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"Champagne King"
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- 258 Reviews
- 14 Review Updates
- 35 Firsts
- 3 Fans
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- 3 Lists
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Review votes:
291 Useful, 59 Funny, and 273 Cool
Honolulu, HI
Yelping SinceSeptember 2007
Things I Love Find Me InMaryland and Washington DC (3/6-4/29)
My HometownHonolulu, HI
When I'm Not Yelping...I am looking for the best bars with the best drinks where ever I go!
Why You Should Read My ReviewsBecause they are the best!
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadSidney Sheldon's Nothing Lasts Forever
My First ConcertSting
My Favorite MovieYou can't take it with you
My Last Meal On EarthZippy's BBQ chicken plate lunch on da beach with all my friends and family
Date
I have been to this hotel many times and due to the fact that the hotel was converted from a mansion and that it is old, expect some flaws.
This is my fourth visit, and although the rooms are small, and there seems to be a sort of renovation with some of the furniture and bedding, the AC leaked and the toilet kept running after you flushed.
On the bright side, they did get new TVs and the carpeting looked newer.
If you are paying full price for this hotel, expect some problems that will leave you with a sour face. You should not have to call the front desk for problems that are persitent all the time.
Overall the hotel is nice and had a lot going for it, but calling maintenace to fix problems with the room is not on the menu for a fun time in New Orleans!
The staff must be new and perhaps under new management. Everyone was welcoming and always asked if they culd help in anny way. The outdoor courtyard has a new look to it as well.
I would have to say that this hotel has a lot going for it. It is much smaller than some of the other hotels nearby, so you will have a more personal experience.
I had to switch rooms two times. The first room was a courtyard room that opened to the balcony. The room was very nice and spacious with two double beds. I switched the room due to condensation from the AC. They upgraded me to a suite the next day but for only one night. That was fine, it was a very nice room in what they call The Carriage House with an outdoor courtyard with hot tub. The next day I settled for the standard room since the hotel was full. It was a bit larger than most of the other standard rooms but since I payed for the room on points, they said that they would credit my account for the point difference as well as a 2K extra points for the hassle.
2 Previous Reviews: Hide »
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2/1/2009
The last time I stayed here was May 2008 during JazzFest.
Well, I was able to secure a room over the pool. The room was small and seemed even smaller this time since I had a friend staying with me. There was really no room to put your bags. I had to resort using one of the chairs as a stand for one of the two bags we had. The other bag was on the floor.
The restuarant that also doubles as the bar is not your typical "cool" W bar. It is not dark and filled with candles and cool tunes. It actaully seemed boring with businessmen!
The outdoor courtyard, which I suppose could double as their "Living Room" is very nice. I managed to make it down there a few times during my stay. I did notice a server pass through so I think they do serve drinks out there too?
Overall, a very nice and chic hotel. Will be going back to New Orleans soon for Mardi Gras 2009! Might consider staying a few nights here. -
9/22/2007
The hotel is very nice but one thing I noticed right away was the lack of a "Living Room" like most other W Hotels. They have a living room but it only consists of a check-in desk, sofa, table and a chair or two. Not really the standard people meeting-people watching "Living Room" with bar and cool tunes.
The courtyard is great for relaxing and having a night cap. Not sure if they had a host delivering beverages? The courtyard at night is very nice with the lighted candles, lights and fire coming out of the fountain.
The room is your standard W room. The only bad thing I found with the room was the Armour with t.v. inside was a little worn and the t.v. could be updated.
The bathroom was nice and had the standard W towels and bath products. By the way, the Bliss products in your room cost $25 for the set if you buy them from the Bliss website. Hint, ask housekeeping for extras. I called for turn down and all towels were changed as well as the Bliss products.
I was not too happy with the valet service. Upon checking in, the valet seemed like it was his first day on the job. I called to retrieve the car in the morning at least 10 minutes prior to leaving my room and car was not ready. I actually believe the front desk staff left the desk and took nearly another 20 minutes before I received my car. It was early in the morning so that might have been unusual for them?
The W French Corner is a great hotel and I plan to stay again. I just wished the hotel had more than one bar which is in the restaurant. The drinks are okay but I guess with plenty of other bars and restaurants near-by, it is not that much of a problem.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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8/22/2009
This place has been open for a little over a month, and just like all new places on the island, it gets crowded. Well, the crowds are starting to die down now with the exceptions of the weekends and special sport events.
The food is standard and most of the items are priced right. i am not a big wing fan, but if you have to have them, try them on Tuesday (60 cents each) or Thursday (75 cents each) because the regular prices are too high for what you get.
When they have special sport events, that is probably the best time to go. Not to eat, just to through beack some drinks with friends while watching sports.
The service is sporadic. Sometimes it is good, most of the time it just sucks. Training is highly needed.
Oh, by the way, the bar staff tries to push beer on the customers because they are too lazy to make a cocktail.
I forsee this place losing its appeal in time and hopefully they will get rid of some of the tables and place some pool tables and dart boards. That would make for a better hang out. Right now it is a boring bar with a bunch of TV's
California, MD 20619
(301) 862-5105
Unique Chic Family Hair Care Centers
Category: Barbers
I was very happy with the haircut and the service was good.
They had a small selection of hair products for sale.
If you are looking for a good haircut this is the place. Of course, there are about 100 other barber/salons to go to in the immediate area!
California, MD 20619
(301) 863-0489
Cheeseburger in Paradise
Category: Burgers
The drinks are about all it has going for the place, but than again, you could get the same stuff at the other two restaurants I just mentioned.
The service is good to just bad. The first time I came here, the service was good. The second time, I sat at the bar and it was kind of like just okay, nothing special. The last time, I felt like I had to grab the girl by the throat to get her attention. She was too busy flirting with the other guys at the bar!
Will, I ever come back here? Don't count on it!
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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4/7/2009 First to Review
Having been to the CIP in Hawaii and Las Vegas, I had to try this one. Well, I don't think the others are own by Jimmy Buffett, but I would have to say that each one is different and some qualities in food are different.
For the most part, I would have to say that the food at the CIP in Las Vegas and Hawaii was better. The food was prepared fresh and the drinks were always good.
This particular one was not so good. I had ordered the standard cheeseburger with fries and though it was decent, it just was not the same. I also order their fish tacos on a separate occasion and it was bland and just not very tasty and I would have to say that the fish was not fresh at all.
I did order their margaritas and those were very good.
The place is very popular and was pretty busy on both occasions I went.
I stopped in here and was vry happy with the food. I opted to sit at the bar area due to that fact that I wanted to entertain myself with the large TV they had there.
The service was decent and rather quick. I ordered a 16 ounch margarita (they tempted me toward the 32 ounce but I was driving). I ordered the top shelf, because no matter where you go, if you ordered a top shelf, they just can't really mess it up. Anyway, it was very good and was surprisingly smooth.
I ordered the carne asada and it was very good. The meat was tender and not greasy. It came with a side of spanish rice that was very tasty and refried beans, and a small side of guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. It was very filling. The prices are good. $12.95 for the carne asada and $8.50 for the top shelf margarita.
I think I will make a stop here one more time before I head back home.
BTW, this place is pretty popular as there are not that many good restaurants or places to go in the immediate area.
Located in the basement of the hotel, it seemed to me that this was one of those local bars where residents, people that work int he immediate area and hotel guests can all mingle int he same place.
I did not think the place was over the top like a lot of people that posted reviews here. It was nice, with plush high end chairs and wall covering set in a burgundy/rose color. Had a San Francisco feel to it!
The bartender was attentive and made good drinks. The food was decent and quick.
This place has a reputation behind it as serving quality drinks and one of the bartenders is pretty popular but not sure if he is still there? Some guy named Bosley? The food is priced about right for a hotel bar and so are the drinks.
There are a couple of TV's above the bar which is usually channeled on sports.
This place is cozy and yet casual. No need to get all dressed up, but if that is your thing, you will not feel out of place. It does not have that New York attitude thank goodness. Jeans and t-shirt are fine.
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 638-7101
Cosi
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Foggy Bottom
It was also nice that they brought you your food instead of waiting in another line or bunched up in a crowd.
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 638-2626
The St. Regis Washington D.C.
Category: Hotels
I checked in just after 1pm and was given a room upgrade (SPG Member) as well as a confirmed late checkout the following day. I reserved the hotel via the SPG website and was amazed at the price. It was only $250 a night.
They only offer valet parking ($45) but it is about the same at most hotels in the area.
The hotel is only a couple of blocks from the White House and is near other top notch hotels. The National Geographic Society is just down the street.
The room was very large, much larger than I expected. I was placed on the 8th floor but had no view. It would have been nice to see the White House from the room. So, I just closed the window curtains.
The bathroom was very nice and had nice amenities. nice plush towels and an embedded TV in the mirror. Cool!
There was a fully stocked minibar but no coffee?
The service at the hotel was exceptional. Much better than any Ritz Carlton that I have been to.
The St Regis Bar was by far my most favorite part of my stay. The people that work there are very friendly and make really good drinks. I had the cheese platter which was very good. Great place to mingle with other guests or visitors. There is no TV in the bar, so conversation is the order of the day!
If you decided to stay here, you will not be disappointed.
I very much enjoyed my stay and thought the people that worked their were very friendly.
When I checked in, the person at the Aloha Desk was pretty busy handling a few check-ins as well as an issue with some one on the phone and one customer that had a thousand questions. He handled everything in stride.
It was a Friday night so it was nice to see the hotel lobby area was festive and even had a resident DJ. The DJ even played a few songs on my friends Ipod! That was cool.
I had no problems with the room and made sure I brought my Ipod and computer connection cords so that I could play music on the television. Way cool!
Made use of the gym the following morning and finally figured out the Ipod connection and was going to use the pool but it felt kind of humid in there?
When I checked out, the Aloha Desk receptionist asked me if I could recommend anything as far as improvements, but I could not think of anything right away. The hotel is not a full service hotel, which is also why the price of the hotel is really cheap. I guess the only thing I would recommend would be ice buckets and glasses in the room? Another suggestion would be Aloha Shirts for the staff since most of them seemed to wear regular street clothes which I thought was a bit tacky.
Overall, this is a great hotel and I am sure you will enjoy it.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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3/28/2009 First to Review
This is a new hotel group in the Starwood collection as well as in Virginia. I had read a lot of good reviews on http://www.tripad... and thought I would try it out since there are no Aloft Hotels in Hawaii.
The hotel is new, very clean and layed out nicely. The front desk was nice. The recognized my SPG status but did not offer any Platinum amenities. I totally forgot to ask them about that, but I was too busy just checking out the layout of the hotel during the check-in process. I will ask them about it before I checkout since I try to get as many SPG points as possible.
The rooms are simple. Just a bed with a large TV attached to the wall. All rooms are pretty much the same. There is a desk where you can hook up your computer and enjoy free Internet access during your stay. Other than those things, there is nothing else in the bedroom area. The bath area consisted of a very small area to hang a few items of clothes. No separate closet to speak of. There is a small sink area that is separate from the rest of the bath area. They only have showers.
The lobby is nicely decorated with a W feel but much cheaper furniture. The bar is nice, there are three TVs right above the bar area and the drinks are good and cheap!
Just to the left of the bar is a pool table that I believe is free? While i was at the bar there were a group of people shooting pool. There is also plenty of sitting areas in the lobby.
There is a small area where you can purchased ready made food. They had salads and wraps readily available. The food was good and priced right.
The gym was small, but adequate. I used it and had a good workout. There are built in TVs on most of the machines and you can also plug in your Ipod.
There is also an indoor pool but i did not use it.
They have a driver that can pick you up from the airport. I would call in advacne just to make sure. I had a car and parked in the convenient parking area that surrounds the entire hotel.
The hotel is not very big, less than 150 rooms. There is also a Hilton Garden Inn next door and I believe they have a restaurant.
The only thing I did not like was the location as there is nothing in the immediate area with the exception of a gas station.
Overall, it is a great place to stay for a day or two. Not a vacation destination. Good hotel and very reasonable prices!
3 Lists
So one day you decide to go to this place. You have some cash in your wallet and of course your debit card and Visa. You sit down, order some food, a drink and you get the bill. It cost $45. Not a problem, you place your card in the little black credit card folio. They tell you they don't take credit cards. They do take checks. Like who really walks around with checkbooks any longer? So you check your cash stash. Not enough to leave a tip. If their ATM is working you can use that I suppose. Of course they will charge a fee to use their personal ATM machine. Sound pretty shady to you? I think so.