Highlights: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

•The Mansion on Turtle Creek is a luxury home converted into a posh hotel with well-manicured landscaping, cozy rooms, and marble floors

•Seasonal welcome gifts (winter: hot apple cider and peppermint brownie) displays creativity and chef’s charms

•Guest rooms designed to feel like a bedroom in a private residence

•Mobil Four-Star Restaurant at The Mansion at Turtle Creek

•Function areas, business center, and secretarial services designed to accommodate corporate guests

•Located near downtown museums, galleries, parks, and other attractions

Amenities: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

• 143 rooms, 9 story. Pets accepted, $100 fee. Check-in 3 pm, check-out Noon. High-speed Internet access, wireless Internet access. Restaurant, bar. Fitness room, spa. Outdoor pool, whirlpool. Airport transportation available. Business center. Credit cards accepted.

General Impressions: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The Mansion at Turtle Creek is an oasis in the middle of a fashionable residential neighborhood in Dallas. It looks and feels like a grand and showy home, with marble floors, inlaid wooden ceilings, grand staircase and stained-glass windows. This isn’t surprising since it was once the home of a Texas cotton magnate in the 1920s and 1930s, then was converted into a 143 room posh hotel.

The public and private rooms are elegant and cozy featuring fireplaces, hunting trophies, original artwork, and classy collectibles just like you’d find at a friend’s home away from home.

Getaway travelers will like how they can hide out from the real world in luxury, yet remain five minutes from downtown Dallas, which offers everything you want to see and do. Shopping is readily accessible at downtown’s North Park Mall or Highland Park Village, or you can opt for a cultural visit to a museum, gallery, or Symphony Hall.

Business travelers are conveniently located near Dallas’ downtown central business district. The hotel does an excellent job accommodating those traveling for business. The business center is well equipped to handle any task, and the concierge can provide full secretarial services. The hotel can accommodate any size corporate group for an intimate lunch or a formal conference with help from the audiovisual support team.

The hotel likes to cater to families by warmly welcoming children and dogs, and plenty of kids’ amenities are provided, such as cookies and milk at evening turndown. When reservations are made, guests are asked the names and ages of their children so that personalized amenities will be appropriate for the age and gender of each child. Parents who need a little help can even request baby-sitting services through the concierge.

Romantic travelers will like the in-room massages or cozy piano bar atmosphere for after-dinner drinks. The hotel has many areas where you and a loved one can share a private drink or kiss without being intruded upon by staff or other guests. If staff are made aware that you’re honeymooning or celebrating an anniversary, you’ll receive chocolate covered strawberries at your door.

(+) Grand decor in a home atmosphere that appeals to all types of travelers

Guest Services: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The hotel staff knows how to pamper guests without intruding on their privacy. In-room massages are available to help guests relax and a complimentary sedan shuttle can take you to a downtown meeting or to nearby shopping. Even the concierge can help arrange any request, whether it’s renting a car, securing theater tickets, or getting an item to the 24-hour laundry service.

I didn’t take advantage of all the services available, but I knew that my stay would be pleasant from the very beginning. Although my phone connection made conversation difficult, when I called for a reservation the agent was friendly, met my needs, and asked if I was coming for a celebration or if I required anything special waiting for me in my room.

The bellman gave me a warm welcome and a thorough room orientation. His enthusiasm was refreshing and a wonderful first impression of the hotel. Housekeeping services provided good, overall cleaning for my room and was prompt in delivering a requested toothbrush.

(+) Overall, staff members are incredibly well trained and helpful

Guest Rooms: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The Mansion at Turtle Creek has 127 guest rooms and 16 suites. The smallest rooms -- those 127 rooms -- are all 450 square feet and include a living room with easy chairs and ottomans, fine cotton linens on abundantly large beds, original artwork, and walk-in closets. The marble bathrooms have sunken tubs, glass-enclosed showers, double sinks, and vanities with cosmetic lights.

I found my room still looked very classy with warm colors and fabrics and dark wooden furniture. The oversized bathroom was quite impressive with peach-colored marble and Lady Primrose amenities. The hotel’s original owner created the brand and was assigned a signature scent.

Light sleepers should be aware that the rooms aren’t soundproof. I could hear people in the guest corridors.

(+) Cozy, spacious rooms decorated like a room at home

Facilities & Activities: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The Mansion on Turtle Creek has four spa treatment rooms, where guests can enjoy such treatments as massages, manicures, and pedicures, as well as women’s and men’s separate wet and dry saunas.

The pool is one of the highlights of the property because of its undulating shape and the fact that it is heated in winter months. This is an outdoor pool, but temperatures in Dallas rarely drop below 50 degrees. The pool is small and intimate, adding to the boutique feel of the hotel.

The fitness studio offers a variety of strength training equipment and free weights so you can easily maintain your workout routine. Some guests opt to go to the hotel’s sister, The Crescent Court -- via Lexus sedan service, of course -- just to have a spa day or check out the fitness center there.

For those looking for adventure and culture, they’ll find it in downtown Dallas, which is five minutes away. The Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center are an option, or you can find a nightclub or shop in the West-End District, a renovated warehouse area.

(+) Fitness Center outdoor pool available for recreation
(+) Located near numerous attractions such as museums, galleries, and parks

Dining & Lounge: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The Mansion on Turtle Creek’s guest rooms are in a tower, but the lobby and assorted dining areas are all part of the original Sheppard-King mansion. You can request to sit in a small intimate dining area or the main dining area with an enclosed veranda. The Mobil Four-Star Restaurant At The Mansion on Turtle Creek is the kind of place that locals book for a special event, so dinner can be especially busy at the hotel. The Restaurant, as it is called, serves lunch and dinner; guests would be advised to book ahead. The fare is southwestern, and house specialties include a memorable Tortilla Soup and Lobster Tacos.

The Promenade is a garden-style room with floor-to-ceiling Palladian windows looking out to a landscaped front entrance. The light wooden furniture, natural lighting, and plentiful floral arrangements give it a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Breakfast is served in the Promenade and you can look forward to a special buffet of cereals, including the famous Dean’s Mix, a homemade house granola.

If you need a place to sit back and savor a drink, head to The Bar. This den-like room features hunting trophies, 18th-century theme paintings and lithographs, and leather chairs. You can order a casual lunch or supper here instead of in the restaurant.

If the weather is right, you can savor a light snack on the pool terrace.

The 24-hour room service menu allows guests to order from the same menu at The Restaurant. When I called to ask for specifics on the menu, I was disappointed that the order taker was not able to provide any details. I wanted something off the menu, which was eventually accomplished, but not without time and patience on my part. Food arrived in 30 minutes, exactly as promised.

(+) Quality cuisine and cozy atmosphere in the Mobil Four-Star Restaurant
(-) Room service needs some polishing compared to other dining venues

Business Services: Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The business center at Mansion on Turtle Creek features a desk with state-of-the art personal computers, faxes, copiers, and other equipment. The concierge can arrange any type of secretarial assistance you might need, whether it’s helping to type a last-minute document for your meeting or send a fax.

The hotel has 6,037 square feet of meeting space that can be used to accommodate smaller meetings or for corporate conferences of up to 225 people. A full audiovisual team can help with whatever technology equipment you request, and Internet access is available in all meeting areas.

During the week, most of the hotel’s guests business travelers. While a lot of them do rent cars, the hotel keeps a fleet of Lexus sedans on hand to ferry guests to and from meetings in the nearby central Dallas business district.

(+) Concierge service can handle all business travelers’ needs
(-) Small business center