“I think it looks bigger than it really is,” my son commented as we sat in the front lobby of the Doubletree Guest Suites in Nashville, waiting to check out.

We were nestled into modern sofas inches away from the automatic front doors and a few feet from the hotel restaurant where we’d had a breakfast buffet.  I looked up at the three floors rising above me and reflected on the past night’s stay.

“Yeah,” I nodded my head at him.  “I think you’re right.  It sure feels like a big, fancy hotel, doesn’t it?”

In reality, the Doubletree Guest Suites on Atrium Way in Nashville, Tennesse offers only 138 suites on three easy to navigate floors.  There’s one front door and one back door, accessible by room key, and you can get to any place in the hotel quickly and easily.  But at first glance, you almost expect a sprawling property with winding corridors and banquet rooms.

The Doubletree does an excellent job with the space they have, especially considering their rooms start at just $85 per night.

This is an all suite hotel, meaning each room comes with a bedroom and a well appointed sitting room.  My family of four plus two grandparents spent a night on the sofas and chairs in one of the living rooms, and there was ample space for the two kids under 10 who insisted on running around.  The bedrooms themselves offer comfortable beds in spacious rooms with oversized bathrooms attached.

The bed was fantastically comfortable, right down to the numerous fluffy pillows for both the bed and the pullout couch.

I love a hotel that doesn’t skimp on pillows.

The Doubletree also features an indoor and outdoor pool.  The indoor pool was reserved for a party during our stay, so we were limited to splashing around in the outdoor pool.  The pool ran from 3 feet to 5 feet with wide stairs for my four year old to lounge on in the shallow end.  The pool itself was surrounded by cushioned chaise lounges and umbrella’ed tables.  And while it did takes us three trips to the front desk to convince them that there were, in fact, no towels available poolside – when the hotel employee finally arrived, we were pleased with the large, soft towels we were given.

My only complaint about the hotel was the breakfast situation.  When we booked online, it said that breakfast was included.  However, when we made our way downstairs in the morning, all we saw was an open hot and cold buffet with a gold plaque announcing “$9.95 per person”.  There was no wait staff to question, so we sat down to eat.  Upon finishing our meal, an employee who seemed to be a bartender asked if we had meal coupons – which we did not.  Insist on breakfast coupons when you check in. As far as free breakfast buffet goes, it wasn’t bad – but it’s barely a $10 per person breakfast.

The hotel is located near the airport, and it would make a great pit stop before or after a Nashville flight.  I would also recommend this hotel for family vacations with kids.

I’m not sure if Kentucky is technically considered Southern, but my stay at the Doubletree Suites in Lexington, Kentucky sure felt like southern hospitality at its finest.

I was nervous about the accommodations because I was staying with two other girlfriends and we’d chosen this hotel, in part, because it was one of the least expensive options in town.

My concerns were almost immediately put to rest when I walked into the lobby.

The lobby of the Doubletree Suites is a beautiful indoor courtyard, flanked on four sides by the guest rooms rising up above.  A fountain, gazebo, and seating areas that looked like they belonged in a stately library contributed to an elegant and charming ambiance.  I half expected a gentleman in a waistcoat to offer to escort me to the elevator.

Each staff member I met during my stay added to the welcoming feeling.  The receptionist checked us in quickly with both competence and graciousness.  The housekeeping staff beamed each morning when they showed up with extra towels and coffee packets.  The concierge charmed my girlfriends and I with his drawl and his eagerness to guide our daily activities.  The entire staff went above and beyond to take care of a friend of mine who had her luggage lost by the airline.

But the stand out, for me, was the in house tech support who helped us access the wireless internet when we couldn’t get our laptops to play nice with their servers.  The only thing that could have made the stay better would have been free wireless internet.

Aside from the extraordinary customer service, the accommodations I actually paid for far exceeded my expectations.  The suites at the Doubletree are set up with a bedroom and bathroom and a separate, if rather small, living area.  The living area consisted of a mini-fridge, writing desk, arm chair and fold out couch.

Between the two rooms and the generously sized bathroom, three women found ample space to spread out and primp without feeling like we were climbing all over one another.

The Doubletree Suites in Lexington is a great location for a girlfriend getaway or romantic weekend.  It wouldn’t be my first recommendation for business or family travel because of the lack of free internet and continental breakfast.  I would be especially nervous about bringing small children after witnessing a wedding that was held in the hotel lobby on Saturday morning.  However, this hotel is ideal for adults looking for a relaxing vacation at a reasonable price.