STAY DETAILS
July 19-21, 2008
1 queen room, 1 handicapped queen room
Price: $129.99/night Government rate at Ramada.com
I’d probably recommend this hotel for the location, convenience and price for a Boston hotel. But be warned about cleanliness.
You may get a cheaper rate walking in instead of reserving online. There are hotel coupons in almost every rest stop in the highways to Boston. However, it was peak season (summer) so we decided to reserve in advance.
LOCATION
The location is South Boston, but it was still convenient. There was free scheduled shuttle to the JFK/UMass subway station (MBTA) and the airport. There are restaurants on site, the Phillips candy/chocolate store and a family entertainment complex that had bowling, arcade, pool and more. Stores such as CVS, National Wholesale Liquidator and other stuff, are just across the street. There are beaches close by, but they were muddy. The location is the best asset of this property, but that’s just about it.
PREMISES
The place had ample parking and seating in the lobby. The hotel layout was very poorly planned. Other reviewers complained that the hotel was a maze, and it was. Even the front desk staff got confused. To go to one side of the hotel, you will have to go through at least 3 doors.
STAFF
The staff were friendly, but they need to be more knowledgeable. We had to switch rooms because the first rooms we had were too far from the exit and we had a handicapped kid with us. A staff gave us wrong directions to get to the rooms, but he was apologetic. The keys to one of the rooms weren’t working and I had to go back to front desk twice. The front desk didn’t have a map of the area, only downtown Boston and Cambridge.
ROOMS
There was a strong smell in the rooms. It looked like housekeeping sprayed too much air deodorizer to mask other smells. I didn’t think the rooms were too clean. One of the rooms we booked (handicapped) had poop in the toilet. The other room was alright, but when we tried to use the extra pillows in the ‘closet’, they smelled like sweat. We think housekeeping just stocked them in the closet without cleaning them. The closets weren’t really closets, they were just a separate space with clothes rack and hangers. One of the rooms had a desk, a small round table, two chairs, a tiny bathroom (with a tub), and the sink right outside the bathroom. The handicapped room didn’t have the small round table. It had a bigger bathroom, but with no tub. The sink was inside the bathroom. Air-conditioner was great, but it made some noise which didn’t really bother us.
AMENITIES
Pool
The pool was very small and goes from 4 to 9 ft deep. I saw the lifeguard check the quality of the water every morning which was good.
Breakfast
Continental breakfast was included with the rate and was served from 6am-10am. At the two days we were there, they didn’t serve the same ‘entree’. The first morning, we had waffles which were delicious. You could make your own waffle, but this wonderful lady (staff) offered to make them for those who want them The second morning, we had scrambled eggs. On both days, there were bagels, bread, toasts, muffins, fruits, cereals, yogurt, juices, coffee.
Internet
There was free wireless internet access and the speed was good. You would need to ask front desk for a password to access it. If you plan to access the internet, take your laptop with you. To use the hotel’s own computer to access the internet is not free. I believe it was $7/hr.
MY RATING:
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REVIEW: Sheraton Springfield, MA
STAY DETAILS
May 25, 2008
1 king room
$189/night at Sheraton.com, included 2 adult tickets to Six Flags New England (worth $80-$100) and self-parking (worth $9.95)
LOCATION
The Sheraton was right off I-91 (Exit 7). Businesses, stores, restaurants are just a walk away from the hotel. We got out of the hotel and walked around the area for dinner. The area was so quiet, with barely any people. It got scary when I noticed a lot of the stores were closed or shut down. I would prefer staying in West Springfield along RT-5.
We ate at Red Rose Pizzeria in Main St, an Italian restaurant 5 blocks away and we liked it. They had good food and huge servings. We spent $53+ for 2 people including tax.
PREMISES
The hotel lobby was a little dark, but very nice and clean. The rooms are situated around an indoor atrium. You can easily hear anyone talking in the hallways in the nearby floors because of the set up. But you don’t hear in the rooms. Check-in was a breeze and staff was friendly, but nothing out of the ordinary.
ROOM
The room was spacious, clean and smelled great. The carpet by the door had a couple of very small stains, but not very noticeable. Our room (room 1106) was very close to the elevator and had a view of the river and I-91. You could faintly hear the cars driving through by the window. But you won’t hear them by the bed. The Sweet Sleeper king bed was very comfortable.
AMENITIES
Pool:
The pool was located in the Fitness Center on the 4th floor. I was only able to see the pool area. The place wasn’t crowded. There were only 2 people swimming. The pool was 50’ long and 3’-5’ deep. It had 3 lanes. The area had a hot tub, cold tub, sauna, 2-3 shower stalls, water fountain, and an access to an outdoor balcony where you can sunbathe. The pool had too much chlorine in it that I had to cut my swimming short coz my eyes were burning. I didn’t have my goggles with me. My eyes were red and bothered me the whole evening.
Wi-fi:
You could get wireless internet connection in the room for $8.95/day. Don’t get it, it’s not worth it. Connection was horrible in our room. When John called the front desk to ask where the connection is better, they didn’t know. The connection at the Business Center was better, but still not good.
Parking:
Parking was $9.95/day for self-parking or $12.95/day for valet parking. I thought it wasn’t worth it, but I got it free with the package we got. As I said earlier, I would prefer getting a hotel in West Springfield by RT-5 for the location and most of the hotel there have free parking.
Newspaper:
Usually included in the room rate is a free daily newspaper. But you can get $0.75 credit if you cancel delivery of the newspaper by calling the front desk.
MY RATING:
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REVIEW: Days Inn West Springfield, MA
STAY DETAILS
May 24, 2008
1 double room with free breakfast and wifi
$89/night at DaysInn.com
I wouldn’t recommend this hotel/motel for long stays because of the small space. The location, convenience, and good wi-fi connection may make it good enough for short stays or business travelers.
LOCATION
The location was great. The Days Inn was right off of RT-5. The area was quiet enough, but there were a lot of restaurants, stores, cinemas just a very quick drive up RT-5.
PREMISES
The lobby vestibule had a weird smell. But the lobby was alright. The inside of the hotel looked outdated. It was quiet and check-in was a breeze. The front desk staff was friendly. I saw one reviewer complained about the staff not telling them there was an elevator. I don’t think it necessary since the elevator was right by the reception desk to the right.
ROOM
We were given a handicapped room (room 312) when I didn’t request one. The bathroom was huge, but the shower head was too low. You would have to hold it to wash your hair.  But the bathroom was the only handicapped-friendly part of the room. The rest of the room was tiny! We had a double bed and there was only one night stand with a lamp. The “closet†(with no doors) was on the other side of the bed. The TV was really old, but at least it had remote control. However, it didn’t show on the TV screen what channel you’re on, so you will have to stay close to the TV to read the tiny channel screen that didn’t light up. The cable stopped working in the middle of the night. Right before we left, the cable still wasn’t working. There was a small table with 2 chairs which made the room more cramped. There was no clock/alarm. I think the TV had an alarm, but I didn’t try to use it.
AMENTIES
Pool:
The outdoor pool was right in front near the road, so it wasn’t very private. It’s the first thing you see when you enter the premises. The pool on the photo at the hotel’s website looked huge, but it wasn’t. The pool wasn’t open at the time of our stay.
Wi-Fi:
Wireless internet was free. They had a wireless network for each floor and the connection was fast enough for John to play his game.
Breakfast:
Breakfast was included in the room rate. The breakfast area was tiny and offered so little, so we skipped on that.
MY RATING:Â
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REVIEW: Comfort Suites Laurel MD
STAY DETAILS
April 7-8, 2008
1 king room, 1 2-double room
Price: $88/night at hotels.com
I wouldn’t recommend this hotel just for the smell alone. The Sleep Inn down the road is newer and probably better. It has an indoor pool as well. This review is limited coz we only stayed overnight. For more reviews, you can check out Tripadvisor.com here. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
PRICING
I booked the rooms via hotels.com for $88/rm/night. The rate at Choicehotels.com was higher but they price match so you can try book there as well. I didn’t bother to do it though. You can get a discount online if there’s a guest aged 50+. If there’s a guest aged 60+, call Choice Hotels for a bigger discount.
LOCATION
The location is great, a block away from the mall and there was a shopping center just across the street. It is about 3 miles away from I-95.   It is about half an hour away from Washington, DC which was not bad.
INDOOR
We checked in late and sometimes the front desk was unmanned. The staff was helpful enough.
The interior looks a little old. The elevator does look outdated and had a faint funky smell. When we got to our floor (4th floor), the smell didn’t get any better. Further down, the hallway started to smell like urine.
ROOMS
The rooms had a smell as well. They were clean enough, but a lot of the furniture were old. The sofas were sagging (probably because it was a sofa bed) and looked very old. We didn’t bother to open it to a bed. The TV in room 407 (1 king) was blurry while the TV in room 402 (2 doubles) didn’t work. The power button was gone and the remote didn’t work. I thought the “suites” had a small kitchenette. They didn’t. They only had a small refrigerator and a microwave on top of it. The bathrooms were pretty clean.
AMENITIES
The hotel is supposed to have an indoor pool, but we weren’t able to use it since it was only open from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
The room rate included continental breakfast. It was your typical continental breakfast with cereals, toasts, juice, etc. The breakfast ended at 9:30 am the morning of our stay and they told everyone to just take what they needed before it closed.
The hotel had free wireless internet access.  The connection wasn’t very fast, but good enough for business travelers (not gamers). It was an unsecured network so beware, unlike other Choice hotels where internet access requires username and password which was provided at the front desk.
MY RATINGÂ
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camping in luxury
If you’re the type who can’t “rough it up” but still want to be able to say you went “camping,” here are a few awesome accommodations you might want to check out:
Golden Triangle Hotel, Thailand
Paws Up, Montana
Read on…
Poseidon Undersea Resort
The construction plans for the world’s first seafloor resort is now under way. Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji is set to open in early 2009.
The resort is going to start accepting reservations after September 17, 2007. Rate is $15,000 per person per week, which includes air transfers, two nights in an underwater suite, four nights in a beach or over-water villa, and certain activities.
Click PLAY for a virtual tour of the resort provided by Popular Science
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUbkQyZrpl4[/video]
Read on…
Ithaa – underwater restaurant
  
Dine 16 feet below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa‘s unique undersea restaurant. Marvel at 360° views of reef and marine life, sip champagne cocktails and sample Maldivian-Western fusion cuisine at this spectacular Maldives restaurant – the world’s only all-glass undersea restaurant.
The amazing view sure makes up for the restaurant’s dull interior… from the ordinary dark brown furniture to the plain ugly-colored wall.
Not only is the accommodation at Hilton Maldives Resort expensive, the meals at Ithaa are too, from $120 to $150 for the lunch menu and $220 to $250 for the dinner menu. But then again, people who usually stay at the hotel can afford such luxury.
STAY DETAILS
