Five Frivolities: July 23
My new favorite hotel in America, what you can & can't take from hotel rooms, the case for being a repeat visitor, where I'd live if I were Eloise, and Slim Aarons' hotel haunts.
1. I just found my favorite hotel in America
I did it. I jumped on a plane, and went to experience New England Summer. The weather was going to be iffy, so Newport, Rhode Island was the destined destination. My friend Mary Whit drove up from New York, and we had a magic long weekend. Before we get into what you’re here for, I have to tell you to watch “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” The first movie in a long time that I feel compelled to tell people to watch.
Anyway, we stayed at two different hotels, mostly because we were chasing the lowest rates, but also so I could experience two different Newport hotels. Spoiler alert: there was a clear winner. By a long shot.
The Castle Hill Inn is on what I came to describe a promontory (a vocabulary word that suddenly resurfaced after retirement post middle school spelling bee) over the Atlantic, facing the Naragansett bridge. As a newbie, it was exactly what my mind wanted New England to be. An old home turned luxury hotel, with rooms in the “mansion” and others in cottages scattered throughout the sprawling grounds. I chose a room in the mansion, because, when given a choice, I will always choose the oldest option. The one with the charm, and potentially, I guess, ghosts.
The room was perfect. No elevator, I should mention. Ours, the Bridge Room, Inn 8, was on the third floor with a vaulted ceiling. But cramped it was not. I’m particular about wallpaper, this was a hell yes. I’m also particular about beds, and it was one of the best. Everything else followed suit. A deep soaking tub overlooking the grounds and water. A Swarovski telescope to peer at the mansions in the distance, or the boats drifting by.
Great breakfast. Great bar. Great service. And the grounds…incredible. Dozens of Adirondack chairs across the greener-than-green lawn. An activity every night. The night of our stay, there was supposed to be “stargazing and smores,” but alas we witnessed a true East Coast summer monsoon instead. Next time. Which will, hopefully, be very soon.
The second night was at the Vanderbilt, an Auberge hotel. In downtown Newport, the location is great. The bed was very comfortable, and the interiors were very charming. But, as my friend Mary Whit put perfectly, it felt a little bit like Sleep No More in New York. A bit overly theatrical, and that’s coming from a girl who loves the drama. Would I recommend? Yes. But, if you can, opt for the Castle Hill Inn instead.
2. What you can and can’t take from hotels
There seems to be some confusion on this. Let me help?
You can, and should take, as a guest at a luxury hotel: slippers, pad of paper, pen, toiletries unless they are attached to something.
You cannot, and will be charged if you do, take as a guest at a luxury hotel: robes, towels, pillowcases, any bedding, umbrella.
Mostly, if you’re not walking around your house with hotel slippers, you missed a big opportunity.
3. The case for being a repeat visitor
As much as I want to see the world, I keep going back to the same places. And I don’t plan on changing that.
Part of it is about comfort. Part of it is about easy expectations. Part of it is about loyalty. Part of it is about ego.
Capri, for example. Growing up, we’d go back every year, same weeks, same hotel, same room. And largely, we’d see the same people. We’d eat at the same restaurants, at the same table, sit in the same seats at the same cafe in the same piazzetta, year after year. And now, as an adult, I choose to do exactly that with my own money and time off work. Minus the hotels, mostly because where we used to stay was my place with my dad, and he can’t travel anymore. People often ask me, “don’t you want to go somewhere else?” And the answer is yes, but not in sacrifice of Capri. It’s an “and” not an “or,” budget willing.
For the comfort part, it’s nice to know the lay of the land. People’s names, and them knowing yours. Which leads to the easy expectations. You know where and what you like, and what you don’t. What days to do what things, and how to plan a day exactly as you like it. When I do a boat day around Capri, I know I won’t want to go to dinner that night (sea legs). On Fridays, I know I want to be in the piazzetta early, before it fills up with everyone coming for the weekend, to get “my table” at the cafe, and so I can do my best people watching of the week. I know that on Tuesdays, two of my favorite restaurants are closed, so that’s the best night to eat at Aurora, and earlier than usual, so you don’t feel like a sardine.
When you return to the same place time and time again, you naturally create traditions. As I’ve gotten older, traditions have become things I truly treasure. The big ones and the little ones. So, returning to the same place over and over again, to eat at the same restaurants where the same people work, makes me happy. But half of that is because it strokes my ego. I like to be an “expert” on one place. I also like to have people know my name, squeeze me in for dinner, and light up when I first see them that summer. I like to get treated like a local, while being a tourist.
And I know I’m not alone, and it’s not just Capri. Yes, the world is big, but your heart is small and life is short. Go where you want to go, even if you’ve been 20 times before. Screw the should’s. We should floss twice daily, not look at our phones before bedtime, drink 8 glasses of water a day, exercise (but not too much), send thank you notes and read the physical newspaper. But, do we all do all of that? I don’t, for damn sure. I live the way I love. Why should vacation be any different?
4. If I were Eloise, I’d live in these 12 hotels throughout the year
*If I were Eloise, there would be Monopoly money.
January: Cotton House, Mustique. Start the year in the sun, speed stuck at slow, working from beach, pool, porch and bed and isolating from most of society.
February: Cuixmala, Careyes, Mexico. During the coldest month, I’d want to be somewhere warm and with tequila and tacos. Surrounded by a creative community and cocoon myself in color.
March: Hotel Locarno, Rome. The third month would start my sojourn to Italy. I’d have to start in Rome, where I’d get city living and heaps of history and PASTA.
April: Il Salviatino, Florence, Italy. After a month in Rome, I’d still want city in Italy, but smaller, more intimate. In an old villa, on the hill, overlooking the city that birthed the Renaissance.
May: La Minervetta, Sorrento, Italy. Before the main summer rush or the rising temperatures, I’d head south to Sorrento. But really, I wouldn’t be leaving the city very much. This is where I’d sit in solitude, surrounded by curios with a view of Vesuvius and get inspired and set for the season ahead.
June: Punta Tragara, Capri, Italy. For me, June will always mean Capri. If I could wake up looking at the Faraglioni every day, I’d be in hotel heaven. This is where I’d take my vacation time, as always.
July: Il Pellicano, Monte Argentario, Tuscany, Italy. For July, I want il dolce far niente. And there’s nowhere sweeter to do nothing than at Il Pellicano.
August: Villa Feltrinelli, Lake Garda, Italy. Ending the summer in high style, in the grandest place of them all. All day, I’d work at this one table that’s tucked away, right on the lake. Every night, I’d do it big and Dress Up (the real deal) for dinner.
September: Castle Hill Inn, Newport, Rhode Island. Bridging the two best seasons, I choose my new love of New England. Cure my newly acquired aversion to Italian food with lobster rolls and oyster and fried food.
October: The Point, Saranac Lake, New York. Fall foliage in full force, before it gets too cold. But, just chilly enough to work beside the fire breakfast until dinner.
November: The Carlyle, New York City. November is the best month in New York. And November is best spent in New York. There’s nothing more New York than The Carlyle.
December: Goldeneye, Jamaica. End the year escaping the cold to the warm and the wonderful. The James Bond version of jerk chicken, the type of juxtaposition I particularly enjoy.
Sadly, I am not Eloise so I will not be doing any of this. But, I do want to move out of San Francisco and back to my hometown, Mill Valley. There, now it’s “out in the universe.” Also, if you want me to do a version of this that would not require Monopoly money, inquire below.
5. Slim Aarons’ hotel haunts
For as long as I can remember, Slim Aarons has been my favorite photographer. I can be perched in bed contently at home, stumble upon a photo from the ‘70s and immediately have extreme wanderlust. He was known to capture beautiful people in beautiful places, and some of my favorite of his photographs were taken at hotels - obviously. Here’s a nearly comprehensive list of his hotel haunts, and whether or not I’d still stay today.
Punta Tragara, Capri, Italy - YES, refer to #4.
Marbella Club, Marbella, Spain - YES, dying to go.
Hacienda Na Xamena, Ibiza, Spain - Yes, but not all caps.
Villa d’Este, Lake Como, Italy - If someone else was footing the bill, otherwise nah.
Carlton Cannes, French Riviera - It was just remodeled and it looks…nice…but I’m just not the Cannes type.
Il Pellicano - YES times infinity.
Beverly Hills Hotel - Yes, embarrassingly. Rooms are meh but it does have this Old Hollywood legacy that lingers in the halls.
The Colony, Palm Beach, Florida - Yes, now more than ever.
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes, France - If someone else was footing the bill, but I’ve never felt called to it.
Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat (formerly Hotel Bel-Air), French Riviera - Yes for clients, no for me.
Las Brisas, Acapulco, Mexico - Nah.
The Ocean Club, Nassau, Bahamas - Once something becomes a Four Seasons, it’s usually a no for me.
The Meridian Club aka Pine Cay, Turks & Caicos - Would go on a press trip, would definitely not go otherwise. Turks & Caicos just doesn’t speak to me.
Cala di Volpe, Sardinia, Italy - Yes, but mostly for the exteriors and communal areas.
(Almost all of the above are preferred partners of my travel agency, Fora, and as your travel agent I would be able to get you complimentary amenities, just saying.)
Ok, internet friends - talk to me. Do you like this? What do you like best? Least? Do you want me to share more about me or more about hotels or more about places I want to go or more about strategy? Tell me what you want, I’ll consider, and hopefully deliver. Regardless, thank you for being here and kudos to you for making it to the end. I am many things, but brief is not one of them.
x Your penpal, Marissa
I love it :)