Hilton Garden Inn – Savannah, GA Airport

image from Hilton

Destination: Savannah, GA
Date: October 2015
Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn
Brand: Hilton
Elite Status: gold
# of travelers: 4
nights: 1

Hotel: Making the Decision

To be completely honest, I did not make the decision for this hotel. It was chosen for me, but it was a good excuse to go visit my baby nephew. So why not?

Getting There

We drove to Savannah, because flying would be a pain.

Here's why we drove:
• We live an hour from the airport.
• We didn't want to pay for parking.
• We would have to get to the airport 2 hours early.
• The flight would be maybe 30 minutes?
• The drive itself is only 4 hours.
Make sense?

If you did decide to fly in, Hilton Garden Inn is only one mile away from the airport and they provide a shuttle bus. Definitely contact the hotel before arrival to make sure they will be available to pick you up though!

In most cases driving to the hotel is probably the better of the two options, even with the shuttle bus. Hilton Garden Inn does not offer a shuttle to historic Savannah or Tybee Island, both locations are definitely a short drive (20-40 mins depending) away. Plus, the hotel offers free parking.

If you choose this hotel and live close enough where you are trying to decide between driving and flying … drive. Even with gas prices, it will probably still be cheaper. (Flying into Savannah airport can be expensive!!)

Checking In

After the long drive, I was a little impatient. We had traveled once again with my parents to Savannah and the two of them plus my husband immediately bolted to the restroom upon arrival. (Wonder why?!) Rather than wait on any of them, since I had made the reservation, I approached the front desk and laughed with the customer associate about how my family couldn't seem to get their act together enough to check in. He noted my status as a gold and placed us in a room with a view. (Totally acceptable in my book!) We also got extra points (or a drink from the bar), 2 free water bottles, and some candy. Then it was time to start bringing our belongings in.

from Hilton

Room, View, Amenities

When we finally got up to the room, we were impressed with a beautiful view of a sunset over a lake. While this hotel is pretty much located in the middle of nowhere near a million other hotels, restaurants, and shopping areas, don't let that dissuade you from asking for a room with a view. There is at least one room like that: and we got it!

The room was decent sized with a desk, ergonomic chair (to go with the desk), and a comfy living room style chair to just relax in. The bathroom was your typical hotel bathroom – tub with shower, toilet, and sink. Perfect for an overnight adventure.

Our main complaint with the room ended up being that the air conditioning wasn't working. I don't sleep well in 70º temperatures, so, needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. :( The hotel, when we told them the next morning, comped our breakfast. So that was good. :) They also sent an electrician up to fix the AC and offered to move us to another room if we decided to stay a second night. (And give up my view? No thanks! … We didn't stay a second night.)

The hotel offers free wi-fi, a pool, a bar, a restaurant, a gym, a business center, and laundry service. In the rooms you will find a mini fridge, a microwave, a Keurig coffee machine, shampoos, soaps, and lotions. And, just in case you want it, you can get free fruit flavored water in the lobby and, at night, cookies. (They weren't great cookies though, so I wouldn't recommend going out of your way for them.)

Beautiful lobby!

 Restaurant & Bar

My family decided to take advantage of the restaurant at the hotel. That night we had dinner just off of the hotel lobby. The waitress seemed uninterested in helping us and the entire staff had fallen behind on cleaning tables. To be honest, I'm not really sure why we stayed. We did though. My husband and I shared a steak with salad and garlic potatoes while my parents each got soup and salad. The steak was pretty good albeit expensive. The salad was typical and the potatoes were so-so. If you get to this hotel and don't have a car, the dinner options aren't terrible.

One thing to note – the restaurant is not entirely separated from the lobby. You will see people coming and going. There isn't a view from the windows … except to the parking lot. Overall the restaurant is just … well, in my opinion, it can barely be called a restaurant. It's not set up like one and just … it's sub-par. There's not much I can say about it that is really good. Even the bar is more like a breakfast bar type area in your kitchen and more about where the servers swipe your credit card than where you drink and enjoy. Not highly recommended. :( They will give you 500 points for telling them your name and room number though, so that's nice. :)

We decided to try the restaurant one more time for breakfast the next morning. They offer a few items for $5 (like oatmeals, bagels, waffles, etc…), but if you want anything hot at the buffet, it costs an additional $10 (on top of the original $5). The hot menu items included sausage, eggs, bacon, omelets, french toast, and potatoes. You had the option of water, orange juice, or coffee to go with your meal. When you end your meal, make sure to pay attention to your receipt! My mom and I both took the $5 option while my husband and dad did the $15 buffet option yet both my mom and I were charged the full $15 price! Yes our breakfast ended up being comped but we wanted to make sure the hotel knew they were comping us for $40 worth of food and drinks rather than $60. (Side note: breakfast isn't worth the cost.  I don't recommend getting it.)

Location

This hotel is kind of out in the middle of nowhere. It's close to the airport, but that's about it. As I've said in other Savannah hotel reviews, I recommend staying in historic downtown rather than any of these suburban areas. Parking can be difficult in downtown Savannah. It is worth mentioning though that the price for this hotel is a bit cheaper than what you will pay for a historic Savannah hotel, so if you want cheaper, this might be the way to go, especially in the heavily visited summer months.

The pool looked lovely after nightfall!

Overall Review
★★★ (average)

Despite all of the problems we encountered, the front desk, electrician and manager seemed to be on top of problem-solving. They wanted to create a fantastic atmosphere to encourage clients to return. This, in my opinion, is exactly what the hotel needs considering their out of the way location. Servers and bartenders, on the other hand, weren't so enthusiastic about client retention … or doing their jobs, for that matter. The restaurant food was expensive and the employees were slow to bring us food and our bill. I did appreciate the gold status recognition, the extra points just for dining with them, the free cookies and water, and, most of all, the view from our room! With a little more focus on clientele, better servers, cheaper food prices, and maybe even a shuttle to downtown Savannah, this could be a great hotel. In the meantime I can only give it an average rating. More than likely, I will not be staying here again.

Your Turn

What do you think about hotels on the outskirts of towns and cities? Are they a bargain or a waste of time? Would you consider staying at an airport hotel even if it takes 20 minutes to get downtown?

Movie Monday

Over the holidays I had the chance to see a few movies. I just thought I'd share my opinions with the world about the few movies that I saw.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip


An unexpectedly fun adventure, the movie premise is that the chipmunks suspect a life change is at hand. They found a ring and believe their caretaker, Dave, is about to get married. This wouldn't be a problem since the lady in question is a fantastic, fun, cool doctor. One problem though: her son prefers to play with the furry creatures by using them as golf balls, hanging them from windmills, and getting them into every kind of predicament you can imagine. This scares Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, who think Dave doesn't see what's going on. And, as it turns out, he doesn't. Dave decides to go on a one man jaunt across the US to Miami with his lady friend while the chipmunks are forced to stay home with their potential brother as a babysitter. Oops. One thing leads to another and as the boys bond over how much they hate one another, they decide to road trip to Miami to break up their parents. Will the boys succeed at breaking up their parents? How much trouble can 3 chipmunks and a teenager find on the road?

At first I was skeptical about seeing this movie. How many Alvin and the Chipmunk movies and tv shows have there been? Could the movie producers really pull off a fun family movie so close to Christmas on a topic that has been over used? The answer, in my humble opinion, is yes! From the fun cameo appearances of Flula Borg (Pitch Perfect 2, Youtube star) and Laura Marana (Disney channel's Austin & Ally) to the … well … chipmunks, the movie comes off as fun, enjoyable, and funny. A true piece of entertainment (and note: it's just that!) to keep you busy for an hour and a half or so during the holiday weekend.

Of course, it should be noted that I did not pay for my own ticket; another family did. And even so, the ticket cost was only $4. I can't think of too many movies I'd be opposed to seeing and enjoying for $4. At a $12 ticket price, you may want to save your money. And as for the $20 dvd? Umm…

Moving on.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens


What happens when good and evil collide? When a bad person chooses to be good and a good person chooses to be bad? Without any spoilers, that's what happens in the newest Star Wars. Who will win? And more importantly, is this movie the beginning of a new trilogy?

I wasn't too impressed with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There was a lot of hype, but what I came to find was that it seemed no different than any of the other Star Wars movies. Of course, I'm not exactly a diehard Star Wars fan to begin with. The movie was put together very well with terrific visual effects and it was nice to see a strong female lead. Oh – and did I mention that Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are in the movie? Because they are. They give the movie a great reunion feel without being simply about the cast and their reactions to one another 30 (40?) years later. However, the movie itself feels very re-made. I'll leave it at that to prevent any major spoilers or leakage for those of you looking forward to seeing it. I'm not sure I would pay to see it again in theatres, but it is definitely fun going to a high attendance blockbuster film … even if you are going to see a movie with the masses.

So what movies have you gotten to see over the holiday break? Anything good? Have you been to see The Road Chip or The Force Awakens yet?
** I'm participating in Susannah Conway's December Reflections. Are you? Today's post was #16 a response to "I Said Hello" to trying new movies. Duh. :)

Xiaolizi's Etsy Shop Review


When Justin and I began preparing for our 2015/2016 trip to Europe, one of the first things I knew I had to look for (aside from shoes) was a fantastic, warm coat. My problem: I wanted pretty; Justin wanted me to have practical. Of course, this was even more of a problem with regards to shoes than the coat.

We started our shopping at the typical outdoorsy stores – REI, Dick's Sporting Goods, Gander. Then we moved on to department stores – Macy's, Von Maur, Bloomingdales. Nothing was striking my fancy. They all looked blah. :( Not to mention we were shopping for coats in October in Georgia when the weather outside was hanging in the 70s. I didn't feel a need for a coat and, living in one of the warmer states in the US, I'm assuming the stores didn't have a strong desire to keep coats in stock. I had just about given up on ever finding the perfect coat when I remembered a beautiful coat I had pinned way back when pinterest was just starting up…

As it turns out, the coat I originally fell in love no longer existed, but the pin got me to Xiaolizi's etsy page which was all I really needed. Yes, I was still fawning over the beautiful coats, but, with them being handmade in China, would this type of coat work for my trip to Europe? Would it come to me made out of thin material and look like something out of a horror movie? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've been fooled by China before (read about BuyTrends); I didn't want to make that mistake twice! :)

So I looked for blog reviews and found none. Well, ok. One. There were plenty of reviews on the etsy shop page, but did I trust them?

Obviously, the answer was "yes". When you get past a certain number of etsy reviews, you tend to doubt that the seller has forged reviews. At just over 3,000 customer reviews and five stars, I assumed the likeliness of Xiaolizi's shop being legit was pretty high.

I ordered my coat on November 17 – the maxi wool long swing coat with hood in black. I ordered up in size, but didn't provide Xiaolizi with any measurements. Within a day, Xiaolizi had responded asking for my measurements. She needed to know my waist, hip, and chest size, my height, and my weight. Justin and I pulled out our measuring tape and got to work. I refused to give her my weight at first, but then gave in. In fact, while I was busy sending measurements and confirmations, I asked her to add some extra buttons to the coat, which she agreed to. Yay! :)

My coat finally arrived to Georgia on December 8th, almost one month after my purchase. I immediately tried it on and fell in love! The coat is extremely heavy, but it has pockets, so that's cool. And best of all, the coat fits me like a glove.

If you are considering purchasing any of Xiaolizi's beautiful pieces, I can say, without a doubt in my mind, that you will love whatever you purchase. Her coats (from my experience) are beautifully designed and would give me full confidence in ordering other things, like dresses from her as well. Plus, the first time you put your made-to-order coat on, you will feel like a princess. Yes, her coats are costly, but they are worth every penny.

Before this review, had you heard of Xiaolizi's shop before? Would you consider purchasing any of these lovely handmade coats in the future?


* This review is not a paid review. I received nothing in exchange for writing it – I just really love their products! Go check them out! :)

IWSG + Wordless Wednesday

Osborne Dancing Lights @ Disney World – November, 2015

At the beginning of every month, as part of the Insecure Writer's Support Group, I take a look at my successes, share the ways I hope to improve in the next month, and provide inspiration (if I have any).

For this IWSG I am writing a little bit early. I have plans to be in Prague (Czech Republic) and Dresden (German) on the day this post is published (assuming all goes according to plans)! Either way, I still wanted to take a second and look back at my successes over the past month and find ways to improve. (It's like a mini New Year's resolution on a very small scale that occurs monthly instead of yearly!!)

December Successes
• Lots of social time. I'm not a social butterfly so this is good for me.
• So many books read! Until I was on a deadline of reading 800 pages in 4 weeks, I didn't know I could read that fast!
• Goal setting and pre-planning. I was able to plan 4 weeks out. WOW.

January Goals
• Focus. If I write simply, my posts will get done faster and will be more useful to readers. But how do I communicate emotion by writing simply?
• Breathe. Sometimes my perfectionism gets in the way and I get frustrated easily. I just need to relax, take in the moment, and breathe. Let it go. :) Until later that is…
• Drink more water, eat less sugar. I feel better when I do; I just need to actually do it.

With all of the holiday madness going on, did you find yourself successful at reaching your December goals? Is there anything in particular that you would change for January?

Doubletree - Savannah, GA Historic District

image from TripAdvisor

Destination: Savannah, GA
Date: September 2015
Hotel: Doubletree
Brand: Hilton
Elite Status: gold
# of travelers: 4
nights: 1

Hotel: Making the Decision

Over Labor Day weekend, we went down to Savannah, GA to witness the birth of our newest family member – my nephew. Because our planning was so last minute, we didn't have many options for our Saturday night stay. I ended up taking one of the last hotels available from a chain in which I had status. My dad thought he might have to work on Labor Day proper so we only booked one night at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. When we woke up Sunday morning, over breakfast I asked if we were staying a second night to which I received a unanimous "yes!" While we could have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites for another night, none of us were too impressed with the hotel; thus a search for another hotel began.

At the time I was seeking gold elite status with the HHonors program with Hilton. Etihad had worked a deal so that all of their members could get said status after 3 paid stays at Hilton hotels before October 31st. Always up for a challenge, Justin and I began by booking this Doubletree in Savannah. We, at first, considered the local Hampton in the historic area, but when that hotel was full, we opted for the Doubletree. While there were other cheaper hotels available, we were ready to start conquering the 3 stay gold challenge!

Getting There

We arrived by car.

My brother actually lives about 45 minutes from historic Savannah, so, after check out of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, we drove to his house to see my nephew and spend the day. We didn't get back to the hotel to check in until much later in the day.

We, obviously, didn't have much choice but to have a car with all of the back and forth commuting we were doing, but you don't have to arrive by car to the Doubletree. You can fly into the Savannah airport (or other nearby airports) and take a taxi to the hotel or you can take amtrak into Savannah, then take a taxi to the hotel. Once you are there you shouldn't need a vehicle to get around. Historic Savannah is very walkable. About the only reason you may need a vehicle is if you have any plans on going to visit Tybee or leaving historic Savannah for any reason. If you do choose to drive to Savannah, whether rental car or your own, parking is valet only and costs $25 a night.

Checking In, Elite Status Perks, View, & Amenities

Check in begins at 4pm. My family was a little late checking in, but I always make sure to ask for a room with a view in the hopes they have one and will give it to me. This time I was unsuccessful. Apparently, being a holiday weekend meant all of their rooms with a view were full (or at least that's what they said. Despite that, the hotel did offer us free water bottles and chocolate chip cookies. My dad, who loves cookies, even went back to ask for more to take to the parents of his new grandson; he was so excited (about the cookies and the grandson)! I'm not sure if these "perks" are offered to all guests, but we certainly enjoyed them.

Other perks the hotel offers include free wine tastings (on specific nights at specific times), complimentary breakfast (possibly just for elites), free flavored water in the lobby along with coffee and tea, dry cleaning, self-serve laundry, a fitness room, a library, and a pool.

image from TripAdvisor

Room

While we weren't given a room with a view, we did enjoy a large spacious room with a decent-sized bathroom. We had shampoos, soaps, and lotions available for use, and the beds were surprisingly comfortable.

Breakfast + Bar

Before we settled in for the night, we decided to have a little "night cap". As we approached the bar with an idea in hand of what I wanted (a non-alcoholic lime rickey! duh!), a group who had made friendly with the bartender began talking with us. And then, my drink was ordered and it wasn't at all what I had intended! (I only partially blame the bartender for just assuming. I suppose I could have spoken up?) Anyway, regardless, we had an enjoyable time in the lobby with our drinks. There was a lot of space to spread out. You choose to either sit with (talkative) people at the bar or venture off elsewhere, for instance to the library, and cuddle up with a good book in a bit of a more quiet atmosphere (more my style).

Needless to say, the alcohol helped us to relax after a busy day of "helping" the new parents adjust and we got to sleep in. Yay! When we finally awoke the next morning, we barely had to wake up before hopping in the elevator to use our free breakfast passes.

Unfortunately though, there was a line. Apparently, rather than buffet style, this Doubletree offered a restaurant style breakfast. This meant that you had to wait patiently in line, like you would at a restaurant, before being seated so that they could make sure there was a server available to take your order.

Once we finally got seated after about 10 minutes of waiting, we found even our server to be slow! Finally, she took our drink order and explained that we could order hot entrees (omelets, waffles, pancakes, french toast) from her, but we could get sides from the buffet (potatoes, bacon, sausage, ham, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, bagels, toast). The service was a little slow and the food was pretty much on par with what you'd expect from other hotel chains. Decent but not fantastic.

Location

One of the best parts about the hotel was being in walking distances of the historic district of Savannah. I have to admit that I was getting a little burned out on baby-visiting, so I was completely a fan of looking in stores, grabbing some pralines from Riverstreet Sweets, looking at antiques and books, and just enjoying before making the drive to see my nephew one last time before heading home at the end of our Labor Day excursion. If you stay at this hotel, this should be the reason why. :)

Instead of the sights, we saw a baby! Aww… :)

Overall Review
★★★★ (above average)

If you are going to stay at a hotel in Savannah, I recommend this one, the Hampton Inn, or the Holiday Inn in the historic district. I definitely did not enjoy staying on the outskirts of the city when we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. But I should note that none of the hotels I've stayed at in Savannah have been truly groundbreaking or amazing. This one was slightly above average, but not enough to give it 4 stars. They always seemed to be out of coffee (and hot water) at the beverage station, and a room with a view would have really helped me to give the hotel a better score. They were really fast with valet parking though and the location, as I've said before, was fantastic. The hotel was clean and neat, the rooms were spacious, the lobby was classy, there was plenty of seating for drinks, and it was nice have breakfast in a restaurant (for free). Overall I didn't feel like my gold status really meant much to the hotel, but my family did enjoy the free chocolate chip cookies. (They were sooo good!) I would definitely consider staying here again next time I return to Savannah.

Your Turn

Would you consider the Doubletree for your next stay in Savannah? (Have you ever had their delicious cookies?!?)

2016 New Year Goals

A new slate for 2016!

Last year was complicated. There were some resolutions that I stuck to and some that fell by the wayside. The following are my goals for 2016; they look very similar to 2015's… Will I complete them successfully? Only time will tell…

1. Family and Friends. In 2015, I made the mistake of believing that since I had spent plenty of time with friends and family in 2014, it would be an easy resolution to keep even without making it. Not so. More people fell out of my life in 2015 than I anticipated leaving me feeling guilty about how I was using my time. I want my friends and family to know how much I appreciate and love them. They won't always be around and I want to cherish the time I have with them … including making a point of visiting with those who live out of state.

2. Travel. In 2015, we went to North Carolina (Asheville), Tennessee (Nashville), Alabama (Scottsboro), Florida (Orlando), New York (NYC), New Jersey (Bloomfield, Newark), and Massachusetts (Boston, Saugus). So far, this year, we already have plans to go to NC, MA, NY, NJ, AL, France (Paris), Germany (Stuttgart, Dresden), and Czech Republic (Prague). It's not that I necessarily want to travel more this year than last, but I do want to continue exploring and learning about the world through travel. Plus visiting with family and friends as well as learning how to work with and best utilize points is definitely on my bucket-list.

3. Practice German. I've tried games and they only keep me interested for so long. I think this year I might try to read through a book or two in German.  It could be something simple like a children's book or a cookbook … or it could be more complex. It might also be a worthy goal to watch a movie "auf Deutsch". Youtube maybe?

4. Pictures. Take more, always.

5. Read. The same or more. Two books a month is difficult to do, but I just got a kindle. There's no reason to slow down now. If I can read more, that'd be awesome too. I'd love to surpass the 10,000 page goal from 2015.

6. Blogging – Keep planning. Write simply. Use more vocabulary. Maybe redesign? I never redesign, because I'm always too busy with other goals. Maybe this year I'll get around to it though. Focus on connecting with my lovely readers. :)

7. Health. Move more, eat healthier. Drink more water. Having a fitness trainer for brother, you'd think a lot of that would come easier for me, but it doesn't… :-/

What are your goals for 2016? Is there anything on my list that is also on your list?