We stayed there for Valentine's Day and it was fine as long as you did not have to deal with the staff. They are not good when they get busy.

The Valet did not have us on the list and gave us a hard time when parking. No one carried our bags and we definitely did not get a bucket of ice like another reviewer did.

The bar was busy with one server. She started out ok but then disappeared. When we asked for another drink, she finally did bring it; slamming it on the table. We said something to bartender inside which got us the response from the server of "I am not ignoring you, I am just busy".

We sent an email to the hotel and at first the representative seemed helpful--wanting to talk by phone. However, she did not seem to believe us and then said she would get back to us. She did after I emailed her 3 more times. Her email basically told us too bad that we were disappointed. We live in Dallas and I bring in business clients often. I was hoping that the Belmont would be a good addition to my list. It is not. And we will not be going back to stay or even for drinks.

This was our second stay at the Belmont (husband and I first went in Nov. 2006). Fully renovated rooms boast all the amenities from mainstream hotels but with historic nostalgia. Unique atmosphere, fresh, youthful decor, attractive lounge with fresh flowers and bohemian accents. Comfortable bed with waffle coverlet and fluffy pillows. Cramped bathroom with pedestal sink--only room for one at sink. Deluxe room (no. 34) had a window seat overlooking terrace with mosaic sidewalk. Didn't use balcony since it rained while we were there. Valet very friendly and helpful. Morning breakfast at Cliff Cafe, just next door to the hotel...vanilla bean pancakes and florentine egg scramble--delicious!

My husband and I live in North Oak Cliff not far from the Belmont and decided to spend a night for a romantic night out. Our standard garden room was clean, comfortable and minimalist, with a great view of the Dallas skyline. We enjoyed sitting in the vintage chairs in our room's screened porch, which is a little dark but a great creative reuse of the old parking spots. The bathroom was small but clean and the Kiehl's products are a nice touch. We sleep with earplugs, so I can't comment as to whether noise is an issue, but I wouldn't think so. I also think the Belmont's landscaping is beautiful--lots of roses and water-thrifty native plants.

Our package included drinks and appetizers at the Bar Belmont, which has a terrific patio and good music. We come here with friends sometimes when we aren't staying here--don't make it a priority for the inside, but in warm weather the patio is tops and has a relaxed, hip crowd.

We also received a bottle of champagne which we took down to the heated salt water pool. There were only a couple of other folks around by the pool, so we drank our champagne, floated around, and looked out over the skyline. Noplace else in Dallas do you get this view, especially from the pool. Check it out also when they host B-Movie night at the Belmont in the summers and you can watch a movie, drive-in-style, projected on the building while you sit, drink, and swim or hang out on the lawn.

The Cliff Cafe opened in the late summer/fall after our stay but we've eaten there since. The macaroni and cheese and the calamari were hits, while the steak was a miss. Lots of better steak options in Dallas. The Bar Belmont food is decent--I liked the brie and apple quesadilla.

There is construction near the Belmont (new townhomes going in) so that may cause noise to be a problem. Also, don't plan on walking anyplace from the hotel--Fort Worth Avenue is improving but still not walkable. Drive or cab to Bishop Arts in Oak Cliff and walk there.

When we have relatives/out of town guests come to visit I recommend Belmont.

My friend came to Dallas for work and I told her about this place which I had read about. She got a reservation and we decided to meet for dinner at the hotel on her second night.
I was waiting out front of the hotel restaurant (overlooking a Dollar General Store) watching for my friend to walk down the hill from the hotel and there was this group of crazy looking gangster types walking down Ft Worth Ave (very bad area) they were just hanging around, drinking out of paper bags. They were scary and I just froze as they approached. I was not sure whether to run or scream but I just stepped backward towards the door. One of the guys rushed towards me and got about 10 feet from me so fast. He thought it was hilarious. Tattoos on the face and neck and visibly wasted. He walked away and threw down his paper bag/bottle. I managed to duck into the restaurant, which was really pretty. But I was still worried about my friend because these people were just walking around out there and hollering at the other ‘ganstas’ driving down the street.
She made it safely. Dinner was ok but service was painfully slow and they were out of the entrée I ordered. I only found out they ran out after waiting for my meal. They were a little unorganized in general. Waitstaff was nice.
So I went back up the hill with her to see her room. Cute bungalow that was correctly represented on the website.
The only problem is that it backs up to some big construction site and they start working early each morning.
Later I walked back down to the parking lot and hurried into my car. My heart was pounding. It is just a dangerous area. It did not help that on my way out I commented to an employee and they just chuckled and said that the area IS bad and they see a lot of crazy stuff.
The parking lot is mostly dirt and concrete chunks. It all seems so out of place.
I got out of the parking lot and headed towards the highway and what the… a freakin’ sheriff is behind me with his lights on. I was worried but I had done nothing.
He ID’d me and was friendly enough. We chatted for a few minutes and he said that they check a lot of people in the area because of ‘problems’. He thought I was someone who possibly just stole a car.
OK. Well I got the heck out there!
Bottom line, I think the place is kind of cute but I just don’t know if it is worth risking my life to go there at this time. It looks like it will be gentrified in a year or two. Loads of construction and lots of space for sale. Maybe I will check it out again in 2010.
Until then I will recommend that out of town friends stay in the uptown area.