The Peabody, Memphis

Location

Centrally located, the hotel is the perfect gateway for exploring Memphis – best known as the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. Walking blues bass lines can still be heard in lively Beale Street and Elvis’s Graceland is, to some, an experience bordering on the religious. There’s also Sun Studios where the very first rock ’n’ roll record was recorded; it’s played host to Johnny Cash, Elvis, B.B. King and many more. Aside from music, there’s the comprehensive National Civil Rights Museum and, of course, Memphis’s famous barbecue joints.

Accommodation

In 1981 the hotel was fully refurbished to the tune of $25 million. Today, its well-appointed rooms and excellent guest service have earned it a Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond rating. Start the day with a choice between USA Today or The Wall Street Journal as rooms come with Egyptian cotton sheets and 42” flat screen TVs. Peabody Club rooms come with complimentary drinks and snacks along with a welcome cocktail and honour bar while spacious suites are particularly luxurious.

Dining

The hotel’s main restaurant, Chez Philippe, makes a strong claim for the most opulent dining room in Memphis with soaring columns making an impressive backdrop to classic French cuisine. It also just happens to be the only Forbes Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond rated restaurant in the Mid-South. Carnivores will delight at the Capriccio Grill where steaks and chops are flash-seared to seal in their juices and flavours while fresh lobster and seafood are flown in daily. For breakfast and lunch, the restaurant serves a selection of southern classics.

Facilities

After the decadence of an afternoon tea, Sunday brunch or deli dessert, you might want to swim a few laps in the hotel’s Grecian-style indoor heated swimming pool or take a dip in its whirlpool spa. Alternatively, there’s a full complement of treatments from facials and body wraps to manicures and pedicures at the hotel’s spa. For a tour of the hotel’s history, speak to the ‘duckmaster’ who’ll educate you on the strange tradition of the hotel’s duck marches.