Most of you know that I recently returned from ten days on a mission trip, in New Orleans. ?Prior to making that trip, however, I had the most delightful ?stay-cation? experience, right here in Nebraska! ?My family and I had a great weekend and a fabulous stay at the Lincoln, NE Embassy Suites. ?This wonderful hotel quickly moved to the TOP of our list of favorites and will be the one we think of whenever we are looking for a high-value, affordable family-vacation stay.
(I need to also mention that I was sick with grief that I lost dozens of photos of this trip, when our phone carrier ?lost? them in moving them from my phone to our account. ?Happily, our ten-year-old had her camera along with her, so many shots were recovered from her unique perspective and I?m so grateful to have them.)
There is no doubt that we were expected, and received VIP treatment at the Lincoln Embassy Suites, however; after only a brief time at the hotel, it was also obvious that everyone staying there was given amenities and attention we have not experienced with any other hotel chain. ?We pulled up to the front of the hotel and were treated to valet parking. ?We walked through the doors into a modern and beautifully decorated lobby and THEN ? we turned to our left, and the entire room opened up into a gorgeous atrium, (nine stories high), filled with trees, plants, streams and waterfalls and sprinkled with dining tables and chairs! ?In the center of the atrium, we could look straight up to the giant sky-light that flooded the entire area with natural light. ?The atrium was surrounded, on three sides, by balconies in front of the picture windows of the guest rooms, rising all the way to the top floor. ?It was really quite beautiful, and yet, we immediately felt welcome and ?at-home?. ?The space was as comfortable and inviting as it was ?beautiful. ? Hotel staff remembered, (and called us by), our names, each time we passed; always checking to make sure ?that we wanted for nothing, throughout our stay.
The beautiful atrium area. At the top of the picture you can see there is a small bar and grill where guests can order and then enjoy their drinks or food in the atrium. Just to the right of that, there is a full, sit-down restaurant with an extensive menu available. Whenever we would step out of our suite and look down, this was our view over the balcony. So pretty!
After we breezed through the simple registration process, at the front desk, we stepped into one of three glass elevators that overlooked the atrium and enjoyed the wonderful view as we were lifted up to the eighth floor and our spacious and comfy two-room suite. ?The suite had a HUGE bathroom, a bedroom with two full-sized beds, a desk, large closet and flat screen tv. ?The living area also had a flat screen tv and all the hook-ups to have?accommodated?our son?s gaming systems, though we didn?t think to bring them. ?Wi-fi was included with our room, as well, and was the perfect companion to the large dining/table desk area that made it easy to get work done or sit down to enjoy a snack with the kids. ?The kitchenette area had a sink and ample counter space with a coffee maker, mini-fridge and microwave, plus a safe for any valuables we needed to leave in the room. ?What a treat to open the fridge and find that it had been stocked for us with milk, chocolate milk and many varieties of soda, as well as a gorgeous tray of snacks that included fresh strawberries and cream cheese dip, apple slices, brownies, cookies and more! ?There was a note on the counter inviting us to enjoy these complimentary refreshments and my crew didn?t take long accepting that invitation. ?Delicious!
The spacious and tastefully decorated bedroom in our suite.
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A well-laid out "kitchen" area gave us the opportunity to store and enjoy refreshments in our room.
Each suite has a separate living area with a flat screen TV. Ours also had a table/desk, a pullout sofa and an arm chair with an ottoman.
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The accommodations were spacious and comfortable. While not dissimilar to many other "suites" we have stayed in, the Embassy Suites rooms were clean, well cared for and included amenities we did NOT have at any other "suites" chain. We loved our stay here!
After getting unpacked and freshening up, my ten-year-old and I decided to walk around and take a little tour, before the family went down for the free Manager?s Reception. ?And since it was one of her most favorite things, our tour HAD to include another ride in the glass elevators! ?We noted that there were not only ice and soda machines on each floor, but that using our key card access, we were able to open large, well-kept laundry facilities, as well. ?We scoped out the location of the pool and hot tub, for later, and discovered a weight and exercise room, plus a nice gift shop. ?There is even a full restaurant, inside the hotel! ?We took some extra time to stroll through the atrium, cross the footbridge over the stream and just enjoy the pretty space and the soothing sounds of the water tumbling over rocks in the falls.
At the Manager?s Reception we enjoyed chips and salsa, pretzels and other finger food snacks along with free beverages ? sodas, and if wanted, mixed drinks for the adults. ? The setting for the reception was the atrium we had toured, earlier, and there was ample room for all the guests as it is dotted with dozens of dining tables and chairs, plus conversation areas and other seating. ?It was a casual and comfortable gathering where guests had the opportunity to relax and visit.
We walked to the Haymarket, a local historic area of the city, full of restaurants, antique shops and art galleries, for dinner. ?It was great that it is so close to the hotel and we didn?t even have a need for the car. ?There is actually quite a lot to do in downtown Lincoln, that is within walking distance of Embassy Suites. ?We could have taken in a movie at the Grand Theatre across the street or checked out the latest concert or play at the Lied Center. ?And it would be impossible to go hungry with the number of available restaurants, serving everything from smokehouse barbecue, to pizza to Indian cuisine. ?The possibilities will?tantalize?your?taste buds?as you walk the Haymarket and smell all the delicious aromas.
Walking to dinner in the Haymarket. There was so much that was in walking distance of the hotel!
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and were surprised to find we had the gorgeous pool, sauna and spa area all to ourselves. ?It was such a fun evening and once, again, the staff at the hotel was cordial and attentive, acknowledging us by name and then later on, quickly responding to a request for fresh towels in the pool area. ?We finished off our fun at the pool and headed back upstairs to our suite, where the kids pulled out the hide-a-bed and curled up to enjoy a movie, while David and I were able to watch a movie of our own, in the other room. ?Two TV?s turned out to be a great feature!
We enjoyed getting to swim in the gorgeous pool area during our stay!
The next morning, (You know, the point that is usually a mad scramble to choke down a couple granola bars or a tub of yogurt, pack and be out before check-out time.), we were able to wake up, get ready for our day and then head back downstairs to the beautiful atrium at the center of the hotel. ?Two professional chefs were busy taking personal orders for custom omelets, sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes and other delicious fare at absolutely NO EXTRA COST ? totally FREE ? included in the price of the room for our entire family! ?There was also a generously stocked buffet line with cereals, fruit, donuts, muffins, bagels, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy and more ? also free. ?We were so shocked and pleased at the wonder of it all, I forgot to take any pictures of the extraordinarily delicious food! ?I enjoyed a delicious sausage and cheese omelet with green peppers, onions and cheddar cheese. ?The person behind me in line, ordered an egg white omelet with peppers and cheese. ?My daughter ordered a ham and cheese omelet with a side of bacon. ?My husband ordered?.well, you get the idea. ?There must have been eight or ten individual omelet skillets going at all times. ?We placed our orders for our customized breakfast and watched as the pro chefs prepared each one individually and perfectly! ?Yum! ?What an extraordinarily delicious breakfast experience! ?If we had gone to a restaurant to order this meal, we would easily have spent $50 or more for our family to have food that probably would not have approached the quality we received at Embassy Suites. ?Can you believe that was all included in the price of our already very reasonably priced suite? ?Amazing value!
The made-to-order custom breakfasts were scrumptious and the entire breakfast "spread" was plentiful and had so many options! just to the right of this area, was where the two professional chefs could be found, creating breakfast masterpieces for each guest!
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After breakfast, we checked out and the valets brought our van right to the front door, where we loaded up to continue the rest of our brief stay-cation. ?We live so close to Lincoln and had taken our older daughters to visit some of the great frugal, family fun spots, but our ten-year-old hadn?t experienced several of those, yet. ?So, we strolled through the Sunken Gardens (completely free), visited the giant sculpture fountain in the zoo park, checked out a few interesting shops at the mall and then took her to tour the State Capitol building. ?It was a fun, educational and budget-friendly family weekend that created some great memories and we?re so grateful to Embassy Suites for making it special!
The sunken gardens were gorgeous and a great way to start the second day of our staycation!
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Our state capitol is a marvel of architecture and artistry. The tiled mosaics in the domed rotunda area are extraordinary!
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Abraham Lincoln outside the west entrance to the capitol building.
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Carvings and statues are intricately woven into the architecture of the building, with each piece relating its story about our state's history. This was a fun and educational tour that was free.
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Historic moments, captured in stone.
I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate and research this review, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.? A positive review was not required.? As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the company and products.
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