December 2021, Weekend-weekdays between Christmas and New Years
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| Sunset from guestroom 834 in Marriott Ypsilanti Eagle Crest |
Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest king concierge guestroom 834
We had a great stay at this hotel in 2014, so we chose it again for this trip. Unfortunately, this stay was not as impressive as last time. As a gold member, I did not initially receive any extra perks or an upgrade, even though the hotel was not very full, and the app had said I was eligible for an upgrade, when I checked in. I received a notification the afternoon before our arrival saying that guestroom 518 was ready for us. I then sent a message to the hotel to ask about a concierge room upgrade (I had already checked online, and knew there were rooms available). I received a reply telling me there were plenty of rooms available, and that I would receive a new key shortly. The next mobile key I received was for guestroom 834 on the concierge floor.
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| Concierge guestroom 834 in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest |
The bed was comfortable with the usual good quality Marriott linens. Along with the king size bed and nightstands, this guestroom contained a large flatscreen TV, work desk and chair, small table, and one soft chair. A small fridge, ice bucket, and coffeemaker were located under the TV. There were no cups in the guestroom; none for coffee nor with the ice bucket. We had to make two trips downstairs to get these items. I like the small reading lights in many Marriott hotels on the bed headboards; however, neither of the lights above the bed in this guestroom worked. I tried all the switches in the guestroom to make sure the lights were not also connected to something else.
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[Non] connecting room door in guestroom 834 in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest |
I had requested a corner quiet room away from the elevator; guestroom 834 is located next to the concierge lounge and across from the elevator. We could hear the elevator ding every time it stopped on our floor. There is a large gap at the bottom of the guestroom door. This guestroom overlooks the parking lot, and has a closed off connecting room door to the lounge. I felt like we had been given one of the worst guestrooms on the concierge floor.
A few additional disappointments with this room: The heater in the guestroom did not work when we arrived, and we waited over 20 minutes for someone to come and fix it (the batteries were dead, so the control panel was not working). When I inquired about a robe, I was told the hotel no longer has them. The caulk around the bathtub was peeling, and the seal was so poor, that there was a puddle of water on the floor in the corner next to the tub after every shower, even though we had the shower curtain in the tub properly. Apparently, housekeeping is only offered when requested, because no one came to our guestroom during stayover. We requested fresh washcloths and coffee supplies via the app after realizing this when we returned to our room that evening.
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The concierge lounge is a spacious and comfortable room. I was able to print a document from the computer and printer when it opened on Monday. It was not open when we arrived on Sunday evening. It was open with only snacks and beverages starting Monday morning. Items included coffee, tea, bagels, yogurt, instant oatmeal, granola bars, chips, nuts, package cookies, and cold beverages. I called the front desk on Monday evening to inquire about food in the lounge, because in addition to snacks, the website says concierge rooms also include: "Complimentary food - Hot buffet breakfast - hors d'oeuvres - dessert - Cocktails, for a fee." The agent I spoke with said they have not been offering anything except the grab-and-go items since COVID. When I made our reservation, concierge rooms were available for $20 more per night. At the time of this post, just a few days after our stay, concierge rooms are no longer available to reserve. Possibly, I was not the only to inquire about lounge offerings.
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| Closed pool and whirlpool tub in Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest |
The pool area was closed for renovations during our stay, which I had not noticed when we made our reservation. This information was not on the Marriott app; I saw the note on the website a few day before our stay. This was another disappointment, as the pool area is spacious, and we had enjoyed the spa tub during our last stay.
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Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest from North Bay Park island trail North Bay Park trail below |
Trails, downtown, breweries, dining
There is a paved trail alongside Ford Lake from the Marriott (North Bay Park next door) to S. Grove Street trail parking. We had planned to walk the trail to Unity Vibrations in Ypsilanti; however, North Bay Park was closed for the season, and we could not get to the trail from the Marriott. We walked on the hotel golf course trail the first day, instead.
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| North Bay Park entrance fees to parking lot when open |
You can get to North Bay Park trail from the car pool lot in front of the park, so we walked the trail from there the next day. There is a boardwalk from the trail, which makes a loop over the water on the northwest corner of the lake. The island lake loop from the car pool parking lot was just under two miles round trip. We saw swans, ducks, muskrats, and birds while walking the trail on Ford Lake.
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| Speedy Gonzales and wet burrito lunch plates at Los Amigos Fiesta |
We had lunch at Los Amigos Fiesta in Ann Arbor: Speedy Gonzales and Burrito Special. The price was great, and the food was good. We ordered a margarita to share, and the server suggested the house special. I definitely would not recommend the house margarita; nasty, nasty tequila (the server did not know the brand when I asked).
We wanted to visit three new breweries with our HopPassport; however, the following locations were not open on the Sunday after Christmas, even though their websites and Facebook pages did not list different hours for the holidays: Old Nation, Aberrant Ales, and Eternity Brewing. Old Nation did not even have a closed sign on their door showing the changed holiday hours when we arrived at that location. We were also unable to visit Witch's Hat, as that brewery was hosting a huge fund raiser event.
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| Unity Vibration Kombucha |
Following is brief info about places we did get to visit. We had a great experience at Unity Vibration Kombucha in Ypsilanti. Excellent service, comfortable atmosphere, and good beers. We had the ginger beer, and tart raspberry. In Ypsilanti, my husband really liked Arbor Brewing Company - Corner Brewery. This location is spacious inside, and they have outside igloos. Assistance is self-serve at the bar. Block Brewing Company (Howell) and Draught Horse Brewery (New Hudson) both have many, many beers on tap. These were both new visits for us, and we both preferred Block Brewing. The beers and service there both surpassed our experience at Draught Horse Brewing.
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| Confluxity Brewing Company |
We had another great experience at Confluxity Brewing in Portland on our way home. I have always liked their beer, and decided to try something new this time: I had their hard seltzer/jiggly juice Bloody Mary. I thought it tasted like a Bloody Mary with a shot of beer in it. It was a bit unusual, yet still good.
I will have info to share about some new experiences in Grand Rapids next. Let me know if you have any questions, or experiences you would like to share!
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