Unbelievable Midway Hotel Deal: St. Paul/Minneapolis Getaway!

Quality Inn St. Paul-Minneapolis-Midway Minneapolis (MN) United States

Unbelievable Midway Hotel Deal: St. Paul/Minneapolis Getaway!

Unbelievable Midway Hotel Deal: St. Paul/Minneapolis Getaway! A Review That Actually Gets Real

Okay, buckle up, because this isn't your typical sterile hotel review. I just got back from this "Unbelievable Midway Hotel Deal" in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, and let me tell you… it was an experience. Not always in the perfectly polished, Instagram-filtered way, mind you. More like… real people, real life, and real questionable decisions (on my part, mostly regarding how much coffee I consumed).

First Impressions & The Accessibility Shuffle:

The deal was actually pretty sweet. Seriously, for the price, I wasn’t expecting the Ritz, but I wasn’t expecting a dungeon either. Finding the place was easy enough – thankfully, I’m not directionally challenged. (Most of the time).

Accessibility: Now, this is where things got a little… convoluted. The website said "accessible," but let’s just say it felt like they interpreted "accessible" as "sort of, maybe, with enough willpower." I’m thankfully able-bodied, but I can imagine someone using a wheelchair might have a rough time in certain areas. The ramps weren't always… ramp-y. I glimpsed the elevator, but it seemed like it moved at the speed of molasses in January.

My Experience with Accessibility: I did notice a few things that sparked my interest. There was a ramp off to the side of the main entrance and a dedicated section for wheelchair users in the lobby. I overheard a staff member going the extra mile to make sure a guest with a disability had everything they needed, which gave me a good feeling.

The Room – My Personal Fortress (…Eventually):

Available in all rooms:

• Air conditioning: Praise be. Minnesota summers are no joke.
• Alarm clock: Necessary for the 6 AM wake up call to make sure I have breakfast before anyone else.
• Bathrobes: Soft, fluffy bathrobes are my weakness. I lived in it during my stay.
• Bathroom phone: For those emergency calls… to room service for more coffee.
• Bathtub: Essential for soaking away the day's anxieties.
• Blackout curtains: Crucial for battling jet lag and preventing those infernal early-morning sunbeams.
• Closet: Plenty of space to unpack… or just dump my suitcase and pretend it's unpacked.
• Coffee/tea maker: My lifeline! The hotel-provided coffee was… passable. Let's leave it at that.
• Complimentary tea: I'm more of a coffee person, but the thought was appreciated.
• Daily housekeeping: My room was surprisingly clean. They also refilled my coffee maker every day.
• Desk: Where I balanced my laptop precariously while juggling a notepad, coffee, and a snack.
• Extra long bed: This was awesome. I'm tall, and I hate dangling my feet off the edge.
• Free bottled water: Crucial when you're trying to stay hydrated while inhaling coffee.
• Hair dryer: Because nobody wants a bad hair day.
• High floor: Okay, I'm not afraid of heights, but the view was pretty darn sweet.
• In-room safe box: Didn't use it, but it was nice to know it was there.
• Internet access – LAN: I forgot I have this, but good for those who do.
• Internet access – wireless: Wi-Fi [free] was a godsend, though it did occasionally decide to take a nap.
• Ironing facilities: For when you inevitably pack a shirt that resembles a crumpled napkin. (Guilty.)
• Laptop workspace: The desk, basically. Adequate.
• Linens: Felt clean and comfy, even if I did spend a night tossing and turning.
• Mini bar: Okay, the mini bar was… tempting. I may or may not have splurged.
• Mirror: Needed because of my constant need to make sure my hair looks good.
• Non-smoking: Thank goodness.
• On-demand movies: I was too busy bouncing around the hotel to care, so I didn't test this out.
• Private bathroom: Always a plus.
• Reading light: Wish I used it, but I mostly fell asleep scrolling on my phone.
• Refrigerator: Kept my leftover pizza cold, which is a win in my book.
• Safety/security feature: Seemed legit.
• Satellite/cable channels: Never turned it on.
• Scale: Didn’t even glance at it. Ignorance is bliss.
• Seating area: I had a lovely chair to sit in.
• Separate shower/bathtub: Another win!
• Shower: Good water pressure, surprisingly.
• Slippers: Nice touch, and I did use them.
• Smoke detector: A reassuring presence I didn't have to worry about.
• Socket near the bed: Crucial for phone charging.
• Sofa: I didn't have a sofa but I do wish I did.
• Soundproofing: Actually pretty decent. Didn't hear any loud parties or screaming children.
• Telephone: A relic from the past, but it worked.
• Toiletries: Standard stuff, but the shampoo smelled nice.
• Towels: Plush and fresh.
• Umbrella: Came in handy for an unexpected drizzle.
• Visual alarm: I didn't need it, but good to know it's there.
• Wake-up service: I set my own alarm, but the option was available.
• Wi-Fi [free]: More on that later.
• Window that opens: Always appreciate fresh air options.

Room Specifics (The Good, The Bad, and the Slightly Odd):

The room itself was clean, thankfully. I’m a bit of a neat freak, so this was a major win. The bed was comfortable, and the blackout curtains were a godsend. (Seriously, those things are a lifesaver).

Internet - The Unreliable Comrade:

Internet access: Okay, Wi-Fi. Let's talk about the Wi-Fi. "Free in all rooms!" they boasted. And for the most part, it was free. And it did work. Sometimes. It had moments of brilliance. Then, it would decide to…nap. I’d be in the middle of an incredibly important email to…well, I don't remember, but it was IMPORTANT. And then poof. Dead. I'd wander the halls, trying to find a stronger signal, like some kind of digital nomad looking for the Holy Grail of bandwidth. Not ideal.

Amenities and Amenities (the Fun Stuff):

Ways to Relax: The hotel did have a spa area. I'm not a spa person, more of a "crawl in bed and watch Netflix" type, but the options existed.

• Body scrub: I think they have it.
• Body wrap: Sounds fancy.
• Fitness center: I walked by it and thought, "maybe tomorrow". Didn't go.
• Foot bath: I could have used one, after all that walking around.
• Gym/fitness: See above.
• Massage: I imagine they had some.
• Pool with view: The pool did have a view, it looked amazing.
• Sauna: Steam room.
• Spa: All of it.
• Spa/sauna: Again, I have no idea, but it's there.
• Steamroom: Again, same thing.
• Swimming pool: Yes it does.
• Swimming pool [outdoor]: More yes.

Cleanliness & Safety – The Germaphobe’s Dilemma:

Cleanliness and Safety: I'm a bit of a clean freak, so this was a big deal to me. The hotel seemed to take it seriously, with multiple options for cleanliness.

• Anti-viral cleaning products: Good!
• Daily disinfection in common areas: Made me feel secure.
• First aid kit: Always a good thing!
• Hand sanitizer: Everywhere.
• Hot water linen and laundry washing: Very secure!
• Hygiene certification: Good reassurance.
• Individually-wrapped food options: Yes, you had it!
• Physical distancing of at least 1 meter: Yes!
• Professional-grade sanitizing services: Good!
• Room sanitization opt-out available: That's really cool.
• Rooms sanitized between stays: Made me feel safe.
• Safe dining setup: Good!
• Sanitized kitchen and tableware items: Very secure!
• Shared stationery removed: Good!
• Staff trained in safety protocol: Awesome.
• Sterilizing equipment: Great.

I also loved the fact that they actually had measures in place in case of any issues. I

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Quality Inn St. Paul-Minneapolis-Midway Minneapolis (MN) United States

Okay, buckle up, buttercups, because this isn't your Grandma's pristine itinerary. This is my Quality Inn St. Paul-Minneapolis-Midway Minneapolis, MN, survival guide. Consider this less a schedule, and more a chaotic symphony of questionable decisions and questionable hotel breakfast pastries.

Day 1: Arrival, Ambivalence, and the Pursuit of Wi-Fi Nirvana (and a Decent Pizza)

• 8:00 AM: Ugh. The alarm. Why do I even own an alarm? Flights are a necessary evil, like dental work. I swear, I pack light, but somehow end up dragging a suitcase the size of a small car around.
• 11:30 AM: Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The airport. Always the airport. Smells vaguely of stale coffee and existential dread. Found my guy. The rental car. Hopefully, I didn't pay extra for the "premium" GPS. I usually get lost in my own backyard. Wish me luck.
• 1:00 PM: Arrive at the Quality Inn. Okay, first impressions: it's… a Quality Inn. Perfectly adequate, the kind of place where you expect the ice machine to be broken (it's not, surprisingly). The exterior is all right, but the carpet… oh the carpet. Patterned in a way that makes it look like the ghosts of 1980s office cubicles roam these halls. I’m already wondering if my allergies will be flaring up.
• 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Wi-Fi hunt. Every traveler knows the desperation. Found the sweet spot: the corner of the breakfast room. (More on the breakfast room later. It’s a character.) The signal is weak, but the people-watching opportunities are gold. There’s a family attempting to corral three toddlers and a mountain of luggage. Bless their hearts.
• 3:00 PM: The room! Clean-ish, which is a win. The TV is as old as I am. I will test it soon.
• 4:00 PM: Pizza time. I scoured Yelp. Found a place called "Pizza Inferno" that sounded promising. Promising. More on that later.
• 5:00 PM-7:00 PM: Pizza Inferno. I'm not even kidding, this pizza was legendary. The crust was charred just right, the toppings were fresh, the cheese…oh, the cheese. It was so good, I may or may not have ordered a second pizza and eaten it in the back of my rental car. Alone. Don't judge me.
• 7:30 PM-9:00 PM: Regret. The Pizza Inferno aftermath. Bloated, tired, contemplating all the poor life choices that led me here. But the pizza was worth it, right? Right?!
• 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Attempt to watch TV. Fails. The selection is appalling. End up staring blankly at the ceiling, contemplating the meaning of life and whether I should have ordered extra pepperoni.
• 10:00 PM -12:00 AM: Sleep. (Hopefully.)

Day 2: Breakfast Blues, Mall Mayhem, and the Allure of the Unexpected (and Probably Undesirable) Spa

• 7:00 AM: The breakfast room. This is where the magic happens. Or, more accurately, where the magic… doesn't. The coffee is strong. Too strong. The waffles look suspiciously like they have been on a collision with rubber. I ate two, though. Don't ask. It's a mystery.
• 8:00 AM- 11:00 AM: The Mall of America. They weren't kidding, it's the size of a small country. I got lost. Twice. Saw a kid riding a camel. Seriously. Saw a wedding party taking photos. The sheer scale of it all is overwhelming. I started to want to buy everything I see, but then I got a grip on myself. Okay. I bought some socks. I will be back.
• 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Lunch! Found a restaurant near the mall. The food was overpriced and mediocre. Note to self: research where to eat next time.
• 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: This is where things get weird. I saw a flyer for a spa near the hotel. "Zenith Serenity Spa." The brochure showed pictures of serene faces. Well, fine. Let's do this.
• 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Zenith Serenity Spa. Okay, this was an experience. The receptionist gave me the stink-eye for being a minute late. The "serene" music sounded suspiciously like elevator muzak. The massage was…intense. The therapist may or may not have used a small rolling pin on my back. I left feeling more like I’d been attacked by a small, but determined, badger than serene.
• 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Back at the hotel. Laying on my bed, trying to figure out what just happened.
• 7:00 PM: Dinner… I am not going anywhere near the hotel "restaurant" again. Instead, I ordered in some comfort food. Fried chicken. A life saver.
• 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM: TV. Failed again. Started a book. I read around ten pages before my eyes shut.
• 10:00 PM-12:00 AM: Sleep.

Day 3: Goodbye, Midway (and the Slightly Questionable City)

• 7:00 AM: Same routine. Another breakfast, the coffee still as strong. And…I feel better today.
• 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Checking out. Quick, painless. Maybe I was a little too nice.
• 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM: Last-minute meandering. One last drive around the city. Thinking about the things I missed and things I did.
• 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Airport and flight.
• 4:00 PM onward: Back to life. And back to sanity… maybe.

Okay, there you have it. My messy, imperfect, strangely enjoyable Quality Inn experience. Remember, travel isn't about perfection; it's about the pizza, the bad massages, and the questionable breakfast pastries. Embrace the chaos, the unexpected, and the occasional existential pizza-induced crisis. That’s when the magic happens. Or at least, that's when the story happens. Farewell, Minneapolis! Until next time, for better or for worse.

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Quality Inn St. Paul-Minneapolis-Midway Minneapolis (MN) United States```html

Unbelievable Midway Hotel Deal: St. Paul/Minneapolis Getaway! (or, How I Survived a Trip to the Twin Cities and Lived to Tell the Tale) – FAQs, My Way.

Okay, So What *IS* This "Unbelievable Deal" Anyway? Sounds Sketchy.

Alright, alright, you caught me. "Unbelievable" might be pushing it. But seriously, it *was* a pretty decent deal. Basically, a hotel near the MSP airport (Midway, get it?) was trying to fill rooms, so they slashed prices. Like, serious slash. I'm talking cheaper than a questionable gas station hot dog kinda cheap. The fine print? Well, that's where things get interesting… More on that later. The important thing is, I felt smugly thrifty booking it. My internal dialogue was basically high-fiving itself. "Score! You cheapskate, you!"

Is it *Really* Close to Everything? I Saw the Hotel on a Map and... Minneapolis and St. Paul are kinda BIG, aren't they?

Well, let’s just say the hotel’s definition of "close" and mine differ *slightly*. It's near the airport, which is convenient if you're perpetually terrified of missing flights, like *moi*. But "near everything" is… optimistic. You're gonna need a car. Or, ya know, a seriously determined Uber driver. I tried the bus once. *Once*. Let's just say my sense of direction is questionable. The good news? Traffic wasn't *as* soul-crushingly bad as I'd heard. The bad news? I was still always running late. EVERYTHING became a mad dash.

What’s the Catch?! There's GOTTA be a catch, right? Did they try to sell you a timeshare?

Oh, you cynical soul! Yes, there was a catch. And no, it wasn't a timeshare (thank God. I have a friend...). The catch was… the breakfast buffet. The *breakfast buffet*. Listen, I've seen better spreads at a hospital cafeteria. Think lukewarm scrambled eggs that had the structural integrity of wallpaper paste and sausage links that looked… well, you didn't *want* to know what they looked like. The coffee? Watery, vaguely brown, and tasted suspiciously of sadness. But hey, it was *free*. (And maybe a little bit terrifying to contemplate what was in those eggs. I'm still not sure.) I did find a decent muffin, though. Small victories.

Okay, So, What'd You *DO* While You Were There? (Gotta know the good stuff)

Oh, the good stuff! Okay. One word: *Mall of America*. Seriously. I know, it's touristy. It's crowded. It's basically a giant, air-conditioned vortex of consumerism. BUT. It's also… mesmerizing. I spent a whole afternoon just wandering, people-watching, and getting utterly lost. (Seriously, that place is a maze. I needed a map *inside the mall*.) I rode a roller coaster (twice! Fear conquered!), ate some questionable food court pizza (hey, I'm on a budget!), and generally felt like a kid again. It was glorious. And exhausting. I also attempted to *be* cultured. Visited the Walker Art Center. (Modern art: a true mind screw, tbh. I spent more time trying to *understand* it than actually enjoying it. But hey, I tried!) Explored the Sculpture Garden. (Giant spoon and cherry? Iconic. Instagram gold). And… well, I kinda crashed at the end. I went back to the hotel, and just melted into the surprisingly comfy bed.

Did You Go to any Games? What's sports life like?

Okay, so I'm not the biggest sports person. I tried to get tickets to see the Twins play. But... well, they were playing on the road, and my lack of planning skills meant no backup plan. I did drive past the stadium and imagined the cheers. I also learned that Minnesota takes its sports *very* seriously. Like, passion for the local teams is basically written into the state constitution. You know, along with the right to bear (frozen) arms.

Any Disaster Stories? Come on, spill the beans! Something *had* to have gone wrong, right?

Oh, you want disaster? Honey, I bring the drama. Let’s see… Where to begin? Okay, so, there was the time I got hopelessly lost trying to find a supposedly "easy-to-find" restaurant. Ended up driving around in circles for a solid hour, starting to question my entire existence. Then, I might have slightly (okay, hugely) miscalculated the parking situation near the sculpture garden. Let's just say my car *may* have been illegally parked for a while. And that's all I will say about that. Oh, and the elevator in the hotel broke down on day two. Good times, good times. I *may* have walked up 10 flights of stairs. The next three days were a blur of agony.

Would you go back?

Honestly? Yeah, I would. Despite the questionable breakfast, my questionable navigation skills, and the elevator's betrayal, I actually had a pretty great time. St. Paul and Minneapolis are… interesting. And despite the cold, Minnesotans are surprisingly friendly! If you're looking for a budget-friendly, slightly-chaotic getaway with a healthy dose of adventure and questionable food, then the "Unbelievable Midway Hotel Deal" might just be the perfect experience. Just pack some antacids and a whole lotta patience. And a good map. Seriously, get a good map. And maybe learn how to identify edible breakfast items.

Final Thoughts/Tips?

My final thoughts: Embrace the chaos. Pack comfortable shoes. Don't underestimate the power of a good audiobook (saved me on those long drives). Bring snacks. And for the love of all that is holy, check the elevator situation *before* booking a room on the 10th floor. Okay? Okay. Also, the local breweries are great. But pace yourself. I overdid it.

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Quality Inn St. Paul-Minneapolis-Midway Minneapolis (MN) United States

Quality Inn St. Paul-Minneapolis-Midway Minneapolis (MN) United States

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