One of my biggest pet peeves when traveling are hotel rooms that are just too tiny to really enjoy. It’s a bit ironic when you consider that Lauren and I live out of a 2-door hatchback, but when I check into a hotel, I want to feel like I can spread out and relax while also enjoying some of the usual amenities from “home”. Well I think I hit the suite spot when I checked into the residential suites at the GrandStay in Rapid City, SD.
The moment I stepped into the lobby of the GrandStay I was presented with that warm and cozy feel of “home”. From the well appointed lobby to the warm fire place, I immediately knew that we would be comfortable for the next 3 nights of our lives. The warmth continued as we chatted with the front desk staff while we checked in, and I only hoped it would continue as we made our way to the room.
Upon opening the door to our residential suite, all my fears were put aside as I was welcomed into a spacious room packed with amenities. The first thing I noticed was a very generous workspace (a must for any digital nomad) and a relatively well appointed kitchen space. Now I know everyone doesn’t necessarily like to cook while they travel, but for me having a kitchen with a real fridge is a nice way to save a couple of bucks and eat a bit healthier than I would while out. The funny thing is the hotel also includes free breakfast, so the kitchen went largely unused, but served me well when I wanted to reheat some leftovers.
As we explored the rest of the room, we were happy to see a separate bedroom with closing door (very important when one of us likes to sleep in) and a comfortable bed. The only thing missing was a dog bed for Princess Zoe, but it’s a good thing we always bring her blanky in her doggie day bag.
Once we finished unloading the car we checked out the rest of the hotel, and found a small but functional fitness center. We also found a lovely indoor pool and hot tub. Coming from Florida, one of my guilty pleasures are indoor pools.
Throughout the duration of our stay, we found the breakfast to be pretty good for free with a mix of hot and cold options and the hotel was quiet and cozy. It’s location right off of I-90 also made it great to find lots of dining options close by and it gave us pretty easy access to the routes out of town to the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, and Sturgis. Overall Lauren, Zoe, and I were pretty happy with our stay at the GrandStay Rapid City, and are pretty sure you’d enjoy it too.
