Hampton Inn, East Tuscaloosa, Alabama

I reserved two rooms at the Hampton Inn, East Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The hotel was located right off interstate 59 at 6400 Interstate Drive, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 35453. The hotel was easy to find, convenient and offered many discount options.

I stayed in a quiet two queen bedroom. I enjoyed the experience and after a short night on the town, turned in to rest for the Warrior Dash, Alabama event on November 2, 2013.

Each room had hairdryers, microwaves and ironing boards. If you need to wash clothes, they have a laundry area and provide valet services. The breakfast was complete with continental style goodies to include waffles, eggs and trimmings, pastries, fruit, cereal and oatmeal.

Though not directly in Tuscaloosa center, the Hampton Inn is definitely close to everything. The Tuscaloosa Mall and the across the street large outdoor shopping complex is a five minute drive. High end shopping and eating is available and the University of Alabama is just around the corner.

While there, we visited the  Alcove Tavern, http://www.alcovetavern.com/. The place served no food, but had a decent beer selection on tap and bottled from around the world. Next, we went to Wilhagan's of Tuscaloosa, an excellent place for Cajun and Creole food and pool. I recommend the pork and beef brisket, a great way to unwind before a race.

Doubletree By Hilton Newark Airport

The Doubletree By Hilton Newark Airport is fine if you are just stopping over from the airport. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes, the staff is courteous and helpful and the hotel is in great shape; very nice to look at. The rooms are comfortable and utilitarian. However, that's about it. If you plan on flying in and flying out, this is a great hotel. If you don't plan on leaving the premises, or cruising the internet, great. 

If you are planning on sightseeing, getting around, spending time on the internet or cleaning your cloths, avoid.

The location is terrible and is subject to Newark, New Jersey traffic. We drove here and though we were the only car traveling to the hotel, we had to endure a long wait to get to the exit. Terrible traffic pattern. 

Once at the Doubletree, there are no restaurants to walk to (other than the excellent in house restaurant) so you need to  drive or a catch a ride to get to one (great food in nearby Newark if you can get there). The hotel is located in an industrial area near the airport, cargo staging, etc. 

The rooms have a TV, bed, coffee maker and bathroom. However, there are no microwaves or refrigerators; just the basics.

The internet connections are sloooow. I was looking forward to renting a movie on YouTube and settling in to enjoy it. However, I couldn't play the movie. It was so frustrating that  I logged in to my blog to write this post, but alas, took a while to get here. 

There is no laundry facility to wash clothes, but they do have dry cleaning for those who stay long enough to turn in by 6 am and pick up after 5 pm.

The food is great in the hotel restaurant. I had the Salmon with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Very delicious.

So, just stopping over for the night; stay here. Want to get around and see things or export more comforts? Find another hotel.

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