Richmond, Virginia / Courtyard by Marriott Richmond Chester

January 2018, Weekdays, 2-nights, King guestroom 509 with balcony 

I had a difficult time choosing a hotel this trip. I really did not want to stay downtown and deal with the traffic driving in and out of the area when I only needed to visit the outskirts of town. Every hotel review I read for the hotels south of town had negative comments (Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Residence Inn, Marriott Courtyard--all of them). I scrutinize reviews quite a bit before deciding how much merit to give to the comments, and all of the unsatisfactory comments I read were similar: rude staff, mold, water did not work or get hot, had to change rooms, etc. I also read staff replies, which affects my perception, as well.

Gold perks and check-in

I arrived in the early evening after check-in time. I waited a couple of minutes behind one guest to check-in. The room I received was possibly an upgrade, although the agent did not say anything to me. In fact, he did not tell me anything about the guestroom until after I asked if it is on the top floor. He said yes, and then he told me the rooms had been recently renovated.

Grand Rapids, Michigan ~ Holiday Inn stay, Happy Hour and dining info

December 2017, Weekend, 2-nights

Covered Sky Walk between Amway parking garage and hotel.
Beautiful corridor covered wth snow and decorated with blue lights.

We did not get to all of the new locations we wanted to visit this trip, although we did make it to a few, and we went on a brewery tour at The Knickerbocker New Holland Brewing Company (details at the end of  this post). We love Grand Rapids!

Holiday Inn executive guestroom 711 and facility

I redeemed points for both nights of this stay. I like that I am able to redeem my points online for any room type at this hotel. We stayed in this hotel few times before this stay; in executive rooms 511 and 811, and in non-executive rooms prior to that. I did not take any hotel photos this stay. I am sharing some new hotel information, and you can find more info about the hotel and photos in blog posts from February 2017, and April 2014. 

I observed only a couple of changes in the guestroom since our last stay: The bed pillows are an improvement, and are much nicer quality than pillows usually found in Holiday Inn hotels. A recycling basket had been provided by the desk. The coffee items, which had changed before 2017, were the same as they had been last time: Keuring coffeemaker (yay!) with disposable cups, rather than glass glasses and ceramic coffee mugs. 😐 The Internet connection speed this visit was extremely slow, and we did not experience this during previous stays. Be aware that the hall noise outside the executive guestrooms can be bothersome, as the rooms are located directly across from the elevators. Another thing to be aware of, if you do not like to stay in hotels that accommodate pets; there were several dogs in this hotel during our stay, and I never encountered this on previous stays. One dog was left in the guestroom down the hall from us both evenings, and barked continually when the guests were gone. Fortunately for us, there were a couple of rooms between us, so the barking was not too loud when we went to bed. Unfortunate for the poor dog though! And, for any guests closer to the room.

Muskegon, Michigan / Shoreline Inn, Downtown, Boars Belly, Smash Wine Bar

December 2017, Weekday, 1-night

Shoreline Inn Penthouse Suite 1009

You can find more information about the Shoreline Inn and guestrooms in two of my previous blog posts: October 2017, and January 2016. We loved the Penthouse Suite that we had in October, so we booked a Penthouse Suite again. Last time we redeemed points, and this time we booked the AAA rate. When I made the reservation, I thought we had reserved a suite with a whirlpool tub and no balcony.

View from Shoreline Inn suite 1009

Penthouse suite 1009 has a balcony just like suite 1003. It does not, however, have a whirlpool tub. Other than not having a tub, the guestroom is very similar to 1003 with a fireplace, living and kitchen area, and separate bedroom.

Penthouse suite 1009

Carnival Cruise Lines Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee

January 2018 claim for cruise sail date February 2018

I had forgotten about the ad Carnival has on their pages for the 110% shore excursion price guarantee, until after we booked our excursion. Fortunately, we had booked our excursion with Carnival, and I recalled the offer within the allowed time frame to submit it. This was my first time submitting a claim like this, and I was impressed with the results.

Photo of Tulum ruins we visited last year.
The excursion we booked with the price guarantee was for the ruins in Belize.

Terms and Conditions for the price guarantee

• You must reserve the excursion through Carnival prior to your cruise. 
• You must complete and submit an online Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee claim form at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of your cruise.
• The Best Price Guarantee is available only for exact shore excursion matches, for example, duration of the shore excursion, transportation fees, and the exact same dates of the shore excursion as booked through Carnival Cruise Line. 
• Lower rate must be publicly advertised and available to the general public at the time your claim is filed, as determined by Carnival Cruise Line personnel. (Rates offered on membership program websites, corporate discounts or rates; group, charter, rewards program, etc., etc., or prices available only by using a coupon or other promotion not offered to the general public are ineligible.) 
• Full T & C can be found via a link on the claim form, which I have included under the next heading.

White House, Tennessee / Hampton Inn

December 2017, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom 300

This post is a tad shorter than most with a bit less information, since it has been a few weeks since our stay.

Diamond perks and check-in

We had arrived in the evening after dark with takeout dinner. I received a bottle of water and the bonus points listed in my profile preferences. I inquired about the location of our guestroom, and I asked if there is a table with seating in the room. The agent said there is not a table in the guestroom, and she did not offer an upgrade. After we got the keys, we sat down in the lobby to eat before taking our luggage to to the guestroom.  

Guestroom 300

This is a basic guestroom on the top floor at the end of the hall. The only seating was a chaise lounge and the desk chair. The guestroom looked similar to the photos on the website. It is sufficient for one person; however, we would have preferred more room for the two of us. 

Guestroom 300

This past year, I have not experienced much of a benefit for being loyal to a hotel brand. This hotel was not very full, so it does not make sense to me why they would not give an upgrade to a Diamond member. It would have been nice to eat our dinner in the guestroom, and it would have been nice to be able to sit on a sofa together.

Orange Beach, Alabama / bike trails, restaurants and happy hours, boating, beaches

November 2017 - December 2017

Lakeshore Trail ~ One of the prettiest loops in Gulf State Park!

Gulf State Park bicycle trails and Beach Bike Rentals

We had taken our own bikes with us to Orange Beach; however, our son visited for a couple of days via plane, so he rented a bicycle one day when he was there. Beach Bike Rentals is located on Perdido Beach Blvd. next to the Hotel Indigo and Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail - Rosemary Dunes Trailhead. It was $25 to rent a 3-speed cruiser for the day. A bicycle lock and helmet is included with the rental. Another bike rental store is located inside Gulf State Park in the picnic area of Lake Shelby. I do not know the details of their rentals, as we did not compare costs.

Inside Gulf State Park next to trail

We bicycled through the park on two different days, and we walked inside the park one day. We saw alligators, an armadillo, tortoise, snakes, a bald eagle, other birds, and butterflies. I am sharing a few photos we took, although I do not have room to include them all.

Orange Beach, Alabama / Grand Pointe Condos through Alabama Getaway

November - December 2017, 1 week

One of the amazing sunsets from the beach at Grand Pointe

Choosing a property

After viewing many properties, we had our desired property narrowed down to a few: Grand Pointe, Caribe Resort, Phoenix VII, and Turquoise Place. We liked Caribe and Turquoise for the resort atmosphere and luxuries; however, the cost was much too high for only two people. We actually had a difficult time finding a condo with a good rate for only two people, as most of the units in this area have more than one bedroom. The prices are great, if you are looking for something with more room. Some of our criteria: A balcony with a view of the water, and access to the balcony from the bedroom and living area. We also wanted a heated whirlpool tub onsite, preferably outside and open all year.

We did not like the layout of the one bedroom condos we found because the bedroom was located by the entrance instead of the water and balcony. We then started to look at two and three bedroom condos. Something else we had to take into consideration, is that the add-on fees, taxes, and such, were higher than what we had paid when we stayed in Panama City Beach, Florida a couple of years earlier. After much time searching, we were very happy with the end result.

One of the murals on the inside wall at Grand Pointe

Grand Pointe Condominium amenities

We absolutely loved this property! It is peaceful, well maintained, and we liked the location.