20.7.12

Making The Most Out of Our Weekend Vacation At Embassy Suites In Buckhead Atlanta


A few weekends ago we packed up the car and headed to Atlanta for the weekend. We often take mini weekend vacations with the kids and we thought this was the perfect time for a trip! We've wanted to visit the new LegoLand Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza since it opened and took this opportunity to get on the road! Our first stop was the Embassy Suites Buckhead Atlanta location, our hotel for the night, to check in and get settled. For those of you who are not familiar with the Atlanta area, Buckhead is one of the nicest parts of the city, with many shops, malls, activities and delicious restaurants! Staying in Buckhead means we are right in the middle of all the fun, so we were excited for the trip.

The beautiful view from our room!
We followed our GPS straight to the Embassy Suites Buckhead location and pulled in to automatically be greeted by the valet who offered to park our car and take up our luggage. We usually just opt for self-parking, but the valet parking was only a few dollars more, so we went for it and what a nice change that was- not having to haul all of our bags up stairs, elevators and across the world. As we walked into the hotel, Josiah let out a gasp because it truly was breathtaking! The glass ceiling let a glow of natural light into the atrium and there was a pond all the way through the area filled with Koi fish. This entertained the boys, including my husband, while I checked us in.
The kids loved looking at the fish!
If I remember correctly, we were on the 23rd floor and what a view we had from the elevator! The boys loved going up and down. I'm pretty sure they could have done this all night if I let them.
Coming into our room, we were immediately surprised at just how big the room was, or should I say rooms? There was a living area separate from the bedroom, both very spacious and inviting. The boys immediately went off to explore. The view of Buckhead was great, as we could see the skyline of Atlanta as well as the nearby attractions! Both rooms had 32 inch flat-screen TVs and I love that the living area had a desk where I could work as well as a pull-out couch for extra people! They even asked if they could provide a crib for Liam, which was so nice and thoughtful.







At check-in, we were told about the nightly manager's reception, which featured a variety of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic as well as delicious snacks! Josiah and I decided to head down to the atrium for some beverages during the reception! We got there a little late, so all the snacks were gone, but there were two bartenders there to make any drinks we'd like! I decided on a Peach Bellini, got a glass of Merlot for Cory and Josiah was excited to get a Shirley Temple with cherries on top.
The manager's reception was hopping with guests!
One of the first things I realized was that not only is a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse attached to the Embassy Suites, but they offered room service! We had never eaten there before, but had heard it was delicious, so we took this opportunity to enjoy a great meal in the comfort of our own room. Dinner arrived about 30 minutes after ordering and it looked amazing!
Doesn't this make your mouth water?
My husband opted for steak with their famous Potatoes Au Gratin and the kids shared a cheeseburger meal off the kid's menu. I wasn't as hungry, so I got a salad and the French Onion Soup. Paired with our free drinks from the reception and some iced tea, we were ready to eat!

We were stuffed by the end and needed something to do to work it off. What to do? There was no need to even leave the hotel, honestly, because they had two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. Since it was so nice outside, we went outdoors. I usually just stick my feet in the edge or sit on the stairs with Liam because the water is chilly, but the water was actually heated and warm.
This was definitely the kids' favorite part of the stay at Embassy Suites. They had a blast and we stayed outdoors until the boys were obviously sleepy and ready to go back to the room!
The view from our room at sunset!
I gave the boys a nice bath and we got into bed to watch TV. About this time I realized we didn't bring any milk for Liam, so my husband ran down to the gift shop and purchase some milk and was back in no time! We laid in bed watching cartoons until the boys couldn't keep their eyes open any longer. My husband, on the other hand, stayed in the living room watching sports until the wee hours of the morning, enjoying the peace and quiet!

We had such a great time and the bed was so comfortable. Once I fell asleep, I was completely out until late the next day. I unfortunately missed the made to order breakfast and was so sad, but my husband, the early bird, was up at the crack of dawn and made it a point to get his delicious breakfast. He raved about it, saying how amazing his omelet was. He travels for business quite often and usually complains that breakfast at the hotel is not very appetizing, but not this time. He was very pleased. Since he got there so early, there was no line either and he really enjoyed sitting in the lobby reading a paper and people-watching.

As someone who worked in customer service for many, many years, it is very important to me that staff is caring and helpful. The staff was unbelievably helpful every time we needed something, from the moment we checked in to the time we checked out. We even forgot our deodorant and they had complementary deodorant for us, which saved us from having to purchase at the gift shop. Plus, when I travel, it is usually with kids, so it's nice to finally have a very kid-friendly hotel in mind for us to visit the next time. When we checked out, my husband turned in our valet ticket and our car was brought up to the front door for us. Once it was there, they even helped us load our luggage!
Going to the gift shop with Papa!
I am honestly not used to so many great amenities and features in our hotels. Even the 4-star hotels in the area we've stayed in have not been as nice as this Embassy Suites, so I was extremely impressed with the entire visit. We planned on going out that evening for dinner and for some sort of activity for the kids, but with a restaurant on-site, we were able to stay in to eat and since they had two pools, we had more than enough to do without even leaving the building!
Building a castle for Liam at LegoLand Discovery Center!
We actually planned on visiting LegoLand after checking into the hotel, but since we were so happy we ended up extending the trip and going to LegoLand the next afternoon! Believe me, I took about 200 pictures during the trip and the boys have really enjoyed looking at them over and over again!We had such a great time, I honestly cannot wait for our next visit. The boys are already asking when they can go back to the hotel with the fish! I have a feeling we'll be visiting again before the end of the summer. This was a perfect weekend trip for our family!

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Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me the taking the time to participate.

4 comments:

Alesha @ Full Time Mama said...

Looks awesome! I am impressed with all of the things you could do IN the hotel! The koi pond would have been enough to entertain my kids the entire time! LOL!
Glad you had a such a great time! :)

Trista Anderson said...

I love the Embassy hotel we have stayed at the one up by Cleveland, Ohio several times :-)

Jen said...

NICE! I love the separate living area, a MUST with kids.

Unknown said...

It looks like SUCH a nice hotel!! I'm looking into hotels for an upcoming trip, I'll have to see if they have one where I'm going. :)

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