Frommer's Review
The Helix doesn't so much invite you in as intrigue you in. The giant, peacock-blue English lawn chairs and the Magritte-like painting out front are just the beginning. Your steps across a mosaic-tiled vestibule trigger an automatic swoosh of curtains, parting to let you inside the hotel. The small lobby is spare, its main furnishings the illuminated "pods" (podiums with flat computer screens for check-in).
The guest rooms have a minimalist quality to them, too, which is an odd thing to say about a decor that uses such startling colors: cherry red and royal blue ottomans, striped green settees, bright orange vanities in bathrooms, metallic-sheen walls, and lime green honor bar/armoires. Rooms are uncluttered and roomy, due to a design that puts the platform bed behind sheer drapes in an alcove (in the king deluxe rooms), leaving the two-person settee, a triangular desk, and the 22-inch flatscreen TV on its stainless steel stand, out in the open. Deluxe rooms, without alcoves, feel a little less spacious, but otherwise look the same. Roomiest are the 18 suites, each with a separate bedroom and, in the living room, slate blue sectional sofas. The Helix, like its sister hotels (the Madera, Topaz, and Rouge), offers "specialty" rooms which play up particular themes, in this case, "Eats" rooms, which include Italian cafe tables and bar stools, and a fully equipped kitchenette; "Bunk" rooms, great for kids, with a separate bunk bed area where the TV has a built-in DVD player; and "Zone" rooms, equipped with a plasma-screen TV, high-tech stereo system, lava lamp, and lounge chair. The Helix is now a nonsmoking hotel. The hotel's Helix Lounge is a popular after-work spot for locals, especially from May to October, when its outdoor patio is open.
Facilities:
Bar/cafe; exercise room; room service (during breakfast and dinner hours); same-day laundry service; dry cleaning; 9 rooms for those w/limited mobility, some w/roll-in showers
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
