WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 11

ACCESSIBLE GEMS


(10) Le Meridien, 250 Franklin St., in Boston.

Sixteen of its 326 rooms are wheelchair-accessible units with two double beds an extremely well-designed roll-in showers.

Housed in a former Federal Reserve Bank, a national architectural landmark building, the hotel earns high marks for being within walking and rolling distance of Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Phone: 617-423-2844.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 10

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(9) Atheneum Suite Hotel, 1000 Brush St. in Detroit.

Twelve of its 174 rooms at this all-suite property are barrier-free, with large transfer benches that provide access to spacious shower-baths.

The huge accessible suites feature two beds, a separate sitting room and plenty of space everywhere for wheelchair maneuverability.

The huge restroom has elegant glass block around it.

The commode has grab bars and raised seat.

The sink has room for a wheelchair to roll up to it.

The architecturally restored Atheneum is within the Greektown district, downtown Detroit’s vibrant area of restaurants, coffee houses, bakeries and more.

Phone: 313-962-2323.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 9

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(8) Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.

Ten of its 581 rooms are accessible, with bath benches in the tub showers.

It also is home to Trader Vic's (though we didn't spot a werewolf driking a pina colada -- guess they only hung out at the London Vic's).

The Beverly Hilton’s barrier-free room was more than adequate with features such as wider doorways and grab bars.

In fact, when Christopher Reeve made his dramatic appearance at the 1996 Academy Awards, he chose to stay at the Hilton because of its accessibility.

Phone: 310-274-7777.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 8

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(7) Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, 129 E. Fremont St. in Las Vegas.

Thirty-five of its 1,907 rooms are wheelchair accessible – half roll-in showers, half with bath benches.

The Nugget, with its glittering gold and fine Grecian marble decor, is by far the most opulent of the downtown Las Vegas hotels.

Rooms are large, accessible and extremely quiet -- which is of utmost importance when the ears cannot take another assault from a clanging slot payoff or lounge singer’s howling solo.

Disabled travelers will also love the simply efficient lift that provides easy access into the property’s Olympic-size outdoor pool.

The Nugget’s small, cabaret-size showroom can be reached by elevator and it offers an accessible seating area with good, unobstructed views of the stage.

All restaurants on the property are barrier-free.

Phone: 702-385-7171.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 7

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(6) Zion Park Inn, 1215 Zion Park Boulevard in Springdale, Utah.

Five of its 120 rooms are wheelchair-accessible – two with roll-in showers, three with bath benches.

Located just a couple miles from Zion National Park’s gates, the inn has barrier-free rooms and elevator access to all parts of the property, including a fabulous cathedral-ceilinged great room overlooking a 1,300-foot sandstone wall.

The inn also has wheelchair-accessible facilities such as a laundry, convenience store, gift shop and restaurant on site.

The Switchback Grill serves a great fill-you-up breakfast buffet plus southwestern-accented lunches and dinners amid airy, ski lodge-like decor.

Phone: 435-772-3200.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 6

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(5) Queen and Crescent Hotel, 344 Camp St. in New Orleans.

Eleven of its 196 rooms are wheelchair-accessible and equipped with roll-in showers.

The European-style boutique hotel is in a renovated building that used to be a railroad office tower.

The best thing about its location in the Central Business District is that it is close enough – about two and a half blocks – to the French Quarter, but far enough from its noisy partying scene to make for a good night’s sleep.

Phone: 504-587-0700.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 5

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(4) The Benjamin, 125 E. 50th St. in New York.

Twenty of its 209 rooms are wheelchair-accessible one-bedroom suites, which have barrier-free bathrooms to serve disabled guests.

The suites are huge by Manhattan standards and have baths equipped with grab bars, bath benches and shower wands for accessibility.

The ornate rooms also are equipped with galley kitchens, a fax and spacious sitting room.

The location, in a classic 1927 skyscraper at Lexington Avenue in Midtown, is perfect.

We noted the small lobby is easy for wheelchair users to negotiate and the doormen are quick to do their duties.

Phone: 212-715-2500.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 4

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(3) Inn at Cedar Falls, 21190 State Rt. 374 in Logan, Ohio.

One of its six house-size cabins is barrier-free.

Guests can access RedBud, the wheelchair-accessible cabin, via a smooth wooden ramp that blends seamlessly with the huge sitting porch.

The first floor includes a bedroom, roomy bathroom with roll-in shower, full kitchen with stove, refrigerator and dining table and two beautifully furnished sitting rooms.

The second story -- accessible only by stairs, but perfectly suited as separate quarters for an opposite sex personal care attendant traveling with a disabled person -- is a sunny loft with a bed and a full bathroom.

The Inn at Cedar Falls is located within the Hocking Hills, a recreational area about 60 miles from Columbus, Ohio.

Within the area are a number of state parks, including a few with paved, wheelchair-accessible trails.

The inn’s main dining room is in a house-like building accessible via a ramp.

Accommodations include breakfast.

Phone 740-385-7489.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 3

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(2) Casa Grande, 834 Ocean Dr. in Miami Beach.

Two of its 34 rooms are wheelchair-accessible with large, roll-in showers with built-in seats.

The exterior of Casa Grande is an inviting, subdued Mediterranean style.

The inside offers pure luxury in a quiet oasis off bustling Ocean Drive.

Suites are spacious, with full kitchens, two bathrooms, huge bedrooms and roomy living rooms.

Staying at Casa Grande is like having use of a wealthy friend’s hip South Beach condo – one with plenty of room for maneuvering a wheelchair.

As far as access, the bathroom was the highlight.

It was huge with a raised commode grab bars and, best of all, the tiled roll-in shower with hand-held wand.

The suite’s gorgeous wood furniture and tile floor give it the feel of a tropical villa.

Best of all, the villa is only steps from the beach.

Phone 305-672-7003.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 2

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(1) Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, off Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway on the Kona Kohala coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Fourteen of its 243 rooms are barrier-free suites with large roll-in showers and plenty of room for wheelchair maneuvering.

The rooms are spectacular, airy and gorgeous.

Think slate floors, a generous sitting room, functional patio furniture and dreamily comfortable beds.

The luxury resort has a portable pool lift for each of its five pools.

The lift and beach boy attendants gently placed Heidi in the fabulous waters of the oceanside Sea Shell infinity pool.

The granddaddy of all the pools is the King’s Pond, which has 2.5 million gallons of saltwater contained by lava rock and stocked with 3,500 fish representing 40 species.

With the assistance of a beach boy, Heidi was able to float among all sorts of sea creatures

A network of paved, wheelchair-accessible paths cover the lush and expertly-tended grounds. Phone: 808-325-8000.