Thursday, August 8, 2013

Be More in B'More - The Digs

Dusty and I were invited to our friends' Bobbi and Conor's wedding in Baltimore, Maryland a few weekends ago, and due to the wedding being on Sunday and not being able to get vacation on that following Monday, we decided a little weekend getaway was in order!

I've only been to Baltimore once before, so we decided to do all kinds of different, touristy things, since we were....tourists!

Photo Source
At the bride's recommendation, we booked a night's stay at the Hotel Monaco for that Saturday night!  It was really a wonderful place, and we were happy that a) she told us about this gem in the Inner Harbor, and b) that they were kind enough to offer a discount for her wedding guests!  Double win!

The Hotel Monaco "Living Room" - so chic!
I need want this loveseat!
Chess, anyone?
Stud watch on the left!  ;)  I died over this chandelier and the fuschia wall!


Old school mail chute!  Didn't try it out, though!

Our room number!

As you can see, the place is gorgeous and I seriously wanted to take all of the furniture home with me!  I mean, could it be any more fun?  Doubtful.

Bobbi and Conor were so sweet to have created weekend welcome bags for all their guests and had delivered them ahead of time to the hotel(s) where the guests were staying!  We were so surprised and it was such a thoughtful gesture!

Another thing I really loved about this hotel is that it is PET-FRIENDLY, which you know this furbaby momma was really into.  Obviously, CiCi and MuChi were not invited to the wedding (hehe!), so they couldn't make the trip with us this time (and honestly, we probably would have killed Mooch on the trip because he gets a little completely insane goofy in the car).  They had a blast with their Auntie A, though!

But, enter Hotel Monaco to save you from falling into a depression caused by being away from your beloved fur-children!  How did they do it?




Fish roommate!!!!  Is that the coolest thing ever?  He was cute, quiet, and fairly entertaining to watch, although I know I felt bad when eating the scrumptious cookies Bobbi and Conor had gifted us in our hotel welcome bag!  Seriously, they were delish!

Other hotel perks that Dusty and I enjoyed?

1.) The complimentary HAPPY HOUR.  Yes, you read this correctly.  Hotel Monaco offers its guests complimentary red or white wine or sangria in their "living room" from 5-6pm.  Score!  We really thought that was a unique touch and it was pretty cool getting to meet other hotel patrons and hear where they were hailing from and what brought them to town!

2.) The complimentary awesome bath products.  Normally, you get fairly typical brands (most times, even standard hotel brands) of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion.  Hotel Monaco gives C.O. Bigelow!  BAM!  These smelled wonderful and we loved them!

3.) The complimentary coffee bar in the morning.  I will be completely candid and say that I had a love-hate relationship with this one.  I'll end on the positive, so the hate comes in the fact that you had to literally go down to the "living room" to participate in said coffee. Call me crazy, but I don't wake up looking like Jennifer Aniston (nor do I look like her after my hour-long morning routine, but that's neither here nor there).  I did not like the fact that I couldn't just wake up in my jammies and make myself a cup of Joe in our room, because let's face it...this meant I had to get dressed and put makeup on because I would NEVER inflict that kind of pain on innocent people that early in the morning.  The result of my kindness towards others is that I had to get ready for the day twice - once for coffee and then again when I was actually ready to get up and get moving.  But, like I said, this is a love-hate relationship, so the love came in that the coffee was really good and they gave you a huge travel cup and you could technically refill as often as you'd like while it was open, which you wouldn't have been able to do with the small packs they give in the room. So there's my honest review of that.

4.) They offer valet parking....which at $36/night, we did not partake in.  LOL!  They are located, however, RIGHT beside an underground lot, which Dusty and I did partake in and scored a sweet deal at only $12 for the whole afternoon/night/next morning.  Dusty Ribs for the WIN!

5.)  The location is great!  Within walking distance of the Inner Harbor but not close enough to be in the middle of all the hullabaloo. We really enjoyed how easy it was to get to, so we'd probably stay there again.

6.)  The elevator "voice" is hysterical....and they have weird EZ messages in there!



Funny story about the EZ alert - Dusty and I were dancing to the awesome music in the elevator and then it flashed this sign. I got a scared look on my face because I thought someone could see us and we were getting in trouble for bouncing around. He died laughing because apparently that had flashed every time and I hadn't noticed. Whoops. That's what you get when you marry me - impromptu dance parties and blonde moments. (Now you see why I went red - it takes people a little longer to figure out I'm special).

7.)  Hotel Monaco allows its guests to "walk on the wild side."  Case in point?  Check out this sa-weet robe action!!!


8.) Who does faux leather wallpaper????  In the bathroom???  I'm guessing you're going to guess Hotel Monaco.  You would be right, my friends!


9.)  The view from our room.  Super cool!  Good morning, Baltimore!



10.) The final perk we enjoyed while staying at Hotel Monaco was actually just how awesome our room was.  Big comfy bed? Check. Bathroom?  Necessary and luckily, we got one. A/C? Check. Hot water? Check.  Pretty to look at? Definitely!


We would definitely recommend staying here if you're ever venturing to the Inner Harbor.  We hope you'd enjoy your stay as much as we did!  By the way, I love hotels.  Like, seriously love them.  If you ever travel anywhere awesome and also have an awesome hotel experience, please send those stories my way!  Dusty and I are always on the hunt for our next adventure, so we'd love any advice or reviews!

Ribs

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