After four nights at Hotel Castello di Sinio, our stay in Turin was planned simply to make our transport to Turin airport easier. Since we would only be staying for one night, we wanted a hotel in the city center, hoping to get a brief taste of Turin. The Turin Palace Hotel fit the bill. As it turns out, we were impressed with both the hotel and the city, and we hope to return someday and spend more time.
Room with a view
Our room on the fourth floor was in pristine condition and well-appointed. It was a good contrast to the rather more rustic charm of the Castello di Sinio. Our favorite part was its amazing view, and we had fun looking out across the city rooftops, with the Chiesa Parocchiale di San Secondo Martire dominating the panorama.
Our private outdoor patio was absolutely huge — one of the biggest we’ve had at a hotel. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperative, and we could only dream of spending time outside with a coffee or glass of wine, taking in the wonderful view.
The hotel was tasteful and had some wonderful design elements, including a gorgeous formal stairwell and a simply stunning dining room where we enjoyed breakfast, which, quite happily, included a large selection of Piemontese chocolate.
Labor Day Weekend 2021. It’s still the pandemic. We’re in the Twin Cities but desperately looking for something that will get us out our COVID routine for a night, and Red Wing was one of the few towns within a short drive that we hadn’t visited for an overnight stay. What’s more, a few friends had recommended the St. James as a classic historic hotel in a Minnesota river town.
When we made the booking, we chose the most expensive room available, with a note that it wasn’t very expensive. We just wanted the best experience and, mistakenly in this case, equated room rates with experience. Lesson learned. (More on that in a moment.)
Heading south down the Mississippi
Red Wing from Barn Bluff
The hour-long drive from St. Paul to Red Wing is lovely. We chose a route as close to the Mississippi River as possible, which took us right by the Treasure Island Casino, a local landmark we had never actually seen. Not being gamblers but with $12 in our wallet, we decided to go for broke. Five minutes later, that adventure was over, and we continued on to Red Wing through the scenic river valley.
We arrived prior to check-in and explored the town, which has a big dose of civic pride. After a few hours, a visit to the Red Wing Shoe store, some ice cream, an art gallery exhibition, the ski jumping museum, and a drink at the hotel rooftop bar, we were ready to check into our junior suite.
St James Hotel: old versus new
The St. James was built in 1874 and is a “historic hotel of America,” in company with properties like the The Plaza in New York City, The Mayflower in Washington DC, the Palmer House in Chicago, and the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. We thought it was pretty neat that Red Wing with a population of 16,000 people could claim a hotel in this company. Today the hotel is owned by the Red Wing Shoe Company, and it seems to be doing a good business. On the night we stayed, the hotel was entirely booked.
The St James has an old wing and a new wing, something we learned when we got there and did some exploring. Our room was in the new wing (we’re guessing circa 1970’s), and while it perfectly acceptable, it felt like a modern room trying to be something from the 1870s. The front desk staffer told us that all of the rooms are different and appointed with the same amenities and furnishings, but she also admitted that the historic wing is her preference — specifically Room 402, which we will ask for next time we visit.
The St. James resides on the charming Main Street in Red Wing, so rooms that look out the front have that view. Rooms toward the back face the Mississippi River. Somehow we managed to get the room with a smallish window and a view to the brick wall of the building next door. This wasn’t a big deal — one of our very favorite hotels in New York City offers similar views — but it did seem a little claustrophobic in this setting with the small window and low ceiling, and on a beautiful sunny day in early-September.
The room itself was spacious with a king bed, seating area, fireplace, wet bar, and an oversized bathroom with a shower and jetted tub. (We were in an ADA room so weren’t sure if the bathroom size was an ADA accommodation or typical for that room style). Everything was clean and well-maintained, and the bed was comfy. We could picture spending a few nights in this room during a Minnesota winter when the sun is scarce and a fireplace is most welcome.
Downtown Red Wing offered more than we expected, and the St. James was definitely the center of activity. There seemed to be a bustle about the place that made you feel like you were in the right spot. We had a drink at the rooftop bar in the afternoon and then ate dinner in the accompanying restaurant, Scarlet Kitchen and Bar, later in the evening. In fact, we couldn’t get a booking until 8:30 pm, which is pretty cosmopolitan for a small Midwestern river town. While the bar and restaurant were short-staffed — so typical of service industries during the pandemic — the hard-working staff more than exceeded our expectations.
We visit the UK with some frequency, and since we’re more city mice than country mice, we rarely stray from central London. But on this trip, we decided to change it up a bit. It was fall, and we thought the English countryside would be nice. Being only a short drive from Heathrow, and since neither of us had been there before, we settled on the Cotswolds for a three-night sojourn. But where in the Cotswolds? We wanted something fairly central since we planned to check out as much of the area as time would permit. Here’s a tip of the hat to The Telegraph travel section for providing excellent initial research–we’re rarely led astray by their travel writers. And their excellent advice led us to the village of Tetbury and to Oak House No. 1.
To B&B or not to B&B?
From the review in The Telegraph, we were under the impression that our chosen lodging place was a boutique hotel, which is typically our preference. Had we known that Oak House No. 1 in Tetbury was really more of an upscale boutique B&B, we might have looked elsewhere. Fortunately we didn’t, as Oak House No. 1 turned out to be fabulous.
Anyone who has enjoyed the hospitality of Oak House No. 1 surely will attest to the hospitality of the proprietors and hosts Nicola and Gary. The property is infused with their vivid personalities, and what personalities! Their life experiences and love of art are evident throughout the property. And any conversation with the two is a work of art in itself. It must be said that Nicola often carries the conversation as Gary can be a bit reticent and shy. All in all Oak House No. 1 was the perfect home base for a weekend exploring the Cotswolds.
The sitting room
Since this was our first visit to the Cotswolds, we relied on our proprietors’ advice for an itinerary, and here again Gary and Nic were spot on. They provided a bespoke list of villages to see with restaurants and a few country pubs added in for good measure. With our sporty rental car, we were able to visit some of the most picturesque villages in England while enjoying the beautiful countryside in between. And upon returning to our temporary home, Nic and Gary listened with interest while we regaled them with our adventures. And there are worse ways to close out a day than enjoying a glass of complimentary Scotch in the wonderfully decorated sitting room at Oak House No. 1.
hotelling.org 