Description: Hotel 1829 is a good choice for those who are looking for duty-free shopping or just a place to stay a night before catching a ferry to St. Croix, St. John or BVI. Located at at the eastern edge of the duty-free shopping area in the capitol city of Charlotte Amalie (and online at http://www.hotel1829.com/index.htm), it was built for a wealthy Frenchman in 1829.
From what I gather, today it's more of a business hotel than tourist one thanks to its proximity to the government offices. But for our purposes, it was great. After a week of leisurely beach living in St. John (if you're a beach lover, check out that journal), we planned an overnight stay and short day in Charlotte Amalie before catching our flight home. So, having had our sand fix already satiated, we didn't mind not having a worthwhile beach around. The small pool and the nearby shops were enough to keep us smiling.
As for the hotel itself, it is what you'd expect of a building that is more than 175 years old. If you appreciate time-worn wooden furniture, and a sense of history, you'll love this place. The rooms featured dramatic wooden beams and the large, comfy bed has white netting hanging over it. The windows are shutters and you can throw them open (no screens here) to let the sunlight spill in or you can just open the louvers slightly to lighten the room a bit. Rooms are air-conditioned. The building features wrought iron black gates at the front and a Tiffany stained glass window. Similar items intensify the historic feel to the place.
Also, after seeing so many bright yellows and pinks and turquoise colors, the dark color scheme (a burnt orange, adobe-like color) and dimly lit areas were refreshing. Don't get me, the place is not under-lit and you'll never feel unsafe, but this is a building that just has interesting nooks that make for some dramatic plays of light. As an amateur photographer, I loved it.
The hotel is within walking distance of the shopping district, which features several restaurants. The well-regarded French restaurant Herve is next door (we didn't eat there).
Its location is close enough to the dock that we didn't need a taxi upon our trip from St. John. We each had two suitcases and, though we did pause to relax for a few minutes, it wasn't an unreasonable distance to walk. Even with the stop to catch our breath, it took about 10 minutes from the dock to the hotel. Elderly travelers, however, might be better off with a taxi.
This is an ideal hotel for anyone who has a one- or two-day spot in their schedule and they'd like to focus more on shopping than resort/beach activities. Also great for anyone with government business. However, because this is just a hotel and not a resort, you likely would be disappointed if you made this your main lodging for a trip to the Virgin Islands.
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