The Polite Traveler

  Why We Might Not Return: Hilton Garden Inn, Waikiki My dear polite travelers, Imagine waiting three years to revisit a pleasant memory.  You’d probably be thrilled to be on that journey.  Right?  Well, I am, and ...well, I’m lukewarm to some aspects of it, especially our room: #1537.  But the Ocean is Right There! In our room, #1537, we have the ocean view and the fresh breezes associated with it.  Still, due to the central, otherwise excellent location, it’s noisy—very noisy.  Thus, those breezes remain outside all night.  Darn.  The pleasant sweet-ocean-air-in-our-room-memory I dream of often eluded us on this trip.  Now, it’s just sad. The Good & the Weird Beyond the noise, it is a comfortable room—especially the shower—but there’s not enough counter space.  Instead of a long counter or desk, the hotel designer thought a long built-in seat would be a clever idea??  Hint.  It’s not.  We can only ...

  My dear polite travelers, Finally, the last hotel before we return home to Davis, CA.  It’s been a long journey ( link ), even though it was only eight days.  Eight days of driving is a tad too much for us oldsters.  Still, spending the night in another Hilton Garden Inn is worth the milage, especially since management has promised the restaurant will be open.  Note A list of hotels and a map of our journey. Room #420 The room was typical of Hilton Garden Inn, with the clean , contemporary upgrades: walk-in shower, extra storage, extra counter space, microwave, and refrigerator.  The desk area was exceptional with a comfy chair and plenty of outlets.  The view wasn’t the best—freeway. Still, we didn’t hear anything during the night.  The Hotel This hotel is remarkably similar to the Hilton Garden Inn in Olympia, Washington ( link ) we stayed in recently.  The décor was contemporary and clean with intuitive seating throughout...

Time for a Road Trip We began our trip from the bicycle capital of the U.S., Davis, CA.   Our goal was to explore the Washington  Olympic National Forest  & everything in between.  It was a tiring, but fantastic trip.  Over eight days of driving, we stayed in seven different hotels: ~ Comfort Inn & Suites Ashland, OR       ~Comfort Suites Springfield, OR ~ Hilton Garden Inn, Olympia, WA          ~ Quality Inn Uptown Port Angeles, WA ~ Comfort Suites Astoria, OR                  ~ Comfort Suites Newport, OR ~ HiltonGarden Inn, Medford, OR         Read about our road trip restaurants.   ~ Road-Trip Restaurants YouTube:  ThePoliteTraveler  Instagram: ThePoliteTraveler Facebook: ThePoliteTraveler Twitter: @PoliteTravels Please Subscribe!

  My dear polite travelers, Arg!  This property was incredibly difficult to find on this road trip through Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State, even with navigational assistance.  Whew!  So, after going in circles—multiple times—we finally found this haven.  Still, read on for a caveat. Room #518 I love this room!  It is smartly designed for comfort and yet offers those who travel for work everything they will need, such as ample outlets, extra storage, and a workable desk and chair.  For those of us who would rather shower, open a bottle of our favorite wine, and veg, it’s all that too.  I appreciated the comfortable seating, comfortable bed , updated bath, fridge, and microwave. The Hotel Upon entering, we found this Hilton Garden Inn to be beautifully appointed, and just plain ‘Wow!’  We don’t typically find this type of contemporary gem in a non-resort setting.  It was a real find, especially considering the...