Get Away

by Christine Koubek Flynn

French Twist

Escape for a romantic retreat to River House at Odette’s, located along the Delaware River in artsy New Hope, Pennsylvania. Opened in September 2020, the boutique hotel takes its design cues from the building’s previous life as Chez Odette, a boisterous cabaret owned by actress and Ziegfield Follies dancer Odette Myrtil which for decades was a hub of New Hope’s nightlife. Public spaces feature a mix of bold murals, plush fabrics, leather sofas and vintage lighting. The 36 guest rooms and suites include Frette sheets and robes, and Keurig coffee machines with coffee from Philadelphia’s Ellis Coffee roasters. Many rooms and suites have flooto-ceiling glass doors that open to a private veranda.

Live music (ranging from electric violin to piano and acoustic guitar) is available nightly and during Saturday and Sunday brunch. Odette’s Restaurant has a beautiful stone fireplace, indoor and outdoor seating and an eclectic menu of seasonally inspired cuisine, such as the popular blackberry glazed duck breast. Don’t miss the signature cocktail, “The Double Kiss,” made with sparkling Brut crémant, Aviation dry gin and a lemon twist.

Rates begin at $349, plus $20 valet parking. Registered hotel guests have complimentary access to the exclusive, members-only rooftop bar and lounge, Roof (reservations are recommended as it tends to book up). River House at Odette’s, 274 River Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 215-682-2022, riverhousenewhope.com

Norfolk's Glass Light Hotel & Gallery

Glass Menagerie

Norfolk, Virginia’s new Glass Light Hotel & Gallery, housed in the historic 1912 Royster building, features elegant ironwork, intricate crown molding—and more than 100 works of glass art by prominent artists such as Dale Chihuly and Nancy Callan. Acclaimed Dutch sculptor Peter Bremers is the creator of the striking glass rabbits that reside on the hotel’s first flo . Additional works include a chair made of bricks titled “Impossible Is Only an Opinion.”

The art is courtesy of arts patrons Doug and Pat Perry, whose son Chris Perry is the hotel’s developer and CEO. With the opening of Glass Light, Norfolk now boasts one of the world’s largest concentrations of free, public glass art when you also factor in works in the city’s Chrysler Museum of Art, Barry Art Museum, Perry Glass Studio and other galleries.

The hotel takes its thematic inspiration from Pat Perry’s nickname, “Bunny”—a nod to the children’s book Pat the Bunny, which she loved to read to her kids, and to the name her grandchildren now call her. Each guest room includes a small glass carrot and a coffee-table-style “Bunny” book that details the Perrys’ art collection. Glass Light’s 113 guest rooms and suites also feature Frette bedding, beautiful spun glass basin sinks, Illy coffee, rocking chairs and vintage Frigidaire mini refrigerators. The hotel’s restaurant, created with a Michelin-starred French chef, serves seasonal cuisine and small plates, including a winning dish of crispy octopus and beef carpaccio.

Rates in November begin at $219 per night. Selfparking is $19. A “Will you accept this rose?” package includes a glass rose and bottle of champagne. Glass Light Hotel & Gallery (Marriott Autograph Collection), 201 Granby St., Norfolk, Virginia, 757-222-3033, glasslighthotel.com