Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa - Glendale, AZ

The Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa is located in Glendale Arizona, about 15 minutes slightly northwest of Phoenix.

The hotel is located next to Jobing.com Arena, home of the Phoenix Coyotes, and is within walking distance of University of Phoenix Stadium.  Also located next to the hotel is the Westgate Entertainment District, and across the street are the TangerOutlets.

The hotel is very centrally located if one is interested in sporting events or concerts, shopping, entertainment and dining.

Upon entering the hotel, the lobby is open and spacious.  The front desk area is situated in a semi-circular pattern.

The Front Desk Agent was friendly, and explained most Marriott Platinum Premier benefits.  I was informed that the Lounge was closed on the weekends, so I would have access to the Breakfast Buffet.  Although the voucher indicated that it was good for a Continental Breakfast for two, I was ensured that it was good the entire buffet and omelet station.

King Corner Suite

I was upgraded to a King Corner Suite, which was a nice surprise.  Unfortunately it was on the second floor and views were less than ideal, as the view from the bedroom was the roof and wall, while the view from the living room was of the roof and part of the entertainment complex.

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room

Upon entering the room, you immediately enter the living room which has a sofa, desk, TV, chair and small dining table for two.

Wt Bar Area

There is also a microwave oven, refrigerator, wet bar area and coffee maker.

There is a door that separates the living room from the bedroom, which is great for privacy and noise insulation.

Sink

Jacuzzi Tub

Toilet

The bathroom is huge with a Jacuzzi tub, separate shower and toilet.  There is only a single sink with limited counter space which is a slight drawback.  From the Jacuzzi tub, you can have a view into the bedroom or the option of closing the sliding door.  Water pressure and temperature were both excellent.

Bed

View From Bedroom

Lounge Chair

Desk & TV

The bedroom is also very spacious and has a large dresser, another desk and lounge chair.  The bed and pillows are very comfortable.

View From Bedroom

View From Living Room

As previously mentioned, the views from the room were less than desirable.

Wifi is fast and reliable.

There is only one thermostat in the room, which doesn’t allow the entire room to cool down quickly.  Also, if you like your room cool, especially during the summer, then you will be slightly disappointed.

Service was friendly overall.  I was given a late check-out of 2 PM even though there was a football game on the day of check-out.  There is a $10 parking charge for self-parking, which is a little high considering the hotel has a suburban location.  The Front Desk Agent comped parking at check-out; don’t know if that is the normal practice for Platinum members.

Given the entertainment, shopping and dining choices all within walking distance, I would not hesitate to stay here again.

Sheraton Cerritos Hotel

The Sheraton Cerritos Hotel is conveniently located off of the 91 freeway, and right across the street from the Cerritos Towne Center which includes many shopping, restaurant and entertainment choices such as Wal-Mart, Trader Joe’s, Office Max, Macaroni Grill, Wood Ranch BBQ Grill and an Edwards Theater.

Upon entering the property, there is ample free self-parking which is always a plus since hotels like to overcharge for parking even in remote places.

Entering the hotel is somewhat backwards, as you will walk through the ballrooms in order to get to the front desk.  Upon entering the lobby, which is fairly small, the front desk is to the right.

Although the Front Desk Agent wasn’t overly friendly as he hardly said a word.  I did get upgraded to the Club Level, although there isn’t a Club Lounge in the hotel.  I was also placed into a “Pure Room” which is supposed to “Allergy-Friendly” that also has an in-room air filtration system, which is an air purifier.

Bathroom

Bathroom

Upon entering the room, the bathroom is to the left.  There is ample counter space which is always appreciated.  There is a shower/tub combo.  Although water pressure isn’t all that great, water temperature is excellent with no varying of temperature while taking a shower.

Bedroom

The bedroom is not overly huge, but does have enough space to have a small sitting area with two chairs and a small table.

Desk

The desk is somewhat small, and would be difficult to do any work if papers needed to be spread out.

Dresser & TV

There is a small dresser with flat screen TV.

Air Purifier

The air purifier is about the size of a fairly large paper shredder and can be loud if turned onto high.  There is no central air conditioning, so the air conditioner is fairly loud.

As there is no Club Lounge, I was given a voucher for breakfast.  This allows access for two to the Breakfast Buffet ($15.95) with no substitutions allowed.  The buffet is somewhat limited with eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal and congee for hot options.  There are also various cereals, breads, muffins, bagels, yogurt and fruit.  The quality of the hot food is barely passable as the bacon was really greasy.  I would be rather upset if I had to actually pay for the breakfast as a guest.

Despite being fairly close to the freeway, noise was at a minimum.  This is a nice hotel for a one night stay, although not especially close to any freeway.  The hotel seems primarily geared towards people traveling on business, or if wanting to stay the night if seeing a show or concert at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center.

Old Vine Cafe - Costa Mesa, CA

Located in The Camp, the Old Vine Café is a small restaurant located in Costa Mesa with an eclectic menu that is all over the place, in a good way.

In order to avoid long waits on the weekends either arrive early in the morning or later in the day as they do not take reservations.

Inside seating is cozy to say the least.  As this is a small space, tables are located fairly close together.  There is a small seating area outside, consisting of a long counter with a couple of small tables.

Service is warm and pleasant.  All servers are help, and a team atmosphere is readily seen.

Caramel Apple French Toast

The Caramel Apple French Toast is almost dessert like.  It is more like bread pudding, or baked French Toast, than the traditional preparation.  The French Toast is soggy, something that is hard to come by.  Loaded with big chunks of apple, with caramel and chocolate sauces on the side, this dish isn’t as sweet as you would think.

Reuben Omelet

The Reuben Omelet is a take on the Reuben Sandwich.  Enveloped in the soft, fluffy eggs are loads of pastrami, crunchy and acidic sauerkraut and cave aged Gruyere.  I opted to go without the Russian Dressing.  The dish comes complete with a dill pickle on the side, and breakfast potatoes, which could be improved if they were crunchier.

Biscuits & Gravy

The Biscuits and Gravy is a Southern classic.  The biscuit is huge and smothered in homemade white gravy.  On it’s own, the biscuit was somewhat salty and tasted a little “raw”.  The gravy on it’s own is smooth, thick and creamy, just like grandma would make.  Pair them together and this is a pretty solid dish.

With the eclectic menu choices, trying each dish would be a culinary adventure.  Most dishes that I’ve tried are pretty solid, but I do prefer the Blueberry French Toast over the Baked Apple French Toast, and the Reuben Omelet over the BBQ omelet.

Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport

The Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport sits directly across the street from the John Wayne Airport.  Although being an airport hotel, it is kept up rather well.  The lobby, although somewhat small is well maintained and has a “fresh” look unlike many airport hotels with drab furnishings and old fading carpeting.

As you enter the hotel, the front desk is located to the left hidden behind several pillars.  The front desk agent was friendly and quickly recognized my Hilton HHonors Gold Status, and noted that my membership number was on file.  He stated that I had been “upgraded to a high floor”, however being on the 5^th floor of a 10 floor hotel is hardly a high floor.  He was presumptuous that I would take breakfast over the point amenity, which I would normally do if I hadn’t had plans the following day.  I was given an internet access code which is complimentary with Hilton Gold status.  I was told that there should be bottles of water in the room that were complimentary, and given a late check-out of 2 PM.

Bathroom

Shower/Tub

Upon entering the room, the bathroom is to the left.  Although not huge it is functional with ample counter space, Peter Thomas Roth amenities and a shower/tub combo.  Water pressure and temperature was good.

There is an in-room coffee maker with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffee which is a welcome change from the usual Starbucks that many hotels now carry.

Dresser/TV

There is a fairly large dresser with a flat screen TV.

Desk

The desk is somewhat small but there is enough space to get work done.  Outlets are easily accessible.  Wifi was fast and reliable.

Sitting Area

There is a small sitting area next to the bed, but having only one chair doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

 

Bedroom

The bed is somewhat soft and springy, not the most comfortable bed in the world but not the worst I have slept in.

View?

Unfortunately, I had a poor view of rooftops of an adjacent building and an apartment complex.

Noise from the airport is quite noticeable, so for light sleepers I would recommend some earplugs.

There is also no central air conditioning in the room.  There is an old style in wall unit, which does have a thermostat control on the wall.  This makes for a noisier room, but is on the quieter side for an in wall unit.

Self-parking is a respectable $18 per night, which is in line with many hotels in the area.

The Hilton Irvine/Orange County Airport is a clean, comfortable airport hotel and is a great option if wanting to be extremely close to the airport.