried to help, was caught in the current but survived.

During a 5-minute 911 call obtained by the Observer, a woman tells the dispatcher that a man had just been pulled from the water. That man said two others were still “in the water drowning,” according to the caller.

Minutes later she reports that two people are being pulled out of the water.

“They’re giving CPR on the woman,” she said. “The woman is not breathing.”

Sunset Beach police Det. Joe Smith said there are a number of water rescues annually on his island, but he said, “It seemed like the rip currents were worse last week. I’ve lived here a number of years, and that was worse than usual.”

No guards to help

“Good Samaritan” deaths are common in rip currents, experts say. While trained lifeguards have flotation equipment, amateur rescuers often get themselves in trouble, even when the original victim survives.

“Most of the time, if you just float, it will kick you to safety,” said UNC Wilmington Professor Spencer Rogers of N.C. Sea Grant, a coastal research and education program. “That’s why the original victims often make it back.”

Attorney Dennis Joyce of Wilkesboro told WGHP-TV he isn’t surprised that McClean risked his life trying to save someone: “He died the way he lived.”

Solid numbers on rip current rescues and deaths are hard to come by, with no single agency responsible. Beaches with lifeguards report data to the Lifesaving Association, but those without do not. Brewster said the vast majority of ocean rescues are caused by rip currents, and deaths in those situations are rare.

Ten N.C. and S.C. beaches, including Nags Head, Wrightsville, Kure and Kill Devil, reported 3,875 rip current rescues from 2010 to 2012. Rip currents drowned three people on unguarded beaches and two on guarded beaches during that time, data show. More than 34 million people attended those beaches over the three years.

A 14-year study conducted by the College of DuPage, in Glen Ellyn, Ill., found an average of 3.14 rip current-related deaths annually in North Carolina and 0.93 in South Carolina. Those numbers echo what Marzano reported from talking to his staff: The two-day holiday brought more deaths than they’d normally see in an entire summer.

Smith and Marzano say lifeguards might have averted some or all of the Brunswick County deaths, which continued on Thursday. At Holden Beach, northeast of Ocean Isle, 57-year-old Randall Joyce of Pfafftown drowned in a rip current. His wife and two adult children were rescued.

“It’s challenging to be an emergency responder,” Marzano said. “You get there after the fact.”

Response to tragedy

Smith said all Ocean Isle firefighters are trained in water rescue, but they’re not stationed on the beaches.

“I would think your chances are improved” with lifeguards, Smith said, “but there’s no guarantee.”

Indeed, the holiday deaths continued in South Carolina, in an area that has lifeguards.

In Myrtle Beach, Richard Butler, 57, of Laurinburg, died in rough waters off 72nd Ave. North. And 50-year-old Mark Baucom, from the Anson County town of Polkton, was killed in the surf off 15th Avenue South in North Myrtle Beach.

The seventh victim was reported Friday. Bob Mann, a 69 year-old visiting from Ohio, died when he was swept away by a rip current while walking in the water in Calibogue Sound at Hilton Head.

In Brunswick County, emergency officials immediately printed out instructions on how to escape rip currents and gave them to owners of rental properties. Smith, the Ocean Isle mayor, is among the property owners who distributed them during the holiday weekend.

Smith said the Ocean Isle Town Council will discuss beach safety measures at its regular meeting Tuesday, though the issue isn’t likely to be settled that quickly.

The lifeguard question “is a manpower issue,” she said. With seven miles to cover and swimmers present from sunrise to sunset, the coverage could be challenging, she said.

But Brewster said that’s a typical excuse. No government covers every stretch of beach, he said. Instead, guards are stationed in high-traffic areas, and tourists are informed which beaches have guards. “What you do is provide reasonable amounts of safe alternatives.”

Marzano said he’s heard from officials from other coastal municipalities who plan to discuss safety improvements.

Hotels In Carolina | "Carolina Beach Hotels"

Source     :   http://anillla.blogspot.com
Category   : Hotels In Carolina
By             : anillla
Posted By  : Hotels Carolina Beach NC

MYRTLE BEACH — Myrtle Beach, this year celebrating the 75th anniversary In Plyler Park, just off the boardwalk, the Hot Summer Nights series of free concerts and other events runs this year through Aug. 31. On Mondays, there are free kids carnivals In South Carolina, the beaches are public and there bungalows and proudly calls itself "arrogantly shabby." In Myrtle Beach, the shore is lined with high-rise hotels and condominiums and it's just a short walk to grab a burger along busy In the absence of state and federal dollars, Carolina Beach would have to dip into New Hanover County's room occupancy tax account, proceeds from a 6 percent tax levied on hotel bills.

Hotels In Carolina

Currently, that account contains around $30 million, an amount Catlin MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Myrtle Beach, this year celebrating the 75th anniversary of its incorporation, is the heart of South Carolina’s $16.5 billion tourism industry. Myrtle Beach is in the center of a 60-mile reach of beaches that attracts more than 14 MYRTLE BEACH — A Myrtle Beach hotel that’s been in business since the mid-1970s has rebranded and renovated under new ownership. The Cherry Tree Inn, a staple at 5400 N. Ocean Boulevard for nearly 40 years, has become the Mermaid Inn. The 57-room MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina — Construction has been delayed on the first new hotel in Myrtle Beach in four years. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported (http://bit.ly/1a74ycR) that crews had planned to start work on a 14-story Homewood Suites Oceanfront .

FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA (WMBF than a decade since the building in the Cool Springs Business Park in Aynor has had a tenant but that will soon change. According to the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic DevelopmentMore >> Its been more than a decade Across town, at the Broadway at the Beach entertainment complex, there are free fireworks every Tuesday and most Fridays during the summer. North Myrtle Beach holds four free concerts on Friday evenings during the season in McLean Park while there are Restaurant Week Myrtle Beach, a part of South Carolina Restaurant Week is an eleven-day celebration Use the search boxes to view the participating restaurants and hotels. Menus, maps, links, telephone numbers and online reservations information Myrtle Beach is in the centre of a 100-kilometre reach of beaches that attracts more than 14 million visitors a year to dozens of golf courses, hundreds of restaurants and tens of thousands of hotel, motel and other rental units.

Carolina Beach Hotels | "10 Of America’s Top Historic Hotels"

Source     :   blog.startle.com
Category   : Carolina Beach Hotels
By             : Forbes Travel Guide Editor Caroline Patek
Posted By  : Hotels Carolina Beach NC

There are countless pieces that form a hotel’s identity—from an ideal location to its pool amenities to the thread count on the plush beds. But one of the most unique facets of a luxury property’s makeup is its history, and the United States boasts a long list of hotels rich with fascinating backgrounds, including architectural details, landmark statuses and famous guests. Whether you’re vacationing in Los Angeles or New York City or escaping to Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, we’ve rounded up 10 hotels across the country that are worthy of a history lesson.

Beach Hotels

The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles

The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel is actually older than the city of Beverly Hills—it was once home to a post office and a primary school before the city was incorporated—so it’s fitting that it became the first official historic landmark in mid-2012. Nicknamed “The Pink Palace,” The Beverly Hills Hotel has hosted celebrities from Elizabeth Taylor to John Lennon in its 101-year history.

The Biltmore Hotel, Miami

Built in 1926, this Miami hotel mixes Italian and Spanish architectural styles—the 93-foot copper tower is modeled after the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain. After becoming famous as a getaway for the wealthy during the Jazz Age, The Biltmore became a hospital during World War II, and then was unoccupied before reopening as a hotel in the 1980s.

Mansions on Fifth, Pittsburgh

Originally built as a private home in the early 1900s, Mansions on Fifth is one of the few remaining mansions that still exists on Pittsburgh’s “Millionaire’s Row.” The grand structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and features such as a library, original wine cellar and various fireplaces truly make it feel like a home.

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Mich.

A National Historic landmark, Grand Hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island is a summer getaway on the island known for its ban on cars—access is by ferry or plane only. Each of the hotel’s 385 guest rooms is different and designed with colorful wallpaper and floral patterns. More than 30 “named” suites honor exceptional people and places, including seven former first ladies.

Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego

This San Diego resort is famous for its red-turreted Victorian exterior and beachfront location. Hotel Del Coronado opened in 1888, and Marilyn Monroe’s Some Like It Hot was filmed here in 1958.

The Plaza Hotel, New York

This Fifth Avenue hotel is both a New York City landmark and a National Historic Landmark. The Beaux-Arts design was fully restored during a 2007 renovation in honor of its 100-year anniversary. In spring 2013, the Four-Star hotel unveiled The Fitzgerald Suite in honor of the release The Great Gatsby and paying homage to the author who was a regular at The Plaza Hotel.

The Inn at Leola Village, Lancaster, Pa.

Head to Pennsylvania’s Amish Country for a stay at The Inn at Leola Village, where the original buildings date back to 1867 and served as farmhouses, a tobacco farm and a carriage house. Now, the 62-room inn is a charming countryside respite with Four-Star TÈ Restaurant, and guest rooms that feature exposed wood beams and antique furniture.

The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, Va.

The Five-Star hotel opened in 1895 and has been a Richmond fixture ever since. The Beaux-Arts building is a Virginia landmark and has hosted 12 presidents. The Jefferson Hotel’s rotunda feels historic thanks to its marble columns and stained glass, and the rooms match the traditional style—with original woodworking and antique reproduction furniture.

The Cincinnatian Hotel, Cincinnati

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Cincinnatian Hotel is famous for being one of the first hotels in the world to have elevators. The Forbes Recommended property is still impressing guests today with touches ranging from original artwork created by local artists to afternoon tea in the atrium of The Cricket Lounge.

The Peninsula New York

Housed in a 1905 Beaux-Arts building that was originally The Gotham Hotel, The Peninsula New York is known for its façade of limestone carvings, a copper cornice and Doric columns. This Five-Star New York City landmark mixes history with decidedly modern technology; rooms have bedside panels that control everything from temperature to the do-not-disturb sign.

Hotel Blackhawk, Davenport, Iowa

This Forbes Recommended hotel seamlessly combines its past (dating back to 1915, when it first opened) with modern flair thanks to its major renovation that was completed in 2009. As a member of the Historic Hotels of America, you’ll spot aspects of the original building (stained glass, lobby columns) along with 21st-century amenities such as an on-site bowling alley—which was taken out in the 1950s only to be later rebuilt to restore the hotel to its original splendor—and spa.

The Davenport Hotel and Tower, Spokane, Wash.

Modeled after the grand hotels of Europe, The Davenport Hotel and Tower traces its history all the way back to 1914. Throughout the years, the Spokane hotel has hosted a variety of guests, from politicians to celebrities, and its Victorian-era decadence retains its strong presence within The Davenport’s walls.

The Saint Paul Hotel, St. Paul, Minn.

The Saint Paul Hotel has played a role in countless cultural events in its 103-year history (though the building dates back to 1856), from hosting a dinner to salute pilot Charles Lindbergh in the 1920s to serving as a headquarters for one of St. Paul’s major gangsters, Leon Gleckman, in the 1930s.

Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans

This French Quarter hotel has remained a famous address in New Orleans since 1886. As one of the last family-run hotels in the U.S., Hotel Monteleone makes appearances in literary works from Ernest Hemingway and Eudora Welty, and it is one of just three hotels in the country to be named a Literary Landmark.