The Wilmina in Berlin: A Design Gem
January 16, 2026
Our train across Germany to Berlin was easy and fast, and we arrived at sunset. Our Berlin welcome involved drizzle. The Wilmina glowed with welcome.
Room 107 is a garden view room, spacious and clean, but configured for handicap access.
Each room in the hotel was adapted from some aspect of a historical women’s prison.
Though the shower was not plastic, it was not glass either. It was mostly too big.
What a property.
The bar is something to write home about. Absolute world class excellence with house made infusions and highly creative cocktails. Best hotel bar in Germany for sure.
Time for some reading by the fire.
The associated bakery.
We were only in Berlin for a short while, but we crammed in some great food, some excellent company, and some art. Seri Melayu was a nice reprive from brown food. The House of Small Wonder lives up to its reputation. Itarei was good but needs a service and wine overhaul.
Four showerheads leaning hard into five for the Wilmina. If we find the right room, the rating will improve.
The Proper in Austin Texas Thinks Big About Itself
December 25, 2025
We flew in to see Billy Strings play some old school blue grass at Austin City Limits. There was almost enough time to relax before dinner at the Peacock (which is very good indeed). The Proper is a nice hotel, and likely the best one in Austin, but it’s not quite as nice as they seem to think it is. Oh those Texans.
We were assigned a king balcony room 714 overlooking the unused pool. The day we arrived in Texas it was 37 degrees (which in Texas is way below freezing).
Not one speck of plastic in the shower. The bathroom is a little too small.
View of the pool on a cold winter day. It was even too cold to use the balcony.
And then it was time for Billy Strings to pick a few. (Lots of pictures and videos from the show here.)
Late night at Goldies. So secret the front desk even thinks it’s closed.
While in Austin we had an excellent breakfast at the well and then walked to Imogene + Willie and maufrais.
And then, it was time to fly home.
Four showerheads and a smaller hat for the proper. It’s awful hard to get five.
The Peninsula Chicago: High End for the Win
November 30, 2024
Fancy some art in Chicago? Stay at the Peninsula in high luxury while you’re there! Our visit to the city was excellent in most of the ways.
Of course our room was not ready when we arrived before noon on Sunday, and then the powers that be switched our assigned room out from under us while we visited the MCA. The switch was very much likely for the better as we moved from an executive suite on 12 to a grand deluxe suite on 9.
The room was, in fact, amazing. Comfortable, well-designed, modern, and spacious. We were in 910 overlooking the Water Tower and Michigan avenue. Christmas was upon us (and winter too).
910 has banks of windows.
The shower is not plastic. In fact, there might not be any plastic at all in the entire room.
One of the best aspects of the peninsula is breakfast. No really. Just exquisite and interesting: fresh juice, great coffee, myriad international offerings. Possibly the best breakfast in Chicago. We had two.
The MCA is terrific, including the Maripol restaurant inside.
Tiffany is a good place to visit after some art.
The Art Institute of Chicago is absolutely world class.
Duck Duck Goat is very good mid-level Chinese. Sadly, we couldn’t get the Peking duck.
About the only thing not up to snuff during our visit was pizza at Pequod (an old school Chicago deep dish institution). The pizza is great, but the decor is dirty even for an old Denny’s. And the ordering app? Don’t get us started. Just skip it.
Cocktails at the Peninsula bar, Z bar, are solid, but the experience is not worth writing home about or paying extra for.
Oh, and the Spa at the Peninsula…your mileage may very, but your bill will not.
But those wrinkles aside, the trip was excellent. Here are some more pictures.
Rebranding Chicago, one building at a time.
The view from 910.
The windows are really clean. Really really clean.
Five showerheads for the Peninsula and for Chicago art. Yes please. We would do it all over again.
Tyinkrysset Beckons, or Maybe it’s Randonee
May 2, 2024
After time in Stockholm and Oslo, the cabin was a welcome respite. We scooped Anne at the central station, and started our journey on the bluff above Oslo at the “Rose Castle.” The side trip was extra special because after 22 years I finally met Gøran’s mom. We all missed Romey.
Then it was a long drive through beautiful country to the cabin. There was still plenty of snow.
.
We used the cabin as a base of operations for two trips up even higher into the mountains. The first was to Tyinstølsnøse (1386 m) on Saturday. Just amazing.
UP
DOWN
In between we ate delicious fish, drank negronis in tiny mugs, slept not quite enough, and cooked over the fire outside.
Sunday morning the weather was perfect, so we had to don our skis and do it again. This time we skied straight up behind the cabin through the woods. The snow was so perfect that alpine back down through the woods was easy enough.
This is how I really felt.
The time was way too short, but my body was ready to rest. After our Sunday ski, we loaded up the car and headed to Bergen for another talk, some Norwegian “tacos” and a fancy dinner out.
The tacos (and the boys, who are quickly becoming young men).
The talk…
The present.
The cocktails at No Stress.
The dinner at Chérie.
A short but fantastic visit to Tyinkrysset.
Denver Renaissance
February 23, 2023
We didn’t really have our hopes set high enough, it seems. Because business trip, travel set by others, Marriott property, etc. But here we are at a very nice Renaissance Hotel in Denver. And everything is fine.
Getting here was a thing because a huge winter storm had travel all in a bind. Something like 1200 flights were cancelled. Mine was not, but it did take an extra 40 minutes because the headwinds were so strong.
The snowy drive from the airport was actually hazardous due to Americans in SUVs.
We were assigned an excellent suite (550) with lots of windows and, most important of all, glass showers. The room design is dated, but passable. Some refurbishment would be a good thing.
We were greeted with a personal note and a bottle of bubbly (which sadly will remain behind).
Glass shower for the win. The rest of the bathroom is pure Marriott.
A fun little chair.
The lobby bar is very good with clear ice, and proper Negroni capability. Seriously.
Entertainment for the evening included bowling (?1) and tequila shots. yeah no.
A late evening visit with Gino to Lady Jane (who made an absolutely excellent El Diablo with house hot ginger syrup) killed some time before we headed over to Williams and Graham (special shouts to Jacques and Sean Kenyon). Though W&G remains a top notch bar, it somehow seems to be overrun by non-bar people from conferences. Enthusiastic and stupid. Our bartender from NC was a hot and cold mess (and being a southern gentleman myself, I can assure you he is not very legit NC). Thing is, there was no green chartreuse. But instead of saying so, NC boy swapped to something not at all the same without saying a word. Not a fan of that kind of nonsense. We did have some excellent snacks and some great drinks in the end before we were summarily dismissed. Fernet for all.
Nephew Gino.
Sam’s number 3 is a great place for breakfast, even when it is 4 degrees outside.
All told, four showerheads and a great deal of surprise for the Renaissance. You go Marriott.
Hotel Zelos, Dirty Habit, and the Ghost of Kimpton Past in San Francisco
December 18, 2022
Oh the Kimpton of yore, how we miss it. After the IGH acquisition, the properties have gone completely corporate. No brand left at all. No personality. No staff that loves their jobs. So sad. Our last two Kimpton attempts in NY sucked (see https://noplasticshowers.com/2022/10/17/quick-hit-in-nyc-hotel-indigo-is-very-corporate/ and https://noplasticshowers.com/2022/05/08/back-in-new-york-the-muse-hotel-ihg/).
But the good news is that some of the properties have the old magic. Like the Zelos in San Francisco that used to be the Palomar. This was once one of our favorite hotels. And maybe it will be again.
We remember fondly talking to Mike Defrino about adding good bars to the properties (using Bourbon and Branch as one of the examples of what people will pay for a cocktail). Jacques Bezuidenhout was hired, and Dirty Habit was born under the direction of Brian Means.
We remember the battle of the Palomars.
At what os now the Zelos, we were assigned 712 (which is a nicely renovated version of a room we’ve stayed in back in the Palomar days). Great room.
In fact, enough space to conduct a zoom meeting with multiple attendees in the same room. (Don’t ask.)
The bathroom could be bigger. But it works. The shower is over a tub, but the nice glass doors make it all OK.
Though we arrived late, there was time for a slightly adjusted Boulevardier before bed.
And then a Cloudbreak (from Friday, Saturday, Sunday in Philly). This is still a magical cocktail. Make one!
Though it arrived late, a welcome note did arrive (along with a nice bottle of wine that I gave to madou since I was not checking my bag. Thanks for that Ben!
This is not your usual hotel art. Love it.
Breakfast at Cafe de la Presse is always recommended. At the Chinatown gate.
And for fun? How about Wildhawk, followed by ABV, followed by the Good Good Culture Club all with a bunch of great friends? Yes please.
So, a Negroni or a Breakfast Negroni?? Jacques, which should it be?
Maybe Suzu (who has become quite famous, aparently) knows.
While at ABV, tequila (or mezcal).
Thee guys…
Good Good was very good. What a treat to be in San Francisco for 32 seconds! Merry Christmas all.
Five showerheads and a big thumbs up for the hotel zelos. Looking forward to returning.
The Estancia La Jolla: Old School, but Still Classy
December 18, 2022
Way back when, I stayed in the Estancia La Jolla MANY times for MANY years. I have some very fond memories of my time there. Since we were on a quick hit to Qualcomm, it was time to revisit and see how things are going.
The Christmas Nisse was present at the front desk. My dude, you are a long way from Norway!
The thing about room 390 is that it is generic. But the other thing is that the construction is substantial. Heavy, wide doors. Things that keep noise out. It’s true that the architecture is boring, but it is also built properly to last.
Sadly, the shower tub thing. But the tub is low and is very wide. Nonetheless, the hotel needs to put in some glass.
Could be anywhere. Get this, there is a clock! LOL.
But its not! It’s La Jolla. And there is a balcony.
Even in December, everything is green.
A fantastic after lunch coffee post meeting.
And possible one of the worst Negronis ever. The airport bartender measured mediocre ingredients just so and then added a shot of Angostura! LOL. What?! We had a chat.
Extruded ice. Shitty gin. A dry peel improperly squeezed. And an extra shot of bitters. San Diego airport Negroni.
Anyway, four showerheads and warm Christmas thoughts for Estancia La Jolla.
Three tacos in Pheonix
December 18, 2022
When United fucks up ops, they do it spectacularly. NPS was headed to phoenix for a meeting. The four hour flight delay (equipment related on a route that has no other backups) caused us to land after the meeting was over. Just ridiculous.
So we did a post meeting rendez-vous and headed to Scottsdale for a taco.
I almost forgot. Dulles was all dressed up for the holidays.
And it was a complete zoo. Security was packed. This is the TSApre line.
Scottsdale fountain with a Belgian photo bomb.
Tourist tacos for the win. And a margerita too, of course.
We admired the lights and did some sock shopping in town.
FAST
SLOW
Finally we swung by the Westin in Tempe for a fantastic Negroni. Who knows why, but that hotel bar is one of the best in town?!
Anyway, United still sucks.
Quick Hit in NYC: Hotel Indigo is Very Corporate
October 17, 2022
What was to be a long weekend in the city shrunk down to one night when business did its usual thing of melting away. NPS stayed on the lower east side on somewhat of a whim. The verdict? Meh.
Thing is, Madou had no idea that we weren’t in midtown. So we shlepped up there for sushi at Sushi by Bou. Which was hilarious and definitely worth the subway time.
Waygu and uni…surf and turf @mmadou pic.twitter.com/BBZUfT75ih
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) September 7, 2022
The place is tiny, so make a reservation. Immediately after coffee, it was back downtown for our meetings, and then back to midtown for dinner at Freemans. Dinner was great.
But skip the rice pudding fad! LOL. Ride pudding is way too filling to catch on.
After dinner, the plan was to wedge into PDF, but the hot dog place was being its persnickety self. So instead we headed to Amor Y Amargo for some fantastic cocktails. We made up an experimental cocktail called the McGillicutty.
The Indigo was generic and boring. All of the Kimpton magic has dispersed.
The shower is not plastic.
The lower east side is close to some stuff, we guess.
NPS doesn’t remember the room number. Not returning.
Back to EWR you go (in an early Uber).
The United club is all new and fancy, but the flights are still delayed.
All told, three showerheads and no more strikes for Kimpton. Anybody have a good boutique hotel chain to offer?
The Hotel Van Zandt Austin, Texas
January 19, 2022
Ah Kimpton, you’ve become so corporate. Such a great hotel chain ground down by middle management cost cutting and the boredom of crank turning. Dang. We remember the old days, yes we do. They are never coming back.
Anyway, getting to Texas on United was not so bad even in double masks. The flight was very sparsely populated, though it is a longish one. Austin is a great city to visit. Or is it a town? Kind of hard to tell. Here’s the story of our brief stay at Hotel Van Zandt.
The only pair of actual cowboy boots at the hotel when we were there happened to be ours.
First of all, IHG has forgotten everything about what NPS likes. Just for the record, we like high floors, certain kinds of pillows, and rooms with no plastic showers. We have also become accustomed to welcome notes from the GM, delicious amenities, sparkling water, and sometimes even a craft cocktail greeting us in the room from a barkeep hired by Jacques. Not this time. Even though the Kimpton twitter dwarf (they used to be fairies, but corporations) was given the heads up, not one bit of prep was done. Kind of astonishing, really.
So NPS paid a pretty penny for an excellent king spa room with a view, and was given a plastic bottle of water at checkin by the Assistant Manager who had obviously not read our secret file in preparation for our arrival. Hell, there probably isn’t a secret file anymore.
Room 701 is a great room style category. But the floor? Not a high one. The amenities and water? Nope. And the “lake view” is mostly a dusty construction site surrounded by homeless encampments. Seriously. Every city we’ve visited lately has a massive housing problem. What is wrong with this country?
The bathroom was awesome. Great tub (which we used a bunch) and a nice glass shower.
Not plastic
Tub with a view (that cuts both ways)
Sink area
The king size bed is surrounded by a bank of windows on two sides. The view will one day be better.
Given our late arrival sometime just after 8pm, we headed for a drink to Geraldine’s on the fourth floor. It was a Saturday night and the unmasked Texas crowd was dense. After ordering an outstandingly made Negroni (what ice! what ingredients!) we opted for dinner. Dinner was delicious, service was smart and snappy, and all was well with the world. There was a band. They were OK.
Negroni featuring Botanist gin and Antica Formula vermouth…a house favorite
Behind the glass
Sadly the restaurant was not open for breakfast during our stay. Instead there is a starbucks knockoff cafe on the ground floor with a microwave. Not the sign of a great hotel, guys. Frankly, the place feels more like a Marriott than a Kimpton. No human touch and no magic.
Sunday was devoted to fun without a plan. Brunch at Fixe was absolutely stellar. Great Bloody Mary’s and cinnamon roll biscuits. Fantastic food and friendly Texas service. We took our time.
Bloody Mary of the highest caliber at Fixe
Hard to describe how delicious this was
The famous deviled eggs
Shrimp and grits with some garlic kale and a poached egg
In a great mood and in weather befitting Spring (60 degrees), we headed to South Congress for some idle shopping. Our only real destination was Heritage Boot Company. Though we got no pictures, we did manage to pick up a knife for my kilt and three pairs of handmade boots. We even had a margarita of sorts with “Mr. Avocado.” Great people, great boots, and a down home Texas vibe. (Thanks Kimber.) NPS hears tell that once you buy one pair you are on a slippery slope to ten. We shall see.
View down Congress toward the state house
Coffee and people watching at Jo’s Cafe
We did manage to singlehandedly support the American economy with our credit cards. And then it was time for a margarita and some music at Half Step. The margaritas are on tap. We were served by Nick Cage himself.
Margarita @halfstepbar served by nick cage himself @LoveTequila @rivco pic.twitter.com/PYH26aasFP
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) January 16, 2022
And that band. Three blind fellows joined by two sighted musicians and a heap of funk. These were real Austin professionals.
Have a listen for yourself.
About the time we extracted we were late for our dinner reservation at Canje. Dinner was excellent. The jerk chicken was hotter than hell. The drinks were fun. The vibe was casual.
Seated at the bar (our choice)
An emergency clothespin
Jerk chicken that will blow your mouth off
Really it would be hard to ask for a better Sunday in Austin.
Monday was a work day with a working lunch at Qi. Get the soup dumplings.
Part of the late afternoon meeting happened at the Proper hotel. This place is interesting but just a little too artificial after an hour in the lobby. The music loop may kill you if the extruded ice doesn’t. Dinner was slated for upstairs at la piscina ceviches and fajitas. Our hosts are enamored with their fajitas. They were (as Sammy says) pretty not bad.
The highlight of the evening Monday night was a quick stop by the Roosevelt Room. What a place. Cavernous and somehow still intimate. Superb cocktails served with whimsy and great care. One of the top bars in the world for sure. NPS had a paper plane (with a paper plane) and a Liberal. Yup. Amer Picon in the house. We seem to have lost our party all night energy during the pandemic, especially after a full day of working in person. So we’ll have to go back. Thanks for the hospitality Justin.
The paper plane with a paper plane
Yet another emergency clothespin
The list is first class
A Liberal in Austin
Well, Austin, we will definitely be back. We’ll probably buy some more Heritage boots. We’ll definitely have a few more drinks at the Roosevelt Room. But we’ll stay at the Driskill. Three showerheads for the Hotel Van Zandt where you get what you pay for (and nothing more).
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