Hotel Review: USA: InterContinental Boston

Not only that – but how lucky we are to do the things that we get to do. One of those lucky events was our recent stay at Boston's InterContinental Hotel in the heart of Boston's financial district. It's just two years old, yet it made us feel brand new.

The InterContinental features 424 rooms including 38 suites starting at $750 per night. We stayed in a luxury suite, 847, priced at $2,000 per night; its decor surrounded us with a beige and brown contemporary ambience, including a dining area with seating for six; a living room with plasma TV; and bathroom with soaking tub, shower, and two sinks featuring granite countertops. Gorgeous! So many guests have asked to purchase the comfy 300-threadcount linens and the beds, that the hotel may soon make these amenities possible, says assistant manager Nelum Gunewardane. She told us that most guests come from the USA and that on weekdays (Mondays through Fridays) most of them are on business trips. Weekends, however, see many couples checking in for a romantic getaway in luxury, at the footsteps of Boston's history. In fact, right after its opening, the InterContinental was named one of the country's Ten Best Business Hotels of 2006 by Forbes.com.

We were thrilled to experience two dinners at Miel, the property's AAA-Four-Diamond Provencal Brasserie. It made us fall in love with the InterContinental – and with France – all over again.

Let us begin then, with a French backdrop and set the scene in Miel, the charming French bistro decorated with French Provincial creamy white furniture, golden accents, and a darling pantry featuring jars of olive oil and honey. (In fact, "miel" is the French word for "honey.") This exquisite restaurant features no butter – just wonderful preparations made with only olive oil and honey – and it deserves every one of the numerous awards it has won. The restaurant is the result of the hotel's culinary partnership with world-renowned two-star Michelin-rated chef, Jacques Chibois, owner and operator of La Bastide Saint Antoine – a Relais & Chateaux hotel and restaurant in Grasse, France – who serves as the ambassador chef for Miel. Miel's cuisine focuses on the intoxicating flavors of olive oil, honey, lavender and herbs of Provence – which are also used in the restaurant's inimitable decor.

We had a Thanksgiving feast in Miel that was unlike any other. The starter included a baby red-oak leaf and frisee salad with caramelized apples and pecans in a cranberry vinaigrette, followed by an incomparable roasted butternut squash, pear and ginger soup. Let us say – every Pilgrim should have had starters so delicious. The main course -- an oven-roasted stuffed turkey with onion and cornbread stuffing and whipped garlic potatoes – made us even more thankful.

We returned a few weeks later to Miel, headed by Executive Chef Didier Montarou, to sample his regular menu, and were just as delighted – and we are very discriminating and hard to please. (Besides, Deb is as finicky an eater as they come.) If there's only one dish that you should ever strive to eat in your lifetime however – it is Chef Montarou's heavenly scallops sautéed in acacia honey and olive oil. These delicate morsels were like eating deliciousness itself, and we can’t wait to go back and enjoy them again. Our swordfish entrees, accompanied by a ratatouille and sitting on a bed of sautéed fennel and artichokes, was an unforgettable blend of flavors melded together with a hint of parsley oil. Dessert? We happily waited 15 minutes for Chef Montarou to prepare the warm, molten chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream. Now, for the record, let us say that we've never eaten a chocolate fondant cake we didn't like, and this was no exception – warm, moist, fudgy, oozing the purest of melted fudge– everything you want in a chocolate cake and more. Dinner for two, with wine, will cost you about $225 with gratuity. Provence wines are emphasized with the accent on the region's roses.

Other than Miel, the InterContinental has a private dining room adjacent to Miel, whose highlight is the outstanding chandelier custommade with small bottles of olive oil. This special room would be excellent for any business function or private party and also features an olive oil museum of varieties from around the world. We will have no problem telling various worldwide Visitor's Bureaus that visit Boston, to attract travel writers like ourselves, that we want to have lunch at Miel, and Miel only!

If there's one spot in the hotel that's really hopping, it's RumBa, the hotel's glamorous rum and champagne bar that pays tribute to the ancient rum trade. Circular in design, RumBa displays an impressive rum collection suspended above the U-shaped pewter bar. Cocktail tables in front of clear glass fireplaces are fashioned with antique Louis Vuitton trunks. Nearly 100 rums cover the spectrum from vintage sipping varieties to great base mixers for signature cocktails. In fact, the entire bar was voted the city's best hotel bar in 2008 by The Improper Bostonian.

No matter the season, try the signature Rumbullion made with Bacardi, orange Curacao, lime and pomegranate juice – it's been described as “Fall in a glass” due to is special ingredients of clove and cinnamon. On a Saturday night, with or without a date, RumBa is the hotspot where the action is! Order a drink and a side of fresh-made pommes frites – a very posh nosh. RumBa also features a private dining area – an outstanding area inspired by the film Moulin Rouge – which I have to say, must be Boston’s best-kept secret. It's yours for a $2,500 food and beverage minimum – have your Kentucky Derby or birthday party right here.

If you’re into sushi, look no further than Sushi-Teq, a 27-seat restaurant serving all types of sushi with 69 types of tequila from Mexico. It is the first sushi/tequila bar of its kind in the States. Try the 10 flavored margarita cocktails including the sweet ginger/guava, and blueberry/lychee.

And oo-la-la, don't miss the $48pp Sunday brunch in Miel, featuring a seafood raw bar, charcuterie and cheese, carving station – and bien sur! – sweet and savory crepes made to order. (One Nutella, please!)

One of the best amenities of the hotel is the SPA InterContinental – a 6,000-sq-ft spa and 24-hour health and fitness club offering six treatment rooms, a 45-foot heated indoor lap pool and locker rooms, steam rooms, and an extensive array of healing spa services including massage therapy, body treatments and facial care. Deb was impressed that the spa carried Eminence of Hungary products – she personally adores these organic products, lovingly handmade in Hungary with indigenous ingredients, which are the favorites of those in-the-know. (The sour-cherry whip moisturizer is a thing of beauty with an incredible fragrance that belongs in a pie.) For this time however, Deb opted for a Sonya Dakar $100 Youthful Tone LuxeFacial, which included application of cleanser, masque, seaweed gel and ylang-ylang moisturizer. Deb was also impressed to find Sonya Dakar's products, as she is the facialist to the stars out in Hollywood. The hotel also offers a honey facial called “La Peau au Miel,” using honey to smooth the skin; guests also leave their treatment with a complimentary jar of acacia organic honey to take home. Sweet!

A wealth of state-of-the-art workout machines are also in the fitness center; what makes it a standout is that the treadmills and cardio machines are located on the second floor of this waterfront hotel, overlooking the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The blond woods used throughout the spa facility offer a clean and modern appeal. We both loved -- and appreciated – the fact that the fitness center is open 24 hours – to us, this is an ideal amenity and one that unfortunately, not all luxury hotels offer. It is great to eat a delicious dinner – such as we experienced at Miel – and to know that we, night owls that we are, can, after dinner, work off a few calories at midnight. (Yes, we believe that mornings are totally overrated.)

The hotel is situated in the heart of Boston's financial district and is just 15 minutes away from Logan Airport by water taxi accessible from a dock at the rear of the hotel – talk about convenience - a great plus! The hotel is also within walking distance to scores of impressive activities: the Children's Museum, Faneuil Hall, Aquarium, North End (and its great Italian restaurants); Boston Common; downtown Crossing for shopping; Theatre District; Chinatown; the Seaport; and the new Institute of Contemporary Art. “Boston is so very walkable, and that's what makes it so pleasant,” says Ms. Gunewardane. And don't forget about Nellum's pick for her favorite Boston eatery (besides those at the InterContinental, of course): Flamepoiera, a café and art gallery at 3 Lewis Street – she always orders the “Salvador Dali” featuring mesclun, beef, garlic and tofu. “It's mouthwatering,” she told us. The hotel is also smack-dab in the heart of the Fort Point Channel, which has become one of Boston's most vibrant places to live, work and play, with museums, galleries and public art, and dozens of restaurants. The Fort Point Channel – and the InterContinental – will continue to evolve beautifully. The InterContinental Boston is one distinctive destination in this city that, whether you're from outside Boston or live right here, you don't want to miss.

Getting There:

InterContinental Boston is 15 minutes from Boston Logan Airport (BOS).

InterContinental Boston
510 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
(617) 747-1000
(877) 747-BOSTON
www.intercontinentalboston.com