A night at the Hampton Inn

I look forward to this time of year for a different reason many of you do.  This is the time of year we go to a spiritual assembly in the middle of nowhere Grantville, PA (15 minutes from Hershey Park).  We turn it into a mini-vacation and it has become a treasured event that the kids look forward to.  We've been doing this for eight years and have gone back and forth with the Comfort Inn, the Comfort Inn Suites, and the Hampton Inn.  I have to say the Hampton Inn is my favorite for many reasons. 

They have come along way since we were first here in 1999.  They now offer waffles and sausage with their breakfast selections.  The best the Comfort Inn can do is bagels.  It might sound weird, but I love that the Hampton Inn offers 24 hour access to coffee, tea and hot chocolate.  Julio loves the fact that they have free wireless internet (which is how I'm writing this).  But the number one reason I love the Hampton Inn is the indoor pool.  Since we first stayed here, we have tried many indoor pools that claim to be "heated."  What the hotel does is heat the air in the room, and the pool is freezing.  The Hampton Inn does both. 

The only thing better than a warm indoor pool, is an indoor pool devoid of people.  There's always an awkwardness when two or more strangers have to share a pool.  Or even worse, the pool is overloaded with people and you just stand there getting splashed to death.  So imagine my delight when we open the door and the room is empty.  Our family had a great time having swimming races and playing shark.  Madeleine refuses to get in the water and is quite content to sit on the steps.  So to interact with us, she starts directing.  Of course, isn't that what you would do?  She wants me to act like I'm drowning and Daddy comes to the rescue.  Then Daddy plays the mean guy who has Julian in his clutches.  She will distract him with a snack and I rescue Julian.  I could see how delighted she was to see the stories in her head come to life with the water as a new setting.  I felt like we were the only people in the world, even as we could see the trucks pass by on the interstate.  Then people finally showed up and it was time to go.  I mean, do you want someone staring at you while you're playing with your family?  So it was back to the room for free hot chocolate.  I feel relaxed and at peace.  Life is good.