Roam+Board :: Hotel Havana

[trip style = urban + budget conscious]

What Scrolling through hotels in San Antonio, I knew Hotel Havana was THE trip styled choice for my stay. Once a hotel residence for a local grocer's buyers, Liz Lambert {one of the hotel industry's design darlings} purchased the 1914-built brick beauty and re-opened it in 2010 as a 27-room boutique hotel.

Here's the best part: she didn't strip it down its skivvies only to dress it up as an unrecognizable Hollywood celeb. Instead, the Austin-based hotelier kept identifying features like the Bastrop pine floors, only adding the bare minimum---think wrought iron beds, Turkish rugs, and 1950s-style pink and orange refrigerators---to the pre-latin, raw-elegant space.

Dwelling along the Alamo City's famed River Walk---a semi-tropical version of Venice---the hip hotel takes advantage of its location and cache in Ocho, the glass-encased restaurant perched above the waterway. Dining under a canopy of palms on royal-blue banquettes, I *could* have soaked up the space for hours, though more trip styled finds beckon beyond. Trip Styler approved!

Savour more of San Antonio's stylish scene in my post on the Expedia Viewfinder travel blog.

Where San Antonio, Texas, 12km from the airport.

When Saunter into San Antonio between November and April for cool temperatures {average 23C} and hotel rates. Summer heats up in every sense.

Who/Why You love a good makeover, but enhancements must be parlayed thoughtfully in all the right places.

Cost Rates start around $110 per night and include WiFi. Parking is $17 per night, but who needs a car when you've got the city's bike-share system parked right outside the hotel. Passes for a health club nearby are provided upon request  Bark, woof, Fido can live the River Walk lifestyle for $25 per stay.

Trip Styler Tip :: Try to book a room on the 4th floor. If not, bring ear plugs as floors creak due to the age of the building.

More Roam+Board The Amersand Hotel – London Mount Engadine Lodge – Canadian Rockies Lava Lava Beach Club – Hawaii Island Ace Hotel – Seattle The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino The Burrard – Vancouver  Hotel de Glace – Quebec Alcazar Palm Springs – California Jumeirah Zabeel Saray – Dubai Makena Resort – Maui Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler while staying as a guest of Hotel Havana]

Roam+Board :: The Ampersand Hotel

[trip style = luxury + urban]

What
Distracted by every fabric, wall covering and light fixture, I couldn't stop photographing The Ampersand Hotel, which I booked on a whim to extend a short trip to London. It was my version of a celeb and I was the paparazzi.

A stately stay influenced by the Victorian values of discovery and wonder, orchids welcome guests into the smart-whimsical lobby and the rest is history. I checked in early {10.30am} and the happy-go-lucky-meets-highly-efficient staff made a room available for me right away.

Opening the door to my overnight abode, I smiled. The bedroom's neutral tones and rich fabrics made the tufted headboard and musical wallpaper pop. Inspired, I cracked open a package of cookies and a chilled sparkling water---raiding the minibar is free and encouraged---and sat in silence studying every detail around me.

Later that day after exploring the city, I came back for a spot of tea. When in London... The Drawing Room's spread was fit for a queen. Instead of a tired tray of crumpets and clotted cream, there was an oversized marble table filled to the brim with mega macarons, tarts and pink meringue. I chose peppermint tea and a raspberry-filled, heart-shaped macaron {and ate the whole thing}. Trip Styler approved!

Where
London, England, 20 steps from the South Kensington Tube station.

When
Will and Kate's playground is brightest in the spring, summer and early fall. Winter is usually wet.

Who/Why
You're into the complete package---design, service, comfort, location and chic eateries.

Cost
Rates start around $200 per night and include WiFi and the minibar's bounty.

More Roam+Board
Mount Engadine Lodge – Canadian Rockies
Lava Lava Beach Club – Hawaii Island
Ace Hotel – Seattle
The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino
The Burrard – Vancouver
Hotel de Glace – Quebec
Alcazar Palm Springs – California
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray – Dubai
Makena Resort – Maui
Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Mount Engadine Lodge

mt engadine lodge review

[trip style = active + adventure]

What Planted at the end of a gravel road, the scale of Mount Engadine Lodge isn't apparent until you step beyond its cabin-cozy interior. Stroll toward the wraparound deck, and BAM, it's like you've been hit over the head with an Ansel Adams photograph; it's just you and the Canadian Rockies. Nothing else.

Snowshoes and skis arranged in a crisscross position adorn the wooden walls. Antlers serves as hooks for the brooms. River rocks are the building blocks for the wood-burning fireplaces. And speaking of wood burning, there's also a sauna. A selection of travel and lifestyle magazines {that made me want to flip pages for hours} hang fireside. There's even a knitting station. Without even trying, the nine-room chalet oozes Canadiana from every corner.

Overlooking "moose meadow" deep in Alberta's Kananaskis Country, this off-the-grid chalet is a winter and summer retreat so close to the great outdoors, you can reach out and touch it. Trip Styler approved!

Trip Styler Tip :: If you're in the area hiking, snowshoeing or skiing, stop by for afternoon tea from 3-5pm daily during the lodge's "open season" described below.

Where Two hours from the Calgary {YYC} Airport, 45 minutes above Canmore.

When The lodge is open during the white of winter and the sizzle of summer: Summer: June 14, 2013 - October 13, 2013 Holiday: December 20, 2013 - January 5, 2014* Winter Season: January 24, 2014 - March 31, 2014* *Estimated dates. Please confirm with the website.

Who/Why You need a digi-getaway steeped in nature's purest brew. You're looking for a place where mountains, out-the-doorstep adventure and home-cooked cuisine sing in perfect harmony.

Cost Rates start at $390 per couple and include all food, parking and WiFi. Alcohol is extra. Fido can come for a steal of a deal: $20/stay. Two-night minimum. Children four years and under stay for free, while children from 5-12 years are $100 per night, when staying with adults in the Moose or Elk Suites on the hide-a-beds. Solo travelers deduct $100 from the nightly rate.

More Roam+BoardLava Lava Beach Club - Hawaii IslandAce Hotel - SeattleThe Wickaninnish Inn - TofinoThe Burrard – Vancouver Hotel de Glace – QuebecAlcazar Palm Springs – CaliforniaJumeirah Zabeel Saray – DubaiMakena Resort – Maui Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler while visiting Mt Engadine Lodge with Travel Alberta]

Roam+Board :: Lava Lava Beach Club

[trip style = beach + sun]

{Editor's Note: I'm in Hawaii (the Big Island) right now enjoying the black sand beaches and frothy surf, so I'll be taking a small break from TS and microblogging on my Editor's Diary instead. We'll be resuming our regular flight schedule next Wednesday. Mahalo!}

What I had a hunch I'd love the Lava Lava Beach Club before I even arrived, based on the name and logo alone! Having just spent the past few days at this recently opened, four-cottage Hawaiian retreat, my suspicions were correct---and then some.

Hanging out at the south end of a bevy of beach hotels beside the miles-long Anaeho'omalu Bay, this cabin quartet on a 10-acre, beachfront plot is a distinct departure from the typical Hawaii resort set.

Though the essence of a Hawaiian vacation is to spend the majority of your time outdoors, the cottages' contempo-aloha interiors make you want to split your day between beach, bed and shower. In a nod to its tropical terrain, each cottage has a personal lava wall-enclosed outdoor shower that spews water out of a bamboo spout! The cottages are open-concept and comfy with original art from artists like Mike Field hung throughout, making the orchid-adorned space feel like your own personal beach retreat.

The kind of place where you start and end your day in a bathing suit---not much else is required, so pack light---the only other must-have is the lava lava, a traditional Polynesian article of clothing {aka. a sarong}, but that's provided for you to keep. Mark my words, the nine-month-young Lava Lava Beach Club cottages will soon start to grace best-of lists, starting here. Trip Styler approved!

Trip Styler Tip :: If you like being right near the action, book cottage one, beside the Lava Lava Beach Club restaurant. If you'd rather go sight unseen, book cottage four.

Where Twenty minutes north of the Kona Airport {KOA}, between an 1859 lava flow and a white sand beach in the Waikoloa resort area along the Kohala Coast.

When December through March is Lava Lava's high season. Whale season is January to April. Sunset season is every.single.day.

Who/Why You like the idea of being near the action, but a little removed. Seven-pool resorts with swinging bridges and 15 restaurants are your nemesis. You'd rather sip Kona coffee in the AM and Longboard Lager in the PM while turtle and whale watching from your lanai.

Cost Rates hover around $450 per night year-round and include WiFi, parking, use of a SUP, a bottle of red wine {best sipped at sunset}, and nightly bevies and appies delivered to your cottage at 5PM. Each cottage is outfitted with a king bed, a double day-bed-come-couch and a kitchen.

More Sand-In-Your-Toes, Cottage-y R+B Sorobon Beach Resort – Bonaire Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos by @tripstyler taken while hosted by the Lava Lava Beach Club]

Roam+Board :: Ace Seattle

Ace Hotel Seattle + Trip Styler

[trip style = budget conscious]

What
The Ace Seattle is a trimmed-down trendsetter who took up residence in an old maritime flophouse, converting its brick walls and hardwood floors into a 28-room hotel that feels more gallery than guesthouse.

The first member of the Ace Hotels quartette (the other members reside in PDX, PSP and NYC), the Ace spares guests from the frilly and unnecessary, offering a stark white space accented by nature-infused photomurals---think: white horse galloping through a field---and organic elements like wooden stumps, terrariums and re-purposed furniture.

Euro-meets-utilitarian rooms are stripped down to the essentials in a way that makes you want to sketch them for an art class. Bathrooms are large and industrial-esque as top-to-bottom whitewashed tiles make the stainless steel fittings pop.

While the Ace can run a lot cheaper than most Seattle stays, don't mistake its stark price tag and design as a penny pincher's paradise, but rather a place where artsy types mingle in minimalist bliss. Trip Styler approved!

Where
On the edge of downtown Seattle (read: where there are a ton of it restaurants), the Ace is perched three blocks above the Elliott Bay waterfront.

When
Spring and summer host Seattle’s high season due to their easy-breezy warmth, yet visitors flock to the urban jungle year-round.

Who/Why
The thought of a garden-variety stay with a dollop of blah is...well...you'd rather not. Stark spaces outfitted with just what you need (rather than a bunch of things that aren't useful) is your version of luxury.

Cost
Rates start at $109 per night and include WiFi and breakfast (DIY waffles and Stumptown coffee, anyone?). Two room types exist: deluxe rooms feature their own bathrooms behind large-scale pivoting doors, while standard rooms come with a bed, sink and access to a shared (regularly cleaned) bathroom down the hall. Furry fellows can tag along too.

More Roam+Board
Ace NYC - New York
Ace PDX - Portland
Find more R+B Seattle hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos by @tripstyler]