Ames' BEST Kept Secret? Microtel Inn & Suites Awaits!
Ames' BEST Kept Secret? Microtel Inn & Suites Awaits! (My Slightly-Less-Than-Perfect But Still Pretty Good Experience)
Okay, let's be real. Finding a decent hotel in Ames, Iowa isn't exactly a thrilling, globe-trotting adventure. But, and this is a big BUT, the Microtel Inn & Suites… well, it surprised me. Not in a "mind-blown" kind of way, more like a "huh, this is actually… pretty alright" kind of way. I’m gonna spill the tea, warts and all, on my recent stay. Buckle up, buttercups, because this review is gonna be as real as my rapidly approaching need for a nap.
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First Impressions (and a bit of a scramble for the keycard)
The exterior? Standard. The logo? Perfectly fine. The immediate vibe? Not exactly screaming "luxury." But hey, expectations were low, right? And honestly, sometimes low expectations are the key to happiness, especially when you're traveling with a toddler and a suitcase full of questionable snacks.
Accessibility: A Mixed Bag, Mostly Good
Now, I'm not a wheelchair user, but I always look for accessible features, because, well, it's the right thing to do. And Microtel, bless their little hearts, actually tries. They've got elevator access (thank goodness!), and the public areas seemed reasonably navigable. I spotted facilities for disabled guests, which, hooray! But, I'm not gonna lie, navigating the hallways with a stroller and a whining child felt like a slightly stressful obstacle course.
Rooms: Mostly Cozy, with Some Quirks
Let's get down to the nitty-gritty: the room. We booked a non-smoking room (duh!) and it was a non-smoking room, which is a victory in itself. Crucially, there was air conditioning, which is a must-have in Iowa summers. The Wi-Fi [free] was… okay. Let's just say it wasn't blazing fast enough to download a movie in five seconds, but it got the job done for answering emails and occasionally, desperately, trying to distract the tiny human with a cartoon.
Inside the room, we had coffee/tea maker, which is a lifesaver for harried parents. The desk was functional, although the chair wasn't exactly the most comfortable for prolonged laptop usage. My biggest complaint? The bathroom… the lighting was atrocious. Seriously, I nearly blinded myself trying to apply mascara. And the shower? The pressure was… well, let's just say it was more of a gentle drizzle than a forceful cleanse. But the separate shower/bathtub setup was nice. Oh, the blackout curtains were amazing! That extra hour of sleep was priceless!
Cleanliness and Safety: Feeling Relatively Safe
Now, in these post-pandemic times, cleanliness is everything. And I gotta give Microtel credit: they try. They had anti-viral cleaning products on display (always a good sign), the room seemed clean (no stray Cheerio crumbs, score!), and they mentioned rooms sanitized between stays. There was hand sanitizer available, and a general air of… well, not paranoia, but definitely heightened awareness. They even had smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher. All good!
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking: Breakfast, and the Quest for Caffeine
The Breakfast [buffet]. Ah, the breakfast buffet. This is where Microtel really shines…and then stumbles a little. They offered a buffet in restaurant with the usual suspects – eggs (questionable provenance), sausage (mystery meat!), and the all-important coffee/tea in restaurant. The coffee was… well, you could drink it. My advice? Bring your own instant and a travel mug. They did have some alternative meal arrangement, which if you want to have that, that’s pretty neat.
The coffee shop was a godsend to get me out of the room.
Services and Conveniences: The Usual, Plus a Few Surprises
The usual suspects were all there: daily housekeeping (thank goodness!), a concierge (who I didn't actually use, but they were there), and a laundry service (much appreciated after the toddler's epic spaghetti explosion). They also had a convenience store, which was handy for late-night snack emergencies (those were frequent). And the front desk [24-hour] was always staffed, which is reassuring.
Things to Do, Ways to Relax: The Quest for Solitude (and Maybe a Pool)
Okay, here's where things get a little… limited. There's a fitness center, which, let's be honest, I didn't use because, toddler. There's a swimming pool [outdoor], which I peeked at and it looked clean enough. The swimming pool itself, was a nice touch. But the reality? With a small child, relaxing wasn't exactly on the agenda.
Internet and Tech: Connected, Mostly
The Internet access – wireless (aka Wi-Fi [free]) was available in all rooms and it functioned. I did not see any Internet [LAN] around.
For the Kids: Babysitting? Not Exactly.
This hotel is family/child friendly.
Getting Around: Easy Peasy
Car park [free of charge]? Yes, please! Car park [on-site]? Also yes! Taxi service? I didn't use it, but it was probably available.
The Bottom Line: Would I Stay Again?
Look, the Microtel Inn & Suites in Ames isn’t perfect. It's not going to win any awards for luxury or design. But it’s clean, the staff is friendly and reasonably efficient, it's got the essentials, and it's affordable. And in Ames, Iowa? That’s honestly not a bad combination.
So, would I stay there again? Probably. Especially if I’m passing through and need a clean bed and a decent cup of coffee. Just bring your own sleep mask, extra-strength coffee, and prepare to embrace the slightly imperfect reality of Midwestern hospitality. And maybe, just maybe, you'll have a surprisingly pleasant stay.
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Alright, buckle up, Buttercup, because this ain't your cookie-cutter travel itinerary. This is Microtel in Ames, Iowa, survival guide meets existential crisis, told by yours truly.
Day 1: Arrival and the Great Iowa Mystery
1:00 PM - Arrive at the Des Moines International Airport (DSM). Okay, first impression? DSM is… well, it's an airport. Functional. Clean-ish. My biggest hurdle: figuring out the rental car situation. Apparently, "economy" size means a car that's actively fighting gravity. I swear, the back window was at a permanent incline like it was expecting to take off any second.
2:30 PM - Road trip to Ames! The drive. Oh, the drive. Fields of corn. More fields of corn. A billboard for a John Deere dealership that made me ponder the meaning of life. The highway radio, playing a weird mix of country and polka. My emotional reaction? Mild confusion. Seriously, what is it with Iowa and polka?
3:30 PM - Check-in at Microtel. (The Moment of Truth!) Let's be honest, Microtel is my kind of motel: clean enough, cheap enough, and it almost feels like I'm the only guest, since I can hear nothing that goes on in the surrounding rooms. The woman at the desk? Total sweetheart. She gave me a room on the second floor - no elevator. My immediate internal reaction? "Oh, great. Time to lug my suitcase up two flights of stairs. My knees are already protesting."
4:00 PM - The Room Reveal. (Suspense Intensifies!) The key card works! The room is… well, it’s a room. Two queen beds that look suspiciously like they’ve seen better days. The color scheme? Grey. It's like the hotel room designer made it their personal mission to drain the life out of the place. But hey, there's a microwave! And a mini-fridge! Survival essentials, right?
4:30 PM - The Hunt for Dinner. (Food, Glorious Food!) I’m hungry. Desperately so. Yelp led me to a diner a few blocks away. Let’s call it… “The Greasy Spoon of Dreams”. This place was a time capsule! The waitress had seen it all (and probably more than I'd ever want to know). I, was in love with this place. The food? Hearty, cheap, and probably not great for my cholesterol. My emotional state? Pure, unadulterated, greasy-spoon bliss!
6:00 PM - Ames Exploration - Mostly just driving around. I'm not much of a planner. I drive around until I see a park. And that's what I do here. I park the car and walk around. It's pretty and boring. That's Iowa in a nutshell!
7:30 PM - Back to Microtel. (The Bed Beckons!) I collapse on my king-sized bed, watch some terrible TV, and fall asleep, dreaming of cornfields, polka, and whether I could actually live in a place like this.
Day 2: Re-Experiencing Iowa!
7:00 AM - The Free Breakfast Ritual. This is what I fear, always the free breakfast. The continental breakfast at the hotel. I'm guessing the coffee has been brewing since the Reagan administration, the fruit looks as plastic as the plates, and the only real nutritional value comes from the questionable pastries. My emotional state? Cautious optimism.
8:00 AM - Iowa State University. It's the highlight of my trip! I head into the campus. It's pretty. Lots of trees. All the students seem friendly.
10:00 AM - The ISU walk. I have an important emotional reaction that I will not disclose, and I walk around the campus.
12:00 PM - Meal time. I visit a restaurant, as it's close to the Microtel. My emotional reaction? Great.
1:00 PM - Second Ames Exploration. I go to the local grocery store.
3:00 PM - Hotel time. There is quite nothing as the hotel time. I watch tv, read a book, and drink coffee.
6:00 PM - The Greasy Spoon of Dreams, part 2! It’s addictive. I needed to go back. The food? as good as the first time. My emotional state? Pure, unadulterated, greasy-spoon bliss again!
8:00 PM - Back to the room to sleep.
9:00 PM - Sleep.
Day 3: Departure
7:00 AM - The free breakfast. I take a peek just to see the sad state of things. Today, I'm eating something that's not bad and enjoy the coffee.
8:00 AM - Check out. The hotel desk staff are so nice.
9:00 AM - Time to be on the road. My emotional state? Sad that it's over.
So, there you have it. My Microtel adventure. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t glamorous. But it was… human. It was quirky. And it was, well, Iowa. And somehow, I loved every corn-filled, polka-tinged minute of it. Now, where’s that greasy spoon…
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Ames' BEST Kept Secret? Microtel Inn & Suites: The Unfiltered Truth (Plus Some Rants)
Okay, seriously, what *is* the "secret" about Microtel in Ames? Is it, like, a hidden speakeasy inside?
The free breakfast… spill the beans! What's the deal? Is it just sad continental fare?
Is it *actually* clean? Because hotel cleanliness is a HUGE deal. I am a germaphobe.
The location? Is it convenient? Are you gonna be stuck in Ames traffic hell?
What about the staff? Are they… nice? Or are they… seen-it-all, bored-out-of-their-minds hotel employees?
Is there a pool? Because I need a place to de-stress after a brutal statistics exam.
Anything else I should know? Hidden fees? Weird quirks?
Okay, fine, I'm booked at Microtel. What's the *one* thing I MUST remember?
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