The Hotel Verneuil
I sit typing this in the very large Ludovisi Room at the Westin Excelsior in Rome on the very first day of my summer vacation with Ursula. While a fine hotel and the perfect place for my daughter and myself to land for one night after a nightflight from NYC and a ton of jet lag, it is not what I would consider a cozy, home away from home experience.
So, as I lay awake early this morning, I began to run through my mind the very few, and very special places that I have stayed in the world that have been very much like homes away from home.
These places really make being in a foreign, strange country seem comfortable and beautiful. They are typically not grand or luxurious in the usual way, and they are usually small in scale, though they CAN be expensive at times. Always there are people, proprietors or otherwise, who run the place and whom you seem to come to know like old friends within a very short time. I suppose that this being Apartment Therapy you wouldn't expect it any other way. Even when we travel, it's Home that we wish to find.
So, despite the fact that I'm on vacation, I thought I'd dash off a post first thing this morning, append my own short list and see if I could entice all of you to add to it. We'll comb the comments and use them to add to the list over time. The only rule for this list is the following:
You must have personally stayed in the place you recommend!
Thanks to all of you in advance and happy trails.
USA
Martha's Vinyard
The Outermost Inn
EUROPE
Dublin
Number 31, Leeson Close
Florence
JK Place
Paris
Hotel Vernueil
CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
The Grenadines
Petit St. Vincent
TURKEY
Sirince - Selçuk
Nisanyan House Hotel
Apartment Therapy's Sofa Shopping Guide
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sprout Side Table
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
I'm planning a trip to NYC to look at colleges with my daughter and wondered what your recommendations would be in the city. Not too expensive, midtown location and clean. Thanks to anyone with advice.
THE LOVELY MARCO POLO HOTEL in Hong Kong...
Saranewell- Just got back from Brooklyn and had a great stay at the aloft. I believe there may be more in NYC. Have an awesome trip!
Saranewell, not sure what the prices are now, but the Hotel Elysee in midtown was like a home away from home on business trips. Factor in that they have a very nice complimentary continental breakfast, enough snacks for a light dinner at the complimentary wine hour, and coffee and tea and cookies available the rest of the time. All this is in the second floor lounge, which is like a second living room. I'd ask for a higher floor (always in NY) to get away from the street sounds. Very nice!
any suggestions for hotels or holiday rentals in barcelona?
In Barcelona, I recommend staying in the Gothic Quarter. The hotels will be old and small but very intimate.
Hotel Dollman, Munich, Germany. Charming, cozy, full of atmosphere...all the rooms are different. Plus, your visit includes the most amazing buffet-style breakfast, ever!
You're complaining about the Westin Excelsior? I aspire to the Westin Excelsior. The last place I stayed in in Rome had bed bugs.
These days when looking for lodging abroad, I aim for cleanliness. Too much upholstery, too many linens and drapes, too many hard-to-clean crevices (like the hotel rooms featured) give me the willies. I am much more inclined to go for a modern, sparely furnished room. I don't want it to feel like home. I want t it to feel efficient, clean, airy. I don't want to think about other people having slept there.
My favorite place to stay in NYC, though, is the Penisula. I like the old, fuddy-duddy feeling of the lobby, the great health club, the quiet, quiet rooms, the warm staff. I haven't been to NY in a couple years, however, because of the bed bug thing. I know it sounds extreme to limit your travels because of a bug, but they freak me out.
Hotel Florence in Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy, is a must. Beautiful views of the lake, friendly and helpful staff, and great breakfast. Book one of two or three room suites with a balcony. Perfect!
Hotel Abruzzi, Roma. It is literally at the feet of the Pantheon. I haven't been there since 2006. But the rooms were modern and nice (wood floors, marble baths, not overly upholstered - I agree about clean, sleek = reassuring). And the Plaza was pretty quiet at night compared to being on a street. And there is no beating the view.
I would recommend AD Place in Venice, which is the sister hotel of JK Place. Lovely rooms, perfect location, welcoming staff. It was the perfect place to land at the beginning of a 2-week journey through Italy, particularly because air travel nightmares had us up for more than 24 hours straight.
Il Nido in Sorrento is also highly recommended. It is a family-run hotel with a great atmosphere. The rooms are spare and definitely no frills, but the views are outstanding, the food is wonderful, and the price is right!
while definitely not a home away from home, one of the places that I loved most was the Secret Garden in Quito, Ecuador. It is just a hostel and we paid a few extra dollars for a private room (with the bathroom and WC shared with two more rooms on the same floor) but the experience of having breakfasts on the roof terrace looking at the entire sunlit Quito right below, with a perfect view of the Cathedral and the El Panecillo on opposite ends, (and late night dinners with the same view but after dark) it was just a completely unforgettable experience.
In Jordan:
The Canary Hotel in Amman and
The Salome Hotel in Madaba
Both owned by the same lovely family --- they are clean, comfortable, reasonably-priced, no-frills hotels with friendly, competent service. Highly recommended.
This is not a cozy place, by any means, and probably only felt like a home-away-from-home due to the frequency with which I stayed there, but the Hotel Intercontinental in Hong Kong was it for me. I would always begin to relax as soon as I got in the white limo that used to pick us up from the airport after our twenty-hour flight; and an early breakfast on the bay--in the path of the dragons--was a daily ritual for me whenever I was there. I didn't think that I would miss it, but I do!
I would recommend The Town Hall hotel in London. For anyone interested in a more alternative environment (blocks from Bethnal Green melting-pot London and from Vyner Street emerging galleries, a cross between Queens and Williamsburg) the Town Hall offers a cozy kind of luxury. Top rated chef in-house, but fully fitted and functional kitchens in their studios and apartments, I recently spent two weeks there and felt truly at home.
In Milwaukee, I stayed at The Knickerbocker on the Lake, and it was FANTASTIC. No cookie-cutter decor here. Was more like a studio apt then a hotel. Had what looked like coffins embedded in the doors, but after some research, found they were for dry cleaning! Some of the units are condos and some part of the hotel. Easy free street parking or there's a lot that's not too expensive. It was just two blocks from the art museum and a block from Lake Michigan.
If you're ever in Berlin you've simply got to check out Miniloft in Mitte. It's a crazy-cool modern building owned and built by architects who live there. The apartment lofts have everything you need and it's soooo chic. I stay there everytime I'm in Berlin for business. Oh, and they have a garage that works like an elevator! How cool!
Hix Island House in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Very special place.
The Parker Palm Springs, they hosted our graduate program's residencies one year. So it literary was home away from home twenty days out of that year.
Wish I could move into the Helvetia and Bristol in Florence! I'm not crazy about Hotel Verneuil-the location is fantastic and the price is good, but the room I stayed in was minuscule and it wasn't terribly clean. Maybe they've redecorated.
I am looking for a nice clean spot in San Francisco. I need to go there for work every other week. If it had a work out room that would be grand and a tiny kitchen but that is not essential.
Is that the room keytag on a tassel in the photo at the Hotel Verneuil?
The Golden Gate Hotel in San Francisco, California, near Union Square. It's a super-charming, family-run bed and breakfast.
(www.goldengatehotel.com)
In Lagos, Portugal - try CasaTrigoso. It's more of a B&B sans the breakfast, but it's directly in front of the beach, super cosy and homey - and the views are phenomenal!! They owners were usually around and helpful in recommending local haunts. - http://www.casatrigoso.com
Langham Place Hotel, Hong Kong - amazing.
Any suggestions for Singapore?
Loving all the comments. Will definitely bookmark for future reference as I love staying in places with personalities and great locations that are off the tourist map.
When I travel for business, I want the most Hotel hotels I can find. Clean, quiet, crisp, efficient: That's the ticket.
When I travel for pleasure, I do want a home away from home experience - which is why I go for vacation apartments instead of hotels for any stay longer than four nights. Not only do these often represent a HUGE savings, but you also get your own kitchen, room to spread out, etc. These vary in quality depending on the dedication of the owner, but I've had some terrific experiences, most recently in New Zealand -- my Auckland vacation apartment was on the top floor of a hotel, where you could opt-in to any hotel services (like cleaning or room service), or be left alone as you chose each day.
Estalagem La Hacienda in Gramado, Brazil. It is one of the most touristic destinations in South America, and the hotel is outstanding. It is a beautifully manicured piece of land with very cozy cabins in rustic decor. When I say "rustic," I mean it in the way South American estancias can look rustic, there is no lack of comfort in any way. It is extremely clean, and there is always a fresh lavender smell, which is the signature of the place. The breakfast is included, and will not disappoint even those used to the most lavish breakfasts in Germany. At night they leave lemongrass tea with a few tiny cookies in the bedroom. Gramado is not a great destination for Americans, as if you go to Brazil you would perhaps enjoy better the more tropical areas, but it is a hugely popular destination for all the surrounding countries. If you ever have to be in Porto Alegre for business, it is worth the one hour detour.
Hands down, Los Poblanos in Albuquerque, NM is my choice for home-away-from-home. The accommodations were wonderful, the bed was comfy, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, the food was divine, the grounds were gorgeous, and they even thought to leave out ear plugs for the three peacocks wandering around! The rates weren't outrageous either.
The Veranda House on Nantucket
Blancaneaux in Belize
The Black Orchid Resort in Belize -- Burrell Boom
The Dwarika's Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal. Oh my goodness - it's worth going to Nepal just to stay in that hotel.
The Spire in Queenstown, NZ.
Compass Point in Nassau Bahamas, and Haad Tien in Koh Tao, Thailand. Compass point is absolutely beautiful and rooms include surround sound and all the cds of artists who have recorded in the studios onsite. Haad Tien, stunning as well, well designed huts that feature outdoor beds. Both are boutique hotels that are situated on private beaches. Couldnt recommend more.
Las Golondrinas, in Oaxaca, Mexico--sweet rooms in a beautiful hidden garden, and they make your breakfast in the shape of a swallow (which is what "golondrinas" means.)
http://www.hotellasgolondrinas.com.mx/presentacion-in.html
From the website, it looks like prices have risen substantially since I was there eight years ago, though!
The Antiq Palace Hotel in Ljubliana, Slovenia. Originally a nobleman's palace, it is in the historic part of town, great location. Interesting decor and design, great service, would definitely recommend this place. There are apartments for families, cozy rooms for couples, and a very nice breakfast.
http://www.antiqpalace.com/
Riva Hotel in Stockholm. A quirky place with comfy beds and nice pillows and duvets in the heart of Södermalm, amazing breakfast, friendly staff!
Any suggestions for vacation rentals in New Zealand? Almond Joy, what was the name of your Auckland vacation apartment/"hotel"? Sounds perfect!
Palo Duro Canyon, second-largest canyon in North America located near Amarillo, Texas (my hometown). You can rent rustic stone cabins on a ridge overlooking the canyon for about $100/day. Big sky, breathtaking view of the canyon, good hiking.