Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC – Washington DC is high on the hit-parade for baby boomer travelers, and we were very excited to be returning to this incredible and historic city.
To further our excitement, we were also elated to be spending four nights at the Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC. We’ve heard great things about Mandarin Oriental, and never having the pleasure of staying at one, we were most excited to stay at this fairly new (opened in 2004) property sitting on the banks of the Potomac.
As we began to do our homework on the property, we found a very impressive string of awards:
Mobil 4-Star Award (Hotel)
Mobil 4-Star Award (Spa)
Mobil 4-Star Award (Restaurant – City Zen)
AAA 4-Diamond (Hotel)
AAA 5-Diamond (Restaurant – City Zen)
Eric Ziebold named “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic”, James Beard Foundation, June 2008
Quite impressive, wouldn’t you say?
Unfortunately, we were unable to experience the award-winning City Zen restaurant. Nonetheless, we were very excited to share a meal with Linda Beltran (Director of Communications) at the hotel’s Sou’Wester restaurant.
Sou’Wester offered us waterfront views of the Potomac, and served up regional cuisine with a very noticeable inflection of Southern cooking.
We let Linda guide our choices as we began our meal. She started off with Pan Fried Oysters (smoked pepper ai?oli). No objection from me, but I was surprised to see Carol smiling as she was enjoying the oysters. She is generally not a fan of such things. But, just take a look at these babies!
I told you that there was a clear Southern influence in this restaurant, and I rest my case with our next entree: Hush Puppies (w/ honey butter) YUM!
It was now time for our salads. The gals went for more traditional salads, while I greatly enjoyed Roasted Heirloom Beet Salad (goat cheese, tangerine, bibb lettuce with pecan vinaigrette). I kind of felt like Popeye the-sailor-man after all of those wonderful vitamin-packed veggies.
For our entrees, Linda went with Pan Seared Filet of “Chicken-Fried” Brook Trout…
Carol went with a Grilled Bone-In Ribeye Steak…
while I ventured completely into the unknown with “Nose-To-Tail” Crispy Path Valley Shoat (cider-braised savoy cabbage, fried egg). “What is shoat”, you ask? Well, I had to turn to my host for an explanation. It turns out that shoat is is a weanling pig, that is, a pig that has just been weaned.
Coming from the Southwest, I was not accustomed to all the fried delicacies of the South, but I quite enjoyed this. “Oddly”, so says my wife, I like anything with an egg on top.
We ended our delightful evening with a yummy Lemon Meringue Tart. Along with a pipping-hot cup of espresso, this was the perfect end to our meal.
Our Fondest Memories
Potomac River, Tidal Basin, and Jefferson Memorial views from our room.
The bed. Oh my goodness! Luxury hotels all have very comfortable beds, but this was the best…EVER!
Breakfast in the Tai Pan Club overlooking the Washington Monument.
I greatly enjoyed the Heat and Water Experience: vitality pools, experience showers, steam room, and sauna.
The hotel’s proximity to the areas memorials. Easy walking distance.
Evening views of lit monuments.
The shower in our room was SaWeet! Multiple head wonderfulness. Extra nice after a long day of hiking around town.
The only beef I had with our whole experience was that the bathroom had only one sink. That means lots of waiting while my bride of 25 years is doing her morning thing. However, that problem was dwarfed by the many other wonderful experiences of our stay.
We loved our Mandarin Oriental experience, and hope to experience a great many more of their world-wide properties in the coming months and years.
If you make a visit to Washington DC, we confidently recommend Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC for luxury, and/or business travel. In fact, we overheard one businessman proclaim to another, “this is the best hotel in all of Washington DC”.
Disclosure: a portion of our experience was provided by the very kind folks at Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC. Thanks! We had a great time!
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Did you know that this week is National Travel and Tourism Week?
Big deal you say?
Well, let me share with you a few facts from the U.S. Travel Association:
Did You Know that travel and tourism is a $759 billion industry that generates a total of $1.8 trillion in economic output in the United States? If one dollar bill equaled a second of time, then $1.8 trillion would equal more than 56,000 years.
Did You Know that travel and tourism generates $118 billion in tax revenue for local, state and federal governments? If you place 118 billion one dollar bills end-to-end, they would circle the world 458 times.
Did You Know that each U.S. household would pay $1,000 more in taxes without the tax revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry? $1,000 will buy about eight weeks of groceries for a family of four and will fill the average car with gas 18 times (assuming a 20-gallon tank at $2.83/gal – AAA yearly average for U.S.)
Did You Know that the travel and tourism industry supports 14.1 million jobs: 7.4 million directly in the travel industry and 6.7 million in other industries? You could fill the Louisiana Superdome more than a 101 times over with people directly employed in travel.
Did You Know that direct travel-generated payroll totals $188 billion and that 1 out of every 9 American jobs is dependent on travel and tourism?
Did You Know that at $134 billion, the travel and tourism industry is America’s largest export industry, bigger than the domestic exports of machinery, computers and electronics, or agriculture? International travelers spent more on their visits to the United States than U.S. residents spent while traveling abroad, creating a trade surplus of $32 billion for the U.S. in 2010.
Did You Know that direct spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $2 billion a day, $86.6 million an hour, $1.4 million a minute and $24,000 a second?
Did You Know that just a one percent increase in U.S. worldwide market share would equate to 9.3 million more visitors, $21 billion more in direct expenditures, 158,000 new jobs, $4.2 billion more in payroll, and $2.5 billion more in federal, state and local tax revenue?
Note: 2010 data, updated April 2011
Now that you know all this, don’t you think you should go kiss someone in the travel industry? 🙂
Our first impressions meter was scaling very high as we drove up the beautiful tree-lined drive.
However, when we first cast our eyes upon the 2.7 acre water playground, reminiscent of ancient Roman baths, with its 10 separate pools with 28 fountains and 47 waterfalls, a three-story water-slide inside a clock tower, a pool complete with a sand bottom and sand beach; a water temple with four cold plunge pools, and a 16-foot wide jacuzzi-style spa; lit glass-brick pillars; two poolside bars; an overhead water aqueduct upon which guests can stroll; and the “Big Gun,” a thundering waterfall with 600 gallons of rushing water per minute, our first impression meter went into overload!
Our Fondest Memories
Our stunning suite looking out over the resort property. If you can swing the extra money, go for the Winfield Scott Signature Suite. Wowza! What luxury! If a luxury suite doesn’t fit into your budget, their standard resort king rooms are certainly sweet as well.
Afternoon Arizona Birds of Prey exhibition with a live eagle!
Exploring peoples of the Sonoran desert with live, local Native American dancers/singers/drummers.
The blind taste-test comparing Arizona wines to French wines. Who knew? The Arizona wines won — hands down!
Our evening romantic gondola ride serenaded by classically trained opera singers. Who knew you could time-warp to Venice right here in Scottsdale. This experience is not to be missed!
Strolling the beautifully lit landscape at night.
The huge bonfire overlooking the lake.
The live jazz in the lobby bar before retiring to our suite.
Breakfast in the Regency Club with a private indoor-outdoor terrace, gazebo and lush gardens. A very nice upgrade to consider!
Carol enjoyed great relaxation while getting a massage at Spa Avania.
The freshly cleaned windshield on my vehicle. Small touches make big impacts!
Of all of the photographs I have taken, with my Roaming Boomers hat on, this one brings me the most joy.
This was taken on our 25th wedding anniversary, which we celebrated at the incredible AAA Five-Diamond Jade Mountain Resort on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.
This is Carol, taking a dip in our 5ft deep, in-room infinity pool, gazing out at the incredible Piton mountains of St. Lucia.
On Sunday night, I was working in my home office when my step-son rushed into my office to let me know that Osama bin Laden had been killed by US military troops.
Seemingly, my mind rushed to a number of different places.
I imagined him holed-up in some mountain cave. I thought about the emotions of 9/11. I wondered how the president was going to present this to the nation, and I wondered how Osama bin Laden’s death might affect the travel industry in the short term.
There has certainly been a lot of talk about Osama bin Laden’s death, but it seems that the travel industry has taken this news in stride.
Nonetheless, we should pay heed to some of the warnings issued by the State Department, the TSA, and the Homeland Security.
Here’s a portion of the travel alert issued by the U.S. Department of State on May 1st:
“The U.S. Department of State alerts U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad to the enhanced potential for anti-American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan. Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens in areas where recent events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations. U.S. citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times. This Travel Alert expires August 1, 2011.”
Here are comments from the Travel Security Administration (TSA) after Osama bin Laden’s death:
“TSA continually evaluates the latest threats and screening measures which are implemented based on the latest intelligence. As always, passengers may notice a variety of security measures at U.S. airports to include the use of physical bag checks, random gate screening, explosives detection technology, canine teams and behavior detection officers. We ask the traveling public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.”
Statement by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano:
“We remain at a heightened state of vigilance, but the Department of Homeland Security does not intend to issue an NTAS (National Terrorism Advisory System) alert at this time. I have been clear since announcing NTAS in January that we will only issue alerts when we have specific or credible information to convey to the American public. However, our security posture, which always includes a number of measures both seen and unseen, will continue to respond appropriately to protect the American people from an evolving threat picture both in the coming days and beyond.”
Be diligent, aware of your surroundings, and mindful of media coverage. Sounds like good advice for all 21st century travelers.
The Roaming Boomers
Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC – Washington DC is high on the hit-parade for baby boomer travelers, and we were very excited to be returning to this incredible and historic city.
