City Hostel, Seattle
City Hostel does all the basics right -- it's immaculately clean, cheap and a short walk from either Pike Place Market or the Space Needle. Bonus goodies include an outdoor hot-tub, barbeque grill, and a small in-house movie theater showing free films. Almost every interior wall of the hostel has been turned into a canvas for original artwork. You can sleep beneath Almedra Sandoval’s elegant photo-collages, beside Ariel Automne’s faded cityscape, under Henry’s cheeky (and amorous) cartoon characters or in the cool minimalist blue of the Anika Wilson dorm. As the hostel was full, I spent one night in a four-bed female dorm and the next in an eight-bed mixed dorm. The art gave each room real character, and the provided bed linens and comforter were crisp, cozy and clean.
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Black Bear Inn, Bolton VT
The dictionary definition of "cozy" should include a picture of the Black Bear Inn. Walking distance from Vermont’s Bolton Valley ski resort, this mountaintop lodge has a luxurious yet homey feel. We went for a room with a private balcony hot-tub – just in case that wasn't toasty enough after a day in the snow, there was also a gas-fired woodstove near the foot of the bed. The owners have taken the inn’s name pretty seriously, and there are bears – stuffed, soft, teddy, carved, taxidermied – everywhere. Grrr! If your stomach’s growling, the inn’s restaurant offers skier-hearty breakfasts and a classy dinner menu featuring local Vermont produce. When the snow melts, there’s an outdoor swimming pool with fantastic valley views.
