In the big-picture budgeting of life, there’s rarely room for fancy hotels. I can count my top hotel experiences on 10 fingers; among them are the Grand Hotel in Stockholm and Brown's in Lisbon. But, no matter how you look at it, staying in a hotel is always a unique experience. A friend of mine, who’s making his first steps in hotel life, says a good hotel ‘takes care of you’, and I might add - a really good hotel creates a micro-cosmos of luxury around you.
When you leave a great hotel room, you float on a cloud of luxury and self-importance, your chic factor amplified to the max. When you return, you feel immediately at home, but in a slightly more curated way. In the future, I plan on gorging on hotels and becoming jaded and cynical about them, like it's no big deal. But for now, I’m always open to their reclusive magic.
On my recent stay to Les Mars, a Healdsburg institution, I tried to notice how a great hotel (which Les Mars, despite the fact I’m not a fan of Victorian style, definitely is) alters reality and creates an alternative pace. Have you ever noticed that when in a hotel….
My stay was short and sweet, but I did manage; a lavender bath; three wardrobe changes; endless snacking; watching Chopped!; journaling; a massage; hosting a friend for breakfast. Staying alone, I had a lot of thinking done - hotels tend to be a cozy brainstorming hub for one. I outlined some resolutions, ordered a new phone (!) and got to walk around Healdsburg with an umbrella I wasn’t too worried about losing, because it belonged to the hotel. I highly recommend both - having a hotel room all to yourself, and not worrying about that umbrella.
Thank you for having me, Thankfully, There’s Healdsburg! Thankfully indeed.