Le Plaza Hotel

From the outside, Le Plaza Hotel looks nondescript and anonymous. There’s no sign or grand entryway, and unless you were looking for it, you’d never realize the hotel is there. Step through its unmarked front door (or drive into its secure parking lot), and visitors pass into a surprisingly lush little property that's a peaceful counterpoint to Port-au-Prince’s bustle. Le Plaza started out in the 1950s as a six-room pension, turned into a Holiday Inn in the 1980s, and under the family’s third generation of leadership, has become today’s modern hotel. Vestiges of its storied past are scattered throughout the hotel and include ornately carved door frames and wall panels. However, the heart of the hotel is its huge courtyard. The pool, restaurants, and stone-lined passages are surrounded by jungle-like gardens that offer a refuge from Haiti’s burning sun. The lobby and hallways are painted in bright oranges, blues, and greens that add a needed splash of color to the otherwise dim spaces. Hotel guests are from around the world and include tourists, but mostly businessmen and women as well as development workers.    

Without a doubt, Le Plaza’s central location is one of its biggest draws. It’s a five-minute walk to the National Palace and National Pantheon Museum of Art, the country’s top museum and home to the anchor from Christopher Columbus’ galleon, Santa Maria. There’s a grocery store and multiple restaurants within a five-minute walk of the hotel. Pacot, a Port-au-Prince neighborhood known for its historic gingerbread homes, is a five-minute drive from the property. The Iron Market, the city’s bustling commercial hub where everything from toys to food to voodoo supplies, is a 10-minute drive. Petionville, the city’s upscale suburb with lots of restaurants, shops and galleries is a 20-minute drive. The white sand beaches of Les Cotes des Arcadin are an 80-minute drive away. Port-au-Prince International Airport is a 25-minute drive from the hotel depending on traffic, and is the best place to rent a vehicle. Keep in mind that the security situation in Haiti is volatile -- check State Department warnings before traveling throughout the country. In general, the area around this hotel is safe for walking, and the hotel provides a security guard and gate.

Le Plaza’s brightly colored guest rooms are fine by most standards, though a bit of wear won't go unnoticed in most cases. Walls are painted in saturated tones of plum, cayenne, or green and have matching bed runners with bubbly patterns that could be mistaken for psychedelic pimento olives. Hammered-metal sculptures resembling trees, vines, or peacocks decorate the walls, as do colorful paintings. We especially loved the artfully carved door frames. Most rooms also have balconies overlooking the lush interior courtyard and pool. You will see scratches and scuffs on furniture, and plenty of cables and wires that aren't hidden from view, all contributing to the overall mid-range feel.Bathrooms, on the other hand, are a mixed bag. Some have Corian countertops, freshly tiled stand-up showers with glass walls. However, others could use some TLC, and have tiling that's past its prime around the shower/tub combos. All bathrooms include shampoo, facial soap, conditioner, lotion, and hairdryers plus plenty of counter space around the sinks. Standard amenities include flat-screen TVs with cable channels, air-conditioning, mini-fridges, irons and ironing boards, and full length mirrors. All rooms have free Wi-Fi that worked well during our stay.

Le Plaza’s restaurants get mostly solid reviews, but like dining at most Haitian hotel’s, they aren’t cheap. Kanel Restaurant is the hotel's upmarket establishment that serves a popular Haitian buffet lunch. La Terrace Restaurant and Bar is the casual open-air restaurant where the free buffet breakfast is served; options include made-to-order omelets and fresh fruit. It also has happy hour specials plus live jazz and troubadour music (depending on hotel occupancy). The hotel’s pool isn’t huge, but its big enough to swim a few laps and is surrounded by lounge chairs and lush gardens. The mirror-walled gym is also nice to have, if only for a simple workout. It’s stocked with a treadmill, elliptical machine, stationary bike, recumbent bike, and dumbbells. Near the front of the hotel is the great balcony used to watch the Carnival parades that pass by the hotel. Le Plaza offers Carnival packages that include accommodation, meals, and entrance to street-level viewing stands. The hotel has multiple meeting rooms and a business center with two computers. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. The front desk can assist in arranging taxis, connect with local drivers, and arrange tours with local operators. Laundry service is available (for a fee) and there’s also free secure parking.