Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Cades Cove Campground, Hiking, Biking, and more

 May 2024, 6 nights

Cades Cove loop in Smoky Mountains National Park

We had originally thought we would stay in Look Rock Campground to visit the Smoky Mountains because it is the only National Park campground with electricity, and we wanted to stay for about a week. After more research, we decided to go with Cades Cove Campground instead. One reason we changed our minds is because there is more hiking directly from the campground in Cades Cove, and we had read there is a lot of vehicle noise by Look Rock from Foothills Parkway.

Above: Abrams Creek across from campsite
Below: campsite 68 in Cades Cove Campground

Cades Cove Campground, campsite 68 and more

I had about six campsites as top choices in Cades Cove. Campsite 68 was on this list, although it was not near the top of the list. Some of the other sites on our list were 21, 42, 69, 70, and 79. Lucky for us, most of the other sites had been reserved by the time we could make our reservation (6 months in advance). After we got to the campground, we decided campsite 68 is one of the best sites in loop B! 😄

Above: view of campsite 68 from road in Cades Cove Campground
Below: looking toward campsite 69 from campsite 68 

Niles, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express

February 2024, weekday, one night

Platinum perks and arrival

I reserved a 2 queen bed suite at this location because the price was reasonable, and we wanted a room with a sitting area (there were no king suites available). We had an excellent arrival experience and received an upgrade to a family suite. Before the front desk agent gave us the upgrade, she asked if a room on the second floor was okay, since my profile request is for the top floor. 

Suite 213 in Holiday Inn Express in Niles, Michigan

Queen family suite #213

This guestroom is huge! We loved the sitting area, and the separate bedroom. The guestroom diagram, which shows that this guestroom has a connecting door is incorrect. This room does not have a connecting room door.

Suite 213 in Holiday Inn Express in Niles, Michigan

Plainfield, Indiana: Staybridge Suites

February 2024, weekdays, 2 nights

View from guestroom 418 in Staybridge Suites Plainfield, Indiana

Platinum perks and check in

I reserved a king studio, and received a nice upgrade to a one bedroom suite before arrival. Check-in was efficient, and I received my bonus points within a few hours of check-in.

Guestroom 418 in Staybridge Suites Plainfield, Indiana

King one bedroom suite 418

This guestroom is located on the top floor. The sunset both nights of our stay was amazing. The couple of photos I am sharing do not fully capture the beauty we witnessed.

Guestroom 418 in Staybridge Suites Plainfield, Indiana

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

Upper Peninsula, Michigan: Recreation in Bond Falls and Sturgeon River Gorge

May 2023, 8 days 

Above: view from trail in Bond Falls West Campground--trailer and kayak on campsite 20
Below: trail sign next to Bond Falls Road

Bond Falls Flowage: hiking, falls, boating, fishing, swimming

There are a couple of easy hikes from Bond Falls West Campground. The hike from our campsite to the falls and back was less than 4 miles roundtrip. We walked past the boat ramp, Roselawn Creek, and along the snowmobile trails next to Bond Falls Road. A small portion of this walk was along the shoulder of Bond Falls Road. We turned back onto the trail beyond the signs shown in the photo above. When you get to the dam after passing campsites 24 and 25, there is no way out to the road (the falls are on the north side of the road) unless you walk across the stone spillway behind the Outpost.

The falls and river were raging when we were there! The video above is the river near the falls picnic area. This is just below the dam and up river from the falls.

Ontonagon River above Bond Falls May 2023

Jekyll Island, Georgia: Hampton Inn & Suites

January 2023, weekdays, 3-nights

February 2026, weekend/weekday, 3-nights

Tree outside our balcony in Hampton Inn Jekyll Island guestroom 404

Reservations, arrival, diamond perks

I booked a king standard guestroom with Friends of Jekyll Island promotional rate, which was less than the AAA rate. Before check-in, I received several notifications to upgrade to a larger balcony room for $16 more per night. I did not really want to spend another $50; however, we decided we definitely wanted a balcony guestroom, so I paid for the upgrade. My advice, if you are a diamond member visiting during off-season--do not pay for the upgrade! The cost is worth it when visiting during the busy season; however, since the hotel was mostly empty during our stay, I was quite upset with myself for this extra expense. Also, this was after just finding out about the $8 daily fee to be on the island (more info about that at the end of this post). The Hilton app check-in process did not work at this hotel, and it took about 15 minutes to complete check-in at the front desk after we arrived (two different systems, apparently). I received two bottles of water and two snacks.

Hampton Inn Jekyll Island king guestroom 404

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 

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

Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan: Marriott at Eagle Crest, Hiking, Dining & Breweries

December 2021, Weekend-weekdays between Christmas and New Years

Sunset from guestroom 834 in Marriott Ypsilanti Eagle Crest

Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest king concierge guestroom 834

We had a great stay at this hotel in 2014, so we chose it again for this trip. Unfortunately, this stay was not as impressive as last time. As a gold member, I did not initially receive any extra perks or an upgrade, even though the hotel was not very full, and the app had said I was eligible for an upgrade, when I checked in. I received a notification the afternoon before our arrival saying that guestroom 518 was ready for us. I then sent a message to the hotel to ask about a concierge room upgrade (I had already checked online, and knew there were rooms available). I received a reply telling me there were plenty of rooms available, and that I would receive a new key shortly. The next mobile key I received was for guestroom 834 on the concierge floor.

Concierge guestroom 834 in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest

The bed was comfortable with the usual good quality Marriott linens. Along with the king size bed and nightstands, this guestroom contained a large flatscreen TV, work desk and chair, small table, and one soft chair. A small fridge, ice bucket, and coffeemaker were located under the TV. There were no cups in the guestroom; none for coffee nor with the ice bucket. We had to make two trips downstairs to get these items. I like the small reading lights in many Marriott hotels on the bed headboards; however, neither of the lights above the bed in this guestroom worked. I tried all the switches in the guestroom to make sure the lights were not also connected to something else. 

[Non] connecting room door in guestroom 834
in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest

I had requested a corner quiet room away from the elevator; guestroom 834 is located next to the concierge lounge and across from the elevator. We could hear the elevator ding every time it stopped on our floor. There is a large gap at the bottom of the guestroom door. This guestroom overlooks the parking lot, and has a closed off connecting room door to the lounge. I felt like we had been given one of the worst guestrooms on the concierge floor. 

A few additional disappointments with this room: The heater in the guestroom did not work when we arrived, and we waited over 20 minutes for someone to come and fix it (the batteries were dead, so the control panel was not working). When I inquired about a robe, I was told the hotel no longer has them. The caulk around the bathtub was peeling, and the seal was so poor, that there was a puddle of water on the floor in the corner next to the tub after every shower, even though we had the shower curtain in the tub properly. Apparently, housekeeping is only offered when requested, because no one came to our guestroom during stayover. We requested fresh washcloths and coffee supplies via the app after realizing this when we returned to our room that evening. 

Concierge lounge in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest

The concierge lounge is a spacious and comfortable room. I was able to print a document from the computer and printer when it opened on Monday. It was not open when we arrived on Sunday evening. It was open with only snacks and beverages starting Monday morning. Items included coffee, tea, bagels, yogurt, instant oatmeal, granola bars, chips, nuts, package cookies, and cold beverages. I called the front desk on Monday evening to inquire about food in the lounge, because in addition to snacks, the website says concierge rooms also include: "Complimentary food - Hot buffet breakfast - hors d'oeuvres - dessert - Cocktails, for a fee." The agent I spoke with said they have not been offering anything except the grab-and-go items since COVID. When I made our reservation, concierge rooms were available for $20 more per night. At the time of this post, just a few days after our stay, concierge rooms are no longer available to reserve. Possibly, I was not the only to inquire about lounge offerings. 

Closed pool and whirlpool tub in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest

The pool area was closed for renovations during our stay, which I had not noticed when we made our reservation. This information was not on the Marriott app; I saw the note on the website a few day before our stay. This was another disappointment, as the pool area is spacious, and we had enjoyed the spa tub during our last stay.

Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest from North Bay Park island trail

North Bay Park trail below 

Elk Rapids, Michigan: marina, recreation, downtown, dining, brewery

August 2021, 2-nights, weekdays

The weather was a bit stormy on our way to Elk Rapids

Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor marina slips 59 and 61

I was able to make a reservation over the telephone when we decided to visit this marina a couple of days before our stay. When we arrived, we were assigned slip 59. We were not crazy about the slip location when we saw it, as it is right next to the main walkway and seats under the gazebo. We decided to make the best of it; figuring we had been assigned this slip because we have a smaller boat. 

Entrance to Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor in Elk Rapids

After our first night, we asked if we could move. There were many open slips in the marina, and there were two reasons we did not want to sleep in this same spot again after the first night: There are very bright lights in the gazebo that are on all night. These shone directly into our boat, and we do not have curtains, like many larger boats have. We have a dark screen for our center hatch, but not the rest of the windows. And, there is an electrical transformer on the dock in front of this slip, which hums very loudly. We do not have A/C, so we sleep with all the windows open when it is hot out. The electrical box noise did not bother my husband much (who sleeps through just about anything), although it did keep me awake. We were able to move to slip 61 for our second night, and the evening was much more peaceful. 😊

Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor in Elk Rapids