Royal Park Grand Hotel
Royal Getaway
(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JULY/AUGUST 2007)
BY THE TIME YOU GET to your room at this classy new Michigan lodging, the weekend seems to have planned itself. A tour along the way by a Royal Park Hotel staff member prompts a mental checklist.
You could start by delving into books about Detroit and art while sipping coffee in the walnut-paneled library, then relaxing in the gardens outside the glass-topped conservatory. Next, rent a bike and pedal the eight miles of trails along clear Paint Creek, which flows next to the hotel. Then, try some fly fishing in these waters, which the Department of Natural Resources stocks with trout every summer. (The hotel offers a package that provides equipment, and the executive chef will cook your fresh catch to order.)
Afternoons bring wine and olive-oil tastings and teas with finger sandwiches and pastries. Evenings include martinis, live music and fine dining in the softly lit Brookshire restaurant. Indulge in Dover sole and finish with bananas Foster prepared tableside.
The 143-room hotel offers 15 suites, many with balconies, and 128 standard deluxe rooms. You’ll find posh furnishings, plasma TVs and marble showers. The goal was to deliver elegance with a country-manor character, without sacrificing the small-town accessibility of Rochester (the main street is just a block away). The brick-and-stucco structure has brought a new focus to Paint Creek, and to the community’s charm.
Rooms from $229. The Brookshire restaurant and The Commons, offering more casual meals, are open daily (248/652-2600; www.royalparkhotel.net).
HOTEL ORRINGTON
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS
Oh, the stories those chandeliers could tell!
Since 1923, the four crystal fixtures in the Grand Ballroom of Evanston’s Hotel Orrington have shimmered high above brides and bar mitzvah boys, prom queens and politicians.
But now, those chandeliers shine even brighter since this nine-story hotel wrapped up a $34 million makeover that swapped stodgy elegance for updated luxury.
Guest rooms with brick red-and-mustard color schemes boast clean-lined ebony furnishings.
A wall of windows spills morning sun into the booth-lined Globe Cafe, framing views of students hurrying to classes at nearby Northwestern University. At the other end of the lobby, a polished steak house atmosphere prevails at Narra. In between, Indigo offers music and cutting-edge cocktails.
After breakfast, guests often stroll paths through city parks designed to hug the Lake Michigan shoreline. From $119 (847/866-8700; www.hotelorrington.com).?
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