Sometimes a clean room with a bed and bath is enough. Sometimes a lodging can be much, much more than that, and we’re not necessarily talking blatant opulence here; were talking places that complement a destination the way hot fudge elevates vanilla ice cream.
For example:
Small coffee, regular: The Grand Hyatt is a typical large, corporate, competent Manhattan hotel. What makes it special? It adjoins Grand Central terminal. Skip the usual $47 hotel breakfast, go into the station (without even having to go outside–there’s a connecting corridor), order a coffee and a muffin at one of the stands, buy a Daily News at another, stake out a piece of polished floor, sit on the paper against a wall and watch the world go by–often accompanied by someone playing classical guitar or violin for change. Sip the coffee, tip the musician. Figure $200-and up. 212-883-1234.
Yes, it’s real sod: The settlers who settled the plains built their early houses out of the material at hand–which was sod. In Sanborn, Minn., stands the Sod House on the Prairie, a bed-and-breakfast ($85 for two, $140 for the family) that’s the real thing, down to the oil lamps, wood-burning stove and the Sod Outhouse on the Prairie. Cleaner and cozier than youd think. Breakfast comes from Virginia McCone’s nearby farmhouse. 507-723-5138.
Inalienably right: Downtown Richmond, Va., has had its ups and downs (the trend these days is upward–at least some of downtown), but through it all the absolutely classic Jefferson Hotel has remained elegantly, purely Virginia, right down to the gleaming lobby statue of Tom himself. And what a lobby it is. In fact, what two lobbies they are. With marvelous guest rooms (from $185) and even more marvelous personal service. If you don’t stay there, at least peek in–and if you peek in, you’ll want to stay there. 800-424-8014.
King of the world: We concede that except for the presence of water (which counts for something), the Queen Mary has nothing whatsoever to do with Long Beach. And it has been a hotel long enough for the novelty to have worn off–but it hasn’t, thanks in large part to committed new management and a Titanic-inspired refascination. Plus, rooms (the tiny ones) start at only $65. Kids, grandparents and anyone who hasnt been on a cruise will be enthralled, everyone else merely delighted. 800-437-2934.
Take the plunge: Anyone who pays $340 (the high-season rate) for the pretty ordinary “standard” room at the celebrated Ventana Inn, in the woods above California’s spectacular Big Sur, is paying a lot of money just for the right to say they stayed at the Ventana. But splurge for a fireplace, a private hot tub and more space ($725 for top-of-the-line accommodation), and staying here actually makes sense. Very nice. Very California. If you can afford it. 800-628-6500.
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One with the land: There may be no more magical landscape than the spires of Monument Valley, on the Navajo reservation that straddles the Utah-Arizona border near Kayenta, Ariz. Tour groups tend to buy up all the rooms at the sprawling local Holiday Inn, but 11 miles west of town is the more than adequate and Navajo-run Anasazi Inn. It’s basic (no-frills double, $80), but on a memorable night when the wind howled and dust blew, the place fit the place–and so, in its modest restaurant, did the Navajo taco. 520-697-3793.