In the lively Belltown neighborhood just north of downtown, Seattle's Hotel Andra has become a favorite boutique lodging choice among design-minded travelers. It's across the street from Dahlia Lounge and Dahlia Bakery, of Tom Douglas's Seattle restaurant empire, and it's also the site of the Douglas restaurant Lola (serving Greek-inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine, like stuffed grape leaves with lemony rice and mint, and cumin-spiced leg of lamb) and the Italian eatery Assaggio, where you might sample gnocchi gorgonzola with hazelnuts, or chicken pizzaiola. The 119 swank rooms have a minimalisit aesthetic and plenty of high-tech gadgets, such as cordless speaker phones and either flatscreen or plasma TVs. The Andra occupies a 1926 building that's a 20-minute walk from the gay bars of Capitol Hill and even closer to downtown, Pike Place Market, and Pacific Place shopping (along with nearby Nordstrom and Macy's).
Hotel Andra has a similarly swank and handsomely designed sister property in Portland, Hotel Modera.
