If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

After our recent week in Chicago I realized that online reviews aren’t always the most reliable sources. The hotel we stayed at was a decent place to stay but the maintenance of the rooms proved to be slightly neglected in our experience. With two children in tow we had to move rooms in the first ten minutes because my husband couldn’t access the Internet that he had requested for business. Luckily we hadn’t yet unpacked...
The second issue came on our first morning waking up there. The showerhead basically ran like a water faucet. This didn’t bother my husband initially, but when I tried to help my son get his shower in, we found that it was torture. At the beginning of the next morning, on our way out of the hotel for the day, we requested that someone try to fix the showerhead so we could avoid having to switch rooms, but ultimately I expressed that I would move if I had to. After a long day away we came in with the front desk informing us that the problem had been fixed and we returned to our room at 9pm to find that the showerhead poured slightly faster than before, but still resembled a faucet. Unwilling to change rooms in the middle of the night we ended up just toughing it out as we were also more than half way through with our trip.
I growled about it to my husband the last few days and vented to my mother profusely over the phone. I told her that it paled in comparison to the last overnight trip we took. Complaining about the bad hotel took about 20 minutes and praising the better hotel took about two minutes. A very dear friend of mine reminded me once that we shouldn’t give so much attention to the things that bring negative feelings but rather aim that attention at the things we appreciate.
So, instead of naming names and warning everyone not to stay at the “bad” hotel (which was actually a pleasant atmosphere and provided a hot breakfast each morning), I’ll choose to review and praise one of my favorite hotels…

Shortly after Christmas my family and I spent three days in Quincy, Illinois. The plan was to meet up with my friend and her family and also visit the Mark Twain Caves in Hannibal, Missouri. After making reservations with a hotel we changed our minds and chose the Stoney Creek Inn in Quincy. Our reason for choosing this hotel was that we had been to a wedding at one in the past and it seemed quite cozy and although I don’t want to quote any prices, they were extremely reasonable, especially for what you get out of it. The outside is made to look like a log cabin and upon entering, you realize that the adventure continues. There was a fireplace with a camping and fishing décor, an attractive bar area off to the left and a friendly smile on the concierge’s face. The room we stayed in the typical sized hotel room with the continued outdoorsy décor.
The biggest highlight of this hotel is the pool. Not only is the pool area huge, but it consists of one giant pool that goes from indoor to outdoor. The pool temperature was perfect and in the dead of winter it was perfect to feel the cool air outside while swimming in the warm water. The pool area also had a very large Jacuzzi with fake mountain rocks surrounding it. The kids loved the look of adventure. I must also mention that it has a sauna and a video game room in the same area.
The day after arrival, we visited the Mark Twain Caves just 20 minutes away, which was the perfect expedition for a four and five year old. The tours are fun and funny and there was not one boring moment, as I must say I did think there would be when all you’re doing is walking between rocks. But the tour guide kept the imagination running with references from the Mark Twain’s literature and his boyhood experiences.
At the end of the day we returned to our hotel rooms, got showered up and relaxed a bit. In Quincy, the Stoney Creek Inn is just a parking lot away from a Steak N’ Shake which is pretty much a burger joint with a 50’s look to it. I’m not a big advocate of fast food, but when you’re out of town with four kids total, there’s usually no better place to simply walk to and let them behave like themselves.
Back to the hotel…
Our second full day in Quincy was great at Stoney Creek because we started it off with their well stocked complimentary breakfast, continued with swimming, and played hotel provided board games in the breakfast area, we also were able to roam the halls without feeling like we were walking through a hospital. It helped that a large family reunion was taking place that weekend so it was hard to tell where their children ended and ours began. But the hallways are welcoming and end at actual carpeted stairways (not emergency stairwells).
To add one final benefit of staying at the Stoney Creek Inn, they offer a club membership that includes discounts on their giftshop, a free drink at the bar each night you stay, and free room upgrades when available. The membership is free of course and for every 12 nights you stay, you earn a free night. “Twelve nights?” you say… Well we stayed for three and then they emailed me a promotion that I get double stamps on my next stay. My parents will be staying at Stoney Creek in my town for 6 nights so I will have already completed a card.
I never used to give a second thought about hotel service until I had children and realized that I spend at least 50% of my vacation in the hotel because I can’t drag my children through an entire weekend of sights. So finding a place like Stoney Creek Inn is always pleasing and I figure the more I praise it, the more you’ll look for it and, to satisfy that demand, maybe they’ll build a Stoney Creek at our next destination. Enjoy!