I promised to talk about where we stayed and where we ate. Partially so that we would remember the places we like. But we wanted to make recommendations too. Sometimes TripAdvisor.com and Yelp.com just don't cut it, you know?
I'm about to rag on the Best Western Regency Inn Marshalltown, Iowa. But I didn't want to turn people off Best Western. I use BW second only to Hilton properties. They are clean, have great service, and are a lot higher end than you give them credit.
Our first experience, at least the first we remember is in Ogallala, Nebraska. I searched Bestwestern.com and I don't see the Wagon Wheel any more but that was our go-to-place. They didn't have an elevator and the complimentary breakfast was continental where they served Honey-nut Cheerios. A lot of people like Honey-nut Cheerios. But these were disguised as just plain Cheerios. Anyone who has glucose problems knows how sneaky they can be, so I don't need to explain the crash and burn you can experience with an undeclared cereal. Enough said.
All of that in account, you had to give them points for being there and in a place called Ogallala. I mean, who wouldn't stay in Ogallala if they had a chance. That, and it was in the middle of Nebraska, so unless you wanted to drive to Lincoln or Omaha, Ogallala was pretty much it. The first time we stayed there was when we brought CaDiva out to Des Moines via Lincoln Towncar. She wanted to stop in Cheyenne because it was dark and rainy. I needed to get home so I could rest before headed back to work, so I said push on. Besides, it was western Nebraska. Even dark and rainy, what could we hit?
We made it to Ogallala (that is almost as much fun to type as it is to say). We found it in the AAA guide book and called them on my old analogue cell phone. It weighed about a 150 pounds and was perpetually out of battery and signal, so finding a place to stay on the fly was a plus. (See all references to our honeymoon trip to understand what a perk that is). The Wagon Wheel had two rooms, one upstairs with queen beds and one down with a King. We put HRH upstairs and we took the king. She was lonesome but she had the shower to herself and a remote control in her hand, not to mention she wasn't on the fold-out, so we think she was happy.
We liked the place so much, we stopped there several time between Iowa and the west coast. The last time we were blocked by the College World Series of baseball. No hotel for a 100 miles in any direction. We ended up in Kearney, For some unaccountable reason they pronounce it Carney, but they had a room so, we were good.
The next Best Western I remember was in our trip up Highway 101 on the Oregon coastline. We wanted to stop at Newport. We had a whale-watching cruise booked and the room looked so posh. The hotel had a hot tub and we planned to seriously relax. This was not a great trip. Oh, we loved Oregon and would go again in a minute. But it was seriously last minute, like they told me Thursday to be in Portland on Tuesday for a month long detail. Add to that CaDiva was seriously not feeling good. And we were going to be gone so long, I wanted one final Saturday with HRH and The Mom before we left. We ended up at the Farmers Market as it was closing down and didn't get on the road until well afternoon.
So this trip to the coast was hopefully going to make up for CaDiva feeling trapped in the hotel, with a weird warning light on the Highlander, and a penchant for falling into Washington every time she tried to find the dealership. She picked the first of our Best Western Plus stays, this one was the Agate Beach Inn which promised us either ocean or lighthouse view and 1000 foot walk to the beach. I say supposed to because we didn't have Jillian yet, and I didn't read MapQuest that well. We should have taken the right fork, but we took the left. The right would have had us at the hotel in about an hour during the daylight. The left took us on a winding road through the deep dark of the woods, during which CaDiva insisted she saw a Jack-a-lope. I told her she was nuts. They don't live anywhere near the ocean. We got to the hotel around 10:30, beside a crying child and whining woman, in the midst of remodeling.
But the room was lovely, would have been nice to enjoy it longer. The food was great. And the service was excellent. We would stay there again any time.
Even locally, we have pretty good luck with the Canterbury Inn and Suites Best Western in Coralville, Ia. We had a going-away dinner for two of my coworkers in their restaurant. An absolutely wonderful Friday night buffet. CaDiva and I decided to stay the night so I could take her to the Amana Colonies and Tanger Outlet Mall the next day. We saw the information about the honeymoon suite and had fantasies about taking the suite for a Stretchy Pants Clan away game.
It is a two-floor suite with a private hot tub. Unfortunately, when we saw it in person, we found that it was up a tiny dark stairway most of our ladies couldn't climb on a good day. But the fantasy lives. We booked rooms for the trip with one group by the pool. This Best Western actually had doors from the room to the pool. We would do it again, but the pool side rooms were a little hot due to the heated pool. But the night with all of us sitting in the twin spas with wine and trash talk was a great.
But our all time favorite was a Best Western Premium, in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Yeah the same city Clint Eastwood was mayor of. We even stopped by his restaurant, the Hogs Breath Inn. We had a room with a balcony looking out onto the bay, a fireplace, and all at government rate. This was our first Premium and if you get a chance, try one. If you only get one chance, go to this one.
Ok, CaDiva doesn't take great pics of me, but this will give you an idea of the balcony without me stealing any more pics form the Best Western.com.
Ok, maybe a few more.
We stayed there three days, had another whale watching cruise, during which we made a beloved niece sea sick but found a great place for lunch. We did, not Chance. She was VERY patient with her Aunt's desire to go out on the water in rough weather. This was the time I saw the side of the ocean, remember. Oh man. You can see the top of the ocean, and you can see the front of the ocean. But, until you are standing nose to nose with the ocean over your head and nothing but Mother Nature keeping it from falling down over you, you Have Not Seen the Ocean.
All of this is my way of saying, if I tell you never ever go anywhere near Best Western Regency Inn in Marshalltown, it has nothing to do with Best Western.
When we ate at O'Hungries that Thursday evening and CaDiva told the server her bottom bun on her burger was damp, her only comment was it looked that way last night too. But she didn't think CaDiva would want her to poke her food to see if it was that way again tonight. And when she mentioned there were mushrooms on half her burger, the same woman said, oh it comes that way. I called the front desk for third day to tell them there was a message light on my phone that went off at Midnight again. And the message button rang busy. The front desk, after she finally answered, tried to explain how message system works. And when I tell you the card keys took a dozen tries to open the door, not only am I not exaggerating, because HRH counted. The front desk knew about it, since another guest standing at the registration deks told me it would be a problem as I checked in.
There is a Hampton Inn just a block away. Try that one.
