noplasticshowers

It’s not Singapore, of course, but there really is a Raffles in Boston. Last time we were in town for David Byrne, we stopped in for a very crowded drink at the upstairs speakeasy.

Of course, we know all about the real Raffles…and the Singapore Sling. It’s pretty hilarious to see this transplanted to Boston. But why not?! Can you say “wicked Sling???”

Oopstock brings us here.

We are in 1007. This, they tell us, is an upgrade from our requested suite. We’re all for that kind of thing. Thanks y’all.

Extra bathroom.

Not one iota of plastic, of course. And shower pressure that will blow your hair plugs right out of your scalp…assuming you have some.

So how goes it Raffles? It goes, as Sammy would say, pretty not bad. The space is excellent and the staff is top notch. But there are some things that could use some attention and maybe refactoring.

1007 could use some closet space. And engineering needs to fix the drapery. The real problem is inscrutable electronic controls. How do you set the AC to anything less than hurricane? Who knows? And lights? Just press buttons randomly until something happens. About the only other place with these kinds of UI electricity challenges is the College Hotel in Amsterdam.

Greeted with a personal note and a cocktail. Very nice touch. And the Butler thing is actually great. Our man Thomas was hugely helpful and made our visit noticeably better.

Bottom line? Excellent staff (and attention to staff development as well—which we witnessed while working in the libary) but some physical plant work required.

FWIW, the spa is apparently great. Go do that. Ask for Paula. (Side note: if you would like to buy some house perfume and then fly. LOL. Good luck with that. Hotel? Travel size for flyers is pretty much mandatory.)

Oh, and the Long Bar space? Lets upgrade that breakfast menu. Great bar, though. And excellent staff. (The menu could use a dose of the rest of the world…see the Chicago Peninsula.)

Blind Duck was empty and nice when we showed up at opening time. They served this sweet blue thing…

On rainy Monday, we spent some retail therapy time in Copley, the Pru, and then—when it cleared up—Newbury. Then we went to dinner at a very crowded and touristy Saltie Girl (recommended by the concierge/front desk). It’s overly Newbury. If you like being surrounded by people from out of town, this restaurant is for you!

Tuesday was La Padrona (where their computer texts you in Italian but does not like or even understand Italian answers). Delicious food—first time for pistachio lasagna. In the end, really quite poor space layout (our table was in a bizarre booth over in the margins) and staff that needs to be trained (they seem to forget who is paying). This is really more of a Boston issue than a La Padrona issue. Boston’s high end restaurant scene is no longer anywhere near the top edge in our experience. Time to get out of the little pond and see what the big fish are doing out there in the rest of the world, Boston.

Charlie’s is still a dive, but they raised their prices to make some margin. THey have grits!

The neighborhood (and exact apartment) of yore.

Five showerheads and some wicked new hairplugs for Raffles Boston (assuming you used to have those). We’ll be back.