Grand Rapids, Michigan: Holiday Inn Downtown

 April 2022, weekday, 1-night, king premium room 606

I have previously written several posts with information about downtown Grand Rapids. I suggest clicking on the Grand Rapids label at the bottom of this post, if you are interested in more detail than what is provided here. This is just a brief post to share a few updates about the Holiday Inn Downtown.

Reservation info

When IHG remodeled this hotel in 2020, the guestroom descriptions changed slightly. This guestroom used to be called an executive suite, and now it is called a premium room. The agent actually referred to the room as an executive room when I checked in. 

Using points for a stay at this property is a great value, because you can choose any room type at the time of booking. The value was even better this stay, as IHG had lowered the points needed at many of their properties. We booked this room for only 23,000 points, and it is usually 40,000 points.

Holiday Inn Grand Rapids Downtown, king premium guestroom 606

Ludington, Michigan: The Lamplighter Bed & Breakfast

April 2022, The Lamplighter Bed & Breakfast, Carpenter Room, 1-night, weekday

If you want to stay near downtown Ludington, the choices are small inns/motels, bed and breakfast type lodging, or a rental property through places like AirBnB. The closest campground, Cartier Park, is about 1½ miles from town. More campgrounds and chain hotels are located outside of town. Although we do not often stay in bed and breakfast lodging, we chose The Lamplighter Bed & Breakfast because it is only a few blocks from town, and the reviews were all excellent.

Fireplace in the common area at The Lamplighter Bed & Breakfast

Reservations and arrival

I made our reservation with Jen over the telephone. You can also make a reservation online; I called because I had a couple of questions. Check-in is between 4PM and 6PM, and we arrived shortly after 4:00. Jen provided a warm welcome, a brief overview of the amenities, and area information, as needed.  

Carpenter room in The Lamplighter Bed & Breakfast

Carpenter room, floor 2

The Carpenter room is also room #1; the first room at the top of the stairs on the second floor. We did not have any trouble getting to the room with our one small bag. Jen and Dan both offered assistance with luggage during our stay, if needed. This guestroom looked exactly as described and pictured online. I loved the silky soft sheets and pillow quality. The guestroom was comfortable and incredibly clean.

Carpenter room in The Lamplighter Bed & Breakfast

Plush bathrobes were provided, along with bath amenities: soap, shower gel, shampoo, and a hairdryer. We were the only guests the night of our stay, and we had a peaceful evening. 

Howell, Michigan: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, Breweries

 March 2022, 1 night, Friday-Saturday, king whirlpool suite 322?

Reservations, platinum perks, check-in

I do not remember our guestroom number for sure, and I do not have a bill to check it because we used points for this stay. We made the reservation online the day before our stay using only 17,600 points. I previously stayed in this hotel 10 years ago in January 2012. 

Before we arrived, I noticed on the IHG app that our room had been upgraded to a whirlpool suite. The agent also informed me of this during check-in. She provided efficient and professional assistance.

Howell, Michigan Holiday Inn Express whirlpool fireplace suite

King whirlpool suite

This spacious guestroom is located on the top floor next to the elevator. We did not hear any noise from the elevators during our stay. There is a large window in the bedroom and in the living room. Both windows could be opened a few inches, and they both faced toward Tanger Outlet Mall and the expressway.

Howell, Michigan Holiday Inn Express whirlpool fireplace suite

Orlando, Florida: Staybridge Suites Orlando Airport South

February 2022, weekday (Wednesday), 1-night

I am confused about why this hotel is called "airport south" because it is not south of the airport. The only hotel I know of that is south of the airport is a newer SpringHill Suites that does not provide shuttle service. 

Arrival, check-in, platinum perks

It was before noon when we called for the shuttle after returning our rental car. The driver happened to be at the airport dropping someone off, so he arrived very quickly. When we got to the hotel, the front desk agent said the room type I had requested (top floor, corner, quiet area, like usual) was not ready yet, and that he could give us a room on the second floor, if we wanted. It sounded like he had a specific room picked out for us on the top floor, because he stated my preferences and said the current guest had not checked out yet. We decided to wait for the corner top floor guestroom. When I returned to the front desk to request the wifi password less than an hour later, the same employee told us our room was ready. I was surprised and impressed (until we go to the room). I received the standard platinum 500 bonus points.

View from suite 317 Staybridge Suites Orlando Airport South

King one bedroom [hearing impaired] suite #317

When we arrived at the guestroom, we saw that it was not a corner suite. It looked like a standard one bedroom suite, other than it was a room for the hearing impaired. There was a doorbell on the outside of the guestroom, and lights flashed inside when the button was pressed. I assume this guestroom had been available when we arrived, and that the agent decided to just give us this room instead of having us wait longer. The air smelled stagnant, as though there had not been anyone in the guestroom recently. Although I have high exceptions, I also dislike complaining/making a fuss, so we stayed in the room.

Suite 317 in Staybridge Suites Orlando Airport South
Floor debris on kitchen floor in photo below

The guestroom was comfortable, and we did not have any trouble with noise. The view overlooks the parking lot. The bedding looked clean; however, the floors needed a bit of cleaning, especially the kitchen floor.  

Bedroom and floor diagram in suite 317
Staybridge Suites Orlando Airport South

Indialantic, Florida: DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront

 February 2022, weekdays, 3-nights

Sunrise from our bedroom balcony DoubleTree Melbourne Beach suite 913

We had an amazing stay at this hotel booked totally with points. The service was great, the guestroom was comfortable, and the food was amazing. The hotel is located between the Atlantic Ocean and intercostal waterway. We enjoyed ocean sunrises from our bedroom balcony, and sunsets over the waterway from the table in the living room.

Sunset from living room area in DoubleTree Melbourne Beach suite 913

Arrival, check-in, diamond perks

We arrived quite early before check-in time, and opted to wait for a top floor guestroom. We walked on the beach, and settled in at the pool area, expecting to wait a few hours for our room. We were surprised when we received a text before noon telling us our room was ready. I received two bottles of water, and $30 per day food and beverage credit. There are only three types of guestrooms at this property, unless they have hidden rooms, so there was no opportunity for an upgrade.

View out the front of suite 913 DoubleTree Melbourne Beach

King guestroom 913

This room is set up almost exactly like an Embassy Suites. The entrance door opened into a spacious room with a small table and 2 chairs, and a sofa with left arm facing chaise. A flatscreen TV, small fridge, microwave, and beverage items (coffee/ice bucket) were on the large countertop/armoire across from the sofa. I do not have pictures of this area; the photos on the hotel website match this guestroom.

Shower in suite 913 DoubleTree Melbourne Beach

The bathroom was located between the living room and the bedroom. The large vanity was along the hallway area on the right, and the shower and toilet room were on the left. Several good quality towels and washcloths were provided, along with bath amenities. There was a door that could be closed to the bathroom, and one for the bedroom.

Carnival Magic 8 Day Eastern Caribbean Ports of Call: St. Maarten, St. Kitts, San Juan, Grand Turk

February 2022

Some of the ports on our cruise itinerary had paused cruise ship visitors before our cruise, so we were not 100% sure if any of our port stops would be changed. Locations were starting to reopen right when we left on our cruise, and Carnival Magic ended up stopping at all the original ports.

St. Maarten from Carnival Magic spa cabin 12038

St. Maarten 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

We love this island! The people are great, and the beach within walking distance is beautiful. You can take a water taxi ride to the beach area for $7 roundtrip, if you prefer. We wanted to walk through the shops first, so we did that, and then continued out of the cruise terminal, then down the sidewalk to the beach, which is an easy walk of about 1 mile, one-way. 

Beach in St. Maarten in front of Kalua Bar & Restaurant

We rented our chairs from a friendly guy with chairs in front of Kalua Beach Bar & Restaurant. We paid $15 for 2 chairs, and an umbrella right by the water. You could also rent chairs that came with rum punch (I do not know if it was unlimited, as we did not purchase that). The beach and water in this area is beautiful! When you walk farther down the beach, toward the shopping pier and downtown shops, the sand becomes more like the beach near the cruise port in Grand Turk with crushed shells. It is still a nice beach; the sand is just not as soft as it was where we were seated. You can enlarge any photo in this post by clicking on it.

Above: some of the crushed shells on the beach near the west end
Below: looking east from in front of our seat in front of Kalua

With the chairs we rented, we were also allowed to use the bathroom in the bar, and the wifi code. The wifi signal was not strong enough to use by the water. There are benches along the sidewalk by the bar, so we used it there before we left for the day. A bucket of 5 beers with ice from Kalua cost $12, and the guys renting chairs were eager to please. 

View while on our walk back to the cruise port in St. Maarten

We stopped at Amsterdam Cheese & Liquor Store on our way back to the ship for complimentary tastings. This store is just outside the cruise terminal, so it is not far to carry purchases back. There is a public restroom outside at this location. Everyone on this island is extremely friendly, and the prices are fair. Payment was not expected to use any of the restrooms. When we politely declined sales by people on the beach and when leaving the cruise terminal, we were not resolicited.

Two of the ships docked in St. Kitts February 2022

Photos and Activity Schedules from Carnival Magic Cruise: 8-day Exotic Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral

February 2022

The photos and activity schedules in this post go along with the previous cruise post.

Additional food and beverage photos 

Above: Breakfast Board (breakfast)
Below: Eggs Benedict with Salmon & side of hash browns (Sea Day brunch)

Above: Signature tower tuna and salmon, side of cheese grits (Sea Day brunch)
Below: Prime rib dinner, ordered medium, second elegant evening (dining room)

Above: Turkey dinner in dining room
Below: Ceviche appetizer in dining room (dinner)

Above: Lobster bisque in steakhouse - delicious!
Below: Australian wagyu in steakhouse (the one cold entree)

Above: Risotto appetizer in steakhouse
Below: Cheese plate in steakhouse 

Although the steakhouse said our reservation had been cancelled,
we each received a confirmed reservation in the cabin

Misc. photos

Above: Main pool on Carnival Magic
Below: spa tepidarium and aroma steam room against back wall