Suite Dreams: Exploring the 10 Best Hotel Rooms in the Baltimore Region
by Stephanie Citron
Personal Butlers. Heated Floors. Surround sound home theater systems. Spa bathtubs. Sumptuous sheets. Killer views. While the definition of the dreamiest hotel room lies within the whims of the key-holder, we’ve scoured the region to find the most extraordinary rooms, guaranteed to enchant even the most jaded traveler.
The wow-factor was critical to being included on the list. A pillowtop mattress wasn’t enough – beds needed to be king-size and downright billowy, wrapped in the softest, smoothest sheets, and topped with piles of downy pillows and comforters so cushy they cause you separation anxiety when you depart. An oversized bathroom with a double shower didn’t impress us, unless we found multiple-jetted Jacuzzi tubs, heated floors and extravagant toiletries. A room with a view is always lovely, but what blew us away were 180-degree vistas viewable without leaving the bed.
As most of these rooms cost a bundle, their occupants expect the finest furnishings and frills. Many of us don’t have the luxury to be so fussy, but, hey, it doesn’t cost anything to dream, right? So, journey with us on a sneak peak tour of the ten ritziest rooms around town, and a little beyond.
Turret Suite at The Ivy Hotel
Little wonder that The Ivy, the meticulously restored mansion hotel, has earned the designation of Baltimore’s most exclusive sleep. Most travelers would be giddy with delight for the chance to spend the night in any of its 14 guest rooms and suites, where it appears no expense has been spared on stately antiques. But one particular room, No. 7, nicknamed the Turret Suite, is clearly the hotel’s crown jewel. Located in the manse’s tower, it features two working fireplaces, a living room and a dressing room attached to a massive bathroom with a deep soaking tub, glass shower, warming towel rack and French limestone floors heated to 80 degrees. True, the romantic rounded turret window overlooks the uninspired corner of Biddle and Calvert streets. But who needs a water view when you are sleeping beneath a canopy of hand-embroidered draping on a bed dressed in lilac-fragranced 400-thread count Frette linens?
Rates start at $1,300 per night. Mount Vernon. theivybaltimore.com
The Presidential Suite at Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore
It’s OK if your companion wants to play "Great Balls of Fire" at midnight on the baby grand piano in the Four Seasons Baltimore’s Presidential Suite. It’s unlikely you'll disturb anyone, banging out tunes way up on the 17th floor. Anyway, the piano is in the dining room, on the opposite end of this 2,814-square-foot suite from the marble bathroom where you’re buried by warm bubbles in the soaking tub. Take your time; later you can nose around the custom-designed furnishings, original artwork and stone-clad fireplace, and hang out on the balcony overlooking those 180-degree harbor views. If you’re still not drowsy, put on a TV show on the Bose home theater system in the living room. When you finally snuggle under the down comforter in the king-size bed, you can summon sleep while the city glows beyond two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Rates start at $14,000 per night. Harbor East. fourseasons.com/baltimore
Hotel Monaco Room 1421
The ornate building that houses the Hotel Monaco is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the former B&O Railroad headquarters. In Room 1421, aka the Mediterranean Spa Suite, guests can assume the role of a retired railroad magnate, reading the newspaper in the stately king bed beneath a grand headboard with built-in sconces. The suite’s luxurious bathroom is crafted in dark marble mosaic tiles and features an oversized Fuji jetted spa tub and separate glass-enclosed rain shower. Can’t decide what to do today? Glance outside the window for a bird’s-eye view of Baltimore’s urban landscape.
Rates start at $499 per night. Downtown. monaco-baltimore.com
Royal Sonesta Harbor Court's Presidential Suite
The Presidential Suite on the eighth floor of the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court has been the favorite room of Pavarotti, James Taylor and many other musicians - often registered under aliases, of course. That’s no surprise when there’s a hot-tub-sized bathtub that can easily accommodate bandmates and a few fans. Venture past the living room, powder room, full kitchen and through the bedroom into the green travertine master bathroom. No Mr. Bubble needed here: The bath pour is fancy French L'Occitane. Music? MTV is playing everywhere — on the TV embedded in the bathroom’s mirror, in the bedroom, on the 48-inch flat screen in the living room. And while everyone can’t possibly fit underneath the 400-thread count Egyptian sheets of the king bed, there are plenty of sofas around this mini palace and even a trundle bed. But forget sleep — the Inner Harbor is buzzing outside your window, and you’ve got a full panorama across the harbor.
Rates start at $3,000 per night. Inner Harbor. sonesta.com/baltimore
Inn at Henderson's Wharf Suite 109
Good thing you had the butler draw your lavender-scented bath early tonight. Your secret special someone arrived early to avoid paparazzi and groupies, slipping through the private door from the Waterfront Promenade directly into your suite — No. 109 — at the Inn at Henderson’s Wharf. Your room came with a complimentary bottle of wine, and you can serve that cheese you hoarded in your private refrigerator from last night’s cocktail hour. At sunset, tilt the plantation shutters just so and toast the last rays of the sun over the harbor. Later, when you dial up the butler to bring you some Grand Marnier and chocolate from the nightcap served each evening in the lobby (careful with the chocolate on the oh-so-silky 600-thead count sheets), he’ll confirm that your breakfast and the newspaper will be delivered outside your room by 9 a.m.
Rates start at $229 per night. Fells Point. hendersonswharf.com
Pier 5 Hotel's Mystic Suite
Pier 5 Hotel’s Mystic Suite practically sits on the water and provides a dazzling view of the Innter harbor. And it’s obvious why the 1,900-square-foot space is nicknamed the Austin Powers Suite. A huge living room is furnished with retro-mod curvy sofas and a bar with four red velvet stools. As a bonus, the room sometimes has cool animal-trick entertainment — the window by the bar faces the National Aquarium’s dolphin training tank. A supersized Jacuzzi in the center of the living room can accommodate a gaggle of friends. Need some mood music? In summer, just crack open the window, and you may be treated to the sounds of a live performance just steps away at Pier SixPavilion. The bedroom has a king bed and a 45-inch flat-screen TV that rises from the floor at the tap of a button. In the morning, don’t miss the massive Swiss shower with crazy body sprays.
Rates start at $629 per night. (Throw a wedding at the hotel, and you’ll get the room, gratis.) Inner Harbor. thepier5.com
Ella Virginia Suite at Rachael's Dowry B&B
It’s a quandary. You wanted the convenience of being within walking distance of both Camden Yards and great restaurants, but at the end of the evening, you want to leave the urban experience behind and retreat to a peaceful country inn without having to go too far. Can you have it all? The answer is yes, if you’ve reserved the Ella Virginia Suite at Rachael’s Dowry, a country inn-concept bed-and-breakfast set in the center of downtown. Located in a historic 18th-century home, this grand suite is the only guest room occupying the third floor and overlooks a magnificent garden. Beneath 9-foot ceilings, rare for a home of this era, the centerpiece of the suite is an original working wood-burning fireplace crowned by a magnificent Federal-style mantel. A sitting area with a period antique desk make this a favorite retreat for artists, who spend hours sketching the views of Baltimore’s rowhouses and skyline.
Rates start at $179 per night. Ridgley’s Delight. rachaelsdowrybedandbreakfast.com
Annapolis Inn's Murray Suite
Dignitaries, politicians, Navy officers and fashionable folks seeking an elegant retreat have all rested their heads on the plush pillows of the Murray Suite, one of just three guest rooms at the Annapolis Inn. The circa 1762 home has a fascinating history: it sits above a tunnel used by the Underground Railroad and at the turn of the 20th century was the location of the oldest synagogue in the city. The Murray Suite, occupying the entire second floor, is named for Thomas Jefferson’s physician, Dr. James Murray, who once owned the house. The expansiveness of the suite temporarily overwhelms upon entering. Place your Kindle on the chair by the fireplace in the antique-filled sitting room that overlooks the garden. Pass through etched-glass pocket doors into an airy bedroom. Beneath European brocade bedding, the mattress is constructed of natural bamboo latex with no bedsprings, famous for ultimate comfort. The bathroom features temperature-controlled floors beneath a cool marble tub.
Rates start at $379 per night. Annapolis Historic District. annapolisinn.com
The Columbia Inn at Peralynna's O Suite
Some come for the heavenly beds, some for the homemade breakfast, but it is the bathroom in the aptly named O Suite at the Columbia Inn at Peralynna that has gained its own following. This spa-inspired Carrara marble sale de bain includes a relaxation/sitting room with a private balcony. The double-sink marble vanity has 24-karat-gold fixtures. Bathing here is more of a toast than a soak; the Jacuzzi tub for two has cool gentle sprays that bubble up from the bottom like a glass of champagne, and then everything is swirled by warm jet gushes from the sides. A vaulted Tiffany-hued ceiling reflects down, changing your bathwater into shades of the Caribbean. No, that twinkling around the room isn’t fairy dust or stars, just hypnotic chroma therapy lighting. And any lingering stress can be reduced to a puddle in the spa shower. Waiting in the bedroom is a king Tempur-Pedic bed with Italian linens beneath a grand leather headboard.
Rates start at $300 per night. Columbia. mycolumbiainn.com
The Boucher Suite at Antrim
While being the preferred wedding night bedchamber of brides, the Boucher Suite at Antrim 1840 pays equal homage to the primping needs of her new spouse. The suite provides him a gentleman’s bathroom with antique claw-foot tub and shower. But he’ll be soon joining his new spouse in hers, where together they will take the plunge into the pedestal double Jacuzzi tub. For sensory bliss, the king-size four-poster canopy featherbed has a cushioning pillowtop mattress topped with Matouk bedding, making it so empirically tall, you might need the footstools provided on each side. After the reception, wedding guests can organize an a cappella serenade between the suite’s two balconies. In the morning, a breakfast starter tray is placed outside the door, while a full country breakfast awaits your arrival downstairs.
Rates start at $280 per night. Taneytown. antrim1844.com
Copyright @ 2015, The Baltimore Sun