Kevin K.
Yelp
Before I even arrived at The Parador Inn, I knew I'd found a great thing. Chain hotels several miles from downtown started at $100/night. Downtown hotels approached $200/night, plus $20/day for parking. For $150/night, I could see the Parador Inn was close to downtown (near the stadiums, just across Allegheny), parking was free, breakfast included, and I'd booked what amounted to two private sleeping rooms under the guise of one room (the Bougainvillea) at the same rate - which was important as I wanted to be removed from my snoring father.
On check-in, I was even more impressed. The house is vast and amazing, a true old mansion. Ed has brought a Caribbean touch to this Victorian home with a subtle hand. It's not kitchy, gaudy, hokey, or tacky. It's elegant and adds a comfortable, breezy feel to what could easily be a stuffy old mansion. You'll want to take pictures of the whole property, I promise. And look up! The ceilings in the common rooms are fascinating, and I didn't even notice them till the third night.
Ed himself was the perfect proprietor. Helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, but also efficient. Available, but not particularly chatty. He's also a great cook, and we had three diverse and interesting breakfasts across three mornings. Again, the perfect balance. This isn't scrambled eggs and toast, but unique and very satisfying dishes, all meats on the side (vegetarian friendly!), accompanied by a yogurt parfait (which my father in particular loved each day) and different fresh baked sweet bread each morning.
The last happy surprise was just how convenient The Parador Inn is. It's located in a great neighborhood - not exactly a bustling, trendy hub, but a quiet old Victorian district with several chic modern restaurants just a block or two away (with fast food chains as close in the opposite direction if you're on a quickie budget). You can easily wind down the last few hours of an exhausting day of Pittsburgh sightseeing by strolling around this area before crashing in your room. The Inn is literally three short blocks from the highway, couldn't be easier to find on your first day. And for access to Downtown, it's a five minute walk to the light rail, and in the free fare zone, so you can go back and forth from Downtown in minutes for no charge. In fact, Pittsburgh is so walkable and safe, one night after dark we were at Point State Park downtown and we walked across the bridge back to the hotel - 22 minutes total.
Skip the hotels. And you won't find a better-located B&B in Pittsburgh. Stay here and I promise you won't think of staying anywhere else!