Petoskey, Michigan: Stafford's Perry Hotel, downtown, shopping, winery, brewery

March 2024, weekday, one night

We had a wonderful stay in Stafford's Perry Hotel in 2021, so we decided to book the spring getaway package for this stay. The weeknight Classic King room rate of $159 included: a $25 breakfast voucher, $40 in Noggin Bucks, and $50 in downtown shopping dollars. We thought this was a fabulous rate!

Views from guestroom 426 in Stafford's Perry Hotel

Stafford's Perry Hotel classic king guestroom #426

This guestroom is located on the top floor in the northwest corner of the hotel. We had a partial view of downtown and of the bay. Although it was not as spacious as the bay view guestroom we had in 2021, and it did not have a balcony, this was still a great room. It was clean, and we appreciated the views. 

Guestroom 426 in Stafford's Perry Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan

The comfortable bed was topped with good quality sheets and pillows. The room was well soundproofed, and the sleep quality was excellent.

Guestroom diagram on back of door in guestroom 426 in Stafford's Perry Hotel
Below: entrance to library across the hall from guestroom 426

San Antonio, Texas: Hampton Inn & Suites Riverwalk, Dining, Attractions

October 2023, weekdays, two nights, king suite 727

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

I had two reservations for this stay, because one night was a paid stay, and the other night was a points redemption. The same guestroom type was not available both nights, so I had to reserve two different room types. I wanted to reserve a [king] balcony room; however, since a balcony room was not available, I reserved a Jr. suite with a king bed, and a Queen double. I called the hotel a few days ahead of time to make sure the stays were linked together, and to check the availability of a balcony guestroom. Although there were no balcony guestrooms available, the agent told me she could assign us the same Jr. suite for both nights, so we would not need to change rooms. She said this would probably be on floor 3. 

Hampton Inn San Antonio Riverwalk guestroom diagram;
star is location of guestroom 727

When I checked in on the app the next day, the only available guestroom choices were as the agent had stated; guestrooms 320 and 321. On floor 3, guestroom 320 overlooks the roof of the building next door, and 321 sets back in the building corner. I chose guestroom 320 to complete the check-in process. We had to go to the front desk when we arrived to complete check-in, because we needed an elevator key. The agent did not say anything about my guestroom location or type, although she did say something about it being the room I had chosen when I checked in on the app. Imagine my delight when she handed me a key for guestroom 727! We had been upgraded to a one-bedroom suite in a much better location. I also received bottled water and snacks.

Hampton Inn and Home2Suites San Antonio Riverwalk
Above, view from Hampton Inn guestroom 727 

I had a difficult time choosing a hotel and guestroom, so I am sharing a couple photos of the hotel and guestroom diagrams with labeled details. The Hampton Inn is located in the same building as Home2Suites. I originally chose Home2Suites, because we like the roominess and full kitchen that brand offers; however, I changed to the Hampton Inn, because it did not look like the Home2Suites guestrooms had balconies. Both hotels do have balcony rooms, although there are more balcony guestrooms in the Hampton Inn, and these rooms are also closer to the river.

King one-bedroom suite #727 in Hampton Inn San Antonio Riverwalk

Cuero, Texas: Holiday Inn Express and Suites

October 2023, weeknight, king studio guestroom 211

Reservations, arrival, platinum perks

The rates at this hotel were reasonable, and the check-in process went smoothly. Platinum bonus points posted to my account right away.

Holiday Inn Express guestroom 211 in Cuero, Texas 

Guestroom 211

This guestroom is located on the second floor of this three-story hotel. It is on the front side of the building overlooking the parking lot and pool.

Holiday Inn Express guestroom 211 in Cuero, Texas 

Warren, Ohio: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Youngstown North (Warren/Niles)

Weekday, one night, king guestroom #331

Fountain in outside courtyard in Holiday Inn Express & Suites Youngstown N (Warren/Niles)

Arrival and platinum perks

We received a great welcome and platinum perks at this hotel: upgraded room, bottled water, and snacks. 

King guestroom 331

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of the guestroom. It was the usual Holiday Inn Express type room, except that it was by far, one of the cleanest, quietest, and most comfortable rooms I have ever had.

Whirlpool tub in Holiday Inn Express & Suites Youngstown N (Warren/Niles)

London, Kentucky: Fairfield Inn & Suites

August 2023, one night, king guestrom 226

Sharing photos and a bit of information from our stay in London, Kentucky a few weeks ago!

Guestroom 226 in Fairfield Inn & Suites, London Kentucky

Guestroom 226

The guestroom was comfortable, spacious, and clean. I do not know how old this hotel is; it appeared to be fairly new.

Guestroom 226 in Fairfield Inn & Suites, London Kentucky

I like that the guestroom was at the end of the hall where it is usually quieter. I almost always request this in my reservation comments. Staff at this hotel had read my requests before we arrived.

Breakfast at Fairfield Inn & Suites, London Kentucky

Front Royal, Virginia: DoubleTree by Hilton Blue Ridge Shadows

June 2023, weekend-weekday, 2 nights, king suite 303

Views from both windows in bedroom of king suite 303 in DoubleTree Front Royal, Virginia

Diamond perks and arrival

I reserved a basic room, and received an upgrade to a king suite before I checked in on the app. We received two bottles of water when we stopped at the front desk for a spare key after we arrived. I also received a $30 daily credit for food and beverages. This could be used during any meal time in the hotel restaurant or bar; Houlihan's. Breakfast the last morning only totaled $28, so we received a $28 credit for that day.

Guestroom diagram in DoubleTree in Front Royal--Blue Ridge Shadows, Virginia

King suite 303

This hotel has 5 floors, and our suite was on floor 3. I did not ask for a higher floor at check-in; however, staff checked a bit later, because the living room TV in our room did not initially work. A staff member came up to look at it, and could not figure out the problem. She offered us another suite on a lower floor, and then put in a call for repair first thing the next morning, as it was Sunday, after we decided not to change rooms. A few hours later, my husband was able to get the TV to turn on, and then it worked the rest of our stay.

Living room in king suite 303 in DoubleTree Front Royal, Virginia

This suite was nicely laid out. The living room by the entrance contained a sofa, soft chair, coffee table, end table and lamp, and work desk and chair under the large flatscreen TV. One large window in the room faced south. There were two thermostat controls; one in the living room, and one in the bedroom. Unfortunately, the furniture in the living room was dated, and not very comfortable.

Bedroom in king suite 303 DoubleTree Front Royal--Blue Ridge Shadows, Virginia

Detroit, Michigan: Hotel Indigo, downtown

November 2022, weekday, one night, king guestroom, floor 10?

We stayed in this hotel with a free night certificate, and I do not recall our guestroom number. We were on floor 10 or 11, and the view faced east toward Campus Martius Park.

View from guestroom in Hotel Indigo Detroit, Michigan 

Arrival and platinum perks

I received 600 bonus points at check-in. The agent did not say anything to me about this; I received the email notification that the points had been deposited before we checked out. 

Guestroom in Hotel Indigo Detroit, Michigan 

Marquette, Michigan: Tourist Park Campground, Biking, Hiking, Breweries

 September 2022, Weekdays, 3 nights

Beach and sunset at Marquette Tourist Park Campground

Marquette Tourist Park Campground, Campsite 77

I attempted to make an advance reservation online; however, the website for this campground is not user friendly, and it did not work properly. Apparently, I am not the only one who has had trouble with the reservation system, as I read complaints about the process from others when I researched this campground. Fortunately, I was able to reach someone in the office who was helpful with adjusting our reservation after it did not process as expected.

Marquette Tourist Park Campground
View from inside our camper on campsite 77, looking toward campsite 75 

Campsite 79 is a secluded site along the back tree line with electrical hookup. Most of the waterfront sites were already reserved when we made our reservation. During our stay, we were glad we had not chosen a non-secluded waterfront site, as it was quite windy and cool, and the wind was stronger at the sites closer to the water. Campsite 13 on the water had looked like a good site online; however, when we looked at it during our stay, it did not look like it would have been a good site for our trailer. It is not very level, and the camper sitting side would not have been facing the water. This is probably a great site for people with a truck camper or tent.

Beach area in Marquette Tourist Park Campground

This campground is located on the Dead River basin. It has a sandy beach with swimming area, and there are kayaks for rent inside the park. The paved bicycle trail alongside the park (Marquette City Multi Use Path) is well maintained and connects to Iron Ore Heritage Trail. 

Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Michigan

It was an easy bike ride of about 2 miles one-way to Presque Isle Park. There are a couple of stopping points along the way, and the Presque Isle Bog walk is located just before the park entrance. Inside the park, there are hiking trails along the water and rocks, and there are hilly trails through the woods in the center of the park. Most visitors just stopped along the loop drive to explore the areas along the water and close to the road. We passed only one other hiker on the hilly inside loop trail. It was easy to hike all of the trails, other than a few steps or mild hills for the interior portion.

Lafayette, Indiana: Homewood Suites

September 2022, weekdays, 3 nights, building 3, king 1-bedroom 335 

Sunrise from guestroom 335 in Homewood Suites in Lafayette, Indiana

Check-in and arrival

This hotel has three buildings. I prefer top floor guestrooms, so I chose floor 3 in building 3 when I checked in on the app. You can, however, have a top floor guestroom on the second floor in buildings 1 and 2. Buildings 1 and 2 are closer to the lodge, and the three buildings are not connected. In hindsight, I wish I had taken a bit more time to look at the hotel building layout.

Guestroom diagram in guestroom 335 in Homewood Suites in Lafayette, Indiana

Building 3, king 1-bedroom 335

This guestroom is a corner room, and the view faces east. There were screens in the windows, which could be partially opened. We were glad to be able to open the windows, as the room had a strong perfume odor when we arrived. We had our room cleaned once during our stay, and fortunately, the scent was not present when we returned that day.

Guestroom 335 in Homewood Suites in Lafayette, Indiana

Magnolia, Arkansas: Holiday Inn Express-Lake Columbia, area and dining

August 2022, weekdays, 2-nights

Sunrise from guestroom 304 in Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia, Arkansas

Holiday Inn Express, king extended guestroom 304

Guestroom 304 is on the top floor near the end of the hall. The bed was comfy with good quality pillows and bedding.

Guestroom 304 in Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia, Arkansas

The guestroom was spacious, comfortable, and clean. 

Guestroom 304 in Holiday Inn Express in Magnolia, Arkansas

The beverage center contained a microwave, K-cup machine with supplies, and a good size fridge. The well-lit bathroom contained a long vanity and bath amenities.

Cadillac, Michigan: State Park, Dining, Brewery

June 2022, 2 nights, weekdays

Views from campsite 36 in William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac
Tent above is on campsite 40

William Mitchell State Park, Campsite 36

We have stayed in this campground many times before, and you can find more park details in my previous posts by typing the park name in the search box, or clicking on one of the labels at the bottom of this post. We made our reservation last minute, and initially booked campsite 11, as there were not many sites left. When we arrived, we asked about open sites, drove through the park, and then changed to campsite 36. We had a decent view of the lake our first evening, as there was only one campsite taken between us and the lake. 

Campsites 38 (tent on left) and 36 in William Mitchell State Park in Cadillac

Maumee, Ohio: Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee-Toledo

 May 2022, 2 queen beds guestroom 417

Diamond perks and check-in

I had reserved a king guestroom; however, there were no king guestrooms available on the top floor when I checked in, so I chose a queen guestroom instead. I spoke with someone at the hotel before arrival and when I arrived to make sure. The front desk agent handed me two bottles of water when I arrived.

Guestroom 417 in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

Guestroom 417

We loved this guestroom. It was comfortable, clean, and well soundproofed. During our arrival check-in, the front desk agent had mentioned that sometimes this side of the building is loud with the UPS hub activity from the building behind the hotel. We did not think the noise from the facility was loud or bothersome at all. Possibly, the noise is louder on lower floors.

Guestroom 417 in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

The guestroom was spacious, and contained all needed kitchen supplies. There was a divider curtain between the sleeping area and the seating area.

Bathroom in guestroom 417 in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio

The bathroom shower was nice, and the towels were good quality.

Breakfast buffet in Home2Suites by Hilton Maumee, Ohio