Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!

Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!
LIFE IS GRAND!

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Meandering in Michigan

Our thoughts were to hang out up north for a few weeks before heading to Arizona where the temperatures are still hot. The temps were high up north in Michigan with a heatwave for the first few days, then adding the extreme high humidity, it wasn’t a good plan. But then the weather changed dramatically, and all was good once again, except for the constant dampness.

We took a side trip further north to the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel in Standish, Michigan and had some fun. The room was fantastic, just as it always is at casinos, clean, spacious and really great amenities.




We hung out for a week at a Thousand Trails Park where we were packed in like a bunch of sardines. The weather was damp for the most part of our stay, but we did rest and relax.



We headed over to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to work the Sam’s Club while we stayed at one of our C2C properties. A nicer park with longer sites, open skies, a hot tub & pool, but still a campground with smokey neighbors with loud dogs and kids.




It didn’t help that sales were slow, especially for such a more summery product as Lt Blender is, but we had fun with the people.



Now, we are heading “home”, Arizona. We are going to take 10 days to get there doing just around 200 miles per day.

Mt Pleasant Resort Outdoor Adventures

340 N Loomis Road

Mt Pleasant, MI 48858

(989) 671-1125

September 2023


We paid $10 per night using our Coast to Coast membership for a water, 30/50 amp electric with great power, more than we have experienced in a long time, sewer site on a fairly level grass/gravel lot with a picnic table and fire ring.

 

Sites were long but not much room in between which made it miserable with the weekend warriors with their fires with wet wood that made it so smokey right into our trailer, kids crying and screaming and barking dogs, it was not fun. We have decided, we are not campground people, we love resorts.





We did go to the spa once, it was nice.





Their laundry room was really small, so we chose to use a local laundromat in town that was really cute.





Great customer service from the workers and the park was quiet.

 

 

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Thousand Trails St Clair

1299 Wadhams Road

St Clair, MI 48079

(810) 329-7129

September 2023


We paid $0 per night using our Thousand Trails membership for a water, 50 amp electric, sewer site on a fairly level grass/gravel lot with a picnic table and fire ring.



Sites were cramped to begin with, then due to all sites being filled with campers that had so many extra vehicles, it was beyond cramped. Trees everywhere, it was a typical campground in the Midwest.

 

Great customer service from the workers and the park was quiet.

 

Saturday, September 09, 2023

2023 - Hotel Stays

Saganing Eagles Landing Casino & Hotel

2690 Worth Road

Standish, MI 48658

$159.00

9/6/23

 

This is why we love staying at casinos across the country, we got an excellent room with all the great comforts, including a fantastic shower and so much more for the same price we pay for other hotels. Our room was spotless with so much spaciousness.




They have a pool and hot tub that we did not use, but it was there for us if we chose to enjoy it.

 

For this price we received $50 play and a $50 food voucher which we used to have dinner and some playtime.

 

Parking is always very convenient, especially if we are towing the trailer, this time we were not towing.

 


Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott

2179 Elida Road

Lima, OH 45805

$147.69

8/24/23

 

If you love horn blowing trains, you will love this place. The room was clean except for the stains on the couch cushions that I turned over so we could sit. It was quite spacious, but the area was busy and far off any interstate. Really not sure why they charge an extra $3 for parking, it’s a small parking lot that is nothing special. Breakfast was good, nothing special but, was decent.





 

Hampton Inn Lima

1933 Roschman Avenue 

Lima, OH 45804

$192.50

8/23/23

 

Even after stating in our reservation, we wanted to confirm the hot tub was working, upon arrival there was a small sign on the desk that it was not functioning and had not been for a while according to the clerk. We paid a higher price JUST for the hot tub and were disappointed, so we stayed only one night instead of the two we wanted, and they refunded the 2nd night without any issue.

 

The room was spacious, nice shower but the bed was so hard that we both woke up with aching bodies, and there were no local channels on the TV.




Drury Inn & Suites

820 W Trenton Avenue

Findlay, OH 45840

$167.83

8/17/23

 

We LOVE the Drury Inn hotels and this one was no exception. Even with an early arrival, we were greeted with a smile and some laughter from a wonderful gentleman at the front desk. The room was spacious with a comfortable bed and a fantabulous shower head. We enjoyed the hot tub, pool as well as the meals, both breakfast and supper.




Baymont by Wyndham Cambridge

61595 Southgate Pkwy

Cambridge, OH 43725

$103.47

8/16/23


 “You get what you pay for”, Baymont hotels are just not up to our standards. Customer service was great, and the room was clean but the smell throughout the hotel was awful. The bed was rock hard, and the air conditioning was working hard to get it chilled in the room. The pool and hot tub were nice but wear and tear throughout the hotel was apparent with patch jobs EVERYWHERE!




Comfort Inn & Suites 

455 Theatre Drive 

Johnstown, PA 15904

$144.30

8/8/23

 

Customer service was outstanding, like it is at a 5 Star hotel, very attentive with no drama. The bed was very comfortable, the room was spacious but why such a tiny chair? The ottoman was bigger than the chair. The hot tub and pool were great, just the right amount of heat and bubbles and the pool had enough chill to it.






Wingate by Wyndham Mechanicsburg

385 Cumberland Parkway

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

$117.98

7/26/23

 

The room was spacious with a sofa, extremely clean, a very comfortable bed, an ok shower with little room in the bathroom. The pool was refreshing, the hot tub was hot but unfortunately it was not making any bubbles. The entire reason we pay a bit more that we asked in advanced about, and we were told it was working.




 

Tioga Downs Casino Resort

2384 W River Rd

Nichols, NY  13812

$150.18

7/25/23



The room was spacious, hospitality was outstanding, the bed was comfy and the shower stall & shower head were amazing. We had a view of the track but the horses weren’t running that day but in the foggy morning the horses were on track exercising. 






The Queensbury Hotel

88 Ridge Street

Glens Falls, NY, 12801 

$163.39

7/11/23

 

It is a grand hotel that was established in 1926 with its age showing in several areas, especially in our room. The door was stuck closed due to expansion but with a good push it opened and it took a really good slam to close it.




The bed was comfortable but no comfortable chairs to speak of in the room, the lobby had them all. The shower stall looked very new but very tiny, the toilet was low to the ground, the bathroom door was very narrow, and no place to put any of our toiletries or hang wet items.





The pool and hot tub were strange. To get to them we had to go to the 2nd floor and then walk down 2 flights of stairs which is not possible for me at this time due to my knees being out of wack lately. Asked management for another way and we came down to the first floor and he had a key to the entry door, it  is so strange why it’s locked and unused. The entire room was extremely hot due to the sun coming through the atrium windows on the ceiling. The hot tub was a perfectly hot temperature and the pool had a nice chill to it.




Crowne Plaza Lake Placid

101 Olympic Drive 

Lake Placid, NY 12946

$254.15 but we paid $59.76

6/27/23



Customer Service with a Smile

Accommodating to an early checkin without any hassles. Nice view of Mirror Lake from our tiny balcony. Comfortable bed and the shower was excellent. The hot tub was a nice temperature but was the smallest we have been in and the pool was refreshingly cold.






The George NY

1533 US-9

Lake George, NY 12845

$118.47

6/13/23


Great hospitality with a smile and accommodating attitude. The room was clean, the bed was comfortable, a nice shower and the hot tub and pool were awesome.








Saratoga Casino Hotel

342 Jefferson Street

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

$179.68 / $130.38

6/6/23



We were upgraded to a suite and it was really spacious, great shower, a very comfortable bed, and they even allowed early checkin. A very quant place with great customer service.


More than I can say about Hotels.com, currently we are having an issue with them about guaranteed low pricing. When we booked it was $50 more than when we checked in and the agent I spoke with was not cooperative, so we’re waiting on a call from a supervisor for a positive outcome that we did receive after wasting too much of my time.






Comfort Inn & Suites

4054 State Route 9L

Lake George, NY 12845

$168.82

5/30/23

 

Clean & spacious rooms with mostly flooring, not much carpet which made it feel cleaner. Very uncomfortable couch, low to the ground and hard, probably because it was a sleeper couch. The best was soft and comfortable. Customer service was amazing, allowed early checkin and cared about our stay. The spa was bubbly and warm, the indoor pool was cold and a bit cloudy, and the outdoor pool was heated and sparkly.




Best Western Plus Waterbury – Stowe

45 Blush Hill Road

Waterbury, VT, 05676

$154.39

5/23/23


Comfortably soft bed and an exhilarating shower head. Customer service was great by letting us come in early without any issues. Hot tub & pool indoors in a greenhouse and with the sun beating on it, it was extremely hot inside, so hot that our IPhone laying on the table turned off due to high temperatures.




Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Yukon

700 Shedeck Parkway

Yukon, OK 73099

$135.49

4/23/23


Comfortable bed, cold pool & strange spa the seats are so low that  when you sit in it the water comes almost to our necks but it was hot and bubbly. Parking was challenging but we ended up parking with our travel trailer right down from our window.





 

Drury Inn & Suites St. Louis Southwest

5 Lambert Drury Drive

Valley Park, MO 63088

$140.87

4/25/23


Really mushy bed, not our favorite Drury Inn stay, it wasn’t the cleanest but not terrible either.



 

Drury Inn Louisville North

9597 Brownsboro Road

Louisville, KY 40241

$191.70

4/26/23

 

It was annoying that the jets in the hot tub were out of order and had been for awhile, especially because we called before making the reservation and asked again when we checked in and were informed it was all working.





Drury Inn & Suites Columbus Polaris

8805 Orion Pl, 

Columbus, OH 43240

$164.49

4/27/23

 

The room was small but it had all the needed conveniences. Jets on the hot tub were very wimpy, made no bubbles whatsoever but it was hot. 

 

It was located in a great area where we found our first Meijer and bought our favorite wine, my Faygo and ring bologna.





Courtyard by Marriott Erie Bayfront

2 Sassafras Pier

Erie, PA 16507

$265.56

4/28/23


What a view…water is my go to place for total relaxation and recharge. The hot tub was hot with nice jets and the pool was the right temperature, unfortunately we could not see the water from there since the infinity pool was still closed for the season, that would have been excellent. The room was a bit cramped for a Deluxe King and we requested a balcony but we didn’t get one, they did have them because we seen them right below us, we were too tired once we got to our room to go back down and try to get a balcony. It was great to sleep with our window open for fresh lake smell and sounds, and the crisp air throughout our night.

 

We had to pay extra for breakfast and parking, not because of our trailer, they charge all vehicles, I do not quite understand why they would charge $14 to park all guests vehicles.








Holiday Inn & Suites Syracuse Airport

400 7th N Street

Liverpool, NY 13088

$209.29

4/29/23

 

What a mess…

 

Let me just say that they did their best to fix it but after a busy travel day fighting the wind with the trailer we are pulling this was not needed. We traveled 3,000 miles to get here and have been traveling over 20 years and this was the first Holiday Inn we had these sort of issues. 

 

We arrived 20 minutes prior to checkin time and they had NOTHING READY…that is unacceptable for a Gold Status Guest. Things only got worse from there. After a few mishaps of waiting for confirmation and then going to uncleaned rooms, we were finally upgraded and able to go to our room, one hour later.

 

For being Gold Status members we were given a bottle of wine. For that special touch, the bottle of wine should have been from a local winery since there are so many of them around the area, but instead it was a California wine.

 

They did try to compensate with the upgrade, but that should have been done at first with our status, a $25 food voucher was so appreciated. The food was delicious at the Maplewood Bar & Grill, we tried several different items and they were all scrumptious!


The room was not the cleanest, the top coating was done but under it was awful and there was a smell that was saturated throughout the hotel that confirmed that thorough cleaning was not done. They seemed to be short of housekeepers, and according to overheard conversations, the ones they had were not doing their best to clean their areas.