* * * * *

                     First impressions of Chalet Suzanne

So Bunny and I arrive at Chalet Suzanne [1] in lovely Lake Wales, Florida
[2]. Bunny made the plans a few months ago, wanting to stay at the historic
hotel and eat the six course dinner at its renowned dining room. How
renowned? It has its own airstrip! [3]

We arrive and I am … underwhelmed. I heard “Chalet Suzanne,” “4-star dining,”
“private airstrip” and I'm picturing something along the lines of Biltmore
[4], a stately building reminiscent of classical French or Swiss
architecture, and yet, here we are, at … um … eclectic Disneyesque.

[It's … eclectic] [5]
[6] [But this is said to be a 4-star restaurant] [7]
[8]

It certainly has character [9].

But the staff is proving to be very nice and helpful. We're lead to our room,
which is above the dining lounge, towards the back of the building.

[Character! It has character!] [10]
[11] [They sure made it easy to get to the roof.] [12]
[13] [The Governor North Room, where we are staying] [14]
[15] [The porch continues on around the room] [16]
[17]

As we were lead to the room, I couldn't help but feel like I was on the set
of Popeye [18].

[I did not realize this is now a tourist attraction in Malta] [19]
[20]

I have to keep reminding myself that this has character, although I doubt
that the Popeye set was across the water from a modern housing development.

[It seems the Hinshaw family did not own all the property around the lake]
[21]
[22]

The Governor North Room itself is quite nice, if you don't mind its non-
Euclidean geometry. There's the low and uneven ceiling; the slight north-
sloping floor of the entry hall and sitting room; the bedroom is about six
inches lower than the rest of the suite, and the color, which some would call
“pastel green” I would characterize as “institutional mint green” (in other
words—it's not a color I would use).

Character, in other words.

[The sitting room, no television, amazingly enough] [23]
[24] [The writing desk—granted, one can move the chair] [25]
[26] [The bedroom; this room has the television, viewable from the bed] [27]
[28] [The bathroom. It's … uh … pink] [29]
[30] [Dispite how ridiculous it looks, it is quite comfortable] [31]
[32] [Complimentary bathrobes in the pinkest closet I've ever seen] [33]
[34]

As we were getting settled in, one of the staff hand delivered (did I mention
how nice the staff is?) a plate of two chocolate truffles. If these were
anything to go by, the food should be quite good here.

Our plans for tomorrow include dinner at this renowned 4-star restaurant,
plus a possible visit to Isengard [35], weather permitting.

[1] http://www.chaletsuzanne.com/
[2] http://www.cityoflakewales.com/
[3] http://www.chaletsuzanne.com/about/airstrip.htm
[4] http://www.biltmore.com/
[5] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190008.jpg
[6] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190008.jpg
[7] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190005.jpg
[8] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190005.jpg
[9] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2013/04/19.3
[10] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190010.jpg
[11] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190010.jpg
[12] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190012.jpg
[13] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190012.jpg
[14] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190014.jpg
[15] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190014.jpg
[16] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190018.jpg
[17] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190018.jpg
[18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye_(film)
[19] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/Sweethaven.jpg
[20] http://senninha.redbubble.com/sets/133141/works/5502157-popeye-village-mellieha-malta
[21] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190020.jpg
[22] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190020.jpg
[23] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190025.jpg
[24] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190025.jpg
[25] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190027.jpg
[26] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190027.jpg
[27] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190030.jpg
[28] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190030.jpg
[29] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190031.jpg
[30] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190031.jpg
[31] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190033.jpg
[32] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190033.jpg
[33] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/thumb-p4190034.jpg
[34] gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2013/04/19/p4190034.jpg
[35] http://www.boksanctuary.org/

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