Old Mission Peninsula and Beulah, Michigan / Northern Michigan Wineries & Jolly Pumpkin Brewery

November 2016

This post is a brief update with some information we learned during our last visit to a couple of northern Michigan wineries and breweries.

You can find more information about Michigan wineries and breweries in the following blog posts: May and June 2016, May 2016 (Grayling), May 2016 (Cadillac), May 2016 (Petoskey), October 2015 (Grayling), October 2015 (Petoskey), May 2015 (Tahquamenon Falls), March 2015,  and October 2010. 

Black Star Farms wine taste glasses being discontinued

Black Star Farms

We have a couple of the old style Black Star Farms wine glasses, which we purchased several years ago. The glasses came with six tastes at the time of purchase, and then we could get five free tastes every time we visited with our glasses thereafter. Keeping the glasses wrapped in a small carrier in the trunk of our car has been a good thing for us, and Black Star Farms - we always bought at least two bottles of wine every time we stopped in one of their wineries for a taste! During our most recent stop at Old Mission Tasting Room, we learned they are discontinuing complimentary tastes with these glasses at the end of 2016. The person who provided us with our sample tastes did not tell us this; when we paid for our purchases, the cashier asked us if he had told us the glasses were being discontinued.

Waco, Texas / Holiday Inn & Suites Waco Northwest

November 2016, Weekday, 2-nights, King whirlpool guestroom 504

Check-in

The Holiday Inn & Suites in Waco, Texas is similar to a few other Holiday Inn & Suites I have stayed in: the one at the Denver airport, Ft. Myers Airport Town Center, and I do not recall the others for sure. I recall the lobby visual, and my exact experiences in the bar and dining room, in one of the other properties I stayed in; just not where it was!

Lobby view from elevator; restaurant and bar straight ahead

During check-in, the front desk agent recognized my status and mentioned a whirlpool, as she was talking about upgrades. I told her I probably would not use a whirlpool this stay; I said I was mainly interested in a guestroom in a quiet area with a nice workspace. I was uncertain about exactly which guestroom type I had received until I arrived at the guestroom. I also received a 10% discount dining coupon, and my choice of bonus points or an on-property amenity. 

Whirlpool guestroom 504

This spacious guestroom is located across from the elevators. The tile bathroom was on the right after entering the guestroom. It contained a large walk-in shower, and the vanity counter extended the length of the room. Bath & Body Works amenities were provided, and the towels were good quality.

View of bathroom just inside the entrance

Kalkaska, Michigan / All Seasons Resort

October 2016, Weekday, 1-night, King whirlpool suite 119

We stayed at All Seasons Resort because we were traveling to an area nearby, and I had won a free night's stay from West Michigan Tourism! This hotel is a good choice, if you need an overnight stay in the area. 

Reservations and check-in

I called on the telephone to make a reservation as indicated on the award certificate. The certificate I had won said it was good for any guestroom type, so I reserved a whirlpool suite. I asked if all of the whirlpool suites have a sofa in them, like the photos I had seen online, and the person I spoke with said she did not know. I told her we would prefer a sofa, if all of the rooms do not have this, and she said okay.  

Photo from website showing
sofa in background

Photo from website showing 
sofa in background

We arrived around 6:30 p.m. During check-in, I inquired whether our room has a sofa, and the front desk agent said she did not know (we prefer to watch TV sitting together, and have stayed in many guestrooms with only one sitting chair). When we got to the guestroom, we saw that there was only one soft chair in the room, and this guestroom also has a connecting room door. The front desk agent had told me there was one more guestroom of this type available, so I returned to the front desk to ask about that room. She escorted us to a guestroom at the opposite end of the hall, guestroom 103, I believe. That guestroom had the same furnishings, and it did not have a connecting room door. The agent then told me that there was a dog in the guestroom next door, so we decided to stay with the original guestroom.

Whirlpool suite 119

This guestroom is very spacious. It is on the ground floor near the end of the hall. The window faces the parking lot. It contained a small fridge, microwave, coffeemaker, flatscreen TV on an armoire, king size bed, two night stands, a telephone, soft chair, and a small dining-type table with two straight-backed chairs. There was a floor lamp in the corner by the table, two wall mounted lamps above the nightstands, and one above the armoire. An iron, ironing board, and coatrack with hangers were located near the entrance.

Supplies with the coffeemaker included local coffee from Leelanau Coffee Roasting Company--delicious!