Sleeping
Loews Atlanta Located in Midtown on Peachtree St with a lot of walkability. You can walk a couple blocks to Piedmont Park or to the High Museum of Art. Great beds and large beautiful bathrooms. Stay here for a more modern luxurious feel. Good for people watching at the lobby bar and the restaurant is tasty too. If you like to workout, this hotel is the best spot. Exhale Atlanta is located on the 7th floor. There is great variety of classes, such as barre and yoga, along with spa services. Christie loves facials with Svetlana!
The Ritz Carlton Buckhead (now The Whitley) Located in Buckhead with walkability to Phipps Plaza Mall. You can stroll over for shopping or take a cooking class at Sur La Table. I’m sure the luxury has stayed with new ownership, but this is a splurge night in a luxurious setting.
St. Regis This is a “Worth it” splurge! We stayed on a Wednesday night in the summer and spent the afternoon at the pool. Incredibly comfortable lounge chairs, a pool bar, and food at your finger tips. The location is conveniently located off of Peachtree Street, across from Whole Foods and between Buckhead and Midtown. While we did not eat at the hotel restaurant, Atlas, I’ve heard it’s great. The Bar and Tavern are worth checking out! There was live music at the Tavern when we popped in around 10:30 pm. It was packed! Check out Chops Lobster Bar located next door and within walking distance.
Westin Buckhead Located in the heart of Buckhead with walkability. You can walk to Lenox Mall. You are surrounded by restaurants also. Also a comfortable and reliable stay. Easy Uber rides to almost anywhere you want to go. For fitness, Christie hits Core Power Yoga, which is a 5 minute walk in the Lenox area. Seven Lamps is a unique restaurant also a 5 minute walk from the hotel and in the same area as the Yoga studio.
Westin Peachtree Plaza Located in Downtown Atlanta and home of the Sundial Restaurant and Bar. It’s worth grabbing a drink or dinner on the top floor (73rd level!!) and most of the top floor is rotating. It’s a large conference style hotel. The entire hotel is a cylinder and the rooms are shaped as such. Staff are friendly and beds are always comfy. From here, we might grab and Uber over to Krog Market and stroll around. Then grab dinner at Rathbun’s. Or we might be checking out the College Football Hall of Fame or Phillips Arena for a basketball game or concert.
The Hotel at Avalon Located in Alpharetta, GA in the new-ish Avalon development, which includes shopping, food, and entertainment. The hotel is set up for conferences but we went for a quick getaway with friends. The hotel is chic, comfortable, and a lot of fun. We walked from the hotel to grab a drink at one of the nearby bars. The area is open container, so you can stroll through the shops with a bev erage. For dinner, we took a quick Uber ride over to Little Alley Steak for a fantastic meal and excellent wine. If you are in the mood for a workout, try Fly Wheel for a competitive, sweaty, fun spin class.
Eating
One of our first dates in Atlanta was here. It has been one of the best! Besides the food being amazing, this Buckhead gem has a private booth in the wine cellar. You can request a reservation at this table for one of the most romantic settings you can imagine. While I’d do the wine cellar dinner again, we want to go back and sit in regular seating or at the bar for the bustling ambiance.
La Grotta Tucked under an older condimium building on Peachtree Rd. NE, La Grotta is sophisticated and inviting. You may hear about it occassionally, but generally it is a secret spot to sneak away to for top notch service and an amzaing Italian meal!
Hal’s I am still thinking about the lobster mac ‘n cheese we had here! It may have been a special that night, but you need to ask for it. Best ever! Our typical meal consists of beef carpaccio (also some of the best), filet mignon, creamed spinach and the lobster mac, if available. Hal’s is located in the Buckhead area.
Rathbun’s Fun atmosphere. Great place for sharing dishes. This is our restaurant choice when we want something less formal and want to show our friends a cool spot in Atlanta if they are visiting from out of town. Some of our go to menu items are the charred cream corn, calamari, roasted brussels. Located next to Krog Street Market. We have visited here with freinds and had an early dinner, then walked to Ponce City Market after. It’s a good stretch, so wear walkable shoes if you do that!
Rathbun’s Steak More formal than Rathbun’s. Dark lighting, vibrant atmosphere and incredible steaks! It’s a different feel than Hal’s. I’d recommend if you are staying in the Midtown or Downtown area vs. Buckhead. This is located on the beltline near Krog Street Market.
Ray’s in the City If we find ourselves needing to stay in downtown Atlanta, we most often will go to Ray’s to eat dinner. While the dining area is more formal, they have a casual bar area with semi-circle booths that face the far and tvs, along with normal bar stool seating at the bar. We love the appetizer and sushi menu! The bbq shrimp dish on the app menu is to-die-for!
Superica There are two locations – buckhead and Krog Street Market. I prefer the Krog location, because you can eat a hearty brunch and then walk it off on the beltline. My favorite meal here is brunch, but the menu for any occassion is great. We love the atomosphere, the margaritas, and the flavors!
Doing
Cooking Classes at Sur La Table
There are a couple locations in the Atlanta area. One is at Phipp’s Plaza in Buckhead and the other is in Alpharetta. We’ve been to both and they are similar set ups. There’s a variety of class options, including some for kids, desserts, Italian, baked good, etc. These are so fun! You share the kitchen with other people, and you have your own work station and ingredients (shared among 2-3 people).
