The Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore in a Nutshell:

The best thing to happen in Baltimore since the beehive hairdo, the Four Seasons is an elegant, 256-room hotel that opened on the east side of Baltimore Harbor in November 2011. Since then it's become so popular that you're advised to book a stay here well in advance to avoid disappointment.

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Guest Rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

The waterfront suites are among the sexiest quarters we've seen for couples. The bathroom alone is a lovers' haven — with a shower roomy enough for two and a bench, a deep and wide bathtub that fits two, twin sinks, a separate toilet, a mini-TV embedded in the bathroom mirror, L'Occitane amenities, roomy bathrobes that are terry on the inside, silky on the outside, plus a lighted makeup mirror that can double as a nightlight. And to keep some mystery in the relationship, there's a separate powder room.

Furnishings in the bedroom and living room are in a rich, neutral palette. Harbor views from floor-to-ceiling windows and the balcony provide a drama that morphs from boats of all sizes rippling the waters by day to the city's reflected lights sparkling at night.

Drinking and Dining at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

Under the creative direction of Chef Oliver, the hotel's informal restaurants for guests are extraordinary. We ate lunch one day outside at Splash Pool Bar & Grille, seated under umbrellas overlooking the heated infinity pool and bay beyond.

Ceviche, fish tacos, softshell crabs were delightfully seasoned and simply delicious.

Celebrity chef Michael Mina is behind two other restaurants at the hotel. Wit & Wisdom has spacious seating for couples to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres (fresh, local Chincoteague oysters!) before dinner and a bar under a half orb for contemplating the mysteries of the universe or watching a ball game. PABU, a collaboration between Mina and chef Ken Tominaga, serves creative Japanese fare with fresh local and exotic seafood couplings. The restaurant is decorated with vintage ceramic sake jugs and has its own master sake sommelier from Japan who can advise customers on any of the 100 stocked.

The hotel's beverage staff includes other passionate specialists — from the self-anointed Coffee Nerd who extols three different ways to make java (non-purists can simply belly up to the bar for a cappuccino) to the Cocktail Nerd, who juxtaposes unusual ingredients — artichokes, cucumber, jalapeños — to stir up uncommon spirited concoctions.

It’s all part of the hotel striving to be the best. If it comes off feeling a bit precious, well, they just want you to be happy and impressed.

Weddings at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

Baltimore International Airport and the Amtrak station are both about 20 minutes from the hotel, making it a convenient meeting point between Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston.

Couples have a choice of several spaces in which to celebrate at the hotel. We liked the private room inside PABU for a rehearsal dinner; it's concealed behind a rice paper mural.

If you can't trim the guest list for your reception, the Grand Ballroom can accommodate up to 350 as well as a dance floor and stage. Yet the venue that will win your heart is the smaller Cobalt Room, which overlooks the waterfront and even has a small balcony.

Although the hotel can recommend outside bakeries to concoct a wedding cake, its own pastry chef's Baltimore Bar — a chocolatey-peanut confection glazed like a Baby Ruth candy bar and an homage to hometown hero Babe Ruth — is most requested.

Four Seasons Hotels, which are known for elegant, customized affairs, now has a dedicated Four Seasons Weddings site with ideas and inspirations. Brides and grooms can also download a free Four Seasons Weddings Magazine app.

Couples who crave an unconventional venue ought to consider the American Visionary Art Museum. There's a wooden chuppah with a room just big enough to fit the bride. It was intended by the artist to give her space to consider whether she’d found The One. According to the museum's founder, two brides have backed out after consideration — and then returned at later dates with men they loved more. The true loves then wed at the museum, which has both indoor and outdoor spaces for a ceremony.

Honeymoons and Romance at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

Couples are coming to the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore for a "minimooon," which is an extended weekend after a wedding. For brides and grooms who don't have the time (or the cash) to indulge in a long honeymoon right after the wedding, it's a smart alternative. Baltimore has ample attractions to entertain and amuse over a long weekend... if you can drag yourselves away from the hotel's spa, bar, restaurants, and dreamy suites.

In addition, the hotel's concierge will work with a couple to customize a visit. A driver can be arranged, to take you anywhere and everywhere from Camden Yards (where the Baltimore Orioles play baseball) to the Maryland Zoo to the Fort McHenry National Monument. And don't overlook the romance of the harbor, where you can board a water taxi or the Pride of Baltimore II sailing ship, take out a small boat on your own, or even hire a captain and ship to take you on a private journey catered by Chef Oliver.

Activities at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

An urban oasis, the hotel spa features a VIP suite for couples. Twosomes lie side-by-side on massage beds and have a large square spa tub steps away. The Couples Suite Retreat package for three or four hours (your choice) includes a foot ritual, sea salt and warm oil body treatment and an aromatherapy bath for two. This special suite also has a terrace big enough to accommodate about a dozen people for a meal. So use it for the two of you or a gaggle of best friends. The hotel can cater a lunch there and serve a bento box holding a crab cake, mini mushroom cannelloni, fresh salad (it is after all, inside the spa), and a pudding version of the Baltimore Bar.

The Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore also contains a fitness center and a heated infinity-edge swimming pool that from above appears at one with Baltimore Harbor.

Nearby the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

If the sum total of your knowledge of Baltimore consists of episodes of The Wire and John Waters movies ("No tea-bagging!"), you've got to get out more often.

The hotel is located in one of the newest sections of the city, and although there are several shops, restaurants, a movie theater and a Marriott hotel adjacent, it is still an area under development. So to get the most out of a visit to Baltimore, force yourselves away from the Four Seasons' extreme-comfort zone. Worthwhile attractions include:

• American Visionary Art Museum - dedicated to intuition, feeling, circles of life, senses and sensuality. Be careful where you sit, though; in a bench in one gallery, a cavalierly placed buttock can set off a rendition of Dusty Springfield's "Windmills of Your Mind"
• National Pinball Museum
• Pimlico racetrack, home of the Preakness Stakes
• Power Plant - entertainment and dining spot
• Faidley's at the Lexington Market for crab cakes
• Little Italy for dinner (it's within walking distance of the hotel)
• Fort McHenry National Monument

Drawbacks at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore:

These two minor drawbacks in no way dimmed our enthusiasm for the hotel: However, we're hoping that ventilation at Wit & Wisdom restaurant improves since the smell of cooking meat wafts into the lobby. Also, we were surprised there was no power strip at the desk in our room. An outlet at the nearby counter and another at the bedside sufficed to juice our traveling technology. Wi-fi is free.

The Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore Vibe:

Business people, incentive groups, foodies and imbibers, spa lovers, and couples are all drawn to the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, which has top-flight facilities to serve all its constituencies. Although the hotel offers special amenities to guests who bring children, we were happy to not see any (let them bunk at the Marriott across the street, we say, and leave the Four Seasons to the grownups!). We did spot a sweet teacup poodle the color of a powder puff strut through the lobby as if he owned the place. Perhaps he does.

The Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore Info and Reservations:

Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore
200 International Drive
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-576-5800
Official Hotel Web Site
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As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation and meals for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.