Hilton Garden Inn

My girlfriend and I took a little vacation this weekend to the beach. We headed down to the Gulf Shores / Orange Beach area of Alabama because its less than 5 hours from home and the beaches are very nice. We looked around at a few hotels and condos as options and decided to stay in the Hilton Garden Inn. I'd say that the experience over all was good but I'd say the hotel itself was "ok".

Hilton Garden Inn was good because...

It was right on the beach and not very expensive at $110 a night. We were able to walk right down onto the beach and enjoy some nice time. The pool, gym, hot tubs and poolside bar were also really nice amenities. There was a work out room but I didn't use it. We also were able to reserve the rooms on short notice for just 2 days.

Hitlon Garden Inn was bad because...

In the hallways and elevators the place was really funky and smelled bad. It reminded me of carpet ruined by water or how your car smells if you spill a drink in it and then it cooks all day in the heat. In our room the refrigerator made a strange sound all night, the balcony door was broken and you had to be strong to open the hotel room door itself. It was broken.

Phoenix Condos in Orange Beach

One of the other options we looked at were a set of condos that make up much of what is for rent in the area. I've stayed in these before with friends but never had to do the research on the costs to stay in one myself. They require a minimum 3 night stay and they're really expensive. They sticker a fairly nice rate at around $110 a night but don't let that fool you since they've got a $80 cleaning fee and probably a few other hidden fees.

All in all we had a good time. I lost my new Maui Jim sunglasses in the ocean however. We also enjoyed some good food over at Lambert's Cafe.

Jerry Odom - September 25, 2006

Baton Rouge Hilton