World’s Best Boozy Hotels
Hotels know the real way to a guest’s heart is through their wine glass…or minibar. Let's take a ‘round-the-world bar crawl of the best boozy hotels.
Alcohol has always played a starring role in the life and story of a hotel. The Carlyle’s Bemelmans Bar is one of NYC’s most famous haunts, with its iconic murals and 24-karat gold ceilings, while San Juan’s Caribe Hilton is credited with inventing the world’s first piña colada. And, most recently, the trend worked in reverse with cult craft brewery Dogfish Head’s new 16-room hotel in Lewes, Delaware, the Dogfish Inn. While the Inn may be the first of its kind and scale, there are plenty of other sloshy stays around the world. From a New York boutique offering in-room mixology courses to a Mendoza resort giving guests wine-infused spa treatments in their vineyard, we’ve rounded up 10 hotels that are pushing the boundaries of booze. And what could be more convenient than boozing just steps from your bedside?
The Freehand, Miami Beach, FL
With nightly happy hours, hosted pub crawls and a barely legal clientele, hostels have developed quite the party hardy reputation. The Freehand — Miami Beach’s upscale hostel catering to a sophisticated hipster demo — is no exception. While “backpacking” describes little more than the Alexander Wang accessory of choice at the Freehand, the crowd still knows how to throw down like the Hostelling International set. Bar Lab founders Elad Zvi and Gabriel Orta were instrumental in the hotel’s fruition, opening its cornerstone Broken Shaker bar, a James Beard semi-finalist and mixology-focused local hangout.
Ushuaia Beach Hotel, Ibiza, Spain
Ibiza’s Usuaia Beach Hotel is about as close to sleeping in a club as you can get — and you won’t get kicked out for doing so. Lounge music is piped in to each of the 288 guestrooms at the adults-only (meaning 23 and up) party pad, while restaurants are dotted with “him and her” chairs in the shape of the human derrière. The “Oh My God” suite has a wine fridge and canopy bed, the “Size Does Matter” suite comes with complimentary champagne and the “Anything Can Happen” suite overlooks the main stage of the lagoon-flanked outdoor beach club, which hosts world-renowned DJs like David Guetta and Avicii every night of the week.
The Surrey, New York, NY
In addition to a 2,200-square-foot private roof garden and ground floor Art Deco lounge, New York’s Surrey Hotel has an in-room cocktail program that puts your standard minibar to shame. Choose from a cocktail list focused on locally-distilled spirits (cue Brooklyn’s Due North Rum and the Hudson Valley’s Baby Bourbon Whiskey) and a Surrey bartender will hand-deliver all the ingredients and accoutrements needed to throw an intimate boozy bash. He’ll show you how to make the first batch, then leave you with all the tools to finish off the ‘tending.
The Brewhouse Inn and Suites, Milwaukee, WI
The Brewhouse Inn and Suites is Milwaukee’s sudsiest stay; a feat in a metropolis otherwise known as “Brew City.” Housed in a now defunct 19th-century brewery, the Brewhouse pays homage to the city’s beloved PBR with branded beer buckets and the onsite Jackson’s Blue Ribbon Pub, while original features like copper kettles and a cast iron staircase acknowledge the building’s brewing history.
The Dogfish Inn, Lewes, DE
Located halfway between the brewpub in Rehoboth and the full-scale brewery in Milton, the Dogfish Inn is in the quaint bayside town of Lewes, housed in a 70s-era former motel. After a major renovation and design refresh by Brooklyn’s Studio Tack, the Dogfish Inn has a vintage-fishing-lodge feel to it, albeit with mod cons like Tivoli radios, custom Woolrich blankets and Malin and Goetz amenities. And though beer isn’t actually sold on the premises, it’s still a beer lover’s paradise in its own right. There are wall-mounted Dogfish Head bottle openers, 60-minute IPA-infused soap and beer-soaked pickles in the minibar. And that’s just the guestrooms. Downstairs, the lobby’s chalkboard lists what’s on tap at the brewpub over in Rehoboth, while the backyard sports a branded corn hole set and a picnic table with a built-in ice cooler for beer.
Singita Boulders Lodge, Kruger Park, South Africa
Located in a private game reserve within South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Singita Boulders Lodge is also home to some of the country’s most sought-after wines — stored in the lodge’s boulder-flanked subterranean wine vault. Guests have the opportunity to schedule personalized tastings and ship their favorite bottles back home to enjoy. Singita’s Sommelier François Rautenbach also hosts a sommelier training program onsite, where he focuses on educating the next generation of African wine buffs.
House of Rogue Bed & Beer, Newport, OR
Located above Rogue Ales’ Public House, House of Rogue Bed & Beer is an apartment-style space meant to house visiting fans of Rogue’s craft brewery just across the way in South Beach. Check-in to the three-room guesthouse happens at the pub downstairs, and lodging is basic, but the fridges come aptly stocked with a couple of Rogue’s signature ales, stouts or porters.
Vines Resort & Spa, Mendoza, Argentina
The name says it all at Vines Resort and Spa in Argentina’s Uco Valley, the rustic, all-villa resort set directly amid 1,500 acres of private vineyard. From yoga classes amidst the vines to grape-infused spa treatments; winemaking classes to bike trails through the vineyards, hotel activities are literally immersed in the vines. Opt for a gym session directly overlooking the vineyards and cap it off with a wine tasting in the resort’s bottle-flanked cava.
Prichard’s Distillery at Fontanel, Kelso, TN
Prichard’s Distillery opened its second location in Spring 2014 at Fontanel, the sprawling 27,000-square-foot mansion formerly inhabited by Country Music Hall of Fame member Barbara Mandrell. Stay at the boutique Inn at Fontanel on the premises and stumble back from a tasting of one of their double-barreled bourbons or award winning rums.
McMenamins, Portland, OR
McMenamins is the OG purveyor of multipurpose beer tourism, with a collection of 65 brewpubs, breweries, music venues, historic hotels and theater pubs located throughout Oregon and Washington. Billing itself as a “neighborhood gathering spot,” the McMenamins chain includes 11 hotels (most are in and around Portland), each boasting a feature emblematic of the McMenamins brand — whether it’s an onsite brewery, winery, or pub.
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