Our staycation in Seattle, WA

Our staycation in Seattle, WA

The hubby and I finally got away for a mini-vacation this weekend. It’s been awhile since our work schedules allowed us to enjoy some time away together. We could only squeeze in one night together so we decided to stay close to home. We came up with some Seattle staycation ideas and took advantage of free or inexpensive entertainment and food to stretch our vacation dollar.

Seattle Staycation Ideas

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lynwood, WA, about 45 minutes from home and we took advantage of its close proximity to our favorite gambling location. We would have liked to have done an outdoor activity, but unlike the rest of the US, we’re having cold temperatures and rain, so we opted for indoor entertainment.

We arrived at the hotel at about 4pm and checked in easily and I was  I was happy to see that Embassy Suites is part of the Hilton HHonors Rewards Program – it’s a great way to earn perks and I signed up last year after staying at one of their hotels in California. We took our bag up to the room and then spent some time exploring the hotel while we waited for the 5:30pm Manager’s Reception to begin; we planned on filling up on the goodies offered before heading to the casino.

Atrium and wedding pavilion - Embassy Suites

Atrium with Koi Pond and wedding pavilion – Embassy Suites

We walked the skywalk over the atrium and marveled at the amazingly lush vegetation planted below. The greenery is stunning and it’s amazing at the huge variety of plants they have growing there.  The staff was setting up for a wedding so we watched for a while from above as they prepared for the next day’s festivities. They were also busy with a retirement party – what a great place to celebrate!

Then we picked up some brochures and headed outside to enjoy the weirdly cold and muggy weather we’re having. Even though we’ve both lived here 40 years, it was fun to act like tourists. We only wish our kids could have made the trip with us – they’d tried, but work schedules couldn’t be rearranged.

The time came for the free evening Manager’s Reception so we headed down to dine on fresh vegetables and chips with plenty of soda and adult beverages available. The staff was friendly and efficient and we enjoyed ourselves before we headed out. Dont worry, as I’ve been for the last 30 years, I was the sober designated driver.

Enjoying the Manager's Reception at Embassy Suites

Enjoying the Manager’s Reception at Embassy Suites

We spent about 4 hours at the casino (and did fabulously well) and came back to the hotel. It was wonderful not having to drive all the way home and the bed was divinely comfortable.  The room was enormous and well appointed. The beauty of an Embassy Suites’ hotels is that the rooms are all suites – a living room with a bathroom and small kitchenette area with a coffee maker, microwave, and small refrigerator, plus then a full-size bedroom in the back. We’ve stayed with them in the past quite a bit all over the US and they’re one of my first choices for accommodations because of the size. With the fold out couch, you can fit 4-6 people comfortably in a room and still retain some privacy.

Our weekend in Seattle - Lynwood Embassy Suites Getaway

Our weekend in Seattle – Lynwood Embassy Suites Getaway

I made a 10am wakeup call request with the front desk at about 1am so we wouldn’t miss breakfast (of course I thought we’d be up hours before that). I also turned on my iPod to stream some video while I drifted off to sleep ($4.95 a day for wireless internet) and snuggled down in the bed and went to sleep. When the phone rang at 10am we were blissfully sound asleep!

Breakfast at Embassy Suites

Breakfast at Embassy Suites

We dressed quickly and headed down for our free breakfast. Scrambled eggs, fruit, home potatoes and all the breakfast meat you can eat for the hubby plus fruit juice, oatmeal, cold cereals and more for me. They do have made-to-order omelets available but the line was too long and the food was picked up at 10:27am so there weren’t any seconds (hubby didn’t really need more bacon anyway – his cholesterol is too high).  We ate in the beautiful atrium with the sound of waterfalls and headed out and back to home and reality.

Enjoy Free Events Close to Home

But before we did, we stopped by Boeing Field to check out NASA’s Super Guppy plane that was delivering a Space Shuttle trainer to the Museum of Flight. Yes, my husband is a plane nerd so we stood by the side of the road for an hour waiting for it. Lucky for him, trains were there to entertain us so he had a fab time with trains, planes, and me! Across the field was the official reception with marching band and the Governor of our state. There are always free events like these taking place so watch your local papers for upcoming opportunities for free entertainment.

NASA's Super Guppy delivers piece of space shuttle history to Seattle

NASA’s Super Guppy delivers piece of space shuttle history to Seattle

Unfortunately, I left my iPod charger cord plugged in on the bedside table – bonus points from Embassy Suites having easy-to-reach power outlets (one of my pet peeves about hotel rooms is having to pull the bed out to find an outlet), but I left it behind. Even so, we had a great weekend in Seattle (well technically north of Seattle) and we both agree we need to do it again soon and next time we’ll be sure the kids get their time off so they can enjoy it with us. We truly missed them and have had to postpone my birthday celebration to a time when they can both get time off.

***UPDATE: Embassy Suites contacted me about my iPod cord and they kindly mailed it to me at no charge! Now that’s great customer service!  Thank you Lynnwood Embassy Suites.

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I wrote this review while participating in an Ambassador Program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Embassy Suites Hotels and received a one-night complimentary stay at an Embassy Suites Hotel to facilitate my reviews and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are my own.