Inevitably, along with pleasure and excitement came frustration and disenchantment. The following highly rated hotels stand out as my most forgettable of 2014. Palais Coburg, Alma Hotel and Lounge, Il Mosaico, Terme Manzi Hotel & Spa
At Vienna’s Palais Coburg, private function rooms cleave the hotel in two, making it inconvenient to move from one half to the other, especially if, as on my most recent visit, your key card fails to open many of the innumerable locked doors. This gauntlet of doors protects the groups of diplomats dug in at the hotel, to whom most of the staff are now devoted. At breakfast, we watched a parade of waiters carrying trays up to a meeting, while the one server attending to individual guests became so overwhelmed that he snapped at me when I tried (unsuccessfully) to request the check. I’m sure the Palais Coburg is a lovely place to conduct nuclear arms-reduction talks, but leisure travelers should stay elsewhere.
The Alma Hotel and Lounge was constructed as a private residence in 1925 and has had a colorful history nearly coterminous with that of the city. I wanted to like the place, but failed to do so. The reception is in the former hallway, a congested and inconvenient space, and the young staff member was flustered and irritable. Both our bedroom and our bath were cramped. When we requested a table for dinner in The Alma Lounge, we were told that none was available, but that we could eat at the bar if we liked. At this point, we were treated to a rather condescending smile. Clearly, we didn’t understand that you couldn’t just walk into a place as hip and happening as The Alma Lounge, even if you were staying in the hotel.
Il Mosaico has two Michelin stars. How so will remain forever a mystery. Our meal comprised a series of dishes, all overconceived, overpresented and underwhelming. I reached the end of my tolerance at dessert. Billed as a “Tour of Naples,” the course began with the waiter strewing the table with postcards of the city. We were also given an iPod loaded with old Neapolitan songs. Among the dishes was a cocktail glass filled with a red liquid. The waiter told us that this was to represent the blood of San Gennaro, whose dried blood, kept in the Naples Cathedral, is said to re-liquefy three times a year. As we were about to take our first sip, he rushed over and wafted incense in a little censer about the table to complete the experience!
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