The Suite Life: The Blonde Banana in the Plaza Suite
Recently we had Anna Rice, the travel and style blogger behind the Blonde Banana Blog, over for a little staycation in our new Plaza Suite! We love to have bloggers visit us so we can share their experience in our suites and their recommendations for our guests. We also know plenty of our guests and fans enjoy following travel and style bloggers, so we’ve got Anna back for a quick interview to share what she’s all about:
MySuites: Hi Anna, thanks for having a little staycation with us. First please introduce yourself and your blog.
Anna: Thank you for having me! My blog is called the Blonde Banana, and my main focus is stylish travel. I love to visit new destinations and find the coolest “off the beaten path” restaurants, bars, shops and neighborhoods. The main difference between myself and many other travel bloggers is that I actually have a full time job. So you’ll find a lot of short vacation ideas, weekend getaways, and local New York-based tips on my site.
MySuites: Plenty of us are dreaming of travelling somewhere a little warmer right about now. With you in NYC I’m sure you feel the same. Have any recent sunny destinations you’d visited recently or would recommend?
Anna: I went to Marrakech, Morocco for New Year’s and the weather was great. During our winter is the perfect time to go there – it’s sunny and about 75 degrees during the day, and cool enough to wear a leather jacket at night. I’m not a big beach person so this was the perfect winter escape for me. The shopping there is incredible, I basically redecorated my entire apartment from things I found in the souks.
MySuites: Do you have any upcoming trips planned you can share?
Anna: Next month I’ll be going to Denmark and Norway. I’ve never been to Scandinavia before so I’m very excited!
MySuites: Since you also like to blog about style and fashion, do you have a favourite piece of clothing or have something on your shopping list to survive the cold winter we’re having?
Anna: I have an amazing puffer coat from a Canadian outerwear company called LaMarque. It’s warm but not too bulky so I don’t look like a shapeless blob. Hats are also essential! I bought a bunch of handmade wool hats from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco the first time I went, and everyone always asks me where I got them. When I went back for a second time, I had to buy about 10 hats for my friends who requested them!
MySuites: You’re also part of a PR agency, can you share a bit about your work?
Anna: Of course! I work in fashion public relations and handle media relations, marketing and blogger outreach for a number of fashion brands. I’m always crazy busy at work because there’s something new to work on every day – I love it.
MySuites: You had the chance to try out our new Plaza Suite in Midtown, what was a favorite part of the suite or of the experience staying in it?
Anna: I really loved the vanity mirror in the bedroom (I posted a photo to my Instagram). It was the perfect place to get ready for the day or night. The location of the suite was also super convenient to taxis and all the subway lines so I could get anywhere in a snap.
MySuites: For our visiting guests new to the Plaza Suite’s neighborhood, how would you describe it to them?
Anna: The Plaza Suite is located in Midtown, which gets a bad reputation from jaded New Yorkers but for visitors it’s actually quite convenient. You have the endless assortment of restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen just a few minutes walk away, the Broadway theaters are within steps, and Times Square is right there so you can catch practically all the subway lines. It’s also just a short walk from Central Park, which everyone loves no matter how long they’ve been here! There are also plenty of 24-hour drugstores, restaurants, etc. in the blocks around the Plaza Suite so if you like to stay out late, this area is for you.
MySuites: Thanks for your time with us Anna and enjoy your trip to Scandinavia!
Make sure to check out her full post on her stay in the Plaza Suite at BlondeBananaBlog.com.
And check out our new Plaza Suite.