Kentucky: Middle Fork Campground at Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Red River Gorge, and more

June 2019, Weekday-weekend, 3 nights

Below Princess Arch in Red River Gorge.

We loved this area when we visited in 2016. We stayed in Whittleton Campground then, and I previously provided a lot of information about that campground and some of the hiking trails. You can click this link for that blog post. I am providing new details in this post.

View from campsite B015 after most campers left on Sunday.
Click photo to enlarge it and see nearby labeled sites.

Middle Fork campsite B015

All of the RV campsites in this campground are the same as the ones in Whittleton with water and 20/30 amp power. Again, some of the hookups are quite a distance away, so extra hose and cord may be needed. 

Another view from campsite B015.
Our first evening before we purchased firewood!

Campsite B015 is in an excellent location on the stream, and would be a great site on quiet weeknights, or if you have kids who want to swim. We would never choose this site on a weekend again, because during our stay, the stream and back of our site became the local swimming hole. We enjoyed a peaceful Friday afternoon along the water when we first arrived, and again later in the day on Sunday after most people had left. It was very noisy on our site Friday evening, and when we returned from hiking Saturday afternoon. The road visible in the photo above only goes inside the park, so traffic from that road was not heavy or bothersome. 

Campsite B014

Plainfield, Indiana: Homewood Suites by Hilton Indianapolis Airport/Plainfield

April 2019, Weekday, 2-nights, King studio guestroom 318

Diamond perks and check-in

I did not check-in before my arrival because there were not any available room choices on the top floor away from the elevator (my preferred location, as it is usually quieter). When I arrived, I had been preassigned a guestroom on the second floor. The agent gladly changed my room assignment, after I inquired about a room in my preferred location. I received a small bag with bottled water, which I believe all HiltonHonors members received.

View from guestroom 318 at Homewood Suites IND airport

King studio 318

The view from this guestroom overlooks the outside patio and basketball hoops. The sunset was beautiful. The windows could be partially opened, which I like for the fresh air; however, it was quite filthy between the window and screen. I imagine the windows in this guestroom had not been opened for quite some time.

The furnishings consisted of the standard amenities in Homewood Suites guestrooms: kitchen area with full size fridge, coffeemaker with supplies, dishwasher with supplies, stovetop, small table with two chairs; living room sofa, coffee table, desk with chair, flatscreen TV; king bed with nightstands, and bathroom area.

Grand Rapids, Michigan: SpringHill Suites GRR Airport Southeast

April 2019, Weekend-Holiday, 1-night, Queen guestroom 312 and 309

Platinum perks and check-in

During check-in, the agent asked if I wanted bonus points or a snack from the gift shop, which was the extent of my member recognition. She initially assigned us guestroom 312; however, when we discovered the fridge in that guestroom was not cooling, she switched us to guestroom 309.

Typical provided amenities at SpringHill Suites GRR. This is queen guestroom 312.
The microwave time is incorrect; we checked in after 4 PM

Queen guestroom 312 and 309

As I mentioned in the previous section, the fridge was not cooling in guestroom 312. Neither my husband nor I could find a control knob, so I called the front desk. The agent said she would come up and look at it. When she had not arrived over five minutes later, I decided to walk down to the front desk. As soon as I exited the guestroom, I heard female voices in the corridor. After I walked all of the way to the elevator (room 312 is about midway down the hall), I found the front desk agent chatting with another employee in front of the elevator. She concluded her conversation when she saw me, and then followed me back to the guestroom. After looking at the fridge, she said that it sounded like it was on, and that must be how cold it gets. We had Easter dinner leftovers with us, and the outside temperature was in the 70s, so I asked her if we could get a different room. I returned to the front desk with her, and she reassigned us to guestroom 309 across the hall.

Sitting area in queen guestroom 312 at SpringHill Suites GRR

Both guestrooms were set up exactly the same way: with a sitting area, and a bedroom area with two queen beds. There were two closets in the bedroom area.

A microwave, sink, small fridge, and sink were located in the area next  to the sitting room. A couple of plates and silverware were provided inside the microwave.

Bedroom area of guestroom 309

After we settled into guestroom 309, I noticed that several amenities were missing. I went to the front desk to get coffee cups (there were none in the guestroom), regular coffee (only decaf was provided), and an ice bag. Only one coffee packet was available at the front desk, and the agent brought another one to the guestroom for me later that evening. After I got ready for bed, I noticed there was also no shampoo or bath soap in the guestroom (there was a bar of facial soap). I had packed shower gel; however, I had not packed any shampoo. Very frustrating!

Sagging sofa in guestroom 312

The work area in guestroom 309 was comfortable; however, both guestrooms showed visual signs of age. The sofa in the first guestroom had a huge sag, and the sofa in the second guestroom had a large stain on it.

Grand Rapids, Michigan: Embassy Suites Downtown

April 2019, 1-night, weekend, king balcony riverview #740

We had initially planned to stay at this hotel on April 19th with points after the grand opening. At the last minute, we won tickets to a show at 20 Monore Live, and learned this hotel was opening before the grand opening day with a staycation discounted rate for Facebook followers. We booked that rate, and stayed here the first weekend in April before the grand opening instead.

Looking out of guestroom 740 Embassy Suites Grand Rapids

Diamond perks and check-in

I was able to reserve a balcony riverview room with the promotional rate when I made the reservation. I chose my room when I checked in on the app before we arrived, although the hotel floor plan was not loaded yet, so it was difficult to decide which room to choose. I have included a room diagram photo farther down in this post for reference. The check-in process when we arrived was professional and efficient.

Bedroom and balcony guestroom 740 Embassy Suites Grand Rapids

King balcony riverview guestroom 740

We loved this guestroom! It was comfortable, well insulated, the view was fabulous, and it there are several extra features in the guestroom, and in this hotel.

Nightstand showing features in guestroom 740

Some of the cool features we liked in the guestroom:

Bay City and Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Riverwalk Trail, Lumber Barons Brewery, Tavern 101, Soaring Eagle Casino...

March 2019, weekdays-weekend

Walking south from the DoubleTree along Saginaw River

Recreation: trails, parks, boating

Bay County Riverwalk Trail runs along both sides of Saginaw River, around Bay City, and as far north as the state park. Future plans include connections to BayZil Rail Trail on the south, and Pere Marquette Rail Trail to the west. I could not find information about when the connections will be completed.

Bay City, Michigan: DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City Riverfront

March 2019, weekend, one-night, king riverview guestroom 602

Diamond perks and check-in

My room had been upgraded to a king riverview guestroom when I checked in on the app, so I chose a guestroom on the top floor. I also received bottled water and breakfast for two. The agent at the front desk said that if I wanted more water, to just let them know.

Sunset view from guestroom 602

King riverview guestroom 602

I chose this guestroom because it is on the top floor at the end of the hall. It is actually a tad smaller than the other guestrooms, because it has a small notch out of the corner, which I had not noticed in the app floor plan. This is easily visible on the guestroom diagram below. Guestroom 630 at the opposite end of the hall looks a tad bigger, so I plan to chose that guestroom, if it is available for our next stay.

Guestroom diagram from back of door

One nice thing about guestroom 602 is that the elevator that goes to the pool area and fitness center is at this end of the hall.

Another view from guestroom 602

Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Hampton Inn

March 2019, weekday, one-night, king studio guestroom 337

Diamond perks and check-in

This hotel has three diamond member parking spaces near the entrance, and two were available when we arrived. During check-in, the front desk agent offered me an item from the snack choices on the counter. We received an upgrade to a king studio on the top floor at the end of the hall, which is exactly my preference; I had booked a standard king guestroom.

Hampton Inn Mt. Pleasant guestroom 337

King studio 337

This spacious guestroom was clean, comfortable, well-lit, and the sleep quality was excellent. Our only minor disappointment with the guestroom was the small window. When we first entered, and observed drapes covering the entire outside wall, we were excited and expected a large window behind the drapes. The drapes gave the room an inviting feel, which turned to disappointment when we saw the small window. Not really that big of a deal, though--we otherwise absolutely loved this guestroom!

Hampton Inn Mt. Pleasant guestroom 337