Hotels: Hampton Inn – Anchorage, Alaska
While in Anchorage, Alaska we stayed at the Hampton Inn at 4301 Credit Union Dr, Anchorage, AK 99503. Once we arrived at the airport in Anchorage, Alaska we called the hotel shuttle which comes by every 10 to 20 minutes 24 hours a day. I think we had to wait about 10 minutes which the kids thought was “forever” in the cool drizzly mist outside the airport, but it wasn’t bad. We just were not used to the cool rainy temperatures in the summer being from South Carolina plus we were tired. It was 5:00 am our time back home. The 4 hour time change had us a little bit off schedule and even though we napped on the plane it wasn’t like a full nights sleep!
The Hampton Inn was a fairly quick drive from the airport and the driver was pleasant. There was only one other couple in the van with us. We were able to check into the hotel, settle into our room, shower, and crash for a few hours before getting up and heading out on the town. It was wonderful getting a hot shower and crashing into a comfortable bed after being up over 30 plus hours.
Why did we choose Hampton Inn? There are multiple reasons, but here is a handful that swayed our family in the direction of going with Hampton:
- We are Hilton Honors Members – a lot of time when we (mostly Jake) travels for work the nearest hotel is Hampton so we tend to stick with the Hilton line
- Quality and service at the Hilton Hotels is pretty consistent
- Clean Rooms
- Comfortable Beds – we have slept in a variety of rooms / beds over the past 16 years of our marriage and Hilton beds typically more comfortable then other hotels that we have been at while traveling. A good nights sleep can make a huge difference on the following day!
- Swimming Pool – most of the Hilton’s we have been at have either an indoor or outdoor pool which is always a hit for the kids
- Continental Breakfast – decent and predictable breakfast (which is especially convenient when traveling with a family member that has food allergies or food intolerances) Not all the Hilton hotels have continental breakfasts, but all the Hampton Inn’s we have stayed out do have breakfast which is always a benefit when you have a hungry family every morning
The Hampton Inn not only had shuttle service to/from the airport, but also to several spots around Anchorage. After some sleep and a good breakfast we were ready to hit the town and explore Anchorage. We were the only ones on the shuttle at that time. We asked the driver for recommendations on “must see” places to visit, shop, eat, and tour while we were in Anchorage (especially since we were only going to be in town 1 day, we wanted to squeeze in everything we could during our time there).
After we asked the question the driver took the time to pull over the van in a safe location, got a map of Anchorage out, started to circle and draw an outline of where we need to go that day, how to get there, and a variety of activities from sight seeing, shopping, tours, and great local places to eat or visit. We did EVERYTHING recommended that morning, except 1 of the restaurants and that was only because we got hungry earlier than we expected and stopped to eat prior to getting to the restaurant which was delicious too!
It was thoughtful and AWESOME having that 2 minute explanation and highlights of the town. It gave us a clear path to follow throughout the day without wasting time wondering around and trying to figure out what to do. We left the hotel at 9 am that morning and didn’t actually get back to our home to start getting ready for bed until almost 11 pm that night. Thankful that Hampton Inn hired good drivers who go the extra mile. It made our day in Anchorage fun, memorable, and enjoyable for the whole family. We got to see a lot more with his assistance then if we had just roamed around on our own. It made it more efficient and we got to pack more into our one day of Anchorage than we ever anticipated.
I would definitely recommend that Hampton Inn in Anchorage if you are looking for a place to stay. It is not the one downtown Anchorage but in the suburbs. It was clean, family friendly, and a great place to stay. It was the first hotel we had been in that had crayons and postcards that the kids could color in with crayons in the lobby and mail out. Which was a neat “extra” piece for families traveling with kids.
Starting off with a BANG….
Neat pictures - parts of airplanes at the Marriott. We left for our exciting cruise vacation late on a Friday afternoon. We were all packed, loaded in the van, and ready to go only to discover the van would not start. Oh BOY! Not again, the van has already been in the shop two times in the last couple of months. After a quick call to Jake I tried to explain the situation to the girls. They were in tears because they were super excited about starting their vacation together with friends while we were on the cruise.
We decided to all head back inside and have fun while waiting for Daddy to come home. We read a couple books together as we were waiting. Brina picked out a book about a Ballerina and Karlie picked out “The Empire’s New Clothes”. After reading the books we took a few minutes to snuggle and talk. We did a few extra chores around the house then Jake was home. Looking back it was nice to have a few moments of quiet and relaxing time together before leaving. He was able to jump start the van and away we went only a little over an hour off schedule.
We got the girls settled into their new home for the week. They were excited about spending their vacation with friends and had been looking forward to it for a long time. Jake and I started our first leg of our trip together as a couple. The van was a little quiet without the girls giggling and talking in the back but we enjoyed our time together.
On the way we stopped at Flying J for a potty break and to pick up a snack for breakfast the next morning at the airport. We were flying out early and getting checked in and through the security could take up any extra time so we wanted to be prepared. We had a quick but nice supper at Arby’s. It is always smart to bring coupons on vacation with you because you never know where you might stop to eat. It is amazing how much you can save over the course of a trip by using coupons.
The roads under the bridges were still icy from the snow storm earlier that week but we made it safely to Atlanta and checked into
for the night. They have a wonderful program we have used several times where you park your vehicle at the hotel and they drive you to the airport which costs less then parking even in the long term parking at the airport. You can park even if you are not planning on spending the night at the hotel. This was the first time we used it and spent the night. Since we spent the night our parking was free for a week and it was still less then parking at the airport. Plus with the flight leaving early in the morning we wanted to make sure we were at the airport on time. Marriott had a shuttle going to and from the airport every 15 minutes making it convenient to catch a ride when you wanted to leave for the airport. We did all the planning for this ahead of time and reserved the room and parking online. Love being able to get things done before ever leaving on vacation. Many other cities provide this service as well so it may be worth checking into before you fly the next time if you cannot have someone drive you, it really has saved us a lot of money over the last few years.
Jake and I had a wonderful couple hours to relax before getting a good nights sleep. We don’t have a TV in our room at home so we surfed the channels for a few minutes and ended up watching “Bill Cosby’s Himself”. I had never seen it before, for an example of the show click here. It was nice to relax together and just laugh listening to Bill Cosby. We had no where to be until the morning so we relaxed!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
