November 2019 (with a second visit in June 2022)
On the list of places within a few hours’ drive of the Twin Cities, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was one of the few where we hadn’t spent any time. With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us and a big snowstorm making air travel a headache, we decided a holiday getaway was in order. The Charmant had been on our list for awhile — it’s a favorite of some colleagues — but we had never made the trip. We weren’t quite sure what to expect on a holiday weekend when so many people seem to settle in at home, but we’re not that good at settling in, and we figured that even a quiet La Crosse would be more fun that a quiet weekend at home, so we jumped in the car and headed down the Mississippi River.
A genuinely lively scene
We arrived at the Charmant at about 3:30 pm on Thanksgiving day and were pleasantly surprised to walk into a bustling scene — at the registration desk, at the lobby bar, and in the hotel restaurant and coffee shop, both of which were hosting Thanksgiving diners. The Charmant seemed like the place in town to be.
The hotel occupies the site of the very first structure in La Crosse — a trading post — which was eventually replaced by a candy factory. This is the building that now houses the Charmant. The hotel is just adjacent to the Mississippi River, abuts Riverside Park (more about that below), and is within a few blocks of the heart of downtown La Crosse, but the Charmant is a bit of an island among surface parking lots. Like many cities that are now realizing how to properly utilize their waterfronts, La Crosse has a way to go to bring vibrancy to the banks of the river.
The right combination: tasteful and cozy
When we made our booking shortly before Thanksgiving, we had only a few choices for rooms, possibly because the hotel was full or possibly because it just operates at limited capacity during the holiday. We put in a request for an upgrade and got a call the day before Thanksgiving that a river “vue” room had become available; the Charmant staffer promised us a nice view of Christmas lights in the park, which sounded fun.
Like the atmosphere in the hotel’s common areas, our room exceeded expectations. It offered glimpses into the building’s past with an exposed brick wall and timber floors and ceilings, but it was clear that a significant investment was made to convert the factory into a hotel. 
The room wasn’t overly large, but it worked well and included high-end touches, including quality furnishings and a bathroom with double sinks, an oversized marble-lined shower, and a window. With the exception of robes, which were delivered on request, the room had everything we could need.
One of the things we’ve come to appreciate at a hotel are its details. The Charmant did a nice job with these. From local spirits with a full selection of needed mixers to wooden nickels that could be traded for coffee in the downstairs coffee shop where a wood fire was always burning, the details made the room feel a little indulgent.
Just one disappointment to note: When we returned to our room on the second day of our stay, the housekeeper had been in to make up the room, but the bed was left unmade and our bath mat hadn’t been replaced. This wasn’t a big deal but something that took just a little polish off the visit.
Surprise!
We heard about the holiday lights when we upgraded our room, but we weren’t prepared for the Rotary Lights. This La Crosse tradition, in its 25th year, entices much of the city down to Riverside Park on the Friday evening after Thanksgiving to watch a parade, which is then followed by the opening of the much-loved light light show. The best part of it all: We could watch the whole thing — parade, fireworks (yes, fireworks), and the official lighting of the park — from our warm room with a glass of wine in hand. Happy holidays indeed!
Stay details:
- Charmant Hotel
- Location: State Street at Riverside Park, La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Our stay: 2 nights, November 28 and 28
- Our room: River Vue King
Where we ate, what we did:
Drinks and dinner (not turkey) at the Charmant- Coffee at Grounded
- A drive up to Grandad Bluff
- Strolling through downtown La Crosse followed by a walk to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
- Drinks at La Crosse Distilling Co.
- Dinner at Piggy’s (it tastes better than it sounds)
- 25th anniversary of the Rotary Lights
June 2022: Second visit
Our second visit to the Charmant was just as good as the first. We were delighted to see that many of hotel’s small details had survived the pandemic, and unlike many other places, the Charmant seemed to be thriving.
We stayed only a single night but managed cocktails on the rooftop bar, a visit to Riverside Park (where a Juneteenth celebration was underway) and the neighboring International Friendship Gardens, a pop into the architecturally interesting St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral, a delicious dinner at Lovechild, and brunch in the hotel before heading home. For visitors from Minneapolis/St. Paul, the drive down the Mississippi River in June (on either the Minnesota or Wisconsin side) is stunning. On our way home, we took a detour to Whitewater State Park (near St. Charles MN) for a terrific 5-mile hike up and down the limestone bluffs.
This stay was our second experience with the Virgin brand, the first being a train ride from London to Edinburgh. On the train – and in the first-class lounge before departure – we were introduced to Virgin’s playful and somewhat cheeky personality. The experience was a good one, and we would surely travel by Virgin trains again. We weren’t sure how the brand would translate to a hotel – there was a risk it would be full of young people in the city for a weekend of revelry – but for a short two night-stay, the stakes were low, and we were willing to give it a go.
When we choose a hotel, we spend at least some time figuring out the kind of room we want to book. As we’ve discovered, the particular room can make a big difference in a stay (see our entry on 
One of the Oxbow’s challenges — in fact, a challenge of any hotel — is keeping the rooms looking pristine through cycles of guests. Three years in, our room was showing some wear. The mural on the wall, which looks like a topographic map and was one of our favorite features, had some scratches and dents. The white tile in the bathroom could use a good scrub and some re-grouting, and paint on the ceiling was starting to peel (possibly a result of the damp conditions). For the Oxbow to deliver on its vision will take constant effort.
To earn membership, each property must demonstrate its own particular “art of living” through luxury, top-quality amenities, outstanding dining and a passion for hospitality. But a property must also be a living expression of its particular place, and it must serve to enrich that place, contributing to its culture, its evolving history and its environment.
We arrived at Canoe Bay late in the afternoon on a very cold (many degrees below zero Fahrenheit) Friday in January. The staff member at reception greeted us with genuine warmth and enthusiasm, letting us know there wasn’t a better place to snuggle in for a cold winter weekend than the cabin we were checking in to. She also told us we had been upgraded to a “treetop” cabin and then invited us to follow her colleague who would escort us to our cabin and give us a brief tour of its features.
hills. Fun to see various animal tracks in snow.
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Each stay at the Alma comes with a complimentary continental breakfast from the bakery. Guests can choose to have juice, coffee and handmade baked goods delivered via tray service to their room, or they can head down to the cafe, which is what we did. The cinnamon rolls, toasted bread with jam and strong coffee were just right. While we would have liked to linger a bit longer, it was time for re-entry to life, but we’ll surely be back, this time sooner rather than later.
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 Mandarin Oriental chain is, in our minds, a step up from the Hiltons or Marriotts of the world; both the Las Vegas and Miami M.O. have a distinctive identify that we don’t find in most of the big global chains. We know some hotel guests like to know what to expect — they like the sense of comfort that a chain can offer — but that tends not to be for us. Still, being a corporate property has its advantages. And the MO-Miami was able to lean on the corporate muscle to dial things in close to just right.
After spending Thanksgiving 2020 in Stillwater at the 
hotelling.org 