Looking for highrise hotel overlooking a busy harbor

November 29, 2022 3:03 PM

I've got a week to kill and I'd like to do it sitting in a hotel room and watching the ships come and go. Cost is an issue -- flying there and back (starting in Mexico City) plus the cost of the hotel -- but other than that and a preference for staying out of the snow the world is open. Suggestions?
posted by Tell Me No Lies to Travel & Transportation around Lamb County, TX (16 answers total)

Any kind of ship in particular you want to look at?

The Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor is moderately priced (much like flights from Mexico City to Los Angeles) and not that tall, and it offers harbor views of the busiest freight port in the Americas.
posted by box at 3:16 PM on November 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

The Marina del Rey Hotel is having a "Cyber sale" now – my wife loves that place specifically for the marina views. But it's a marina for pleasure boats, not a shipping port.
posted by nicwolff at 3:43 PM on November 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

Seconding the Crowne Plaza here in the San Pedro/Long Beach area. You are spoiled for choice if it's container ships and commercial traffic you want.
posted by mykescipark at 4:00 PM on November 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

Not so much a high-rise or ships, per se, but if you just want to watch boats from your room in a lovely old hotel, the Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg, Florida is really nice (albeit old). (I suspect you'll have to ask for a room with a view, although in three stays there for conferences I never lacked a view of the boats)
posted by General Malaise at 4:01 PM on November 29, 2022

I stayed at the San Diego Marriott Marquis a few years ago and had a great view of ships arriving at and departing from the huge U.S. Navy base there—everything from an aircraft carrier down to little tugs. There are also many pleasure boat marinas along the waterfront.
posted by Call me Ishmael at 4:12 PM on November 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

I stayed at the San Diego Marriott Marquis a few years ago

The Grand Hyatt is right next door, the Omni is nearby, and there are numerous hotels just around San Diego Bay, especially on Shelter and Harbor Islands, that have decent bay views without being as tall as the big ones downtown.
posted by LionIndex at 4:46 PM on November 29, 2022

Response by poster: These are great suggestions, but I'd like reiterate that prices is a consideration. A lot of these are more than $200/night, which for me is a lot.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:01 PM on November 29, 2022

Not a harbour but there must be something along the Panama canal.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:01 PM on November 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Probably too far and not a harbor, but I really enjoyed watching the boats go up and down the river in this Sheraton in Bangkok. Some stop next to the hotel and also go to the fancy high end mall directly across the river so there’s tons on traffic going in all directions late into the night. Here’s a video of the boats looking one way.
posted by Bunglegirl at 5:03 PM on November 29, 2022

Best answer: Hong Kong! Stay at the Salisbury YMCA. Yes, excruciatingly long flight but the room is not expensive and may offer the views of your dreams. "Most of our rooms and suites offer panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island."
posted by xaryts at 5:27 PM on November 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If sailboats count, La Paz BCS (on the Baja Peninsula) is a busy port, and the lodging is relatively inexpensive (e.g.). Small, friendly, walkable downtown, with some nice side trips if you get bored. And round trip from CDMX would be less than $300US.
posted by bricoleur at 5:48 PM on November 29, 2022 [2 favorites]

Valparaiso, Chile... some of the biggest damn ships I've ever seen.
posted by Dashy at 6:32 PM on November 29, 2022

This is a sort of off-the-wall suggestion, but...Sault Ste. Marie?? (Not in winter obviously, if you're trying to avoid snow.) There's more stuff to do on the Canadian side but the Hotel Ojibway on the US side overlooks the locks and based on reviews it sounds like you can see them from some of the rooms. I am not a person who generally cares about watching ships but I stood on the Soo Locks viewing platform for ages, and the surrounding area is beautiful -- waterfalls, gorgeous beaches, grand viewpoints etc. Depends on time of year but hotels are generally pretty cheap. (Flights less so, esp from MEX, but I thought I'd throw it out there.)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 9:27 PM on November 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: EVERYBODY sails through the Strait of Malacca. So a room by the water in Singapore (Swissotel or the Marina Bay Sands for example) would have a view of the world’s shipping fleet.
posted by alchemist at 4:26 AM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Just researching these options has been a lot of fun. Thank you everyone!

If I were a younger man I would be writing this halfway through the 30 hour slog to HKG from MEX.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:56 AM on November 30, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Not a harbour but there must be something along the Panama canal.

There's a nice hotel (looks like it's a Raddison now) on the Western side that I spent some peaceful time at a few years back. My initial plan was to recreate the experience, but I can't get a canal side room for my dates.

I investigated the Eastern side (Colón) before posting this but apparently it is not a safe place to travel.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:51 PM on November 30, 2022 [1 favorite]