This small hotel was actually built in 1829 by Alexander Lavalette, a wealthy French sea merchant. Located on Government Hill, it is one of the largest homes in the Kongens Quarter (King's Quarter) of Charlotte Amalie. Hotel 1829 is a "U" shaped house with a large courtyard leading to the West Indian "Welcoming Arms" staircase. The dining room has its original floors, hand-painted Moroccan glazed tiles laid in a harlequin pattern with terra cotta tiles from Martinique, and features a stained glass window by Tiffany called "In Search of the Promised Land". The historic kitchen was originally built inside the main house, which was extraordinary for that era. Kitchens were always built in separate structures because of heat and fire danger. Today, the old kitchen has been transformed into the hotel's popular bar. Standing in front of Hotel 1829, you can still see Alexander Lavalette's initials in the wrought iron of the upstairs balcony. The house became a hotel in 1906. Travel & Leisure magazine declared Hotel 1829: a "gem of a hotel".