(“Black Horse”, by Jiang Tiefeng, 1988)
For a variety of reasons my wife and I didn’t get to travel much in 2021, but we decided to head to Orlando for a week in December to help break up the winter a bit. The weather was lovely, as expected, and so was the hotel we stayed at. I’ve been to Orlando a number of times over the years, mostly for vacation with family but also to attend medical meetings. Usually I rent a condo, which isn‘t much more expensive than a hotel in this city, and lets you really relax at the end of a busy day.
(Grand Bohemian Hotel, photo courtesy of the Autograph Collection)
This time my wife and I thought we would splurge a little and stay at a more upscale place. My eye was drawn to the Grand Bohemian Hotel, part of the Autograph Collection now under the Marriott banner. The hotel is conveniently situated in downtown Orlando, close to all the downtown attractions (but removed from the theme parks the city is best known for) and is just a few minutes walk from the Amway Center where we planned to attend an event. It is also close to Winter Park and a lot of good restaurants, so the location was perfect.
The hotel did not disappoint us.
Our room was spacious and had some unusual features, like this reptile skin leather chair (? crocodile)…
…and original oil paintings…
The hotel has a fine restaurant, the Boheme, where enjoyed some great food.
There’s a roof top swimming pool and a nice area to sit and enjoy the pleasant winter weather.
The hotel is filled with unique art, starting with the above black horse at the entrance, to this wonderful tile mosaic by Laura Dinello behind the reception desk….
If there is a theme to this hotel it is art. Art is everywhere and of many different types of media — in hallways, restaurants, elevator lobby, etc. There is also a nice art gallery offering pieces for sale in the hotel lobby which is worth a visit.
Here is a sample of what you can see of the hundreds of pieces in the Grand Bohemian:
Among my favorites were the terrific life-like animal pieces, I believe by a chap called Boronzo Gilliari.
I enjoy finely worked wood, like these pieces…
There were more of Laura Dinello’s mosaics throughout the hotel. Her style appeals to me…
And a sampling of some of the other art….
I never caught the name of the artist who painted the following piece, but I was reminded of “Boris and Natasha” from the Bullwinkle cartoons I used to watch as a child.
A great hotel that provided us with a unique travel experience. Thank you, Grand Bohemian, Orlando!
(Author’s note: We paid for our stay. As always, I travel incognito. )
