city trips Archives ⋆ The Dining Traveler https://diningtraveler.com/category/city-trips Travel Tips, Recipes, and Culinary Travel Website Mon, 05 Aug 2019 18:47:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://i0.wp.com/diningtraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cropped-DiningTraveler_IG1-e1581697224126.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 city trips Archives ⋆ The Dining Traveler https://diningtraveler.com/category/city-trips 32 32 88259031 Luxury & Wellness at Swissôtel Chicago https://diningtraveler.com/2019/07/luxury-wellness-at-swissotel-chicago.html Mon, 15 Jul 2019 19:01:12 +0000 https://diningtraveler.com/?p=6870 I chose Chicago as my final stop of The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico. I’ve only been to Chicago three times but immediately fell in love with its food scene, the Chicago River, and the Midwestern hospitality. This time I had the chance to stay at Swissôtel Chicago, a hotel that has made its […]

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]]> I chose Chicago as my final stop of The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico. I’ve only been to Chicago three times but immediately fell in love with its food scene, the Chicago River, and the Midwestern hospitality. This time I had the chance to stay at Swissôtel Chicago, a hotel that has made its guests’ wellness a priority. All about our stay…

Swissôtel Chicago Room with a View Copyright Jessica van Dop DeJesus
Room with a View

Location

Location! Location! Location! The hotel is located walking distance to most major attractions in downtown Chicago: Navy Pier, Millenium Park, Chicago Theater, among others. Catch one of the famous architectural boat tour from the Riverwalk across the street from Swissôtel Chicago. The best way to get to the city from Chicago O’Hare Airport is by train, especially during rush hour. That’s what we did. We took the Blue Line to Forest Park stop and walked less than 15 minutes to the hotel.

Vitality Bites Tea Swissôtel Chicago 2 Copyright Jessica van Dop DeJesus
Bedtime Tea

Wellness

The Swissôtel brand has launched a Vitality campaign to focus on wellness and how it ties into the guest experience. Their fitness center, located on the top floor of the building has impressive 360 views of the city along with top-notch fitness equipment to get your workout in before a busy day or work or sightseeing. If you love running outside as much as I do, head to the Riverwalk for a refreshing run along the river. Given that I am training for a marathon, I appreciated the high-quality fitness equipment and having a running trail so close to the hotel.

Swissôtel Chicago Room with a View 2 Copyright Jessica van Dop DeJesus
Room with a View of Chicago

Vitality Rooms

Swissôtel has launched a series of “Vitality Rooms” across its properties to recharge the traveler. Swissôtel Chicago has a stunning vitality suite with workout equipment, turndown service, which includes tea and healthy snacks, and Pürovel bath amenities. What I enjoyed the most was having a tea in the evening and taking in the dazzling view of the skyscrapers that surround the area.

Swissôtel Chicago Vitality Program
Vitality Bites

The Food

With our busy schedules, we did not have the opportunity to dine at Swissôtel Chicago. However, the property includes the well-regarded The Palm Steakhouse and a more casual Amuse restaurant.

Swissôtel Chicago Fitness Center
Post-workout Bliss at Swissôtel Chicago Fitness Center

The Service

From check-in to check-out, the hotel service was fantastic. The staff was hospitable at every level. Want to give a special shoutout to the bellmen which handled all my heavy suitcases filled with books and the front desk who texted me when my room was ready.

Swissôtel Chicago: The Verdict

If you are looking for a hotel with a great location, comfortable rooms, and friendly service, Swissôtel Chicago is the place for you. Also, this is the only Swissôtel property in North America which makes for a unique hotel experience in the United States.

Swissôtel Chicago, 323 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL; Website 

Disclaimer: I was graciously hosted by Swissôtel Chicago but all of my opinions are my own.

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]]> 6870 Loews Annapolis Hotel: Day at the Bay https://diningtraveler.com/2014/06/day-at-bay-at-loews-annapolis.html Tue, 24 Jun 2014 03:34:00 +0000 http://www.diningtraveler.com/2014/06/loews-annapolis-hotel-day-at-the-bay.html So what happens when you love to travel but you have to be grounded for the summer after celebrating your wedding in Barcelona? Look for experiences close to home. Forty-five minutes from the Nation’s Capital, there’s Annapolis, a picturesque city on the Chesapeake bay. When we found out Loews Annapolis offered a “Day at the […]

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So what happens when you love to travel but you have to be grounded for the summer after celebrating your wedding in Barcelona? Look for experiences close to home. Forty-five minutes from the Nation’s Capital, there’s Annapolis, a picturesque city on the Chesapeake bay. When we found out Loews Annapolis offered a “Day at the Bay” package, we couldn’t pass up on the experience. The package includes goodies perfect for a sailing trip: sunscreen, lip balm, and Nike visors which prepared us for our Schooner Woodwind sailing trip around the bay.  It also includes free parking for one car, which is perfect for a road trip. 

The Lobby at Loews Annapolis

One of the things I have noticed about the Loews Hotels is how the properties assimilate to their location. The Dutchman was recently in Miami for business where the hotel has a pastel art deco vibe which blends in with the city. The Loews Madison in DC embodies the city with its colonial wallpaper in the guestrooms. As we walked into the hotel, we automatically fell in love with the nautical decor of the lobby. We loved the beautiful wall dividers made out of rope, leather couches fitted for a luxurious yacht, and the warm colors which make you feel automatically at home. We checked into our room which had the same nautical vibe: shades of blue, beautiful wood and rope furniture, and sailing black and white photographs in the restroom. 

Our Goodies 

We spent our 24 hour adventure in Annapolis walking around the city, admiring the colonial style architecture, and eating Maryland crab. The hotel is centrally located on West St, lined with nice restaurants and cafes within a short walking distance. We walked quite a bit around the city but if you are tired or in a rush you can always catch the Annapolis Circulator, a free trolley service with stops at all the key attractions. 

Guest Room at Loews Annapolis

Aside from the gorgeous nautical decor at the lobby of the Loews, we noticed something very cute: lots of puppies! I soon learned that Loews has a “Loews Loves Pets” program where your furry ones get tons of love from their own water bowl to dog walking services.  We noticed Annapolis is a very dog friendly town so it is the perfect destination to take your pooch and not have to worry about taking your beloved pet to the kennel during your weekend trip.

Brunch at West

We concluded our stay at the hotel with brunch at West, the Loews Annapolis restaurant. We have been to brunch in Annapolis with friends and we always end up at crowded and noisy places. We loved the intimate and quiet setting of the restaurant. The package includes breakfast for two, which can be used for the buffet or a la carte choices. We chose the a la carte with eggs benedict and a omelet complimented with bottomless mimosas and bloody Mary’s.  We still had a little room left and ordered the crab dip with foccaccia. It was our favorite part of brunch, as the dip was seasoned with Old Bay. 

Crab Dip and Focaccia at West

Overall, we had an amazing experience this past weekend at the Loews Annapolis. Although we were 45 minutes away from home, we felt as if we were on a proper holiday. We arrived home relaxed and ready to tackle a challenging week.  Stay tuned for our second part of this post where we chronicle how we spent our weekend in Annapolis.
*Disclaimer: The room was complimentary. We only write and share about experiences we love.
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