Atlanta Airport Escape: Luxurious Stay at Holiday Inn & Suites!
Atlanta Airport Escape: Holiday Inn & Suites - My (Almost) Perfect Layover Odyssey! (Review)
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Okay, buckle up buttercups, because this review isn't your usual polished travel brochure. This is real life, baby. And real life, especially when involving airports and layovers, can be a beautiful, messy beast. I just survived (and thrived, mostly!) at the Holiday Inn & Suites near Atlanta Airport, and lemme tell you, I have feelings. ALL the feelings.
First off, the accessibility stuff. HUGE win! I'm not in a wheelchair myself, but I always notice the details. And this place seemed pretty darn decent. Wheelchair accessible rooms were clearly marked, and the overall vibe felt, well, accessible. No treacherous steps or narrow hallways. Nice job, Holiday Inn, you got this right. Bonus points for having facilities for disabled guests in general!
Getting Around was a breeze. Airport transfer? Yep, and it was FAST. After a grueling red-eye, that's all you need. Pure, glorious speed. They had a free car park too, because… well, I don't know why, but it's there! (And I bet you could charge your car with their car power charging station too if you’re that type!).
Check-in/out [express]? YES! Bless the speedy angels. I was in my room faster than you can say "delayed flight." And the front desk was actually friendly. Not the fake hotel-chain friendly, but genuinely helpful. See, I had a crisis…
A Crisis of the Snack Variety!
I arrived STARVING. Like, primal hunger growling. No food on the plane, and the airport…well, let's just say airport food is a gamble. So, thank GOD for the convenience store. They had everything. Chips, cookies, miniature pizzas that somehow tasted amazing at 3 AM. Listen, don't judge. It was a lifeline! And I think they had a safe full of treats in the safety deposit box too, but didn’t inquire, because snacks… were… enough.
The Room: My Cozy Airport Bunker
The room itself? Pretty good. Cleanliness and safety were clearly a priority. They had that whole room sanitization opt-out available thing. And the fact that they used anti-viral cleaning products was a major relief. I'm a germaphobe, let’s be honest. They did rooms sanitized between stays, so the Staff trained in safety protocol was a great sign. I loved the non-smoking rooms, and my smoking area was right outside the door with the fire extinguisher at hand.
Speaking of the room…oh, it's a beauty. Air conditioning? Check. A seriously comfy bed with a nice extra-long bed so you can really sprawl out after that terrible plane ride. The blackout curtains were a godsend – total darkness. You needed the wake-up service on your alarm clock but trust me, you'll sleep through it! I had a desk I never touched, a TV with satellite/cable channels I didn't watch, a refrigerator full of… water (and my aforementioned snacks), and a coffee/tea maker that was a close second to my snack haul in importance. Thank goodness for the free bottled water too. I could take a bath in the bathrobes, and when I did get around to it, the shower hit the spot.
A Quick Dip (and a Near-Disaster!)
The swimming pool [outdoor] looked tempting. Actually, more than tempting. I practically sprinted out there, towel in hand. It was a gorgeous day, and that pool with a view was calling my name!
And then… disaster almost struck!
I forgot I was wearing my new favorite (and ridiculously expensive) sunglasses. And guess what? They slipped off my head. I saw them sink. Instantly, the panic set in. I was one of those people. I had to have them.
But then… a lifeguard jumped in instantly! A real, live, professional lifeguard! I felt like an idiot, but he saved my sunglasses. The water was sparkling, the sun was glorious, and my expensive sunglasses were saved.
This is where I'd normally gush about the spa, sauna, or steamroom. They had them, all those ways to relax, but I was still processing the great sunglasses rescue! Sorry, guys. My brain was elsewhere.
Dining: A Mixed Bag of Yum and… Not So Yum
Okay, here's the truth: the restaurants were hit or miss. The breakfast [buffet] was… fine. Standard hotel fare. The coffee shop was a lifesaver. They had a bar so you can make all the drinks possible. However, they provided alternative meal arrangement for all dietary needs, so points for them. The buffet in restaurant didn’t offer many things for my needs. I'm also a sucker for a late-night room service [24-hour] run. Their Asian cuisine in restaurant looked interesting, but I didn't try it. Maybe next time? I did try the salad in restaurant and the soup in restaurant. Again…okay.
There were a few perks to note. The Happy hour felt like a true gift. There's a poolside bar as well. And the fact they had coffee/tea in restaurant was enough to make me survive! They provided a vegetarian restaurant. And there was desserts in restaurant, too.
One thing the hotel got seriously wrong was the cashless payment service. They make it way too hard in comparison to the rest of the city.
The Verdict: Airport Oasis Edition (Mostly)
Would I stay here again? Absolutely! The convenience, the friendly staff, the overall cleanliness, and the near-perfect pool experience (minus the sunglasses drama) make it a winner. It's not perfect, but it's a damn good option for a layover. A solid 4 out of 5 stars - and that's BEFORE the sunglasses rescue! I'd be back anytime for the Asian breakfast, which I'll need to try next time!
Final Thoughts: The Messiness of Travel
Travel is messy. It's chaotic. It's sometimes stressful. But it's also full of unexpected moments, like near-drownings, miracle sunglass saves, and the pure joy of a perfect layover hotel. And the Holiday Inn & Suites at Atlanta Airport, for the most part, delivered on that promise.
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Alright, buckle up buttercups, because this ain't your grandma's itinerary. We're diving headfirst, belly-flopping if necessary, into the glorious, slightly-chaotic, and utterly unpredictable experience that is… the Holiday Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport North By IHG in East Point, Georgia. And trust me, we're gonna capture the essence of travel - the good, the bad, and the “wait, did I really just do that?”
The Great Atlanta Airport Adventure: A Messy Playbook
Day 1: Arrival and the "Oh-My-God-I'm-Tired" Tango
1:00 PM: Touchdown in Atlanta. (Finally! After that delayed flight from… well, let's not go there.)
- Reality Check: The moment you step off the plane, you're greeted by that signature Atlanta humidity. It's like a warm, damp hug from a thousand mosquitoes, but hey, we roll with it! Finding baggage claim felt like navigating ancient hieroglyphs. Seriously, why are airport signs always so cryptic?
1:30 PM: Shuttle Serenade (or, The Eternal Wait)
- Ramblings: The Holiday Inn shuttle. It's a mythical beast. Supposedly arriving every 30 minutes. In reality? More like “whenever the stars align and the driver feels like it.” We spent what felt like an eternity staring at the arrivals board, watching other shuttles zip by while muttering about the futility of existence.
2:30 PM: Check-In Debacle (or, The Great Room Key Conspiracy)
- Emotional Reaction: "Ugh." That's the first word that comes out of my mouth. The check-in desk was a flurry of activity. The poor receptionist, bless her heart, looked like she'd been through a hurricane of tired travelers. Room keys didn’t work, and the air conditioning unit sounded like a dying walrus. (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.) But after three trips back to the front desk, we're finally in the room.
3:00 PM: Room Reconnaissance and the Unveiling of the Bed (and the carpet).
- Quirky Observation: The room. Ah, the room. It's… a room. The bed looked inviting, but the carpet had seen some things. Definitely some things. I suspect there's a whole secret society of stains, each with their own history and whispered stories.
3:30 PM: The Nap of Champions (or, Why Sleep is the Ultimate MVP)
- Opinionated Language: LET. ME. SLEEP. Seriously, the flight, the shuttle drama, the key fiasco… my brain was mush. This was a mandatory nap.
6:00 PM: Dinner Disaster (or, The Quest for Edible Food)
- Messier Structure: Okay, so the hotel restaurant… let's just say "meh." Everything was either overcooked, bland, or possessed an unsettling shade of grey. I ordered a burger that came with fries that looked like they'd been sitting under a heat lamp since the Cretaceous period. I ate… some of it. Debated ordering room service, but I suspected even they might be underwhelmed.
7:00 PM: Evening of Netflix and Regret
- Doubling Down on Experience: I retreated to the room, sunk into the pillows, and binged-watched something mindless on Netflix. There was a brief moment of considering going to the hotel bar. But the thought of interacting with other weary travelers felt even more exhausting than traveling. My mood went from weary to melancholy as I stared at the ceiling.
DAY 2: Exploration?! Maybe. Coffee and the Hotel Gym
7:00 AM: The Caffeine Awakening (or, The Battle with the Coffee Machine)
- Real-sounding Ancedote: The in-room coffee maker. God bless it. It takes about 15 minutes, but I finally, finally got some coffee. The kind of bitter, lukewarm coffee that somehow still manages to be the elixir of life after a rough night. The morning news informed me that my flight home was delayed until the afternoon. Great. More hotel time.
7:30 AM: Gym Shenanigans (or, The Sad Exercise Attempt)
- Imperfections: The hotel gym. Full of treadmills that looked like they'd been through the apocalypse. I lasted about 20 minutes on one of them, before the monotony and the questionable cleanliness got to me. I did a few half-hearted push-ups and declared victory. (Fitness is totally a state of mind, right?)
8:30 AM: The Dreaded Hotel Breakfast (or, The Egg-Related Tragedy)
- Opinionated Language: Free breakfast, as they say. Free is often a euphemism for "slightly horrifying." The scrambled eggs appeared to be made of rubber, and the pastries looked suspiciously like they'd been repurposed from yesterday's buffet. I reached for a piece of fruit.
10:00 AM: Atlanta… is what it is (or, The Uber-Fueled Adventure)
- Messier Structure & Emotional Reaction: On a whim, I ordered an Uber. I felt like I had to see something! I spent the rest of the day Ubering around Atlanta. The traffic was horrific. I spent most of my time staring out the window, but I got a taste of the culture. This city has some good things and some bad things. The Museum was cool.
5:00 PM: Return to the Hotel. Exhausted and content to be back. Dinner at that restaurant again. I'm getting the burger again with only slightly less loathing.
8:00 PM: Preparing for Departure (or, The Packing Purgatory)
- Final Ramblings: Packing. The bane of my existence. I crammed everything back into my suitcase, hoping I hadn't forgotten anything. The feeling of being done with this hotel felt good.
Day 3: The Escape
- 7:00 AM: The Final Awakening
- 8:00 AM: Hotel breakfast again.
- 9:00 AM: Checkout. More key complications. More waiting.
- 10:00 AM: The shuttle. Again. This time, it actually shows up. The driver's a chatty sort.
- 11:00 AM: Departure. I'm out.
The Verdict:
The Holiday Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport North By IHG? Look, it's a hotel. It served its function. It was clean enough (mostly). The staff was (mostly) friendly. I've stayed in worse. But… it wasn't exactly a destination in itself. Was it an experience? Absolutely. Did it make me laugh? Of course. Would I go back? Probably. Because the airport life is a journey, and this was just one small chapter.
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So... what *is* this thing, anyway? And why should I care?
I'm confused! What's the difference between... stuff... and other stuff?
How do I even *begin* to navigate this... labyrinth?
(Side note: If you *do* sign up for the cheese club, let me know how it goes. I might need a good cheddar recommendation myself...)
Why is this so… disorganized?
What happens if I don't understand something?
Has anyone ever *actually* found this helpful?
Why are you even doing this? What’s the point?
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