“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.

hotelpreston.com

Looking for some Valentine’s Day fun in Tennessee? I hope so, because Hotel Preston, the art-themed boutique hotel in Nashville, is running a several Valentine’s Day promotions, including “Cupid Gone Wild,” “Ooey Gooey Night Out,” and “Seven Deadly Sins,” complete with all seven deadly sins.

Here’s how “Seven Deadly Sins” is gonna play out:

• Lust – Sexy adult amenities
• Gluttony – A bottle of Seven Deadly Zins Wine
• Greed – A whole Hotel Preston signature cake
• Sloth – Late check-out & Do Not Disturb sign
• Wrath – Early check-in
• Envy – Two keepsake bath robes
• Pride – Luxury bath kit & vanity mirror

I love that “Wrath” means “early check-in.” How on Earth does that work? Must be like: “I’m so angry, I’m gonna get there at like 2pm!!”

Whatevs, though. Still sounds like a killer package to me.

The amenities for “Cupid Gone Wild” include chilled champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, sexy body dust, bubble bath … I’ve never heard of such a good excuse to hit Nashville. No really, I’m sure the Opry is great, but this Valentine’s Day deal is like, made of awesome.

I’m really glad that the body dust is gonna be sexy. I hate regular body dust.

Lastly, “Ooey Gooey Night Out” includes deluxe accommodations, luxurious linens, and a pillow menu. A pillow menu. (???) Also, a bottle of local wine or sparkling cider (please make it three) and “death by chocolate room service.” But don’t go out. Relax with an in-room movie of your choice and take advantage of the “surprise romance toys!” There’s also in-room massage and yoga for an additional fee.

The prices start at $149. Hotel Preston. Send this to my boyfriend. Kthx.

As is normal for us when we go on a trip to – well, anywhere – my boyfriend and I pretty much ate our way through Nashville, Tennessee. I guess you could say we really like to get the local flavor of a place…or maybe we just like to eat. Luckily for us, our hotel, Sheraton Music City, was very close to downtown Nashville, less than a ten minute drive. So, in between gastronomic investigations, we were also able to sneak in a couple of cool sights, too.

The first was Belmont University, where the second presidential debate took place. We weren’t able to go inside he actual room where the debates had been held, but we were able to peek through the glass. BelmontUniversity is a really pretty place, with lots of trees and nice landscaping. It’s a strong liberal arts school, and not surprisingly, it has also has one of the nation’s top-ranked music and stage production programs

Belmont University campus

After touring Belmont we went back to the hotel to relax and unwind a bit. The Sheraton Music City has an indoor and an outdoor pool, as well as a nice gym located directly next to the indoor pool and jacuzzi. My boyfriend and I decided to take advantage of these amenities and have a good workout before soaking in the (really hot) jacuzzi for a bit. The pool was about 84 degrees, the perfect temperature for me.

After our two-hour break at the hotel, we decided to hit up downtown Nashville that evening for some good barbecue. I’ve been craving beef ribs since living in Austin, Texas for three weeks last year, and Atlanta just hasn’t been cutting it in that department. I fully admit that my first question to the hotel clerk at Sheraton Music City was: “OK. Where’s the best barbecue in town?” She suggested Jack’s, in the middle of downtown, which was only seven miles away. Jack’s was definitely good – they didn’t  have beef ribs! The pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender though, and the sauces were savory and spicy. I have to say that the creamed corn came out of a microwaved bag, though. We saw it being dumped into the serving bins. It actually tasted quite good, but it kind of ruined the “real barbecue” experience for me. I’m sure the macaroni was from a bag too, but oh well.

After dinner we tried to go buy some cowboy boots at a store just down the street. They were having what seemed to be a spectacular sale – but one pair, get two free. However, the “one pair” cost $200-$400. Weren’t these boots supposed to be worn in horse muck? Apparently not – they were good looking boots though. I almost bought a cute black cowgirl hat, but decided better of it. Our dog Penny had eaten the adorable pink one I had bought while in Austin, and since she was with us on this trip, I didn’t want to take my chances.

I have to say the the most bizarre part of our short trip was seeing a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in

The Parthenon in Centennial Park

Athens. I know, I couldn’t believe it either! It was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, and it’s a pretty amazing sight. It’s in Centennial Park, and I was really disappointed that we couldn’t go inside the Parthenon (it was Sunday) because it apparently houses a beautiful art museum. I especially wanted to check out the 42 foot Athena Parthenos statue, but that will have to wait for next time. That’s when we’ll see all the other things we didn’t have a chance to even drive by this time.

And by the way – the hotel had a very generous check out time of noon, so we were able take our time getting ready in the morning before we went to visit the Parthenon and, and we still had plenty of time to drive back to the hotel to collect our bags and then head back to Atlanta. This much appreciated, because I hate asking for late checkouts. No need to this time!

Thank you to MeganCasey and ButterflySha for their photo contributions from Flickr.

On a recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee, my boyfriend and I decided to bring our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Penny, with us. Mind you, Penny is 75 pounds of action-loving pooch, so we were a little nervous about finding a place that would take her. And, at first, all we could find were pet friendly hotels that had a strict “40 pounds and under” rule (for pets, of course.) After poking around on the Web a bit, though, we discovered that the Sheraton Music City (which turns out to be at the top of Uptake’s list!) allows dogs up to 80 pounds. Perfect! As long as Penny didn’t eat her way out of the house before we left, we’d just squeak in under the weight limit.

And as it turns out, the Sheraton Music City completely exceeded our expectations in every way. It’s a large (over 400 rooms), with Georgian-style architecture, two pools, a business center and a good gym. Penny was enthusiastically greeted by the hotel staff as we walked across the spacious, attractive lobby, and not a single person gave us a funny look, unless you count the smiles. The woman at the front desk even asked if we needed a doggie bed! We had brought our own, but we were pleased to discover that the doggie beds are completely complementary, though they are available on a first-come first-serve basis. I was a little nervous when they told us that because of the dog, we were staying in a “special, reserved” section of the hotel, and I instantly got images of tiny, dark rooms that smelled like wet dogs and pet accidents. But then I realized that, if the lobby was any indication, the hotel was a classy place, and I probably didn’t have anything to worry about.

All of my fears went away as soon as we got to our first-floor room. The room was spacious, clean and the beds were very comfortable (Penny tried out both beds during our stay.) I couldn’t detect a hing of “doggie” smell, and the only problem we ran into was Penny trying to eat all of the room service plates which had been placed outside of the rooms. In fact, the only shortcoming I could mention was that, while there was a patio just outside the room, there were no dividers in between the rooms, so we couldn’t let Penny hang out by herself without tying her up. Not a huge deal at all, just something I thought I should mention in the spirit of full disclosure. There was plenty of space to take her on long walks – the hotel has 41 acres of lush, green property (i.e. pet paradise).

The Sheraton Music City was only about seven miles from downtown Nashville, so it was very convenient to all of the attractions we could have enjoyed had we stayed longer. We did manage to get some great bbq, an authentic ice cream soda and even see a life-size Parthenon in the middle of a park. (Check out my next blog for more info on all of that.) Definitely check this place out if you want to travel with your above-average sized pet, we’re definitely staying there again when we go back.

Thank you to GoGeoffrey on Flickr Creative Commons for his photo of Jack’s BBQ in Memphis. I took the photo of Penny.