Stow, Ohio: Courtyard by Marriott Akron Stow - near Cuyahoga National Park

May 2022, weekend, one night, king balcony guestroom 412

View from king guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio

Arrival and gold perks

The entrance at this hotel was a bit scary/nasty when we arrived, and I should have taken a photo. The trashcan was filthy and full. The entrance mat was incredibly dirty/covered with debris. I had checked in via the app, and did not receive notification that my room was ready before we arrived after check-in time Sunday evening. The agent appeared to be assigning the guestroom after I gave him my name. He did not say anything, so when it looked like he was about ready to code the key, I asked him if he was giving us a room on the top floor, and if we could have an upgrade to a room with a balcony. He said a balcony room is not an upgrade, and that this could be requested. Odd, that there is no way to choose a balcony room when making the reservation. He then assigned us an odd numbered room with a balcony on the top floor. It was not the end room, and I do not recall for sure if it was 403 or 405.

Above: View from king guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Below: Guestroom diagram on back of the door in king guestroom 412 

Guestroom 403 or 405, and 412

Odd numbered rooms in this hotel are on the expressway side of the hotel, and the sliding glass doors are not very soundproof. It was very noisy in the odd-numbered guestroom that we entered, first. I called the front desk agent from the phone in the guestroom to ask if there was a room available on the other side of the building. He checked, and then said he would meet us at room 412. It was great that we did not need to go back down the elevator to get new keys; however, I did not understand why we had not been assigned a guestroom on the obviously better side of the building to begin with. One thing I have loved about Marriotts during my years of travel, is that they usually assign elite members guestrooms in preferred locations. Not only are the even numbered rooms better because of the traffic noise; they also have a better view. Both guestrooms we were assigned had connecting room doors.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Connecting room door on left

Guestroom 412 was spacious and comfortable. It contained a curved sofa, king size bed, spacious work area, small fridge, and microwave. The two chairs and small table on the balcony looked clean, and the seating was comfortable. There was a screen in the balcony doorway, so we were able to sleep with the door open to the fresh air.

Guestroom 412 in Courtyard Marriott in Stow, Ohio
Hairs and dirt on desk chair below

Chelsea, Michigan: Waterloo State Recreation Area, Green Lake Rustic Campground, Hiking, Biking, Discovery Center

May 2022, Green Lake primitive site GL6, 3 nights, weekdays

View of Green Lake from rustic campsite GL6 in Waterloo Recreation Area

This was our first visit to Waterloo park, which is the largest state park in Michigan's lower peninsula. We plan to visit again!

Info and registration instructions at Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area

Reservations

We had not initially planned to make a reservation, since our stay was during the week at the beginning of May. After we looked at the park more closely, however, we decided it would be easier to make a reservation, in order to drive directly to our site. It did not look like there was a way to check in at this primitive campground, and the staffed areas in this park would have been out of our way.

After we arrived, we observed a self-registration kiosk, similar to Michigan State Forest campgrounds. There were also "reserved" tags on some sties; however, this information was not accurate, nor was it checked by anyone. There was no reservation tag on our site when we arrived, even though we had made a reservation. There was a reservation tag on the site next to us when we arrived, and this site was not occupied until the last night of our stay (I also checked the website after we arrived, and there was no reservation for that site until the last evening). Many people came to this campground and stayed on sites for just a few hours: in lounge chairs, tree hammocks, and at picnic tables around a fire. Some of the sites people used had reserved tags on them, and some did not. We could not figure out any rhyme or reason to most of the activity in this campground. The clipboard list with reserved site numbers in the photo above was not present until the last night of our stay. We were glad or site was unoccupied when we arrived!

Above: campsite GL6 in Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area
Below: labels for campsites GL6, GL5, and GL3

Campsites in Green Lake Rustic Campground

Although campsite GL6 is unlevel and hilly, we thought this was one of the best campsites in this campground. The water view is excellent, and the site is quite large. There are no trees between this site and site GL5. GL5 is also a large site, so when the people arrived at that site on our last evening their camper were quite aways away from us.

Above: sunrise from inside our camper on campsite GL6 in
Green Lake Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area
Below: another view of campsites GL5 and GL3

I also liked campsites GL3, GL14, and GL20, although my husband thinks GL6 is best. Site GL3 is more level than 5 and 6, although there are also mores trees between the campsite and the water. Campsite GL14 is somewhat private, although it is not level and not as large as GL6. I liked this site because it looked like there would be a fabulous sunset view over the water. Campsite GL20 is the most private site. This site would be great in cool weather because it is open and surrounded by trees. You cannot see the lake from this site.

Waterloo-Pickney hiking trail in Waterloo Recreation Area

Sikeston, Missouri: Hampton Inn and more

May 2022, Weekday, one night

We had initially planned to stay at the Holiday Inn in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and changed our stay to this hotel a few days before our arrival. We decided we wanted to travel a bit farther than Poplar Bluff before stopping for the night, and this hotel is fairly new.

Sunset from suite 429 in Hampton Inn in Sikeston, MO

Arrival and diamond perks

I booked a basic king guestroom, as the online photos showed a sofa in the guestroom. I decided to call the hotel after I received the email to check-in online, and the agent upgraded us to a suite. When we arrived, the front desk agent offered me a beverage and snack.

Entry in suite 429 in Hampton Inn in Sikeston, MO

Guestroom 429

This suite is on the top floor on the southwest corner of the building. Even though that is the end of the building closest to US-60, we were not bothered by traffic noise. The sunset view was excellent.

Suite 429 in Hampton Inn in Sikeston, MO

Texarkana, Arkansas: Hampton Inn and Suites

 May 2022, Weekdays, Two nights. King suite 426

Arrival and diamond perks

I booked a studio suite when I made this reservation because the rates were reasonable. I was glad I did, because there was some kind of issue with the guests checking in before me who had requested a suite when making the reservation, and were unable to get one. It sounded like the agent told them the hotel was almost full, although it did not seem like it was during our stay. Possibly, just the suites were taken. I chose guestroom 426 when I checked in via the app before our arrival. I stopped at the front desk to get a key for my husband, and the agent told me there were waters in the room for me.

Guestroom diagram on the back of door in
suite 426 in Hampton Inn & Suites, Texarkana, AR

Guestroom 426

This guestroom is located on the top floor at the end of the hall. It is spacious with a sofa, soft chair, and long desk/work area. Although the guestroom was comfortable, it was in need of an update. The furnishings and carpet showed signs of age and stains. Fortunately, there was extra bedding in the guestroom, as I was not comfortable sitting on the sofa without a clean sheet covering it. My apologies for not taking a photo of this area before I covered the sofa!

Furnishings in living room area of suite 426 in Hampton Inn & Suites, Texarkana, AR

The kitchen area near the entrance included a sink, microwave, small fridge, single serve coffeemaker with supplies, ice bucket, and two bottles of water. I think water may have been provided in all of the guestrooms, as I heard the front desk agent tell another guest the same thing he had told me, and he had not recognized my diamond status when he told me about the water. Bottled water was also provided in the fitness center, and the breakfast room.

Suite 426 in Hampton Inn & Suites, Texarkana, AR
Vanity area above; kitchen entry below

Mt. Vernon, Illinois: DoubleTree by Hilton

April 2022, Weekend, One-night

View from guestroom 558 in DoubleTree Mt. Vernon, Illinois

Arrival and diamond perks

There were no suites available when I made our reservation or when we arrived. I booked a basic king guestroom. This hotel also has guestrooms with balconies; however, the balconies are not outside. They are on floors 2 and 3 only, and overlook the inside pool or atrium. I checked in on the app, and chose guestroom 558 on the top floor. I received a notification that the room was ready shortly after 1:00 PM. We stopped at the front desk for a DoubleTree cookie and HiltonHonors waters when we arrived that evening. I did not receive the $15 each diamond dining credit at this property. Instead, I was given two vouchers for the buffet breakfast, which did not include the tip.

King guestroom 558 in DoubleTree Mt. Vernon, Illinois 

King guestroom 558

This guestroom is on the top floor at the end of the hall. The window view faces west, and we enjoyed a fabulous sunset. The guestroom was spacious and comfortable, although we would have preferred a sofa, chaise, or loveseat for two, rather than the single soft chair in the guestroom. There was certainly enough room for a larger piece of furniture. The work desk was spacious, and there were several electrical outlets. A single-serve coffeemaker with supplies was provided at the end of the desk. The Internet connection did not work for me when I first arrived (Marriott signal from the Fairfield Inn across the road worked great!), although it did after I restarted my computer later.

King guestroom 558 in DoubleTree Mt. Vernon, Illinois