THE HISTORY

Prior to my arrival, I had been enticed by the history of the hotel – the fact that it’s the city’s oldest continuously operating hotel after opening in 1927. Marie Dempcy – who now co-owns the hotel – became Seattle’s first female hotel general manager, and helped turn Mayflower Park into the gem that it is today. The long history of the hotel is certainly evident in the beautiful open-plan lobby with old-world furnishings, tasteful vintage decor, and glistening crystal chandeliers – and I fell in love immediately.

THE AMENITIES (NAMELY – COFFEE)

As I walked into my suite, I was greeted with a gorgeous parlour where a staple glass table sat in the middle, a plethora of local magazines laid across it. Having come to Seattle with zero plans, I wanted nothing more than to just fall back onto the sofa and scour their pages for inspiration. However, first thing’s first – coffee.*

There was a small selection of Starbucks coffee on a wooden stand – unsurprising, considering Seattle is the home of the famed coffeehouse chain. I freshly brewed some Caffeè Verona, and it was so rich and cocoa-y that for the first time in my LIFE I didn’t add sugar as I didn’t want to risk ruining the flavour. As there were little branded takeaway cups in my room, I was also able to take out a fresh brew each morning when I inevitably had to do a last minute-dash outside because I’d lost track of time (although that’s possibly not the intended use).

THE SUITE

The suite itself was extremely charismatic and charming, with a little desk area where I was able to write some letters home (using the letter writing set I found whilst nosying around the drawers). With statement curtains that matched the scalloped trim of the beds, and a three piece-suite of stylishly mismatched furniture. The earth-tone armchairs were perfect to melt into at the end of a long day exploring, feeling cozy and cared for and content as I gazed out of my two large windows. Around me, there were copious paintings and prints lining the walls, rendering it to feel like my own personal art gallery. How rare is it that it feels just as good to stay in the hotel as it does to explore the city?

I would fall asleep easy each night, swathed in soft white bedsheets in a bed large enough to accommodate my starfish poses, with the city lights twinkling at me from my open window. Arising in the morning to the pink-hazed morning sun falling on my face, I’d open my eyes to the bustle of city life below weaving around the classic American architecture. I’d find myself getting up each morning approximately four hours earlier than usual – fuelled by an insatiable craving to explore both the city and the chambers of the hotel (and honestly the coffee probably helped). Using the abundance of magazines and travel guides to plan my day ahead, I’d kick back on the sofa with my morning paper (delivered daily), legs up on the gold-tinted steampunk barrel, fortunate to be in this little hotel in Seattle.

I felt as though I were in a juxtaposed time warp – the modern convenience of a flat-screen TV and fast Wi-Fi contrasted the antique steel lamps and distressed frames around the large ballet studio -esque mirrors (which made me hyper-aware of every angle of my outfits).

The bathrooms were both finished with golden and cream striped paper, with a bath perfect for getting lost in and a shower framed with a marble and silver arch. On a normal day, in a normal fairytale-less place, I already find leaving showers one of the hardest things to do. But the showers in the suite, which felt both powerful and soft at the same time (my travel partner didn’t understand that either until he had tried them out himself), I could have spent hours in there. Especially when the bathrooms featured shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and embossed soaps by Antica Farmastica, it was a dangerous temptation to stay in there until my skin was as wrinkled as a prune. By the time I dragged myself out of the shower on the first night, swathed in an opulent fluffy robe, with soft and shiny hair, slathered in Grapefruit-scented lotion, I felt like I was at the height of luxe. Not to be dramatic, but I want to live like this forever.

THE FOOD

In the evenings, I would order room service from Andaluca, their Mediterranean Restaurant. Whilst the restaurant was only a few feet away from the lobby, I could never find myself wanting to leave the comfort of my room after a long, hard day exploring (I blame the 6am starts). Their desserts were absolutely stunning – especially the rich chocolate brownies paired with strawberries. For those of you who like more than just desserts, the famed Oliver’s Lounge is also accessible directly from the lobby – the classy downtown bar which has won numerous awards for their martinis. Perfect.

LEAVING THE HEART OF SEATTLE

When I eventually departed the Mayflower Park Hotel, with the two doormen pulling back the glass doors for me and flashing me their usual big smiles, I felt remarkably sad to be leaving. I, like every other person out there, loves to be spoilt – and man, did the Mayflower Park indulge me.

Starting with the base rate of £92 per night, the Mayflower Park Hotel makes it affordable to (briefly) live in luxury. With gorgeous views, equally as gorgeous coffee, and service to die for, I now refuse to stay anywhere else in Seattle. The hotel is located in the very heart of Seattle, being a five-minute walk from the waterfront and Pike Place, a 40-minute train ride straight to the airport, a three-minute walk from Tiffany and Co. (an essential!). The hotel also connects to Westlake Centre, which offers both a four-storey shopping mall and direct access to the monorail (where it’s only a ten-minute trip to tourist attractions such as the Space Needle.

*I officially feel as though the Mayflower Park Hotel has turned me into a fiend for coffee. Thoughts about when I can possibly get my next Caffeè Verona fill plagues me dearly.

And so, would you guys ever consider staying somewhere like the Mayflower Park Hotel, where you’re endlessly spoilt with views, service, and Starbucks? Let me know in the comments below!

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One of my favourite bloggers when I first entered the game was Adventurous Kate – I loved her energy, her travels, and her writing. If it weren’t for her continuously producing inspirational travel content, then I’m certain that Wandering Everywhere wouldn’t be even close to where it is today.

A couple months ago, I was finally able to interview the wonderful Adventurous Kate – and here’s what she said.

Firstly, what was the main motivation behind you quitting your job at the age of 26 and travelling across Southeast Asia? Have you always wanted to stray from the 9-to-5 life?

Women’s empowerment is a big theme on your blog. How did your family and friends react to you breaking the news that you would be travelling solo, and did it turn out to be as unsafe as everyone said?

From the outside, it looks like you live the dream life. What’s it really like to build and sustain a blog, and subsequently travel the world?

How did you originally monetise your site? How do you maintain it now?

Why exactly did you decide to settle down in NYC instead of travelling the globe nonstop forever?

What country would you recommend for female solo travellers?

What would you say to other females who ache to travel but believe they don’t have the confidence/ opportunity to?

THE FISHERMAN’S BASTION, BUDAPEST

There’s only two things that I really want when I’m drinking hot coco – one, for the chocolate to be bordering heavenly, and two, for it to come with an absolute stunner of a view. The Fisherman’s Bastion in Hungary is definite champion for both of these categories, with views overlooking the famed Danube River, little townhouses, antiquated Hungarian ruins, and whole array of bastion turrets just a few feet away. It genuinely feels like you’ve just stepped into a magical fairytale castle, where the hot cocoa is thick, decorated with cream, and inordinately sweet. Prefer coffee over cocoa? Bones Coffee Company’s premium coffee pods offer an alternative for home brewing, featuring a range of flavored options, including seasonal and dessert-style varieties.

ANTICA DOMUS, ROME

Like with the Fisherman’s Bastion, Antica Domus hosts both incredible hot coco and an incredible view. This one, however, is definitely more well-known – it’s located only 20 feet from the Colosseum! It’s the absolute best place to see the ancient amphitheater, staying for a couple hours chatting to locals as the sun goes down and the tourists disappear. Also, the typical Italian mugs of melted chocolate are even more adjunct at Antica Domus, where you can really lose yourself in the thickly poured, rich coco, contemplating the beautiful city around you.

THE GRAPE AND OLIVE, SWANSEA

Situated in a gorgeous little city which will forever hold my heart, I would happily refer to the Grape and Olive as housing some of the best hot cocos in the whole entire world. A restaurant housed in the tallest building of the city, you’re really offered some insane views in a tower completely bereft of tourists. Overlooking the ocean, the marina, the town, and distant hills, I wouldn’t blame you for staying for a full lunch, dinner, and finishing with some hand-shaken cocktails. The hot coco is sweet and light, and perfect for that lil’ sugar rush needed for exploring the furthest depths of the city.

GLACIAR, BARCELONA

In another one of my favourite cities, I came across one of the best hot cocos I’ve ever been blessed with the privilege to try. The City of Gaudi is unsurprisingly going to be utterly stunning, but coupled with cinnamon and caramel churros with the cocoa, it instantly becomes a little sweeter. Glaciar is located just off the tiny square of Plaça Reial, which houses violin-playing wanderers and men offering to sell a rose to your sweetheart, offering you the heart of the city whilst you sip your coco. It’s the cutest little location, and the hot coco tastes just like thick churro dip – sweet and luxurious and bound to linger on your upper lip for an unprecedented amount of time.

RIVA, TROGIR

I wandered the streets of Croatia for what felt like years, trying to find a decent place that offered lactose-free hot chocolate. When I landed in the country, my Crohn’s was playing up a fair bit – meaning that I had to cancel out a lot of food groups. I was literally devastated when I found that absolutely nowhere could serve me hot coco I could actually consume – until I went to Riva. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trogir, overlooking a quaint harbour bordering beautiful ruins, you can just sit for hours and watch the world go by. The hot coco is dark and syrupy, and the fact that they went completely out of their way to figure out how to make it lactose-free was really lovely.

VIA CAFFE, KRAKOW

When you’re stuck in the middle of a snow storm, fingers numb, eyeballs turning to frost, the thing that you want most in the world is to be somewhere warm, sipping something steaming, and soon. This scenario is more or less what happened when I visited Krakow and found myself freezing my absolute butt off, bundling into the warmest cafe I could find, and stumbling upon this indulgent hot chocolate. Not only did they do soya hot coco (yesss!), but they also served the most divine cakes to go with it. It took me hours to muster up the strength to leave the confines of the cafe and venture back out in the cold – and I could only do that after one more coco.

And so, that concludes my findings for now. I have explored more of Europe than any other continent, and tried a lot of hot coco – and these are undoubtably the best.

It’s absolutely a matter of life and death – or merely just pure insanity – that I must find the best hot coco in Europe. Let me know in the comments below where you guys have scouted out the best hot coco – this may be my most important assignment yet.*

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*I just really want to lose myself in coco.