A hotel “Happy
Hour” is usually a quiet scene. You
pour yourself a glass of Chardonnay or Merlot and make small talk with a few
other guests. Generally billed as a “wine and cheese reception,” it’s a welcome
prequel to a night out and I have to admit, very appreciated, especially
because most hotels (by and large fancy ones with big names) make you shell out
beaucoup bucks for sample-sized snacks and drinks from your guest-room
“Honor Bar.”
The following establishments however, are standouts. They elevate
Happy Hour and other amenities to Royal Treatment; spoiling guests with
complimentary afternoon libations, wi-fi and hot gourmet breakfasts. (Sure, it
might reflect in the room rate, but we don’t feel nickel and dimed to extremes.)
FIRST PLACE
The Magnolia Hotel
in Omaha, NE takes top honors for an unabashed, complimentary free-flowing beer
and wine (a succulent private labeled Cab Sav from Napa) fest. For one hour each afternoon, you can
drink to your heart’s content, chat up the bartender (yes there is one! Be sure to tip him or her), then wobble down the street to Old Market for
dinner. Upon your return, expect warm
cookies and cool milk before bedtime and a nice hot buffet breakfast in the
morning. Wi-Fi is also FREE at
this boutique hotel in the midst of a fun downtown, making the Magnolia the
best bloomin’ place to stay in Omaha. Magnolia
Hotel; 1615 Howard Street, Omaha, NE (888) 915-1110 www.magnoliahotels.com $90-$190.
RUNNERS UP
Afternoon Wine and Cheese Reception Crowne Pointe Inn Provincetown, MA |
The Crowne
Pointe Inn - a cozy-hip place two blocks from tourist mayhem in Provincetown, MA hosts a low-key but bountiful wine and cheese
hour. There’s an extensive selection
of both reds and whites, and a beautiful spread of cheese, fruit, crackers and
other nibbles. In one of the most jubilant, gay (in all ways) resort towns in
America, rooms on or near crazy Commercial St. can hike
up sky-high in the summer. But
Crowne Pointe Inn guests enjoy the satisfying “happy hour,” unlimited use of
the saunas and mineral bath in its world-class Shui Spa, and a savory
multi-course, cooked to order gourmet breakfast for two. And FREE parking! For Route 6 explorers
in the land-of-no-parking-spaces, this is the ultimate perk! www.crownepointe.com 82 Bradford St.,
Provincetown, MA, 877-276-9631, rates $99-$650 and vary by season.
Ruth and Larry Stoll with Fresh Baked Goods Atwood House B&B, Lincoln, NE |
No booze, but there’s plenty to eat at the Atwood House B&B in Lincoln, NE,
especially if you’re a fan of sweets. Congenial owners Ruth and Larry
Stoll coddle their guests with white chocolate-dipped strawberries upon
arrival, unlimited baked goods throughout the day and movie-theater-sized boxes
of candy and popcorn to accompany your choice of in-room flick (from a vast DVD
and Video selection). In the morning, you’re treated to an irresistible freshly-cooked gourmet breakfast served on bone china with linen napkins and Waterford
Crystal. All this in an opulent
Neo-Classical Georgian Revival mansion just steps from the imposing Nebraska
State Capitol Building. Atwood House
B&B, 740 South 17th St., Lincoln, NE, 1-800-884-6544, www.atwoodhouse.com, $85-$199
Wow! very classy hotel I want to try their food I know its delicious.
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I don't know what to say but this is so great place for me...Awesome! It's a perfect place for me ever!
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