Writes of Passage

1335 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

… more pix on Google, Yelp & TA

On top of being quite old and basic, their charging $5 per item for storage is unusual.

They put us on the 28th floor, very close to the elevators, which is my preference.

Waking up the following morning, just as the sun was rising, I caught a good reflection of it.

Location: 5/5
Check-in: 0
Amenities: –
Lobby: 2
Room: 3
Bed and pillows: 4
Bathroom: 3
Toiletries: Crabtree & Evelyn
Towels: 3
Shower water pressure: 1
Breakfast: Grab & Go, 4

Pros: midtown location; 360-degree TV, and thanks for having the Tennis Channel, which I appreciate; and the silver trim on the pillowcase looks elegant. Two luggage racks in the room.

Cons: Super slow check-in, that we waited in line for 17 minutes at 11pm, and the actual check-in took 10 minutes, including the clerk disappearing while processing us.
Two lines, one for Honors members and one for others: wait times are about the same, with Honors slightly longer.

Elevators are very slow.

One nightstand for the king bed.

The sink water is very slow. Washing hands takes forever.

The $5 storage charge: this must be due to other hotels’ policies—high and low, inside and outside the US—that spoiled us with free storage. Any item is $5, a backpack? $5.

Bottled water must be requested, and someone will deliver it: Is this extra workforce really necessary? New York Times has just reported, N.Y.C. Hotel Housekeepers Will Earn Over $100,000 Under New Contract.

The concierge isn’t very helpful.

No subway nearby.

Late check-out: must be requested on the day. I rarely need it, but this time my flight leaves at 6:45pm. So I requested it, and the clerk granted me an extra 30 minutes. Thanks a lot.

R. de São Pedro de Alcântara 39,
1250-237 Lisboa, Portugal

… more pix on Google, Yelp*, TA

Palácio Ludovice Wine Experience Hotel, Lisbon (opened 2022) is abeautifully restored mansion-turned-hotel, thoughtfully designed and generally excellent. I would have rated it 5/5 overall, except for a notably poor breakfast experience on one morning.

Ratings
Location: 5/5
Amenities: 5/5
Lobby: 4/5
Room: 4/5
Bed & pillows: 5/5
Bathroom: 4/5
Toiletries: Portus Cale
Towels: 5/5
Shower pressure: 5/5
Breakfast: 1/5 (inconsistent experience)
Restaurant: 5/5

The hotel sits right next to the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. It occupies an entire block, with the surrounding streets—especially Travessa da Cara—coming alive at night.

Our second-floor room featured high ceilings and overlooked the atrium, where the restaurant sits below. The long hanging lights and greenery create a warm, open atmosphere. The room door is heavy and solid, adding to the sense of restoration.

The bathroom is well-finished but slightly limited in counter space. Shower pressure from the handheld unit is excellent, almost strong to a fault. Small details—like the slightly short toilet seat and occasional lingering drip from the faucet—are noticeable but minor.

The gym has a striking vaulted ceiling, though I didn’t use the facilities.

A 5:30pm wine tasting led by a licensed sommelier (limited to 12 guests) was a highlight—informative, intimate, and well-run.

Breakfast is generally very good: buffet selection plus made-to-order eggs. Cappuccinos are served in thick cups or tall glasses, and items like the honeycomb and chia seed pudding stand out.

However, service during our last breakfast on a Saturday fell far below standard—slow, disorganized, and inattentive, with significant delays in both ordering and clearing tables, which detracted sharply from the experience.

Dinner (steelite tableware) and the bar (Riedel stems) were both excellent and consistently well-executed.

Thanks for the afternoon egg tarts!

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20 6 Duplo Pequeno
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https://www.bonvoyage.ireneeng.com/?p=98468

C. de Serrano Jover, 3, Centro,
28015 Madrid, Spain

… more pix on Google

Madrid Marriott Hotel Princesa Plaza has 409 rooms and 14 Suites, without a swimming pool. The lobby has fresh flowers, is well-lit, and well-designed. A fellow traveler mentioned that bus #001 is free and goes to train station Atouch.

The room is comfortable and functional. The long sofa is particularly inviting. The shower water pressure is great. The wine opener is a nice touch.

The toilet paper station toward the back made my waist slimed down by 2″: would be great if it’s in the front, in the narrow space.

A Starbucks is on one end of the building. Carrefour and El Corte Inglés are near by.

Location: 5/5
Amenities: ?
Lobby: 4
Room: 4
Bed n pillow: 4
Bathroom: 5
Toiletries:
Towels: 5
Shower water pressure: 5
Breakfast: 4
Restaurant:

A chipped bowl is used at our meeting.

613 N Wells Street
Chicago, IL, 60654,

… more pix on Google, Yelp, TA

Staying here was a mistake. Even as I stood in the lobby, it didn’t dawn on me that I’d accidentally booked a hostel instead of a hotel. The words “historic” and “boutique” must have captured my imagination. We almost took an Uber straight to the voco Chicago Riverwalk from the airport, which had been my original reservation.

Rating
Location: 3/5
Room: 2
Cleanliness: 4
Shower pressure: 3
Towels: 4
Service: 1

I didn’t realize until later that I had double-booked two nights in Chicago.
Opened in 2018, the property repurposes a 1920s building that once served as a Shriners athletic club and later as single-room occupancy (SRO) apartments. The history is genuinely interesting and gives the building character.
Unfortunately, the service was among the worst I’ve encountered, largely due to an interaction with one front-desk employee.
On our first morning, we received a text message stating that complimentary coffee and tea were available. When we went downstairs, the front-desk agent informed us that they had run out of coffee.
I asked where the coffee would normally be served, noting that there was a bar on site.
“We just ran out of coffee today,” she replied.
I repeated the question, hoping to find tea instead. She repeated that they had run out of coffee. After a third attempt, I interrupted and raised my voice slightly. She immediately responded, “You raised your voice at me. I’m not dealing with you,” and walked away, leaving the front desk unattended.
Looking around, I eventually found the self-service beverage station in the back and helped myself to tea.
Before leaving for the day, my husband asked if two extra blankets could be sent to our room.
“I’m not talking to you,” she replied.
When we returned around 7 p.m., we asked again. The evening front-desk agent brought the blankets up almost immediately.
The building’s history is charming. The service, unfortunately, was not.

17 E Monroe St,
Chicago, IL 60603.

… more pix on Google, Yelp, TA, Insta

Palmer House is a historic hotel in Chicago‘s Loop area. Opened in 1870, rebuilt in 1925, which is the current structure.

The longest continuously operating hotel in North America, it was city’s first hotel with elevators, and the first hotel with electric light bulbs and telephones in the guest rooms. It’s a Hilton now.

Lockwood is a bar and restaurant on the second floor.

Seeing a few Asians partcipants in the Midwest Political Science Association MPSA annual conference.

2620 N 26th Ave
Hollywood, FL 33020

… more pix n videos on Google Maps, Yelp, TA

La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Ft. Lauderdale Airport

A good place for a quick stop before the cruise. 24/7 front desk. They’ve shuttled to the ship on the hour for $15 pp. Room includes breakfast: boiled eggs, yogurt, oranges, etc.

Kind front desk staff, especially the lady with the wide headband who gave me the secret code -:) thank you.

The room and bathroom are decent and clean. The bed is comfortable, but the pillows are uncomfortable. Old Town Woodbury & Co. toiletries.

The budget coffee maker is my favorite because it’s easy to use for making hot water.

The backyard features a small swimming pool and a hot tub, both overlooking the pond.

There was some noise from children during my stay.

1200 Anastasia Avenue
Coral Gables, Florida 33134

… more pix & videos on Google Maps, Yelp*, TA

The hotel is in a nice neigborhood, the swim, tennis, and golf  facilities alone make this place worth coming back to—but the hotel and overall experience easily match that standard.

~ a few old photos on the 6th floor’s hallway

… where to eat

• Fontana, Italian restaurant
• Fairways, casual
• Cascade, bar by the pool
• Posto Dolce: the sandwich shop

The hotel has an earthy, quaint elegance and is maintained in mint condition. Service is consistently excellent. The ambiance is calm and unhurried, with classic Mediterranean Revival architecture—graceful arches throughout and a striking 315-foot copper-toned tower modeled after Seville’s Giralda.

The lobby is especially memorable: a vaulted ceiling, beautifully detailed, and even two cages housing tropical finches. The lower lobby (downstairs) are boutique shops, La Fontana, and convenient access to the sporting facilities—pool, poolside café (Cascade), tennis courts, golf course, and Fairways.

Check-in is on the slower side, but the staff are polished and attentive, which softens the wait.

Room Experience

Room 612 features a long balcony facing the city and excellent soundproofing—quiet and restful.
The bathroom is narrow but charming, with earthy tiles that fit the hotel’s aesthetic. Water pressure at the sink is impressively strong (good enough to clean rings), though the showerhead is noticeably weak. Towels are plush and absorbent, paired with Lather toiletries.

The bed and pillows are very comfortable, and slippers are provided.

Tea bags are included, though the Julius Meinl coffee machine’s hot water carries a faint coffee taste—not a dealbreaker, just a minor quirk. Ironically, simpler coffee makers tend to produce better neutral hot water.

Thanks for the chocolate!

Atmosphere & Stay Notes

Interestingly, I didn’t notice any corporate events during my stay, which made the hotel feel more private and relaxed—something I appreciated.

One Concern

One odd issue: I woke up with bites on my upper abdomen. I had opened the window, but the location and pattern are concerning—possibly bed bugs.
This is something the hotel should investigate seriously.

Bottom Line

A beautiful, serene property with standout recreational facilities and refined service. A few minor inconveniences—and one potentially serious concern—but overall, still a place I would return to.

• more birds
• Granada Blvd
• Schenley Park & Sevilla Ave

1223 Boulevard of the Arts
Sarasota, FL 34236

… more pix on Google Maps, Yelp & TA

We went for dinner at their Offshore tapas &. wine bar from our concert at Van Wezel.

I think it was Indigo before – Google Maps still shows as Indigo.

The location is good: a 7-minute walk from the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 2 miles from Sarasota Jungle Gardens, and 8 miles from Siesta Key Beach.

The lobby looks stylish, with tropical-inspired decor.

Boulevard of the Arts & N Tamiami Trail.
Sarasota, FL 34236

… a few more pix here

A new residential building (condo or rental?) under construction is diagonally from the Voco (former Indigo) hotel, by the corner of Boulevard of the Arts & N Tamiami Trail. Their office maybe at 21 N Lemon Avenue, (941) 225 4888.

It looks out to their Van Wezel on the Sarasota Bay.