Michael D.'s Profile

I stayed here for a convention in early October 2011.  When I travel to a convention, I often have to do business in my hotel room on the internet.  Yes, there is free WiFi in this hotel, and that is nice.  The bad thing however is that it is a weak signal, and so I found even with connecting with a cable the internet was too poor of a bandwidth to be able to do work that normally takes me 5 minutes anywhere else.  Very stone age.

Even attending classes in the convention at this hotel and the nearby DeVos place was equally difficult for those speakers that were depending on the internet for any part of their presentation.

The room was nice, and comfortable, and the space was clean.  I just found the lack of internet service to be too much trouble for me, so I would never stay there again.

Additionally, the cell service in the hotel was noticably bad in some of the common areas, although I did not have too much trouble with this, many of my colleagues who attended the convention did.  

The catered food at the convention that was provided by the hotel was nice.  However, I did have a room reservation where I was supposed to be able to have my room at 4:00pm, and it was not made available to me until almost 4:45pm.  I was told the room would be just about 10 minutes late, and they would call my cell.  I finally confronted a lady at the counter at 4:35 and was told it was available, even though no one had called me.  The result was that I missed an opening presentation at the convention.  So I did not find the staff to be very helpful in this regard.

If you are planning a major convention at this hotel, you might consider looking at some of the other major hotels in Grand Rapids.  This one does not really seem to have it together to service business people and professionals.

The Waterfront offers the best view of Goguac Lake in the area, and on warmer days you can eat outside which is even better.  The food is pretty good, and they have a full bar.  Some of the interior looks a little old, but it is still one of the better places in town to have a group gathering and the view of the lake makes up for the dated interior.

This is a new look for a Pizza Hut.  They focus on wings, in addition to pizza.  I went in and ordered some take out about a year ago, and the wait was incredibly long.  They also do not have a tremendous amount of seating, and the prices are a bit high.

I had dinner here in October 2011 when visiting NC.  The place is very much a country style, and simple.  They have paper bags for place mats, and brown paper towels rolls on the table for napkins.  The food is very good, and the service was friendly.  I would eat here again.

As far as coffee houses go, you can't get much better than Buck's in Cashiers.  They have a pretty good selection of pastries as well.  Could offer a little more for breakfast, but the coffee selection is really good, so it makes up for it.  The decor and atmosphere is also really creative as well.  A great place to stop for coffee. They are not open at night though, which is why I give them only 4 stars.

This is an excellent place to have dinner when visiting Cashiers, NC.  They make some great pizza!  The environment is also very comfortable.  Some friends and I went back there after dinner and had coffee and tea when we were in town, and the staff were very friendly and the service was always good.  I would recommend them.

A great affordable place to eat when in Cashiers.  I ate here a few times in October 2011 while I was in town. The menu is very good, and has a good selection.  The service was very friendly, and I would definitely recommend this place to others.

This Bistro is one of the best places to eat in Cashiers.  The menu is diverse, and a great place for breakfast.  The decor is wonderful, and you will love the old painting of the zookeeper over the mantle in one of the rooms!  The staff are very friendly, and the service was great.  Definitely a place I would return to for breakfast when I return to the area.

Good food.  I loved the rolls they serve at the beginning.  The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was comfortable.  I ate there just a few days ago when I was traveling through Franklin.  The place was busy, but we were able to be seated promptly without a wait.

This place may sound like it is a little off the beaten path, but it is really not that far from Battle Creek, Michigan.  They have a great selection and variety of plants, and I found their prices very competitive, and in a lot of items tremendously cheaper than some of the other greenhouses right in Battle Creek.

I bought my vegetable plants for my garden this year from them and they gave me such a great deal that I have decided that they are my top greenhouse to go to for plants in the future.  They also have a lot of space, and a good supply of inventory.  I particularly enjoyed the accessible staff, and their willingness and ability to take time to answer questions.