So Much to See in the Seaport
It's one of Boston's fastest growing neighborhoods and packed to the gills with new restaurants, highrises, and bars. The Seaport, or the Innovation District as it's officially called, is an excited new area of town even for those of us who has lived here for many years. I got the chance to stay at the Renaissance Hotel Boston Waterfront Hotel this past weekend and soaked in all the property and the Seaport has to offer. It was an incredible weekend filled with top-notch service, a bounty of food, and great cocktails. I don't want to come across 'too basic' here, but one of the highlights for me was discovering the new "Seaport" geofilter on snapchat. Go ahead... judge me.
Checking into the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, we walked through the revolving door into a grand lobby. It was a moment where you know you're in a luxury hotel, yet it still feels comfortable and approachable. There's nothing worse than walking into your weekend digs and thinking "eek... I shouldn't touch anything. The entire design of the hotel is nautical inspired (perfect for yours truly) with little touches here and there like the Galileo thermometer inspired art piece behind the front desk and the floating seagull sculpture suspended from the ceiling in the center of the grand staircase. Making quick work of check-in, we met with General Manager Ken Lavigne for a tour of the property. The hotel is slated to undergo renovations next February, but from where I stand, it looks picture perfect even at 8 years old. The views from the 2nd and 3rd floor meeting rooms were spectacular catching the World Trade Center, water, and Maritime Park. We were lucky enough to stay on the 21st floor of the hotel, the top floor, with a sweeping view of Boston's financial district, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston World Trade Center, and of course the Boston Harbor. The room itself was beautiful with pops of color reminiscent of a New England yacht club in cool blues, warm pinks, and vibrant yellows. Bedding was nearly perfect and the bathroom was spacious with Aveda amenities.
After a quick refresh, we headed downstairs and across the street to Whiskey Priest, a mainstay in the Boston Seaport, to meet a friend from highschool we was in town. The roof deck is where we posted up for a few hours catching up on hometown gossip over beers and nachos; my two favorite food groups. This would be just the beginning of a very, very food-heavy weekend. Dinner was back at the hotel at Sapore, Renaissance Boston's signature restaurant. Going through several iterations over the years (all of which I dined at) Sapore is by far the best version for the neighborhood, physical space, and vibe of the property. Executive Chef Andrew Voss has created a menu that evokes the local food landscape (think fresh seafood) and incorporates mediterranean flavors such as the balsamic fries and Sunday gravy meatballs.
Sous Chef Wallace Christopher was the consummate host on Saturday night sending plate after plate of food to our table. Highlights for starters included the Sapore meatballs in Sunday 'gravy' and a deliciously sweet corn soup with truffles and a truffle cremia. Really, the starters could have been the full meal. Chef Christopher continued our culinary tour with pasta bolognese with homemade gemelli pasta, veal, and pork. It was rich, warm, delicious, and made me long to be sitting fireside on a cool fall evening. Perhaps the highlight of the meal was the lobster carbonara with slab bacon and a runny farm fresh egg on top. Being a carbonara junkie, I couldn't wait to get my fork in that bowl. The richness of the cheesy carbonara and fatty bacon, paired with buttery lobster was simply unreal. It was a dish I would go back for week after week. Even with all that food, our meal continued with 2 pizzas (I can never say no to pizza.) One was topped with italian sausage and broccoli rabe (Dave's favorite combo) and the other was my favorite, a classic margarita pizza. The edges of the crust were toasty and just slightly burned giving it a rustic charred look and taste. Dessert (as if we needed it) consisted of delicious pistachio cannolis laid over pillows of whipped cream.
After such an incredible meal, it was a struggled to get up from the table and make our way back to the room. Dave and I are fortunate enough to be able to eat fabulous meals on a regular basis, but this one was over the top in the best possible way. There's something about approachable, familiar flavors that make a dining experience that much more comfortable. From top to bottom, dinner at Sapore in the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel was a 10 out of 10. Once we found our way back to the 21st floor, there was nothing left to do for the evening but sleep off our fabulous meal.
Sunday morning seemed like a perfect time to check out the indoor pool on the 5th floor of the hotel. Dave and I donned our bathing suits and headed downstairs to the beautiful space
complete with lounge chairs, sauna, and hot tub! Yes. Hot tub. We made full use of the pool for an hour or so having the entire space to ourselves for most of the time we were there. Off of the pool area is a cardio room with state-of-the-art equipment, and a terrace space that's used for special events. All of the spaces on the 5th floor have views of the seaport and Boston Harbor. While the indoor pool is more of a lap pool than a recreational pool, it's still a very cool feature to have in a hotel in the middle of the seaport. Also, it sets this property apart from most of the others in the area. A quick shower and change into regular clothes and we were ready to check out and head home.
From top to bottom our stay at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel was picture perfect. From the staff, to the room, to the incredible meal at Sapore, it delivered time and time again. Prior to our stay, I wasn't sure I would recommend the Seaport to guests as an area to stay while in town. However my view has absolutely changed and highly recommend the Seaport and the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel for out of town guests or Boston residents who like to staycation like we do.
Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel provided lodging and meals at no cost in exchange for social media coverage. All views and opinions are my own.
