August 2018
We live in a neighborhood with some of the best restaurants in the Twin Cities, so it’s hard to get in the car and seek out others. Sometimes, though, the buzz is enough to motivate us. That was the case with Bellecour, a newish French bistro in Wayzata, a lakeside town (suburb) west of downtown Minneapolis. With a reservation in hand, we thought the night would be much more enjoyable if we didn’t have to drive the 30 minutes home after a nice meal. Lucky for us, Wayzata also has a newish hotel, so we decided to make a mini getaway of it.
Trying hard for luxury
Walking into the Landing felt a little like walking into an upgraded version of the kind of hotel you find on highway exits…or one of those senior living communities that are popping up everywhere. Perhaps because it’s new and resembles something that is trying to look urban but really isn’t, we have to admit that the hotel didn’t excite us right away. That feeling continued as we made our way up the painfully slow elevator, down the hallway and into a room filled with the roar of an air conditioner on the fritz.
The room itself had some tasteful elements — a steel-frame bed, some handsome wool chairs and a Juliet balcony — but like the rest of the building, the room seemed to lack any quality craftsmanship. Perhaps because we live in a muscular brick building with 16-inch walls constructed in 1887 — the Landing just seemed a little flimsy, particularly considering what we were paying, which rivaled some of the really lovely places we’ve visited in top-rate world cities. What’s more, that air conditioner was hard to ignore, and we also discovered crumbs in one of the chairs and a toilet seat coming loose.
A second try and a better experience
Our dinner reservations weren’t until 9 pm, so we headed down to the hotel bar for a drink. Deciding the air conditioner noise would make for a long night, we stopped at the front desk to inquire whether a maintenance person could take a look. We will say that the staff was terrific and quite apologetic. After enjoying a well-made cocktail on the sprawling plantation-style porch, we learned that the air conditioner was down for the count, and the staff wanted to move us to another room.
The new room, right across the hall, felt better right away. While some of the same critiques about the quality construction remained, the new room had a much better design, a nice view of the Wayzata woods, and an air conditioner that was barely noticeable.
Moments of luxury
We returned from dinner (it was quite good) and climbed into bed. In our minds, the Landing got a few things right, and the bed was one of them. By late evening, we were able to turn the air off entirely and let the cool lake breeze come in. The bed — and the feather pillows –were terrifically comfortable; we were extra glad not to have to drive home. The next morning, a really good shower (once we figured out the “controls”) and big thick towels left us feeling more positive about the overall experience.
Stay details
- Hotel Landing: https://www.thehotellanding.com/
- Location: The east end of Lake Street
- Stay length: 1 night’s stay ~ August 16, 2018
- Room: Junior suite
What we saw, what we ate
- Dinner at Bellecour
hotelling.org 