Kentucky: a road trip through the state - Part 24 - Orlando / Florida Guide
Florida Guide > Travelling
The previous day of our trip had taken us towards the edge of the Bourbon producing area as we headed to Lexington where we planned to have a look at some places that had produced so many winners. We are not particularly horse people but it would be a shame to be so close to this area and not explore some of its history.
There are no shortages of places to stay in the city with all the well known chains having something to offer. When we were checking these out The Hyatt Place seemed one of the most reasonable contemporary hotels. It was fairly plain but the rooms looked large and they offered free hotel wide Wi-Fi with the rooms starting around $120.
However we had already made a reservation at the Gratz Park Inn. This is a small boutique hotel and is located in Lexington’s Historic District which is within walking distance to all of downtown and sits on land first settled in 1781.
This small hotel is one of Lexington’s smartest places to stay. It feels just like a Southern townhouse with its burnished floors, antique racing prints and upholstered chaise longues. Being an older property the rooms are small but very well furnished with most having four poster beds and period furniture. It’s always booked out months in advance of Derby season but outside this time you can find rooms starting around $180. This is not so unreasonable once you factor in free use of their Library with antique leather chairs, complimentary gourmet coffee and free Wi-Fi. In addition all the staff are certified Southern ambassadors trained in the history of the area. They are full of suggestions on area events, attractions and landmarks that can make all the difference to the quality of your stay.
There are quite a few good restaurants within a short stroll of the hotel. However it is not even necessary to go that far as the hotel has its own called Distilled. They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week. They were winners of a ‘Diners Choice’ award in 2015. As far as possible they try to offer a ‘farm to table’ menu with lots of local produce. This is not all that is available as they recognise that people may want other options. We had some excellent Florida Snapper and if you like soup then you may never leave once you have tried the Vanilla Bourbon Roasted Parsnip Soup.
The average price for an appetiser is around $12 with entrees about the $30 mark and desserts also about $10. A meal for two here will cost about $150 once you take into account some liquid refreshment but overall I must say that it was worth every dollar.
So now it is the time for us to retire to our king size four poster bed and plan what tomorrow holds for us.
The next section of our trip continues in part 25
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