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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What to do

THE SPACE NEEDLE

The first stop on your Seattle tour should 100% be the Space Needle, a place which offers arguably the best views in the whole city. The best thing you could possibly do is plan your visit so that you rock up at around sunset, where you can sit back, kick your legs up, and watch the skyline gradually turn from blue to orange to red. As the sky darkens and the lights switch on in buildings across the city, you get to see the skyline come to life. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and one of the most stunning ways to acquaint yourself with the city.

WOODLAND PARK ZOO

Frankly, it’s a rare day that I go to the zoo. After visiting the horrendous Bioparco Di Roma in Rome, I had vowed to never visit a zoo which doesn’t focus on rescue and rehabilitation ever again. That was until I found myself at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle – a place which actually genuinely cares for their animals (such a wild concept). Not only are their animals happy with larger enclosures and proper tending, but if the weather is too cold for tropical animals to be outside then they will be moved to a warmer and more comfortable environment – something which many zoos fail to do. Whilst this may be a bit of a bummer if you just so happen to visit in the dead of winter to approximately three animals roaming the pastures, it certainly makes you feel better to be supporting a place which genuinely has the wellbeing of the animals at heart. Also, the zoo itself is super pretty – being set in one of the greenest urban pastures in the city, something which is even more impressive when you realise that Seattle’s nickname is the “Emerald City” due to how green and vibrant everywhere is.

SEATTLE AQUARIUM

Next up, we have officially the best aquarium I have ever been to in my entire life. It is 100% what I expected a typical American aquarium to look like (thanks, Hollywood Movies), and it was super cool to be able to get this close to octopi, otters, seals, and insane little neon fish – a million times better than my local Welsh aquarium. The Seattle Aquarium is the best place to whittle away a whole day, factoring in lunch breaks beside some sting rays and photoshoots in front of their three-person-tall tanks. Just remember to not get too close to the tanks – I can promise you that you will absolutely jump out of your skin when a baby shark saunters past about three inches from your face.

CHIHULY GARDEN AND GLASS

One of the most #InstaWorthy spots in the whole city, Chihuly is a gorgeous gallery full of the prettiest pieces of glass you have ever seen. My personal favourite part of the place is actually outside – the gardens feature intricately blown and painted bubbles of glass placed beside crimson camellias and handkerchief trees, with the contrast between the art and the nature being pretty darn cool. I also adore their massive feature greenhouse, where you look up through the glass ceiling to realise that you’re stood almost directly beneath the Space Needle. I can bet that approximately 99.9% of people that wander through the city take a classic Chihuly selfie underneath that visage.

ARGOSY HARBOUR CRUISE

Not only is the Argosy Harbour Cruise the prettiest way to see the skyline from the sea, (which is an absolutely gorgeous view), but it also offers a great way to learn about the city. Local guides will fill you in on history which you otherwise may not have known, telling you stories of times gone by. It certainly makes for a fun afternoon to chill at the back of a boat, staring out at the sea as you drink a hot beverage and contemplate how much your legs hurt from the sheer amount of walking you’ve done across Seattle.

TOURS NORTHWEST

If you’re either strapped for time or merely want to learn more about the city whilst also having the opportunity to jump out and have a look around every now and then, I highly recommend taking a tour with Tours Northwest. I happened to take a tour out of season – meaning that I had the whole bus and tour guide to myself and, quite frankly, felt like royalty. My guide, Lance, was the nicest guy ever, and he spent around three hours filling me in on the little facts about the Emerald City. He took me to some tourist hotspots which I definitely would otherwise have not have visited (namely Mercer Island, Magnolia Bluff, and the waterfront), and it was a pretty cool way to spend an afternoon.

WHERE TO EAT

RELISH BURGER BISTRO

Easily the best place for burgers in the whole city, I can promise that you will quickly fall in love with literally everything about this bistro – it’s hard to not when you’re faced with a burger about the same size of your face. Sit next to one of the large windows overlooking the city and watch the world go by, and I’ll bet that you won’t be able to get enough of the moorish food and equally as moorish location.

1900 5th Ave, WA 98101

FONTÉ COFFEE ROASTER

Located just up the street from Pike Place, it’s in the perfect area to be just out of the grasp of tourists whilst also still being in the heart of downtown. It’s a large, open cafe with white sofas and monochrome works of art hanging on the walls, and it is just the prettiest place to hang out. Fonté’s coffees are hands down the best in Seattle.

1321 1st Ave, WA 98101

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Not only does this place make you feel like you’ve sauntered into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but it also offers the most mouth-watering creamy chocolate. I highly recommend their white chocolate dipped strawberries for a snack that makes you feel as though you’re not eating just pure junk food.

1419 1st Ave, WA 98101

PIKE PLACE MARKET 

No post talking about food in Seattle would be complete without a mention to Pike Place. The market is most well-known for both their wide abundance of sellers and the guys that throw fish for money (I’m not going to lie, I’m not entirely sure about how that whole thing works) – but somehow, they’re not nearly as well known for their tasters. Not only is all of the food (and I mean all of it) absolutely gorgeous, but almost every stall is happy to hand out a plethora of tasty testers – meaning that you can fall in love with the food riiiight before demolishing a whole year’s supply of it in one go.

85 Pike Street, WA 98101

LOLA

Perfect for a nice sit-down meal, Lola is the sort of restaurant that demands that you stay for hours savouring each dish. Every item on the menu is delicious and made with locally sourced ingredients, and designed to showcase their array of Greek-influenced flavours. Perfect for date night.

2000 4th Ave, WA 98121

Where to stay

I hands down cannot recommend a better place to stay in Seattle than the Mayflower. It’s the sort of place where you not only fall in love with the comfort and the beauty, but you also have a chance to get entirely enamoured with the history. I knew it’d be my new favourite hotel from the second that the doorman pulled the doors aside for me and flashed me a grin – and I think you’ll feel the same about it too.

How to get there

Seattle is one of the easiest places to get to, with an endless influx of flights, trains, and boats dedicated to getting you to where you need to be. I personally took the Victoria Clipper ferry from Victoria to Seattle, due to the fact that I had read about it being a whole experience in itself and something which every traveller must do – and I fell in love with the transport immediately. For those of y’all that have never heard of the Clipper before, it is a passenger-only vessel which travels between Seattle and Victoria, and Seattle and San Juan, and it’s a super fun way of getting from one place to another. I highly recommend sitting up front in Comfort Class, as everything you could ever need is pretty much on tap. The best seats on the whole boat are at the dead centre of the front, due to the fact that you can see the whole ocean stretching out in front of you. Kick back in their insanely comfortable chairs, ordering a plethora of snacks (with my favourites being their blueberry cornmeal muffins, Northwest smoked wild-caught Alaskan salmon with bagel bits, and Jade Cloud green tea). The staff members are the nicest and most accommodating people, and every final detail is put down to perfection, to the extent of offering anti-sickness tablets if need be.

The Seattle CityPass

Due to the fact that I’d never been to Seattle before, I had absolutely no idea as where to begin exploring the city. The Seattle CityPass was the first thing that I found myself acquiring – and honestly it was the best thing I could have done. It offers admission to the city’s top attractions at a much discounted price (you genuinely save about 45% of what you’d otherwise spend purchasing the tickets independently), and overall just makes the whole experience easier. When you’re in a new city and spend approximately half of your time lost, a pass that helps you cheaply plan out your whole itinerary (and skip the ticket queues) is pretty much a necessity.

Have you guys ever been to Seattle, or plan on visiting the Emerald City? Let me know in the comments below!

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