Be sure to reserve a room with a balcony and take a deep breath, because the sounds of music filter through the air and into the rooms above. The early morning sun shines through the glass flickering off the windows and fills the atrium. Just take a step back in time, to when the now 4 star luxury resort catered to rich and famous clientèle such as the Rockefellers and Al Capone. Built in 1902, it was referred to as the Eight Wonder of the World and now it is yours to enjoy.

The resort hosts a spa, several pools, large fitness center, retail shop’s, fine dining, elaborate golf course and many other recreational areas. Everyone you come in contact with has been trained to serve you. You are greeted by the bellman who gives you a short introduction to the history of the resort, and when you dry your hands in the atrium restrooms you will be given a clean cloth towel.

Next spring, I may have to sell my body and soul to return. I want to spend more time walking on the grounds, enjoy an evening rocking on the porch and maybe have just one more stone massage. This would be the perfect couples weekend getaway. We enjoyed our visit and tour of the spacious and history filled hotel. The amenities were just icing on the cake.

Terry may not have a personal blog, but she scours many sites during the day and loves to find great deals online. Beauty and hair products are her favorite must-have items and she is willing to try anything once. As a wife, mother and grandmother she seems to fill her days with volunteer work and family.

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We stayed at the Garden District Hotel on St. Charles Avenue. The location was perfect for a family vacation and within walking distance to several shops restaurants and art museums, but the amenities were not perfect.

I loved the character and historic charm of the hotel, but our room wasn’t the cleanest. The furniture and bed linens were very outdated, but I realize they are attempting to keep a certain style. Our room was certainly smaller than the pictures they boast online.

The biggest problem we encountered was the hot water. Usually you hear about places not having any, but the Garden District Hotel had plenty! There was no cold or even warm water, just extremely hot. Our son rightfully refused to shower for 3 days.

My other issue was the friendliness of the hotel staff. When we asked the desk clerk about directions on getting to a certain location we knew was close by, she simply stated she didn’t know. In my world, if you work in customer service and you don’t know an answer, you go find out for them.

Although the price was reasonable and the location was perfect, the amenities were few and far between. We didn’t spend much time in our hotel, so we dealt with it.

The highlight of our vacation was spending an afternoon at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. We’ve been to several large aquariums in other cities and Audubon offered the most interactive and kid-friendly exhibits that I have seen.

I was pleasantly surprised that there were more family activities in the city than I imagined. Beautiful parks and lots of outdoor art fairs. We had an enjoyable time and hope to visit again. If you get the chance go visit, but I’d choose another hotel.

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

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We arrived in the evening, and there was a harpist in the lobby entertaining guests. It didn’t actually have a lobby, per se, but rather the restaurant surrounded a marble entranceway that led to the front desk. Fresh flowers everywhere contributed to a festive atmosphere.

I had a reservation, so check-in was easy, just a couple of signatures and I was on my way. However, my big issue with the hotel involved one of those signatures.

I was given a sheet of paper that disclosed that “Quiet Hours” in the hotel were from 11pm to 7am. Okay, fine. No big deal there.It also stated that there was to be no running in the halls and making lots of noise during those hours, and that if a complaint was received the guest would receive one warning, and if the issue continued after the warning they would have to leave.Okay, a little strict, but I can understand how that might sometimes be an issue. The final part stated that if someone else chose to leave the hotel due to any noise caused by you, then you were responsible to pay the hotel any lost revenue.

What? Hold the phone!

I looked at the front desk clerk and asked her what the heck that was, and she said it was “Standard procedure.” I mentioned that I’d never seen anything like it before, but I was exhausted from having been on the road for 12 hours, I had four hungry, cranky kids that needed to be fed and let off some steam, and I had already researched hotels in the area and knew this was the only one that we would be comfortable in, hotel snobs that we are, so I signed it and got my keys.

Other relatives of mine were staying in the same hotel, and when I saw them later I asked them if they were asked to sign something about the Quiet Hours. They weren’t. They also had three young kids, so the only thing I could think of that would have singled me out apparently didn’t apply.

Our room itself was fantastic. We had a suite room, which had 2 queen size beds in the “back” of the room, with one television, and then there was a small hallway past the bathroom. Across from the bathroom was a mini-fridge, a coffee maker, and a microwave. In the “front” of the room was a small sofa, an armchair, a desk with complimentary high-speed internet with an ethernet cable in case you forgot yours, and another TV with game console. The small sofa folded out into a bed.

The arrangement was wonderful. We put the kids to sleep back in one of the beds, and then hubby and I were able to sit up and talk without disturbing them. When I needed to do paperwork with some family members, there was more than enough room to do it and still have room for the kids to play around us. The beds were the most comfortable hotel beds I’ve ever slept in.

The bathroom was beautiful, spacious, and the hot water in the shower was hot immediately, no waiting for the water to warm up. I did have a couple of issues with the bathroom. I am short, under 5 feet tall, and I had a hard time leaning over the sink to brush my teeth without spitting toothpaste all over myself, as the sink was set back a bit from the edge of the (marble) counter.Also, I was too short to reach the shower head to adjust it without standing on the side of the tub, which is a bit dangerous when you are wet and the porcelain is slippery.

With four kids, young kids, we were concerned about that noise policy. Not that they’d be up running the halls and screaming between 11 and 7, because even my kids aren’t up then and we would never allow running and screaming anyway, but more that someone would overreact to normal child noise or the baby crying in the night and want to leave the hotel.As a result, we were rather harsh with our kids, and I don’t think our kids enjoyed themselves much at all the entire time we were in the hotel.We didn’t let them speak above a whisper, we made sure they didn’t leave our side, we took the whiny three year old outside to our van to deal with a fit of temper, because we were scared of what the hotel management would do.

I was going to speak to the manager about the noise policy and ask them why I was singled out, but frankly I was pretty rankled about it, and my family members asked me to let it go - I think they were afraid of retaliation in response to something I might say.So I mentioned it when I checked out, and asked why my relatives hadn’t needed to sign but I had.They told me that it was a mistake, my relatives should have had to sign it, too.They said that on weekends they have a lot of weddings there, and people get to drinking and behave poorly, so they had to institute the policy.I pointed out that in the first place, we were getting the bereavement rate so obviously there would be no drunken wedding cavorting going on, and secondly, my husband and I have both traveled extensively for both business and leisure and we have never, in almost two decades, been asked to sign something making us financially liable for lost revenue to the hotel due to noise.She mentioned that this particular hotel is independently owned, and she didn’t know if it was a policy just for them or with the entire chain. I told them that it was unfair to have had that sprung on me at the last minute, and that if they were going to have such a policy in the first place, they should at least mention it when you are registering for the hotel, so that other options can be made if a guest finds that policy unappealing.She thanked me for my suggestion while turning away from me in a rather dismissive manner and I went home before I went postal.

With that policy in place, I hesitate to recommend what is otherwise a glorious hotel. If the entire chain has the same standards, the accommodations are some of the best in the business. I just think that in a such a nice hotel, rules of common courtesy have to apply, and managing potential noise issues can be achieved in some other way that still maintains respect for their customers.I am willing to try the chain again, but I am now a wiser consumer, and will be sure to ask about any noise waivers when I make reservations.

Incidently, I was sent a survey from Hilton Garden Inn afterwards asking about my stay. I did detail the noise policy issue there. I will keep you posted should I ever hear back from them.

Putting a guest room directly under your very loud nightclub? BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD idea. Did I mention that it was a bad idea? As you may have guessed. I was in that particular room. Thanks. A lot.

$14 Mojito at your downstairs bar? I know people think paying more money for things makes them all suave and big spenderish and overpriced drinks make your bar seem somehow, oh I don’t know…more glamorous but $14? That’s a bit much, don’t you think? Luckily, I only actually purchased one drink from any of your bars the whole time I was there because Parents/Goody Blog graciously comped our drinks the first night and, rather fortuitously, that awesome 7-11 down the street sells liquor. Oh, and that tacky styrofoam cup I was walking around with on Saturday night? It was booze, not Sprite. Because I’m classy like that.

No coffeemaker in the guest rooms? Seriously, people. Are you THAT hard up for cash that you have to resort to forcing people to order very pricey carafes of coffee via room service (and then you deliver tea by accident) or doing the morning walk of shame through your lobby to buy an overpriced cup of coffee from a dispenser set up at your bar? Even low-end hotels are kind enough to provide people with their morning crack without such strong arm tactics. Shame on you!

In every other way, W Lakeshore, your hotel was lovely and your service outstanding. Thank you for hosting all of us BlogHer conference attendees and for a mostly pleasant stay.

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Izzy is a work-at-home mom of two young children. She can usually be found writing at her personal blog, IzzyMom, managing Props & Pans, or designing something.

When my husband Guy and I eloped this past summer, we honeymooned at the Inn on Main. We returned this past weekend and had a lovely time all over again. This beautiful bed & breakfast could not come with a higher recommendation from me.

Inn on Main is run by Dan and Nancy, a lovely couple who bought and restored the Victorian home in the ’90’s. Dan is a former reporter and Nancy a former school teacher, so both have keenly honed their people skills over the years. Where Dan learned to bake is a mystery, but he makes the best muffins I have ever had. Every morning is a surprise. You might have ginger banana muffins, mango muffins, or oatmeal date muffins. It doesn’t matter. They are all wonderful.

If you are interested, Nancy will help you plan your visit. Aside from the packages that they offer, Nancy is happy to schedule your massage at the Secret Garden Spa, your rafting trip, or even make dinner reservations for you. They are well tuned into the local community too, keeping up with independent film festivals, art walks, and other less publicized events. They are good listeners who try their best to help your visit be everything you could hope for.

You won’t be bored with all that this area has to offer. Staying a week would provide you with just a glimpse of what the Asheville area has to offer. Take a hike on Mount Mitchell. Go white water rafting. Visit the natural mineral baths at Hot Springs. Tour the Biltmore Estates (just don’t drink the wine). Explore downtown Asheville on a Friday night - you just might come across an impromptu drum circle and dance party.

So take a trip to the mountains of North Carolina and stay awhile. Slow down and enjoy life. And just in case you don’t slow down enough, I can recommend a good lawyer in Weaverville for that speeding ticket.

The double beds in our room had new, pillowtop mattresses, which we liked, as well as new floral comforters and bedskirts, which we disliked. (The bedskirts made it hard to check for stray shoes and toys, and the somewhat stiff, polyesterish fabric was not pleasant).

This particular Comfort Inn had the tiniest swimming pool I’ve ever seen, probably less than 12 feet long. I mistook it for a generously sized Jacuzzi. Although the pool was not deep enough for diving, visiting teenagers were constantly risking a broken neck by diving. Grownups eschewed this pool, which, although supposedly heated, was pretty chilly. Some rooms featured jacuzzis, although ours did not.

The Comfort Inn offers a complimentary continental breakfast, which consisted of a few muffins, some bulk cereal, coffee (which was surprisingly satisfactory), some bananas and apples, and the option of making your own waffles.

I loved the waffle iron, accompanied by cups of waffle batter, which was practically foolproof (an alarm prompts you to flip the iron to cook the other side of your waffle). However, the children wouldn’t eat the waffles because they so hated the cheap pancake syrup (syrup has to be pretty bad for a four year-old to shun it).

The hotel’s free WiFi provided a reliable internet connection in our room, although I was irritated by being asked again and again to agree to the terms of service.

The most pleasant surprise was that this Comfort Inn was quiet at night, even though it was fully booked. The walls proved to be thick enough to block out noise from neighboring rooms. I would stay here again, although I might look for an alternative with a better swimming pool.

On the whole, the Comfort Inn chain is doing a fairly good job of upgrading, with the pillowtop mattresses and WiFi network being pluses. Perhaps they can upgrade the waffle syrup next (dare we even hope for an authentic maple flavor?).