I do love downtown and if I am going to stay out late and/or partake in a club, then yeah, it’s best to stay downtown or somewhere reasonably accessible by taxi. Fountain Square is packed this time of year with the holiday lights and ice rink set up. The bars and restaurants are all having their own party, especially when the Bengals are giving it another go at the championship. I do love Downtown, however, there are more choices that you may not have thought of.

I was looking for a hotel last night and actually picked one close to the license bureau that was open the latest on a Saturday. Against my better judgement due to a new dislike for Priceline, more on that later, I requested a hotel farther north. I “won” a hotel for only $40 off of Tylersville Rd. After I got over the shock of wondering where that could possibly be and plugging in the address to the GPS, I set off to highway I75 North with the radio set to my favorite 93.3. The traffic wasn’t too bad by 7:00 and it really didn’t take that long at all possibly due to the inspirational music that seems to makes everything okay.

As I am driving north on I75, I notice the dozens of hotels on both sides of the road and wonder where these people are taking me. The drive took around 25 minutes since there was traffic but like I said it didn’t seem that bad and after doing a bit of driving so far, the fuel gauge hasn’t even come off of  the full mark. The area, which is a couple of exits south of 275, is filled with plenty of amenities for anything that you could possibly need.

Ok, so on to the hotel that I have been leading up to~The Wingate by Wyndham, located at 7500 Tylers Place Boulevard, Cincinnati, OH  45069 513-777-1101. It can be a little tricky to find if you didn’t check the map first so let me tell you. You’ll want to get off the Tylersville Rd. exit 22 and take a left off of the exit (if you are coming from Downtown Cincinnati). Go over the bridge and take a right on Tylers Place Bloulevard. Follow that until you see the hotel on your left.

I walk into the lobby filled with beautiful clean lines and open spaces. Modern and tiled, very inviting. “The restaurant and bar is open until 10!” Considering it’s a Friday night, I wasn’t too impressed but it didn’t matter because at this point I just needed some rest. I open the door to my room, which sits literally straight ahead after I walk off of the elevator. Once that door was shut, I couldn’t hear a peep from the ice machine or the lift. I high very comfortable bed with a large flat screen tv, a nice leather chair with recliner, mini fridge and microwave wait for me on the other side of the bathroom, which inside begs for a bath to be drawn. Not tonight.

The next morning, I could sit at the desk covered in paperwork or go down for the free breakfast. I choose the food even though I can only picture bad coffee and stale pastries. I was so very wrong! This cannot be the breakfast that is complimentary? Scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, sausage gravy and biscuits, fresh fruit, coffee, tea and juice. Oh, there they are, the usually stale pastries next to the bagels and other breads that I didn’t even try. More on the bar, including yogurt and fruit cups. Wait, I forgot the waffles with the fresh blackberries and raspberries! I eat my fill and grab a banana for later while I attack the scattered paperwork still waiting for me upstairs.

This is definitely somewhere that I will return and will be looking for more around the country. But, could they all be this nice?