Hartford's Hidden Gem: Courtyard Cromwell's Unbeatable Deals!
Hartford's Hidden Gem: Courtyard Cromwell - Unbeatable Deals? Let's Dive In! (And Maybe Get Lost!)
Okay, buckle up, buttercups! This review of the Courtyard Cromwell isn't gonna be your average, meticulously organized travel article. I'm talking real talk, people. The kind that involves a sigh, a shrug, and maybe a little bit of "wait, what was I just talking about?"
First, let's get the basics out of the way, 'cause you know, the important stuff. You can find this bad boy in, you guessed it, Cromwell, Connecticut. Right off the highway, easy to get to (kinda important when you're already late, like, always me).
Accessibility: Alright, accessibility is crucial. And the Courtyard Cromwell seems to have it mostly together. They claim to have facilities for disabled guests (that’s a start, right?). There's an elevator, which is a HUGE win for anyone with mobility issues. Honestly, though, I couldn't personally verify every single nuance of accessibility for every single need. Gotta take their word for it, folks. Hope they’re being honest!
On-site accessible restaurants / lounges: Hmm… I didn’t see any specific shout-outs for "accessible lounges" in the provided details. Let's just… hope the layout of the restaurants/lounge is easy to navigate, shall we?
Wheelchair accessible: Again, a big tick for the elevator. But I don't remember a ton of specific wheelchair-friendly details. Maybe call ahead and ask, yeah? Prevent any awkwardness, just in case.
Internet, Internet [LAN], Internet services, Free Wi-Fi in all rooms!, Wi-Fi in public areas, Wi-Fi for special events: Listen, if there's one thing I cannot live without, it’s Wi-Fi. And let me tell you, I did get strong Wi-Fi in my room. Praise the tech gods! They actually have multiple internet options, including LAN. Fancy, right? I didn't go full tech-nerd and test 'em all, but the free Wi-Fi worked great. Especially for streaming cat videos. Priorities.
Things to do, ways to relax: The Spa vs. The Reality
Okay, THIS is where things get…interesting. The idea of the Courtyard Cromwell is that it’s kinda a resort-lite. The "ways to relax" section is a real tease. Body scrub, Body wrap, Fitness center, Foot bath, Gym/fitness, Massage, Pool with view, Sauna, Spa, Spa/sauna, Steamroom, Swimming pool, Swimming pool [outdoor]. Sounds dreamy, right?
Here's the truth, my truth: I am a sucker for a good spa. So I went in with HIGH hopes. I pictured myself sipping cucumber water, getting a massage that would melt my stress away… You know the drill.
The reality? The "spa" situation was… well, let’s just say it wasn’t a full-blown, luxurious Zen experience. It's more like a functional area for these things.
- Pool with view: The outdoor pool… was there. Not stunning, but hey, a pool is a pool. Especially after a long drive!
- Fitness center: I peeked in. It had the basics. Treadmills, weights, the works. But, I’m not gonna lie, I chose the couch over the treadmill. That's just me.
- Sauna, Steamroom, and Spa: The listing implies a spa experience. I did not see a dedicated spa, and I definitely didn't get a massage. I think that's more of a hope than what’s actually there.
Cleanliness and Safety: Pandemic Proof (ish?)
Listen, the world is a mess, and safety is more important than ever. Courtyard Cromwell seems to try to be on top of things. They mention things like:
- Anti-viral cleaning products: Good!
- Cashless payment service: Convenient, and probably safer.
- Daily disinfection in common areas: Okay!
- Hand sanitizer: Always a plus.
- Rooms sanitized between stays: Hopefully, thoroughly.
- Staff trained in safety protocol: Fingers crossed!
They do have a doctor/nurse on call and a first aid kit, which is comforting. They also offer Room sanitization opt-out, which is a bonus for the eco-conscious, or those that are just sensitive to chemicals.
I didn’t personally witness everything, but the effort seems evident. I’m not saying it’s a sterile bubble, but they seem to take things seriously.
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking: Fueling The Fun
Food! Now we're talking! The Courtyard Cromwell boasts a pretty extensive food and beverage list:
- A la carte in restaurant: Yup!
- Asian breakfast, Asian cuisine in restaurant: Intriguing!
- Bar, Coffee/tea in restaurant, Coffee shop, Desserts in restaurant, Poolside bar, Restaurants, Room service [24-hour], Snack bar, Soup in restaurant, Vegetarian restaurant, Western breakfast, Western cuisine in restaurant: They've got a lot of options!
The breakfast buffet was… well, it was a breakfast buffet. Standard fare, but filling. The coffee was decent, which is all that matters in the morning. I liked the pastries, but you have to get there early before they get picked over. The pool-side bar looks inviting, perfect for a quick bite and a drink!
Rooms: Comfort Levels Vary…and My Mattress Mystery
The rooms are pretty standard Courtyard fare. Decent size, comfy bed (mostly! more on that in a sec), and all the usual amenities:
- Air conditioning: Essential!
- Coffee/tea maker: YES!
- Free bottled water: Thank you!
- Hair dryer: Check.
- Wi-Fi [free]: Double check!
Now…the bed. The bed was…fine. Honestly, I am a mattress snob. But the bed in my room felt a little saggy. Maybe it was just my imagination, or perhaps they're due for an upgrade. I didn't complain, though; I just added an extra pillow and called it a night.
Services and Conveniences: Business and Beyond
They've got the usual suspects for business travellers:
- Business facilities, Concierge, Dry cleaning, Laundry service, Meeting/banquet facilities, Meeting stationery: They appear to cater to a business type.
- Cash withdrawal, Convenience store, Currency exchange, Doorman, Elevator, Luggage storage: Pretty standard stuff.
For the Kids: Family-friendly, but don’t expect a theme park!
- Babysitting service, Family/child friendly, Kids meal, Crib. It's welcoming to kids, which is nice.
Getting Around: Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!
- Airport transfer, Car park [free of charge], Car park [on-site], Car power charging station, Taxi service, Valet parking: Transportation is a breeze. Free Parking? Score!
The Verdict: Would I Stay Here Again?
Okay, the Courtyard Cromwell isn't perfect. It's not a five-star luxury resort. But, honestly? For the price, and the convenience? It's a solid option. It's clean, the staff is friendly, and the location is good for exploring the area. Would I stay here again? Probably. It's a reliable, comfortable place to crash. And, hey, if you're lucky, you might find a mattress that's perfect. Or at least, almost perfect.
Hyatt House Ft. Lauderdale Airport: Your Dream South Florida Getaway Awaits!
Okay, buckle up, buttercups, because this isn't your grandma's itinerary. This is life, Connecticut-style, and we’re rolling with it. We're talking Courtyard Hartford Cromwell, baby. Buckle up, because lord knows what's about to happen.
The Semi-Organized Chaos: Courtyard Hartford Cromwell, CT
Day 1: Arrival, and the Great Cromwell Pizza Predicament
- 1:00 PM: Arrive at Bradley International Airport (BDL). Okay, first off, airports are a modern-day purgatory. The smells, the hustle, the sheer existential dread of potentially missing your flight… anyway, I'm here. Grab the rental car. Hopefully, it's not a clunker. Fingers crossed it has AC, because the humidity in Connecticut… dear god.
- 2:00 PM: Check into Courtyard Hartford Cromwell. Honestly? The lobby looks… generic. You know. Beige. But hey, clean is clean, right? And free Wi-Fi, which is crucial to my survival. Pray the air conditioning is good.
- 2:30 PM: The Room. Ah, it’s acceptable. You know, the kind of room that screams "business traveler" but secretly longs for a good romance novel and a bottle of wine. Unpack, because unpacking is the first step to feeling like you can pretend to be organized. The shower better have good water pressure, or I'm going to lose it.
- 3:30 PM: The Cromwell Pizza Quest: I NEED Pizza. Like, right now. Found a place called "Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana" on the map. Supposedly a Connecticut classic. I’m on a mission. (Narrator Voice: Spoiler alert: they were wrong, it wasn't actually in Cromwell. I drove the wrong way.)
- 4:00 PM: The actual Pizza place: "The Old Mill Restaurant." Okay, I’m hangry at this point. I order a pepperoni pizza. The waitress, bless her heart, clearly understood my desperation. She brought me a pizza that was… well, it was pizza. Edible, yes. Life-changing, no. And the lighting was terrible, which made it hard to take good pictures for the 'gram. (Impression: 3/5. Would eat again when extremely hungry.)
- 5:30 PM: Back to the hotel. Collapse. Maybe watch some terrible TV. I deserve it. The air conditioning is working, hallelujah.
- 7:00 PM: Dinner at… the hotel restaurant. Convenience won out. And, you know what? It wasn’t awful. Kind of bland, but I was too lazy to go anywhere else. This is the moment you realize you are getting older.
- 8:30 PM: Attempt to gym. Nope. Too tired. Instead, I will binge-watch whatever's on Netflix. My brain is already mush.
- 10:00 PM: Lights out. Prayers for a decent night's sleep. 10:02 PM: Nope, can't sleep. Too much pizza and existential dread.
Day 2: Museum Meandering, and the Great Coffee Catastrophe
- 8:00 AM: Wake up, somehow. The bed was surprisingly decent, to be fair.
- 8:30 AM: Hotel breakfast. Free, but questionable. The coffee? Brown water. I need a real coffee fix.
- 9:30 AM: Off to the Connecticut Historical Society Museum. I love history. It's like a never-ending drama series, only with less CGI. (Narrator Voice: It was… okay. Some interesting stuff, some pretty boring. Apparently, Connecticut was a big deal in the Revolutionary War? Who knew.)
- 11:00 AM: The Coffee Crisis. I need coffee. I'm starting to see double. Find a cute little cafe, "Middletown Roasters." Finally, a decent cup of joe. Saved.
- 12:30 PM: Lunch in Middletown. Found a place called "O'Rourke's Diner." It's old-school… which is code for “probably hasn’t changed since the 1950s.” And I absolutely loved it. They had the BEST corned beef hash. This is what I'm talking about! This is the real Connecticut.
- 2:00 PM: Back to the hotel for a nap. Shhhhh.
- 4:00 PM: Late afternoon in the pool. Actually, the pool at this place is alright.
- 6:00 PM: Dinner. Found a spot called "Pazzo Italian Cafe". I think I'll try Italian.
- 7:30 PM: Dinner at "Pazzo Italian Cafe". Okay, it was a little pretentious, but the pasta was good. I'm feeling better.
- 9:00 PM: Back to the room. Still in the pool area.
- 10:00 PM: Lights out.
Day 3: Shopping Spree (Maybe! If I Feel Like It) and the Departure
- 9:00 AM: Wake up. I'm tired again.
- 9:30 AM: Hotel breakfast. More brown water. I’m seriously considering smuggling in my own coffee. Then again, I kind of like their breakfast.
- 10:30 AM: Drive to the Westfarms mall. I was prepared to be underwhelmed.
- 11:00 AM: Shopping. This is where you expect me to go crazy shopping. I bought books and a nice hat.
- 1:00 PM: Lunch at the cheesecake palace at Westfarms mall.
- 2:00 PM: Return to hotel.
- 3:00 PM: Pack. The dreaded task.
- 4:30 PM: Check Out.
- 5:00 PM: Drop off rental car. Pray it hasn't got any dings or scratches.
- 6:00 PM: Head to Bradley International Airport.
- 8:00 PM: Depart.
- 8:05 PM: That was fast.
Post-Trip Reflections:
Connecticut. It's… interesting. Cromwell: a reliable, perfectly fine place. Definitely, the pizza situation needs a serious re-evaluation. But the people? Surprisingly nice. The history? More engaging than I expected. Would I come back? Maybe. If only for the corned beef hash. And the potential for a truly amazing pizza experience. And for a long time I will dream about a real Italian restaurant.
Escape to Iowa: Uncover the Hidden Gem of Carroll's Super 8!
Courtyard Cromwell's Unbeatable Deals: The Truth (and the Mess!)
Okay, spill. Are these "unbeatable deals" *actually* good? I'm skeptical.
Alright, alright, deep breaths. Look, I hear ya. "Unbeatable deals" sounds like marketing fluff, I get it. But seriously, Courtyard Cromwell... it's almost *embarrassingly* cheap, especially for what you get. I mean, I stayed there last year during some absolute chaos – remember that crazy snowstorm that shut down everything? – and the rates were a joke. A *good* joke. Think, like, a king-sized bed, a decent breakfast (more on that later), and enough space to actually *breathe*… all for less than my monthly streaming subscriptions. It felt… wrong, almost.
My friend, Sarah, she's a travel snob, right? Spends more on a single room service order than I do on a weekend getaway. Even *she* was impressed. She kept muttering, "This is… unusually affordable. And the pool looks clean!" (Which, honestly, is high praise coming from her.)
What's the catch? Everything has a catch!
Alright, deep, *deep* breath. Okay, here's the thing. No, there's no *giant* catch, like hidden fees that'll bankrupt you (thankfully). But, and it's a small "but," you're not getting five-star luxury. Think… solid, reliable, comfortable. The decor? Let's call it… timeless. A polite way of saying "it hasn't been updated since the mid-90s." But it’s clean, functional, and frankly, at that price, who cares if the wallpaper is a little… dated?
And, the breakfast. Okay, the breakfast. It's… not a gourmet experience. Think continental, with the usual suspects: cereal, toast, maybe some sad-looking fruit. But here's a pro-tip: the coffee? *Actually* pretty decent. I'm a coffee snob, too, and I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up spending way too long just lingering, sipping that coffee, and people-watching the other guests. It kind of became the cornerstone of my whole experience.
What about the location? Is it actually near anything interesting?
Cromwell is… well, it's Cromwell. It's not exactly the center of the universe, but that's kind of the *point*, isn't it? It's a great base for exploring the Hartford area. You're close to everything without the crazy city prices and the constant noise. Honestly? Hartford is a short drive away, and that's where all the *real* fun stuff is, like the Mark Twain House (a must-see, seriously!), the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (for your culture fix), and all sorts of local eateries. Plus, it’s super easy to get to the highway. That accessibility is a huge win for me. I'm all about convenience, especially when I'm trying to squeeze in a last-minute weekend getaway.
Okay, okay, one time, I got a *little* lost trying to find the hotel from a local restaurant (stupid GPS!), and let me tell you, I let out a few choice words. But, hey, that's just part of the adventure, right?
I have kids! Is this place family-friendly?
Absolutely! The pool is a big draw for families, it's indoor so it can be enjoyed year-round. The kids'll love it. The staff seemed pretty used to rambunctious little ones, too. I saw a lot of families happily swimming, splashing, and generally having a blast. There’s a decent amount of space in the rooms, so you won't be tripping over luggage and toys. (Though, let's be honest, *you* probably will, regardless.) Plus, the no-frills vibe means you don't have to worry about the kids breaking some priceless antique vase. Win-win.
I don't *have* kids, myself, but I'm pretty good at spotting the happy ones. Also, there was this *hilarious* moment where a kid tried to sneak an entire plate of waffles from breakfast back to the room. The staff just laughed. Made me smile, for sure.
Okay, let's talk *deals*. What kind of deals are we talking about here? Give me specifics!
Alright, buckle up because this is where it gets juicy. I've seen rates fluctuate, obviously, depending on the time of year and demand (avoid the peak season if possible! Always a good tip!). But seriously, look at the dates and plan accordingly. It's smart to sign up for their rewards too, because, well, *deals*. I've snagged rooms for less than $100 a night. Sometimes, even *way* less. Weekend deals, mid-week deals, last-minute deals… they're *always* running something!
Now, a word of warning. Sometimes, the deals are *so* good, they almost seem… suspicious. Like, you half-expect to find a hidden camera or something. (I didn’t, by the way.) But seriously, check their website, look around on third-party sites, compare prices. But trust me, Courtyard Cromwell usually comes out on top. Do some research, but don't overthink it. Just book it and go. You won't regret it.
My best deal? Okay, I have to tell you this one. This still makes me laugh. Last January, so freezing, and I was desperate for a break from work. I was scrolling through hotel websites, totally disillusioned, and then BAM! They had a *flash sale* – like, advertised for a few hours only – something like $65 a night! I didn't even hesitate. I booked it immediately. I practically sprinted into the room, threw my bags down, and sank into that king-sized bed. Pure bliss. I ordered pizza. I watched terrible reality TV. And I slept like a log. It was the perfect escape, and all thanks to that ridiculously good deal. It felt like I'd won the lottery, but instead of money, I got a cozy room and a good night's rest. And, honestly, that's better than money, right?
Is there a gym? Because, you know, gotta work off those waffles.
Yes, there's a gym, but let's manage your expectations. It's not a state-of-the-art fitness center. Think… a few treadmills, some weights, and a general feeling of "meh." Look, if you're a serious gym rat, you'll probably want to find somewhere else to work out. I'm usually too busy taking naps anyway, so I never really paid much attention. But again, it’s functional. And, hey, at least the treadmill *works*, which is more than can be said for some hotel gyms I've encountered.
Is it aStay Collective
Post a Comment for "Hartford's Hidden Gem: Courtyard Cromwell's Unbeatable Deals!"