Entry #3 - L'hemisferic by andreweland

With nearly five thousand votes cast, we’ve got ourselves a clear winner. Congratulations to “andreweland” — the prize (two free nights at St. James’s Hotel & Club in London, plus two free nights at the Hotel Concorde Berlin) is yours for the taking. Contact us at blogger@tablethotels.com and we’ll sort out the details. Thanks to everyone who submitted, voted or commented, and thanks as well to our co-sponsors at Architizer.

Old Course Hotel Photo Courtesy of Tablet Hotels

A wise man once said, “Golf is quite possibly the greatest game ever invented, testing the extremes of one’s physical and mental abilities. Simultaneously maddening and glorious, ’tis a wicked mistress indeed.” Now, before you get to Googling, full disclosure: that wise man was me. But it doesn’t make the sentiment any less true. Equally true is that one should never deal with those extremes when trying to find a great golf hotel. That’s Tablet’s job.

Naturally, we golfers tend to be more concerned with where we’re playing than where we’re staying. But there’s really no reason to sacrifice one for the other. A number of Tablet’s typically extraordinary hotels are also home to some of the world’s most desirable golf courses. To guide you along, I’ve put together a top ten list of Tablet hotels in Europe and North America that have eighteen holes as dynamic as their accommodations:

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Entry #1 - New York by no-leve

You may recall that we didn’t explicitly ask for traditional architecture photos — we only required that all submissions should feature a building in some way. Here’s a selection of photos that didn’t make the cut in the main contest, but which we feel deserve some recognition for their creativity. Help us pick the best one. The winner, determined by popular vote, will receive copies of our last couple of Tablet10 magazines. Voting closes at 8pm EST on Friday, July 8.
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Ace Hotel New York, Photo Courtesy of Tablet Hotels

We interviewed Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, the team behind the architecture and design firm Roman and Williams, in connection with an upcoming magazine feature on the Ace Hotel New York; as usual, the conversation didn’t stop there.

PART I: WORKING WITH MASTERS

You were chosen to restore one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian houses. Was that a dream come true?

STEPHEN: Yes. Those houses are so beautiful. We love the fact that they’re based on economy and not just luxury. They’re meant to be prototypes for everybody, and that humility about them is our favorite thing.

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Entry #1 - NY2 by peet_ny

The judges have spoken, and with over 1,800 entries submitted during the past week, we’ve narrowed the field to ten finalists. Now it’s over to you. Use the polling widget to record your vote, or post your choice in the comments — IP addresses will be recorded, so it’s no use doing both. The voting deadline is 12pm EST on Tuesday, June 29, so get cracking!
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Photo Courtesy of Oncle_Tom on Flickr

Some will argue that a good restaurant becomes a great restaurant with a thoughtful wine list, as if solid food alone is not enough to please palates and it is in fact the liquid counterpart that really makes a meal sing. And so if you’re anything like me, you feel the pressure to trust an over-educated server or even a sommelier to steer your experience to the sublime. But in Philadelphia, a city with a rebellion-colored soul, citizens are shaping their own dining destiny within its 250+ bring-your-own-bottle restaurants.

If you eat out a lot, you probably know that restaurants make their highest margins on alcohol sales. And so there’s a kind of mutual understanding between venues and patrons that good food usually comes at the cost of overpriced alcohol. It’s just one of the trade-offs of eating out; we don’t like it, but we accept it. Bringing your own, however, can tip the balance of power back in your favor. Read more »