5 Fave Friday-Top Hotels

These are five of the best hotels that we have stayed at.....so far.

5. Orlando Airport Hilton- You can sum this up with two words...excellent service. Every staff member here just exuded a level of friendliness and competence that you seldom see in a busy property like this.

4. Paris Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, NV- This is a sentimental favorite as I got married here. The grounds were great and we have a ton of gorgeous pictures. If you are in Vegas check it out.

3. Hotel Monaco Portland Oregon- Great location, friendly staff, beautiful room. Located near lots of cool restaurants, clubs, shops and for my wife Powells City of Books.

2. Disney's Grand Californian Hotel Anaheim, CA- True this could be summed up as another Disney attraction. However I have stayed here several times and it is truly a relaxing experience with some elegant touches that will appease everyone in your family.

1. The Inn at the Market Seattle, WA-A recent find. We have only stayed here once but it made a huge impression on us. It is steps from the world famous Pikes Place Market. Minutes away from the waterfront and right were everything is happening (Seattle Art Museum, Benaroya Hall, Washington Convention Center, Pioneer Square). The Staff was helpful, and courteous without being phony. The rooms were clean, maneuverable, and pretty. We plan on making the trek back to this little gem in the near future.


This was a very difficult post because I have had many great experiences in hotels of various levels and price ranges. If you have any hotels that you would like to bring to my attention let me know in the comments section.

Great weekend away (5th anniversary)

I have just gotten back from a great weekend trip celebrating my 5th wedding anniversary. We went and stayed in Seattle down by Pike Place Market (after taking a mandatory adoptive parenting class). We stayed at the Inn at the Market which is a nice modern boutique hotel located half a block from the from the Market and very close to lots of neat shops and entertainment ( The Showbox, Benaroya Hall, Seattle Aquarium, and the Seattle Art Museum). It all started when we pulled to the valet parking which was on the street and the great valet name Lance offered to let me unload in their underground parking lot. I checked in and the great people at the bell desk held our bags so we could head out into the city. My wife is a huge book freak so we went to Elliot Bay Books and poked around for a while. Afterward we went to an amazing restaurant, Pan Africa Market. The food is Awesome I had the Spicy Lamb stew, curried split pea, and Yams. This is love on a plate spicy, sweet, and smokey. If you are in Seattle ever, check out this out you won't regret it.

We hit the SAM and checked out the Yale traveling exhibit, and hit the market. Now if I haven't let it be known one of my guilty pleasures are comic books, and at Pike Place Market there is a pretty great comic shop there (Golden Age Comics). Really what a comic shop should be smells of decaying paper, lots of choices in both mainstream and Indy comics, lots of toys and posters. Lots of fun really. We wandered in and out many cool and eclectic shops and stalls (Chukar Cherries).

Pros and Cons.

The Inn at the Market is a great hotel. It has a great bunch of disabled rooms located on the 3rd floor it is very luxurious, it has a large open bathroom and a great staff. Cons are that like all of the waterfront there are many hills and if you are on wheels you will need to have help or be in very good shape (I am speaking as someone who is in OK shape and got winded several times).

Pan Africa Market has great food and amazingly friendly service. the prices are cheap and the portions are good. The accessibility is very good for an older building. No real cons in my opinion.

Pike Place Market. This is a landmark of Seattle that has been around for a century. While they have made great strides at accessibility it is still an old structure which means very steep ramps, and very small elevators. Plus there are cobble stones in most of the walkway so if you are in a walker this may be a problem.

Overall if you are in good shape, or if you are with a good group willing to assist you the waterfront is a fun and romantic destination. Go and have fun!!