Fife Lake, Michigan: Spring Lake State Forest Campground

July 2019, Weekday, 1-night, Campsite 16

We had previously seen the state forest campground signs for this park on our way north, and wanted to check it out to see if it had enough room for our 35' fifth wheel. We were traveling north with our boat this trip, and decided it was good time to see the park.

Overhead view of Spring Lake State Forest campground
Click on photo to enlarge it

Arrival and site availability

The entrance into the campground is pretty much straight in from 131. The road is not very wide, and someone in a truck who was leaving the park, pulled off the road, as we could not have passed each other while pulling our boat. The boat launch drive veers off to the right just before the campground loop. 

We arrived on a Wednesday shortly before 5 PM. There were several sites available; however, the lake overlook sites were taken. We chose campsite 16, which is about the largest campsite, so we would not have to unhook our boat. 

Campsite 16 at Spring Lake State Forest campground

Austin, Texas: Courtyard by Marriott Austin Airport

July 2019, Weekdays, 2-nights, King guestroom #402

Check-in and Platinum perks

I checked in online before I arrived, and I received a notification via the app telling me when my room was ready. As a Platinum guest, I received a breakfast coupon for breakfast both mornings. I had requested late checkout, as I had an evening flight the day of departure. The agent did not confirm this at check-in, although a different staff member did accommodate this request when I inquired the following day.

Guestroom diagram from back of door

Guestroom 402

This guestroom is at the end of the hall on the 4th floor of this 5-floor hotel. I did not hear any overhead noise, although I did hear a lot of noise from hallway activity the first evening. The doors in this hotel are quite heavy, and the late night guests were not as thoughtful as the early morning guests about letting the doors close quietly. The windows are well soundproofed, and I was not bothered by any airport noise.

Guestroom 402 view from in front of closet

The bed was comfortable, and the desk work area was sufficient. A panel under the desk slid out for more room. There were electric outlets at the desk, and next to the bed.

Desk/entertainment area (refreshment center on right) for guestroom 402

The guestroom contained a coffeemaker with supplies, ice bucket, glass glasses, a small fridge, and a microwave. There was a charge for the bottled water visible in the photos.

Bolingbrook, Illinois: Residence Inn by Marriott Chicago Bolingbrook

June 2019, Weeknight (Wednesday), 1-night, King studio #414

Platinum perks and check-in

I arrived before check-in time (around 2PM), and then waited in the lobby for about an hour for my room. This was not a problem, since I was able to work on my laptop, although it was surprising. Usually, after I have checked in on the Marriott app, I get a text early in the morning telling me my room is ready way before check-in time. Other than the standard Platinum bonus points, I did not receive any extra perks for my status. I received two candy bars, after I spun the wheel behind the check-in counter, and that is the space it landed on. All guests get to spin the wheel when checking in.

King suite 414 at Residence Inn Bolingbrook Chicago

Guestroom 414

I loved this guestroom. It was clean, comfortable, and spacious. The photos on the hotel website are a good representation of the actual guestroom.

King suite 414 at Residence Inn Bolingbrook Chicago

The desk area was large, and the view out the window faced northwest. The kitchen contained everything needed.

Hocking Hills, Ohio: state campground, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Old Man's Cave, hiking, and more!

June 2019, 3 weeknights, state campground site 58

You can find more photos from this visit in my Facebook album.

Sunset from campsite 58

Advance reservations and arrival

I made our reservation online through the Reserve America system, and chose our campsite. I had initially tried to reserve campsite 65 (I think); however, the system was malfunctioning that day, and I went with what had initially been our second or third choice. After arrival, we decided I had chosen the best site!

We arrived via Highway 664 from 33. This road is curvy and steep in spots. After arriving at the park, you just pull up to the window, if you have a reservation. The person we spoke with did not provide any park information, other than to tell us where to hang our tag, and where to put it when we checked out. She said the camper on our site had not checked out yet, and if they were still there when we got back there, we would have to come back to the front. We were glad the site was empty when we arrived, because the camp road in is also steep and curvy, with barely enough room for one large RV, let along two.

Hocking Hills State Park campsite 58

Campsite 58

This is a fabulous full hook up campsite, and we would choose it again. It is one of the most private full hookup sites in this campground. The pad for campsite 56 is not as close as it looks in the online photos on the website. Also, the dumpster in the area between site 58 and 63 was not close to our campsite at all (I was somewhat unsure about this when looking at their online photo beforehand). The campsites at the end of the road around the loop are actually more clustered, and that area was busier. Before we arrived, I had thought those sites would be in a quieter area, and that the sites would be larger, and they are not. Hocking Hills State Park is a large campground; however, this section where we stayed is the only area with full hookup.