Pensione Nichols

12/07/2007 Posted by traveler1852

Maybe not for everyone, but I’m hooked… Another reviewer is doing more than kidding you! I have been staying at Pensione Nichols for years and the carpet has NEVER EVER been dirty or smelly. Honestly, just yesterday morning I walked barefoot from the shower down the hall back to my room, before putting on a suit and tie to walk to a convention at a fancy uptown hotel. I could have stayed in that fancy hotel. But when I come to Seattle for business or pleasure, I prefer Pensione Nichols. I like the simple comfort and home feel of old furnishings in a well worn building. I like a room without a phone and TV. Who needs them when there’s free wireless internet access and a Great Room overlooking Elliott Bay and the incomparable Pike Place Market? I have never heard or seen this wonderful inn misrepresent itself. It is what it is. Read ALL the reviews and make up your own mind. Check out the web site. I and many others keep coming back because we love it!

11/27/2007 Posted by seeker111

I was a bit hesitant when booking this hotel but after reading all of the reviews, I decided to give it a try. Are you kidding me…I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and have never came upon such a worn out, dirty place like this. I understand and can appreciate old antiques but what I can’t understand and appreciate is old dirty carpets that smell or broken refrigerator that is being held up by duck tape. The walls in my suite looked like they have not been painted for over 100 years and the carpet truly smelled. The furniture was old and in bad shape. Honestly, I didn’t want to take my shoes off because I didn’t want my feet to get dirty. We had booked for 2 nights but checked out after 1 night. On the bright side, the front desk guy was extremely kind and professional as was the host that served breakfast.

Pros: great staff

Cons: rooms are really old

05/04/2007 Posted by spapeg

Wow, I stayed in the suite and didn't want to go home. I have stayed in many hotels in seattle and there is not one that has the real seattle feel like this one. All of the other hotels I have stayed felt so corporate I could have been anywhere, to look out of my window and look down at the Pike Place Market and over Elliott Bay made me want to stay on the balcony all day and drink coffee. When I did leave the room I was a half a block from the place where thy throw the fish and a half a block from the orignal Starbucks (speaking of corporate)

Pros: Beautiful Veiws and Spacious Rooms

04/25/2007 Posted by hsmith38

We stayed here in the summer, had a room above 1st St., slept with the windows open and were never bothered by noise of any sort. It IS a city venue. It's not completely quiet. The street was busy during the day but drops off by 75% when the downtown employees go home. The neighboring businesses were not noisy or intrusive. The room had three big arched windows and the light was plentiful. The building has beautiful old architectural detail and the room furnishings are in the style of an older period. The bed had white sheets and thick white cotton bedspeads that were clean and washed, unlike the bedspreads from the big hotels (even the nice ones) where the bedspread is washed only occasionally. We actually reclined on the beds without turning them down. The bathrooms were also very clean, huge and there was no wait. The best room is the sittingroom where you eat breakfast . The view of Elliott Bay is unsurpassed. The Cascades in the distance and the variety of boats (including tankers) on the water was lovely. My best pictures of the trip came from the backstairs. At night you can see the shipyards, the ballparks, the Market (that famous sign is clearly visible) and the communities that surround Elliott Bay. It's a beautiful view day or night. The breakfast was good, fruit, bread, jam, butter, peanut butter, pressed coffee, tea and half and half. If you want a big American breakfast you can walk less then a block and get one, but we loved what was offered. All within walking distance: Restuarants of all sorts, the Underground, Pikes Market, shopping (the first Nordstrom and the first Starbucks are both nearby), the SAM. We walked to Capitol Hill and ate dinner and took a taxi back . It was a nice walk, even though it was all uphill. I LOVED the pillow on my bed so much that I called Lindsey when I got home to find out where I could get one and she said she would send it to me if I couldn't get one for myself! How great is that??? Don't pass up this gem.

Pros: Location, service cool factor.

Cons: Nearby parking lot is pay and they aren't too nice.

04/23/2007 Posted by lavonprice

We have traveled all over the world and have stayed at many styles of B & Bs and the Pensione is one of the most charming we have encountered. It is very European in style and has one of the best views of Elliott Bay in Seattle. If you are used to being pampered and babysat then this is not the place for you. If you are independent of your housekeepers then you will enjoy yourself.

Pros: Location

Cons: Really, I cannot think of one

04/23/2007 Posted by gordy1292

I have stayed at Pensione Nichols several times and always look forward to coming back. The couple of the grumpy reviews I have read about it on this site must be from people who have some other problems in their lives - or are used to being coddled by the staff at a Ritz hotel - because it surely does not sound like the Pensione I know! Maybe they have never stayed at a great European B&B before and had totally different expectations. (For all I know, those reviews were written by some jealous competitor.) This is a gem. The location is fantastic; the views are as good as it gets in the Sound region, much less in most anywhere else in Seatlle; the rooms and appointments are just fine - better than what you'd expect for the very reasonable rates; the small staff is extremely helpful and pleasant; the morning breakfast is just what I would want and is in a fine livingroom overlooking Elliott Bay and all the way across the Sound to the snow-capped Olympics (year-round snow), with the ferries always somewhere on their routes - and you're right at the Pike Place Market. You're at Starbuck's very first store, even. If you are looking for a place to stay in downtown Seattle and want some flavor in your experience (not just another typical highway motel-type place), then I have no hesitation in recommending you give Pensione Nichols a try. You'll not regret it!

09/07/2006 Posted by afolse

Though the facade of the Pensione Nichols seems quaint and inviting, the actuality is that you are about to get a room that you do NOT want to stay in for more than five minutes. The room that we got had no windows, no air condition or temperature control, no t.v., no place to get water, a squeaky fan - which provided problems for sleeping, no phone, and most importantly no privacy, because the front desk was directly outside of our room and the walls were paper thin. I paid the same price for a hotel down the street, which had all of these ammenities and more. The only good thing about this place is perhaps, the kindness of the two ladies who work there, but even the sit down breakfast failed to satisfy my hunger pangs and I had to wait until 8:30 to get it on a monday, good thing I was't there on a business trip. DO NOT stay here without knowing all of this information.

Pros: Nice Owners

Cons: Everything Else

07/06/2004 Posted by earleebird

My wedding party stayed at the Pensione for almost a week. The staff was very accomodating. The surroundings were comfortable and the views breathtaking. It reminded me of several places I've stayed while in Europe. The rates were great and being in the Pike Place Market was fabulous! My friends had a great time shopping without having to get into a car or walk more than a block. The food was delicious. The breakfast fruit was fresh and the homemade jam was delicious! My family always uses this B and B. Check it out..you won't be sorry!

Pros: great price, location

07/02/2003 Posted by dkeyess

This is not a modern hotel. Very steep stairs to negotiate. Shared bathrooms, one phone line, no desk in room. The furniture is "antique"... old and broken down (mattress had a hole in the middle of it). Lighting was non-existant due to low wattage bulbs (hard to read in the evenings). Our room had no cieling fan, requiring we open the window onto 1st Ave for ventilation and listen to city traffic all night. The breakfast consisted of bread, jam, some sliced fruit, juice, coffee (nice snack). Given the proximity to Pike's Market, much more could have been done. The owner is not on site, leaving the 2nd/3rd shift to a couple of kids. This place has lots of unrealized potential. New blood is needed.

Pros: Location, View

Cons: Shared Bathroom, "Snack" Breakfast, Broken Down Bed

09/03/2002 Posted by chicory

This has become my home away from home when in Seattle. The location is great and my dog is also welcome. I travel here on business, but would not say that it caters to business travelers.

Pros: location, great breakfast, dog friendly

Cons: shared bath, stairs