Fun Vacation: review – Hotel hopping “New Trend” 2

Fun Vacation – Hotel hopping “New Trend” review

We decided to stay at HYATT Place Charlotte/City Park at 4119 South Stream Blvd Charlotte, NC 28217 – and it was a great choice. I was ready to do the hotel hopping thing if we ran across another bad hotel, but the minute we got there we could see and feel the deference. We were greeted like if we were important and expected. The hotel looked wonderful and the breakfast area was “awesome”. The pool had crystal clear water and the rooms – oh the rooms, wonderful. We had a suit with two double beds and a separate room with a sofa bed. Now I am not going to say that it was brand new, if you look hard enough (being an ex-realtor) I can see some very minor defects, but compared to the other hotel, I was at the Taj-Mahal.

I can not get over the service, they were very helpful, the bar guy even helped me carry my drinks out to the pool, simply good people. Free newspaper, free internet, 42 inch TV, even though me, my son and my nieces spent most of our TV time watching Hulu on my tablet. Oh and did I mention the air, nice crisp cool air… as I write this I want to go back.

The Hyatt Place was close to everything, in was closer to the city so we went on several fun adventures that turned out to be fun and educational. We went to the NC Air Force Aeronautics Museum, my son loved that place. We sat in a jet fighter cockpit, saw the history of aeronautics and even saw the wreckage of the airplane that went down in the Hudson River in NY. We were invited to join a scavenger hunt for information, my son enjoyed that and I was reminded how learning can be fun if properly initiated.

Did you know that “the blue box” is the nickname of the first air flight trainer – it was invented by a Doctor for personal use and it wasn’t until several years later until the air force purchase the rights to use it to train pilots.

We visited the “Sea Life Aquarium” which happens to be in the Concord Mega-Mall. I was surprised to see such a large aquarium in a mall – I was also afraid my wife would want to spend the rest of the day in the mall. Luckily after spending two hours in the aquarium looking and touching the animals, after the play area and the spending another hour on a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium where my son asked hundreds of questions ( the guide was a school teacher who worked part-time, she said this was the best group she has ever had) we skipped the mall and went outside to a small carnival. We played miniature golf, the girls got on one of those bungi jumping trampoline things – it was a long fun day. In fact when we got in the car, all the kids fell asleep.

I have to say most of the people we dealt with were very nice. The Jocks & Jill's Sports Grill treat us like kings and queens. The food was great and the service was like I said – out of this world. I ate there three times and all three times it was wonderful.

We went into the city, to a place called “The Greens”, I was shocked to find so many things closed during the weekend. It was Saturday, a day you would think business open up for people with free time to hung out but no, most things were closed. But it was still a nice area and the things that were open were an adventure in itself. I loved the Wells Fargo museum, that was a treat and we got to learn a few things. If a museum can keep a ten year old boy and one eight year old girl with a 4 year old girl busy, happy and content – you know that is a fun place to be in. I have to admit that even my wife and I walked out of there happy. We also went to a near by art gallery, the kids were fascinated by the art, I was fascinated by the prices - $23,000 dollars for what looked to me like a bunch of paint scribbled on to a canvas? But hey, to each is own.

Between all the activities, the hours in the pool, and the delicious food we ate; I have to say we had a blast. I asked my son what was his favorite part and of course it was the aviation museum, in his own words “best place ever”.   Continue Reading