Feeling Right at Home with Homewood Suites

I didn’t hesitate to stay at Homewood Suites – Mayfaire on my last Wilmington Coast getaway. It was an easy decision to make because it’s convenient to Wrightsville Beach along with the Mayfaire Town Center. I can appreciate the amenities that Homewood Suites offers because I love to feel like I’m home away from home with access to studio living. You can reserve a one or two-bedroom suite with separate living area and bedroom(s). There’s a fully equipped kitchen along with work area and complimentary WiFi.

I really enjoyed just relaxing in bed and watching the flat screen television. I have a few tech devices that need charging and really liked the electric outlets with USB ports. I was able to charge multiple electronics at the same time and it was great! I can’t afford to be on 7% when I need a full battery so I can stay connected via social media to livestream, Tweet and Instagram Story what’s going on in REAL time.

The Homewood Suites really rolled out the red carpet for me and it was perfect! I was their “special guest” of the day which was a cool surprise upon check-in. I got a cute welcome bag and was greeted immediately with the best guest services. The lounge area and dining area look really inviting and you just want to sit down and enjoy a drink from the full-service lobby bar. There is a weekly scheduled evening social offered Monday through Thursday.

You also get a nice and hot complimentary breakfast each morning. My favorite area is lounging around the resort style heated outdoor pool. In the evening, you can sit by the fire pit and enjoy the night air. You also have access to the hot tub if you want to soak. I’m glad there is a fitness center on the premises for when you have the urge to workout. This was a quick escape for me so I didn’t have working out on my agenda.

I was able to take care of all business from my suite but, there is a business center for your convenience and it’s available around the clock! I really like that because I work remotely and need to be able to conduct business wherever I go. I also travel with my family a majority of the time and I homeschool my youngest son. I like knowing I have options when it comes to my business and son’s education. Homewood Suites gives you all the essentials you need while staying there.

I like to go grocery shopping and have stuff available to us in the suite. We do tend to dine out when we are on vacation and staycations but, we also love to snack and drink a whole lot. So, I make sure we have enough snacks and beverages to hold us over until our meals. Depending on the length of our visit I may fully stock the refrigerator in case we choose to dine in and cook. We like options! Outside of grocery shopping I do love a little retail therapy and the Mayfaire Town Center has all the stores with all the things!

I must put myself on a budget when I’m in this type of setting because window shopping turns into real purchases for me. I have minimal self-restraint when at the perfect retail location with all my favorite things. Oh… AND don’t let there be a SALE going on! I like having the convenience of shopping, restaurants and entertainment close by. I also like that we are about ten minutes away from the beach and about twenty from historic downtown Wilmington.

I get the best of the best! There are many local attractions that you can take advantage of and explore Wilmington or go fishing, boating or even golfing. This post is #NotSponsored

Overall, I love staying at the Homewood Suites whenever I get a chance. My family can spread out and enjoy their own space whether lounging in the living area or bedroom. I am a sucker for conveniences and love having everything I need at the grasp of my fingertips. I also should mention if you have a hybrid or electric vehicle there is a complimentary electric charging station on the premises. You also get free parking!

Where will you book your next staycation or vacation?

My Blogging Sabbatical Has Come To An End

I’m BACK! Did you miss me? It’s taken us almost an entire month to feel half way settled in our new place. The kids are still getting adjusted and my three year old keeps saying… “I want to go home” despite the fact that I tried to prepare him for the move and even had him pack a box of toys for himself. Hopefully as time goes on he’ll accept our new home. We had to live in a hotel that specialized in extended stays for nine days and that was a bitter/ sweet experience. It was like being on Staycation! We didn’t leave town, we weren’t in our home and there were activities for the children to enjoy. The condo was laid out like a one bedroom studio apartment. We had a living room area, dining room area, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom with two queen sized beds. There was lots of storage and closet space to accommodate our belongings. That was a plus! However, when you are used to being in a two story home with three or four bedrooms and you downgrade to a one bedroom condo (even if it’s temporary) it’s definitely something to get used to. Nobody has the privacy and space they are used to AND you drive each other CRAZY!

It was hard to blog throughout this transition due to so many reasons, that chaos of moving but the worst being that I didn’t have internet for the first two weeks in the house. Apparently, this location sucks and I’m in a blind spot. The internet provider I had basically said that there is nothing they could do about it and maybe I need to look into another company. WOW! I was surprised! Anyhow, Time Warner Cable has hooked us up with cable and internet and I’m rocking & rolling again! I’ve also been busy designing site after site, which is a good thing. Not having internet wasn’t helping the situation it was just pro longing my work and causing me to make a list of things I’d have to play catch up with when everything eventually got settled. The good thing is that I’ve been too busy to let anything really bother me. I’ve missed writing and I have a list of blog topics that I’ll be writing on in the coming days and I’ll continue to share all my blogging and social networking events with you. I took some pictures when we were at Duke Tower Hotel & Condominiums. I definitely give the hotel five stars on customer service, housekeeping, maintenance, and amenities.Take a look at the pictures…

Road Trippin’ with Twizzlers in tow!

I love a good road trip! I’m a transplant from New York and now reside in North Carolina so it’s nothing for me to pack up the kids and take a road trip. I’ve been back and forth to New York so much, the time just flies in the car. It’s about eight hours of driving. My method to driving a long distance with two teens, a tween and a toddler has always been to drive during the night. I cook dinner, get them nice and full, make sure everyone uses the bathroom before we leave and hit the road around 11:00 pm! They fall asleep almost instantly and when they wake up we have reached our destination. Now in a perfect world I would be able to pull that off each road trip, BUT we don’t live in a perfect world! So, I’ve done some day driving with the kiddos in tow and not even an hour into the trip someone’s hungry, wants a snack or has to use the bathroom! Sound familiar?

This summer I have a few road trip destinations! Grandma usually takes the kids for a couple of weeks so New York is on the list. I’d love to take the kids to the North Carolina coast again; we went to Ocean Isle Beach in February and had a blast! The beach is definitely a summer getaway destination for us! I’ve always wanted to take the kids to Disney World and I’m waiting on my toddler to get a little older so he’ll really enjoy it. As a child my parents took me to Niagara Falls and I’d love to take my children to Niagara Falls and visit our Canadian relatives. A trip to Canada with the kids may be the longest trip we’ve ever taken. I think I’ll break that drive up a bit and put a really good travel plan together.

I think the best thing you can do when taking a road trip with children in tow is make them as comfortable as possible in the car. Snacks are a MUST! If you haven’t packed travel size meals in the car you’ll probably stop for food but, be sure to pack snacks. Twizzlers are a favorite of ours and you don’t have to worry about them spilling, melting, being messy, and they are easy to share amongst multiple children. My girls love the Twizzlers pull n’ peel! I’m old fashioned, I love the Twizzlers twists! I also travel with a portable DVD player and the kids watch movies while on the road. We have fun checking in on Four Square when we stop at rest areas or travel plazas and before you know it we’re there! For more product information head on over to the Twizzlers website.

Disclosure: I am entering a contest for a Twizzlers Landmark Summer promotion prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club. All opinions expressed are my own.

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