Here at Paper Angels, we are all about regular people having magical adventures. Oftentimes this takes us places, but since we’re regular people, we have a regular budget. Hotels are a great way to find a little extra room in the budget, so we’ve often gone with that option in the past. You might just know what I mean. But today, I’m going to tell you why you should ignore that policy, and take a step up for your trip to OWA. We had the chance to stay at TownePlace Suites Foley at OWA. I’m going to go ahead and say up front that this hotel costs a little bit more than what we usually choose, but there are some very important reasons why it’s still worth the cost, and is where we will be staying on our next trip to OWA.
(Thank you to OWA for hosting our family with park tickets and a hotel stay. As always, all opinions and experiences are our own.)
Staff Reflections
From the get-go, our experience at TPS was a cut above your bargain-rate hotel. Beth went to get us checked in while I waited with some restless, grumpy children. I don’t know whose they were. These random, unpleasant kids just came up to hang out with me. Not like ours. Ours are angels. At any rate, the man in front of her was apparently figuring out the room assignments for an entire college sports team that he had brought. At the counter. Instead of, oh, any time during the trip long enough to warrant the two buses full of people that he brought. After a minute or so of this, the girl at the desk politely asked him to move off to the side and take care of his business, then welcomed Beth over to get checked in. And this set the tone for the staff’s level of engagement, interaction, and dedication for the rest of our stay. At one point, I spilled a little coffee while trying to fill up my flask. Not only did the worker defer my apologies, she actually would not let me clean it up when I tried to. It was on par with the staff at another park we’ve been known to frequent. You know, one a ways southeast from Foley.
Proximity to Entertainment
Since TPS is located right on OWA’s property, one could conceivably park there for the weekend and just leave the vehicle until it was time to go. There is a pleasant walk right over to Downtown, and The Park is just on the other side of Downtown. You could find an entire weekend’s worth of entertainment without having to drive anywhere. Of course, you might still want to jump in the car, but you wouldn’t necessarily have to. If you are traveling with younger kids, you know how much extra work a drive anywhere can be.
View
Tied directly to the proximity to the rest of OWA is the view. Even under construction, as the area is at the time of this writing, the view was pretty great. TownePlace Suites sits right in OWA. You can see the rides, you can see the lights from Downtown, you can see some of the waterways that encircle the area. It’s a lot better than a view of the back of the hotel 50 yards away, anyway. At night, you can enjoy the experiences that the Park and Downtown have to offer without having to actually leave your room. You know, cause maybe Star Wars is on. Which it was. And you are watching it. Which we were. Cause, you know, BB-8.
Food, or the Saving of Money Thereupon
Since we were in a suite room with a kitchenette, we just bought some fresh Gulf shrimp, along with penne pasta and alfredo sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I whipped up a shrimp alfredo pasta that used fresh seafood, but still cost less than half of what you would pay at an area restaurant. Add in drinks and tip, and we saved big on that meal.
Another way the hotel helped us save money is with the breakfast. They had a breakfast buffet like nobody’s business, and I am a huge buffet fan. This place had a wide variety of hot foods, multiple waffle stations, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, just about anything you could want for breakfast. We all filled up completely before starting the day, and saved on yet another meal. In fact, the only meal we spent money on was lunch, both days at OWA. So you see, while the room charge may be slightly higher, it opens up other ways to squeeze a few more dollars out of your trip budget. Just something to consider.
Yes, but What About the Room?
Besides the aforementioned kitchenette, TownePlace Suites has a lot to offer. They have a lending pool with board games, seasonings, chargers, all kinds of things. It had incredibly comfortable beds, and pillows that I wanted to steal. (But didn’t, I assure you.) The decor actually evoked feelings of the ocean, which is a nice change. I usually get more feelings of the flea market where it was picked up in bulk. Even the shampoo was so nice that we sought out that brand after heading back home. We would happily stay there again, and plan to on our next visit.
Let’s Go!
In closing, the TV knew Beth’s name, the view was excellent, the staff was top notch, the food was wonderful, and the location is a fun, little-known piece of Alabama’s coastal scene. Towneplace Suites Foley at OWA is the place you want to stay for your trip to OWA. Take my word for it.
