August Break – Window

The view from our hotel room at the Intercontinental Miami was an absolute stunner. Remember the sunrise from earlier this month? I seriously did not want to look away or leave the room to do anything else. Just swoon. (You can ask my husband.)

* I'm a participant in Susannah Conway's August Break and one of the many reasons you should be one too. ;)

Holiday Inn Express – Hilton Head, SC

image from Holiday Inn Express

Destination: Hilton Head, SC
Date: May 2016
Hotel: Holiday Inn Express
Brand: IHG
Elite Status: spire
# of travelers: 2
nights: 1

Making the Decision

Super last minute I found out that I would have some extra vacation time, so I began planning my Memorial Day weekend adventure only a few days before leaving.

And even worse than only having a few days to plan (Have you seen my hotel planning checklist?!) is only having a small amount of money to spend during the trip.

The ultimate goal, however, was in visiting the beautiful Hunting Island State Park (which I'm so glad we did!) and seeing the cute little town of Beaufort (of which I expected very little and found so much! – yet to be blogged about).

Most of the Beaufort, SC hotels were booked solid, so I instead focused in on the areas of the Charleston airport (night 1) and Hilton Head (night 2) based ultimately on price. (We used IHG rewards to cover some of the cost of the room lowering the price to a reasonable amount for a holiday weekend.)

(Though I must admit a view of a lagoon and getting to see alligators and turtles lounging by said lagoon + being within walking distance of the beach didn't sound too bad!)

Getting There, Checking-In, Extra Charges, & Location

Justin and I spent the early part of our Saturday visiting Hunting Island State Park until we got rained out. We then drove over to Charleston for a beer and dinner before heading to our hotel at around 8pm that night. The drive between Charleston and Hilton Head is an hour, so it's not really a drive for the weary. Definitely consider eating more locally at Beaufort (30 minutes away) or Hilton Head (where there isn't too much to choose from) rather than making the drive to/from Charleston (even despite the amazing restaurants they have there!). Unlike me, you should use google maps and plan carefully! Plus, that hour long drive wherein you must travel slowly due to cops (because they will pull you over!) especially if you are driving in the rain at night when you are tired is not fun!

When we finally arrived to the hotel address, we drove around confused looking for the front desk. We circled and circled the main hotel. An accident had occurred and an ambulance had been called leading to even more confusion (not us!). Finally, I had my husband pull into the limited under-building parking that was available and we walked into the "lobby". Only, as it turns out, it wasn't the hotel "lobby" but merely the building-with-hotel-rooms lobby, if that makes any sense. The hotel front desk and main lobby was located in an entirely different building! I guess we should have known this would be the case when the doors to the not-lobby required a key card. *shrugs* But when you can't find the real lobby, what else can you do except try the not-real one first?

Personal pet peeve – I think they should put a sign on the door of the not-real lobby with a map and directions to the "real one". And even better, place well-lit signs (for those of us searching on a rainy night when it seems pitch black out) directing hotel customers to the front desk.

We ended up getting unhelpful directions from another hotel customer.

And then, just as Justin was about to give up altogether, I called the front desk. (They were pretty much unhelpful too, but it gave us at least a starting point.)

Finally, we found the front desk!

It was in a small one-story looking house with only a little bit of signage indicating we had arrived and absolutely no under-building or underground parking. To check in and get our room key, we would essentially have to become soaked by the miserable rain.

Side note: I had already soaked my only pair of flats that I had brought along with me on the trip. So essentially, to wear those flats, I would have cold and wet feet. Not unlike wearing the only other pair of shoes I had brought – my flip flops. 😦 In other words, it greatly annoyed me to discover I would have to go running across the parking lot in soaked shoes getting more wet by the minute after struggling to find this building to begin with! Any other not rainy day or night, I might have been less agitated.

(This was during the weekend of Hurricane Bonnie's arrival to the east coast.)

Front desk staff seemed less than understanding about our struggle to find them. Not only did they check us in, but they also charged us extra for their resort property, which I hadn't remembered reading about prior to my stay.

That was neither here nor there though when we went back to the "room building" to locate our room and park the car.

Parking, View

Justin parked the car temporarily under the building in one of the two lots of 10+ spots and we unloaded onto a hotel cart. Then, I impatiently waited in the secondary lobby as he attempted to park listening to an "entitled" couple who had been in the accident (where the ambulance had been called, as mentioned earlier) and were considering going to the hospital "just in case". The poor man just looked at his wife like "WTF? I don't want to spend my vacation in a hospital room", but he solemnly agreed like the good husband that he was.

Meanwhile, my husband was driving around and around in circles. Turns out there was no parking next to the building! Or rather, the only parking that there was had been taken up by ginormous dumpsters!

Justin caught sight of a hotel employee while circling the building and asked where to park given that there was no parking. The guy informed him that he could park in front of the dumpsters despite the "no parking sign"; he promised it would be ok. :)

So Justin parked. And as he walked back to the building he spotted a legitimate parking spot. So, he moved the car.

*sigh*

Needless to say, by the time we got to our room, we were soaked and tired … and just done with life. We placed our wet shoes on the AC unit and our clothing nearby with the hopes that they would dry. This was definitely not how we had intended on spending our holiday weekend.

One nice aspect was that when we opened the sliding glass door to the veranda we were given, we could hear the rain pitter patter as it fell. The hotel itself was dark and we couldn't see too much, but we just knew that our room faced the lagoon and that was enough for me. :)

image from Holiday Inn Express

Room

The room itself was large and spacious. We were able to spread out quite easily and comfortably. The hotel had recently done upgrades and it was quite obvious. We had access to a work desk, fridge, microwave, iron + board and hair dryer in our room. The hotel also provided soaps and shampoos ready for our use. Other amenities the hotel provides include a (seasonally) heated pool, grills, self-serve laundry, a business center, a shuttle to and from breakfast and to and from the beach, and, as per usual at Holiday Inns, free continental breakfast.

Breakfast + Shuttle

Even with the loud air conditioning unit, Justin and I slept well that night and awoke early for breakfast. We were the first ones on the shuttle for an early breakfast starting at around 7am. We had the typical continental options available to us – cereal, oatmeal, toast, bagels, and muffins, yogurt, bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, apples, bananas, and oranges, apple/orange juice, coffee, and milk. (I recommend avoiding the water unless you are used to "beach-water" that you find on the east coast.)

Our shuttle driver was quick and efficient talking to us and making us feel welcome. Clearly he was happy to be providing this service for us and more than willing to answer any questions we had about the property or the area. We learned during our drive that our particular shuttle driver was from the Beaufort area, and he gave us a few tips for implementing during our next trip to Beaufort. :)

Check Out

Justin and I fully intended on spending a bit of time in Hilton Head, or at the very least Hunting Island State Park, before heading to Asheville for the remainder of our four day weekend. With a dry morning forecast, we began our day with a visit to the local Catholic church, which is approximately a five minute drive from the hotel. The church itself was quite small and the service was nice and relaxing because of it.

Then we headed back to our room to wait out the rain that had just begun. I pulled out my laptop to get work done and we opened our sliding glass door so that we could listen.

I'm not going to lie. It was absolutely amazing. I was the most relaxed I have ever been on vacation.

And just as I was about to put away my laptop for a morning nap, the fire alarm came on.

And it didn't stop.

Not for another 5 minutes.

Long enough to convince Justin and I it was time to go. (There was no fire.)

We checked out, complained about the alarm, and … nothing. No "I'm sorry", no refund of any sort, nothing. It was the most frustrating way to end our hotel stay in Hilton Head.

Overall Review
★★★ (average)

I'm giving this hotel three stars, because my experience wasn't altogether terrible. It had a lot of "terrible moments", but I thought the view my room was nice, the bed was comfortable, and I loved being able to listen to the rain in my room. I felt that the bigger problems we faced like getting soaked and the fire alarm going off were circumstantial and not necessarily something that would happen to future visitors of the hotel. (However, be aware that TripAdvisor comments indicate that I may be mistaken.)

Your Turn

Have you ever stayed at a hotel where essentially everything that could go wrong did? And it wasn't necessarily the hotel's fault? … Or maybe it was? What would you do (or did you do) when faced with those types of circumstances? Did you leave early? Stick it out for the remainder of your vacation?




P.S. It is worth noting that this hotel is no longer pet friendly. If you have a pet, consider staying at another hotel in the area. Tripadvisor has not taken the information down regarding its "pet-friendliness" as of the writing of this post.

Holiday Inn Express – Historic Savannah, GA Review

image from IHG

Destination: Savannah, GA
Date: May 2016
Hotel: Holiday Inn Express
Brand: IHG
Elite Status: spire
# of travelers: 4
nights: 1

Making the Decision

Like with the Doubletree from last week, I was trying to find the best place to stay on a graduation/Mother's Day weekend during early May. Prices were high and choices were limited. And to make matters even more complicated, my parents, who my husband and I were traveling with, were limited on money. As an IHG member with over 100,000 points, I decided it was time to visit my supply so that we wouldn't end up sleeping on the side of the road in a box … or, worse, end up at a dumpy motel where roaches and bed bugs come to play.

For a few thousand points (it's always a few thousand…) + around one hundred or so dollars, we found ourselves at the Holiday Inn Express in historic Savannah. There were a few others equally priced outside of the historic city perimeter located near the airport, but why pay the same price for a lesser product? The Holiday Inn Express would work out perfectly! Plus, I have a personal goal of staying at new hotels each time we visit Savannah. Considering this hotel was the right price and available (and downtown! making it easy to get away from parents despite only being in one vehicle), why not?!



Getting There, Check-In, Valet Parking, & Location

After a long day, my brother encouraged my parents and I (and the hubby) to head on out to Savannah, GA from his apartment in Statesboro. (My dad and sister-in-law's mom are talkers and take some encouragement to separate.) Once we were out of the house, my brother would have an easier time getting his mini-me, significant other, and in-laws ready to go out for dinner on the town. And in the meantime, my family would be able to check into hotel #2 giving us a chance at a room upgrade that may not be available later during the day.

The drive from Statesboro takes approximately 45 minutes, so we arrived at the hotel around 4PM, just in time for check-in. Or so we thought.

As it turns out, the hotel was behind in preparing rooms. The front desk staff offered to take our luggage, but we held onto it opting instead to sit in the lobby with a free (to all guests of the hotel) cup of coffee instead. It took nearly an hour from the time we sat down until they were ready for us. Got to be honest – I thought it was a bit ridiculous. Did they not see that I had status?! (But as with most IHG chain hotels, I was led to believe that my status did not matter; they didn't care. Argh.)

One perk of the hotel though was that once we handed our car over to the valet, we were free to explore Savannah. So, just as our room became available, when my brother called to say he and his "group" were in downtown historic Savannah waiting for us, we didn't even have to get in the car to go join in. A glance at Google Maps and we were on our way!

image from IHG

Room, View, Amenities

The room itself was a decent size. We had ample room to move around, and the beds were decently comfortable. There was a work desk, a big screen tv, free internet (!!), a fridge, a Keurig with coffee offerings, and iron + board. The bathroom came with soaps, shampoos and a blow dryer. Unfortunately our room did not have much of a view, so instead we found ourselves admiring the cityscape from the rooftop pool and lounge. Despite the heat, the pool area was beautifully maintained and a great getaway from the city below.

Breakfast & Lobby

Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express was served in a large room next to the lobby. We arrived early, and soon saw why it was important to arrive early: the lack of tables! The crowd filed in, but after about 8:30AM there was nowhere for anyone to sit!

Breakfast itself wasn't terribly impressive. It was very much your typical "continental" servings. We got the choice of waffles, cinnamon rolls (probably from Costco), apples, bananas, sugary yogurt, sausage, scrambled eggs, bagels, toast, muffins, cereal, apple/orange juice, coffee, and water. And, of course, the water tastes gross since you are at a location near the ocean… (Probably not the case for people that are used to it!)

Check Out

After breakfast, we decided to head back to Statesboro (where my brother lives) to say goodbye. Checkout was quick and painless. From our room, we called the valet to get our car. Then we headed to the front desk where we handed over our room key and received our bill. We had to wait an additional 30 minutes for the valet to get our car (there is seating outside the hotel), but eventually we were ready to go. And by ready, I mean … ready! Our time in Savannah was up and we were anxious to start our journey home…

Overall Review
★★★ (average)

While the room was decently sized, the view from the roof was a stunner, and the location of the hotel worked well for us, the disappointment and aggravation I felt about having to wait for my room to become available (despite arriving after check-in time) as well as being unimpressed with the breakfast has resulted in this three star overall review. For the most part I've found that no matter what my status (whether elite or not), IHG seems to treat all of their customers … as customers and not royalty, for lack of a better word. When I'm on vacation, I don't need my every beck and call answered, but at the very least I want the hotel to live up to expectation – have a room ready and waiting after check-in time and not make the customers wait an hour, actually put effort into breakfast, and, if you keep a customer waiting (or disappoint them somehow), offer to go out of the way and provide something a little extra like a water bottle, a room with a view, a free drink from the bar… I don't think that's asking for too much.

Would I go again? Maybe. I think I prefer staying at the Historic Doubletree or Hampton Inn instead. Plus, did you know there is now a Hotel Indigo in downtown historic Savannah? With only 252 rooms and having just opened, I think this would be my first choice. Boutique hotel feel, IHG prices. Win. :)

Your Turn

Do you think the hotel was in the right expecting my family to wait for our room without offering us anything for our time? What would you have done if your hotel room wasn't ready upon arrival? … Do you ever get tired of the same old "continental breakfast" when staying at hotels?

Holiday Inn Riverview – Charleston, SC

image from 10best.com

Destination: Charleston, SC
Date: May 2015
Hotel: Holiday Inn
Brand: IHG
Elite Status: spire elite
# of travelers: 4
nights: 1

Making the Decision

Approximately one month in advance, Justin and I learned that instead of going on a family reunion tour of Boston, we would instead be seeing my little brother graduate in Savannah, GA. A big change indeed! But, one caveat, because the whole trip was designed around Justin's parents anniversary, Mother's Day, and Justin's mom's birthday, they decided to take the trip without us and conclude with a drive down the east coast meeting us in Charleston for the last weekend of their vacation. And so, along with hotel searching in Savannah, GA, I also began searching for a great hotel in Charleston, SC.

I must admit, I was a bit lax with the whole hotel search thing. I was busy (as I always am) and frustrated with the lack of low prices I was seeing in Savannah for a last minute trip during a graduation weekend that also included Mother's Day. Why couldn't we have been forewarned about the graduation any earlier? (Apparently four years isn't enough!)

Rather than spend all my time looking for a hotel in Charleston that wasn't falling on a holiday weekend, I picked a hotel that I had stayed in before. I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that with my new status with the IHG brand, I would get a fantastic room with a unique view of Charleston! Who know what other treats I would be in for? (I didn't know at the time that there would be a coke promotion with IHG in which I would get an additional 8,000pts for staying there! Yay!)

So, like that, the hotel decision was made and I was able to focus on finding hotel deals in Savannah, GA during a holiday weekend.

Getting There & Location

Ever get tired of hearing me say "We drove there"? Well, we did. Again. Four hours and done!

The hotel provided a shuttle to get to downtown Charleston, but there was no shuttle to/from the airport. (Disappointing for all of you frequent flyers, I know!) I suppose once downtown, you could use public transportation to get around and then head back to the location where the shuttle dropped you off. We didn't use the service, as awesome as it sounds.

Located just before the bridge that take you from downtown Charleston to Folly Island, we thought the hotel had a great location! We could get anywhere we wanted within 10 minutes! Tops! :) And boy did we! Trips to the beach! Trips to downtown! We went everywhere!

Checking In, Room, Elite Status Perks, View, & Amenities

Justin and I arrived long before his parents getting to the city by 10am. We went to have breakfast at Callie's Hot Little Biscuits and then drove to the hotel to check in. Unfortunately, we were informed our room wasn't ready. :( So, the front desk clerk offered to call us when it was. We gave her our number and just as we were about to leave the desk, she informed us that we would have all of the amenities checked-in guests have. We could hang out at the pool, change in the bathrooms, go up to the restaurant for breakfast, use the shuttle service, or grab coffee from the table in front of the front desk. We very much appreciated her kindness. :)

While waiting, Justin and I went on a walk at Folly Beach, had lunch with Justin's parents at SNOB, and did a little shopping. By 3 o'clock, when we hadn't heard from the hotel, we called the front desk. "Is our room ready?" "No, and if you'll wait a little longer we'll get you a room with a better view!" "Ok!"

More meandering, shopping, exploring.

Finally, the hotel called us for check in around 4pm.

Justin and I were the first to arrive to the hotel. We grabbed the key, rode the elevator up to the second highest floor (the restaurant being on the top), and immediately went to juliet balcony to check out our view. Impressive, it was. But no, in answer to your unasked question, we could not actually access the balcony since the sliding glass door was forever bolted shut. (Yes, we tried. When you are married to an engineer, all possibilities are investigated thoroughly!)

The room itself was so-so. The hotel itself was quite dated, and showing it's age. The room was on the small-ish side, but still big enough for a family. Even the bathroom was tiny compared to what I've become used to!

The only real perks I could see that we received for being a high-level IHG member were extra points and two bottles of water.

It was nice, however, having access to soaps, shampoos, conditioners, a hair dryer, and iron in our room making it easy to feel right at home. We also had access to a tv and phone (see? outdated.), but who wants to be on the phone or watch a tv when you have a view of Charleston from your room? Not me! :)

Breakfast

When I booked the room, I booked it with breakfast. At a cost of $10 more, why not? There was no way we'd be able to find breakfast for two under $10 in Charleston anywhere! :)

However, Justin's parents did not buy breakfast with the room. They instead paid $15 per person to eat in the restaurant with us.

I have to admit though that the hotel did a great breakfast buffet! Everything was tasty and delicious – much more so than your typical hotel continental/buffet breakfast. We had potatoes, bacon, eggs, pancakes, grits, fruit (strawberries, pineapple, melon, blueberries, black berries) biscuits and gravy, muffins, cottage cheese, yogurt, and corned beef hash. Coffee was included with the buffet; orange juice was not. The meal was wonderful for being a hotel meal, but perhaps not worth the price. Definitely think twice before paying at the hotel, but if you get a good price as an add-on to your room, don't be afraid to take advantage and save some money! :)

Parking, Lobby, & Elevators

The one night we were there, we found parking to be hard to come by. There was an event going on in the restaurant that filled every parking space in the lot! We definitely had to drive around a few times to find good spots!

Other times during the day were okay though. The closer you park to the front of the lot (at this time of year), the more shade your car will see and the cooler it will be when you get in!

As for the lobby, we thought it was kind of small, and, like the rooms, outdated. There weren't many places to sit, and there were always people sitting in there. Usually with luggage.

The elevators ran kind of slow. There are two and they are on the small-ish side. Justin and I have definitely experienced smaller though (@ Hotel Brighton in France), so these were nothing to complain about. It was easy to press the button, run back in your room to get something you forgot, and be back out in time to catch the elevator. (Yes, that's verging on the ridiculous side.) We never managed to find the stairs though…

Overall Review
★★★ (average)

view from room

There are definitely better hotels to stay in Charleston, but if you get a good price on this hotel, it's not bad. Outdated, yes. But the view is nice and the breakfast is good. We didn't see any palmetto bugs (cockroaches but of an even bigger size!) in the room, and, it was, more or less, clean for the age that it is. We thought the staff was incredibly nice offering to give us a better room (one facing Charleston, on a higher floor) than we might have otherwise had.

Would I stay here again?

… Probably not. I'm wanting to try all of the hotels in Charleston just to see. Ideally, I would choose the Charleston Harbor Resort and Inn or the Hampton Inn in the historic district, if I were to return to a hotel I've been to recently. But, for the right price, or even if this was the only hotel available during a weekend I knew I would be in Charleston, I wouldn't hesitate. :)

Your Turn

Are you a fan of the IHG brand of hotels? Would it aggravate you to have a balcony you couldn't walk out onto? Have any of the hotels you've ever stayed at had a restaurant with a view?

Intercontinental Paris Le Grand – Paris, France

It's day six (for me) of the A-Z blog challenge! This month I'll be sharing all about my Christmas/New Year travels in NYC and Europe – providing insight into the places I went, reviewing the hotels I stayed at, and telling my story. Today's letter is I for the EIffel Tower and the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand in Paris! (I'm skipping days G and H since I'm not blogging on the weekends. See my Index here for an idea of what's to come.) Feel free to follow along as I make my way through the alphabet this month! :)

Destination: Paris, France
Date: December 2015
Hotel: Intercontinental Paris Le Grand
Brand: IHG
Elite Status: spire elite
# of travelers: 2
nights: 1

Hotel: Making the Decision

As I did with all of the other hotel nights we researched for this trip, my first priority was to take advantage of my status at hotel chains and use points for free nights. I was also hoping to stumble across a Christmas tree or two along the way. ;)

Flyertalk readers and travel bloggers seemed to be largely advocating for the Park Hyatt Vendôme and other Hyatt hotels within the area. Upon closer look, despite my having the correct number of hotel points to book a superb night at this location, the hotel itself did not have any availability. :(

So I moved on.

Actually many of the Hyatts had the same problem. They were all fully booked for the days I would be in Paris.

About that time is when I discovered that not only did I have enough points for a stay at the Intercontinental Le Grand, but I would be left with extra. And during the 2014 Christmas season, they had a macaron Christmas tree! (Yes, you heard me right!)

So, Intercontinental it was.

(source)

Getting There

As it turns out, walking (or swimming) to Paris from NYC would take a really long time, so we opted to fly. Another Delta flight, another dollar (or three) gone.

Side note: I recommend taking a nighttime flight to Europe and sleeping as best you can during the 6 hour (from NYC) or 8 hour (from Atlanta) flight. Then, once you arrive in the morning, stay up all day until locals begin going to bed. THEN, and only then, you can rest. Trust me. – It will help with jetlag. I promise!

From the airport, Justin and I hopped into a cab to head to our hotel and unload our luggage.

Another side note: cab drivers like being paid in cash and will get irritated if you ask to pay with credit card. They will, however, in some cases, take American dollars, but keep in mind that that is an easy way to get ripped off. Ask your cab driver before you leave the airport if 1) s/he speaks English, and 2) if s/he takes credit cards, so that there are no surprises at the end of the ride.

Cheaper options: metro and bus.

You do not (and physically cannot) walk to the hotel. The CDG is located on the outskirts of Paris, so don't even try. And don't make the same mistake as me thinking the whole of Europe is smaller than it is. Even though it is not as big as the United States, it is not a small continent.

Checking In

Check-in for the Intercontinental begins later in the afternoon, but my husband and I were able to check in early during the day (around noon) after we spent two hours going through airport security. Immediately our goal was lunch, and the front desk seemed to have no reason to keep us held hostage. They informed us that our "welcome gift" would be placed in our room shortly, gave us a very welcoming smile, and told us to enjoy our stay.

Room, View, & Amenities

We rushed our carry-on luggage up to our room to change and prep for going out. The weather was chillier than what we had experienced in NYC, but not too cold. Mostly I just wanted to change into a dress. We would be exploring Paris after all!

When we arrived in our room, I couldn't help but smile. Not only was it gorgeously decorated, but we had access to a balcony where we could take in the fresh air and feel truly Parisian as we looked out at all of the slanted building roofs around us. I truly felt like I was part of a Disney movie. (Aristocats maybe? Or Ratatouille!).

Of course, if a balcony view is not your cup of tea… you could enjoy watching television, working at the computer desk, or calling someone (for room service, maybe?).

The bathroom was huge! We had access to a separate shower and tub, a variety of personal hygiene products including soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, cotton balls and a sewing kit. And of course, they had a hair dryer, and plugs/converters for American appliances and electronics (like hair straighteners and phone chargers)! Woot!

Not an Eiffel Tower view, but certainly not bad!

Elite Status

Anyway, Justin and I couldn't be cooped up for long. After all, "adventure awaits!" (Isn't that what Ellie says in the movie Up?) After the porter placed our luggage at the head of the room in a small "closet" area (no doors) without light (which makes it exciting to pick out clothing for the day), we ventured out to Printemps and Galeries Lafayette where I got a "Welcome to Europe" text and my first view (for this trip) of the Eiffel Tower! :)

When we finally returned to our room shortly before sunset, we were surprised to see a gorgeous basket of fruit waiting for us along with some delicious-looking fruit juices.

And just like that, the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand made my life. :)

Seriously, nothing could be better than having a balcony view of Paris and delicious fruits and drinks at your disposal. Yes, this was the life.

Oh Paris!

Location, Concierge

On day 2 in Paris, the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel had made a reservation for me at a local beauty salon. When we got up early to ask for directions, the women at the desk were more than helpful printing out a map for us and telling us what to look for. Of course, as I am, I took the encounter a step further asking where one might find Bûche de Noël. At first they looked at my husband and I kind of funny. I could see in their faces, they were wondering: what the hell is that? And then clarity seeped over one. "You mean Bûche de Noël" she said with a smile and a wink. I returned the smile in wonder thinking about how I couldn't hear the difference in her pronunciation and my own. *shrugs* And so she informed me I would most likely find one in the gourmet section of Galeries Lafayette, which is exactly where we went after my hair appointment. I was really appreciative of all the help the concierge staff gave us and ever-so-grateful that they didn't make me feel too badly about my French mispronunciation.

What I learned from this experience is that while this Intercontinental isn't in the smack dab center of Paris, it is easy enough to get to wherever you are going. Both shopping and the Eiffel Tower are only a short walk away; other tourist attractions may require you to take the Metro which is also located fairly close by.

Overall Review
★★★★ (above average)

This was definitely a fantastic welcoming hotel for the great city of Paris. Along with perks I received as a status holder, I also enjoyed wonderful customer service from both the front desk and the concierge staff. When we left the hotel one day after arrival (as we were doing on this trip), I was almost sad to be leaving. I wondered if the other hotels we would be staying at in Paris would be nearly as satisfying, or how you could one-up a balcony and fruit basket…

Your Turn

What has been your best hotel experience? Was it the customer service that made your stay? Or the perks? If you were guaranteed to be treated as well, even without IHG status, would you consider staying at this hotel in the future?

A • C • D • E • F