Greg and I are just starting to spread our wings now that our children have grown. We had a chance to visit Washington, DC and take in a day at the Smithsonian with the grandkids recently. During our visit we stayed at the a Hotel Monaco (A Kimpton property) in Washington, DC. This is a fabulous French hotel with an eclectic sense of decor.
This is a very old hotel and was originally the first post office in Washington, DC before it became the hotel.
From the moment you step out of your cab the people at Hotel Monaco at there to help you. Someone was always available to answer our questions and help us in anyway we wanted.
Although I didn’t get a picture of it, the restaurant in the hotel, Poste, is great. It makes you feel like you are in old New York City with full-length wall mirrors and Frank Sinatra tunes playing in the background. The complimentary breakfast was great – a plate of fresh fruit nicely arranged and a croissant or bagel with coffee and juice. The coffee was the best!
Just inside of the front door you are greeted with a mix of European and ecletic decor. There are plenty of places to sit and just soak up the ambiance. It was an interesting mix of color and black and white. Palm trees looked out of place but somehow fit into the overall scheme of things.
My favorite part of this hotel was the hallway. Yes, it was so unique I just keep going back and taking pictures of it. I just love the way they put the colors together and these huge chandeliers that were over-sized lampshade were magnificent.
The artist illusion of this hallway was so interesting. I have never seen anything so wonderful in a hotel before.
When we arrived at our room I noticed a neat looking door marker. Each marker had a tassel on it and just under the numbers were Braille markers.
The room reminded us so much of France with the black and white and also the heavy striped drapery made out of silk and satin. The room is a little smaller than some chain hotels but if you have ever been to Europe you know that Europeans don’t mind small spaces.
The bed was ultra comfortable. Internet access was part of the room fee so there was no added cost for it. My favorite thing was actually the soap in the bathroom. I am happy with the smallest things sometimes. They stock it with Aveda soap which is so wonderful and creamy. Now I have to find where I can buy some to use at home. The water was definitely hot enough and the shower head powerful enough.
Right outside of our room was a spiral staircase. It was made out of marble and exquisite in it’s composition. It was so beautiful that many times we would just walk down instead of taking the elevator.
If you are in Washington,DC for a visit try the French restaurant, La Chaumiere on M Street. This is a true French restaurant and has had high ratings for many years.
They treat you just like you are in France, pulling out the chair and table, seating you and then pushing it back in. I haven’t figured out if this is how they get you to stay and eat more or not. You’re trapped. But, that is a good thing at La Chaumiere because the food is excellent.
I had seas scallops and Greg had the leg of lamb, shown here. We loved it so much we stayed for 2 desserts and cappuccino.
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