As everyone slowly makes their way out of the pandemic, I don’t think there’s anyone more excited than me to get back to socialization and the swing of things. For me, that means regular travel, both near and far and of course dining out.
I was thrilled to have a Buckhead staycation at the Hotel Colee with my husband on a recent weekend.
As murphy’s law would have it, our visit coincided with a gas shortage around the city of Atlanta. Luckily for us, it wasn’t a super long drive to Peachtree Road where Hotel Colee was and the hotel is basically next door to a MARTA station, which could serve our needs for the weekend.
From the moment you walk into Hotel Colee in Buckhead, you’ll be struck by bright colors that lift spirits. It is just what the city needed after a long period of lockdowns and socialization. The design of both the lobby and the bar (more on that in a minute) lends itself to conversation with open seating areas.
Gorgeous suites perfect for a relaxing staycation or visit to Atlanta
Our suite, had a comfy L-shaped couch with a coffee table and a small dining area. But the bedroom was really a stunner. Oh and the suites have a half bath, perfect for if you have visitors.
But the prettiest part of the suite is the bedroom / bathroom. Modern gray color scheme with metal touches completes the room. A curved and textured half wall covers half the room. I especially liked the built in ottoman that was more than ample to set my luggage. No throwing the suitcase on the floor or using the folding rack to precariously set it on. The metal “pipes” in place of a closet was a interesting too. Watch my instagram reel here.
Watch my video on my staycation at this swanky Buckhead hotel with an amazing view!
When staying in Buckhead (Atlanta) plan to have dinner at Le Colonial
Our dinner plans were for a romantic evening at the lovely Le Colonial in the Shops at Buckhead Atlanta. I highly recommend it if you’ve never been there. We encountered many couples celebrating anniversaries or a birthday, it is definitely celebratory or just because you deserve a special night on the town. There’s even an elevator to take you to the entrance. How fancy!
The restaurant has several seating areas, all of which are beautiful. Protip: if you are booking your reservation well in advance ask for one of the corner seating booths in the main dining area. They have wonderful view of the dining room, but patio that overlooks outside is quite striking too.
Our server, Lorne, at Le Colonial, steered us in the right direction with cocktails and appetizers. The pork and shrimp rolls were the perfect match the Yuzu Crab Salad (both pictured above). We loved the Spicy Lime (a fun twist on a margarita) cocktail too.
For entrees if you love sharing do a surf and turf thing. The whole fried Snapper is glorious as is the duck. Both are huge portions and while we made a dent in the Snapper we ended up taking most of the duck home. It was still juicy with lots of crispy skin too!
Our partying days not being what they used to be we called it an early night, settling in to a new Netflix show, Halston. I thought it was quite fitting that we landed on that show as the hotel exudes chic fashion at every turn.
Sleeping in until 10 am was easy with the hotel’s blackout curtains (where do I get some of those?). Our lazy saturday continued with room service eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy. Hubby’s bacon with his breakfast was perfection. We thought about using the gym but instead lounged by the pool for a good part of the afternoon.
Getting snazzy for drinks at the champagne bar we tried a couple of their signature cocktails. But if you prefer they totally have champagne by the glass. I tried the Kir Colee and the Vespa. But I want to head back to try the botanical infused cocktails. You can order as well which is almost identical to the menu at Whiskey Blue (on the roof).
You’re close to Midtown / Downtown for lots of fun events during an Atlanta staycation
If you are familiar with Atlanta, you know that although only several miles separate Buckhead from Downtown, it can be much longer in terms of time spend during traffic. A friend kindly gifted us tickets to the Atlanta United game downtown. It couldn’t have been easier to get to the stadium from the hotel. Spending $12 round trip instead of $30 or more to park or $50 for an Uber? No thanks. And I don’t know who ordered such gorgeous weather in May, but thank you!
We were famished when we got back to Hoel Colee, and while it was our intention to go to Whiskey Blue, we wanted food and they stop serving at 10 so we just got more room service. Again. Sliders, wings and brussels sprouts so we can say we ate something healthy. I appreciated the real plates and silverware for dinner. If you are headed up to Whiskey Blue definitely get the Negroni and the Lady Lavender cocktails. That Negroni is a strong well made drink and the LL from Hotel Colee’s Whiskey Blue is much more demure.
Best features of Hotel Colee
- Close to Marta, so you can save money (valet is $44/ night)
- Bubble Bar (Champagne cocktails)
- Many instagram worthy photo ops
- Rooftop Whiskey Blue for drinks
- Spacious rooms with views of Buckhead buildings
