Some hotels you stay at. Some hotels you have history with. Hotel ZaZa Museum District is the second kind for me, and this Fourth of July I finally did the thing I’d been meaning to do forever: booked a night, packed a little bag, and drove fifteen minutes to treat myself to a staycation at one of my favorite hotels in Houston. Short version: it was everything. Now let me tell you why this one is personal.
Why Hotel ZaZa Is Personal for Me
Before it was Hotel ZaZa, this building was the Warwick — and the Warwick is where my grandfather used to take us for Easter brunch. We lived in Third Ward, so this big, beautiful hotel was practically in our backyard, and walking in as a little girl felt like walking into another world that somehow still belonged to us. Years later, I had my graduation party there. So understand: when I pull up to this hotel, I’m not just checking in. I’m coming back.
What Makes Hotel ZaZa Different
And here’s the thing — the ZaZa era earned its own place in my heart, separate from the nostalgia. Everything about this hotel is so well themed. It’s luxurious, but not in the stuffy way — it’s modern, sophisticated, a little bit different, and I love that part of it. It has personality. Most luxury hotels are trying to impress you; ZaZa is trying to delight you, and there’s a difference.
A Fourth of July Staycation (Me Time… Sort Of)
Usually I’m out of town for the Fourth of July. This year I was home, and instead of sitting in the house, I decided to treat myself and get out — one night, just me. A little me time, still keeping it luxury.
Now, did it stay “just me”? Of course not. Friends and family found their way over, because that’s how my life works and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I went later in the day on the Fourth, which turned out to be a low-key genius move — a lot of people were clearing out in anticipation of their late-night plans, so the pool had room to breathe. And the pool situation is exactly what you want: sun when you want to get some color, seats in the shade when you’ve had enough, drinks when you wave, and something to eat without ever leaving your chair.
Right Across From Hermann Park
Location is everything with this hotel, and it delivered all weekend. Hotel ZaZa sits directly across the street from Hermann Park, which on the Fourth of July means you can simply walk over for the fireworks — no parking wars, no traffic, just stroll across, watch the sky light up, meet and greet with everybody out enjoying the night, and stroll back to your room.
Speaking of the room: mine had a beautiful view of the city and a balcony you could walk out on. There is something about standing on a balcony over the city you’re from, at the hotel your grandfather brought you to, that a flight somewhere else just can’t give you.
French 75s with Aveyah, Dinner at Monarch
Saturday night — the Fourth itself — my friend Aveyah came through, and we did what we do: laughed, joked, and had drinks by the pool. One too many French 75s, per Aveyah. I’m not confirming or denying, I’m just saying the laughter got louder as the night went on.
Later we went to Monarch, the hotel’s restaurant, for a bite to eat and — yes — more drinks. As always with this place: great vibes. Good food, good energy, no notes.
But here’s what actually stays with me from that night, and it wasn’t on the menu: the pace. Nobody had anywhere to be. There’s a particular kind of joy in sitting with somebody who has known you forever and letting the conversation wander wherever it wants to go — old stories, new nonsense, the things you only say out loud to a friend who’s earned them. We laughed until the laughing was the whole activity. No checking the time, no “okay, we should probably…” Just two friends, a warm holiday night, and absolutely no agenda. You cannot schedule that feeling. You can only leave room for it.
Sunday: Cheyenne and the (Notoriously Cold) Pool
Sunday I got some genuine solo time — the me-time portion of the me-time trip finally showed up — and then my daughter Cheyenne came by. We hung out by the pool and got her feet in the water, which brings me to a public service announcement: that pool water is notoriously cold to me. But on a super hot day like the Fourth was? It’s actually the perfect balance. I said what I said, and I’ll still be complaining about it next visit.
And can I tell you the part of Sunday I’ll actually remember? The slowness of it. When your kids are grown, time with them stops being automatic — it becomes something you both choose. So a whole unhurried afternoon, feet in the water, sun on our shoulders, talking about everything and nothing with nowhere else to be? That’s not a small thing. That’s the good stuff. We move so fast all year that we forget sitting still next to somebody you love IS the activity. Sunday, we remembered.
The Real Luxury Is the Pace
If this weekend taught me anything — or re-taught me, because deep down we all know it — it’s that unwinding works best when you do it on purpose. Slow on purpose. Present on purpose. I booked this staycation for the pool and the balcony, but what I actually got was two days of moving at the speed of the people I love: French 75s that turned into hours with Aveyah, a Sunday that stretched out lazy and golden with Cheyenne, in-between minutes where nothing was happening and everything was. The fireworks were beautiful. The slow parts were better.
The Verdict: Is a Hotel ZaZa Staycation Worth It?
Completely. A staycation gets you the luxury, the pool, the balcony views, and the room service energy with zero airports involved — and at Hotel ZaZa Museum District, you get all of that directly across from Hermann Park, fifteen minutes from your own bed. Me time that turned into we time, fireworks on foot, unhurried hours with my girl Aveyah, and my daughter’s feet in the pool at the hotel where my grandfather took me for Easter brunch. Full circle doesn’t even cover it — and it moved slow enough for me to actually feel it happening.
Your turn: what’s your staycation spot — the hotel in your own city you’d check into tonight? And is anybody else’s pool as cold as ZaZa’s or is it just me?? Tell me in the comments.
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Work hard. Play harder.
— Cori
