My husband and I took three of our kids to Midland to shop for clothes and we stayed at the Fundome in nearby Odessa, Texas. We enjoyed our visit and I knew the whole time I was there I would be writing a review since it’s a different place that offers something for kids to enjoy.

The low down on the McM Grande Fundome

Price

One of the first things I look at is price. I did a search, as my husband was familiar with this hotel because he had visited a friend that lived there for two years. Online, the site that provided me with the best rates was priceline.com. They quoted a rate for a king size room for two adults and two kids for $125 a night. Unfortunately, I had to look up the phone number for the hotel because I was traveling with three kids and Priceline would not let me reserve for that many. The lady who answered the phone was very professional and offered to upgrade my room for $5. For $129.99 a night, I got a one bedroom King size bedroom Jacuzzi suite. I noticed on the hotel website that there were other rates which varied from $89 to $189 a night. Here's the link for the website if you would like to check out the details and the pictures. http://mcmgrandeodessa.com


The rooms...

The king size Jacuzzi suite was very nice and had some pros and cons. Overall we really enjoyed it. I wish the lady who had answered the phone would have told me that there was a two bedroom suite available because that would have met our needs better and would have been worth the extra money.

The Room!
The room had a 25 inch television with optional game system. (My fourteen year old says it’s either a Nintendo or Super Nintendo. Available for rent for $6.95 an hour. I felt like that was a steep price but we did let the two older kids enjoy an hour just for the novelty.)

The bed, a King sized 12" Simmons Beauty Rest individual coil pillow top mattresses with white sheets, bedding and plenty of pillows was very comfortable. The pillows were too soft but at least there were plenty of pillows on the bed.

There was also a very comfortable recliner chair with ottoman that we enjoyed sleeping in. My son actually chose to sleep on the one in the living room and use the extra ottoman in our room.

The Jacuzzi

Was very roomy and comfortable. It had a very strong odor when we first used it and smelled like chlorine and weird well water. Blah. The hotel provided a small bottle of bath crystals which my kids really enjoyed! Big enough for a couple kids or two average sized adults. The downside was that there was not a door on it, and it was just an open doorway in the actual room...so when you have a fourteen year old daughter and an eleven year old son... let's just say that modesty becomes an easy if they want to Jacuzzi a naturale. If the adults and kids wear a swimsuit it’s not a big deal at all. Also, we are a blended family and were with my natural kids so step dad wasn't really able to indulge in the tub because kids were up late and all over the room. We know for next time though and will be more creative. Wink.

the bathroom

The bathroom was located inside the bedroom. It had a small vanity with sink and nice toiletries (lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and one make-up remover.) The toilet and shower were closed off with a door that shuts. The shower/bathtub combo had a wonderful showerhead with great water pressure! Very nice for quick showers after busy days. A hairdryer, iron and ironing board was also available.

the living room and kitchenette

The living room had a nice comfy couch that was a queen size uncomfortable sleeper sofa. The bed was already made up with fresh bedding so all we had to do is move the coffee table and then instant bed. Of course, this is old news for me…but the kids thought that was cool.
The kitchen area was small but had a sink, toaster oven, microwave and mini refrigerator. Nice for leftovers from the yummy choice places to eat in nearby Midland. Separate temperature controls were in use, one in bedroom and one in the kitchen area which was nice as we wanted different temperatures. The coffee pot made exactly one cup at a time which I thought hilarious given that we were staying with kids in a place designed to attract families. Do they not realize how much caffeine it takes in the morning to keep up with kids?
the Fundome!
The Mcm Grande Fundome features an indoor putt putt golf area and playground. When we arrived they were replacing the netting on the playground, which took an hour or two… but the kids, including the teenager! (Yes she fit!) The golf area was plain without decorations but the kids enjoyed it anyway. There was also a table for table tennis. It was in fair condition. The hotel needs to invest in a supply of nicer balls for tennis and golf.
There was a fitness center in one room down the hall on the first floor. I honestly did not have a chance to check it out.
The swimming pool was indoors and outdoors… with a divider where you can swim underneath to go into the outdoor pool. (No lifeguard on duty.) Both sides of the pool had nice patio tables, chairs and was such a relaxing atmosphere. Outdoors there were more tables available including lounge chairs. We were there on a Thursday night and Friday morning, so it was relatively calm. Kids were overall quiet. Though I can see that on busy weekends or holidays it could easily become very overwhelming and loud.
The indoor fountain was lovely, just beautiful and seemed to create an aura of peace and tranquility. Overall the place was very clean (needed vacuuming by the golf and playground) and elegant as well.
The sauna and hot tub were very nice, but the hot tub had such a chlorine smell it was nearly intolerable. Plenty of towels were available. Kids under eleven were not allowed in the hot tub, though this was not enforced while we were there.
Free Breakfast Buffet and the Restaurant
Free breakfast buffets were available for every guest for each night. They did not limit the number of kids, which is nice when traveling with a large family. I figured we would have spent at least $45 on breakfast so that kind of eased the rate on the hotel a bit. The restaurant area was very nice. We just ate at the breakfast buffet Friday morning. It was nice and for the most part fresh. They had eggs made to order, and my omelet was perfect. Also available on the buffet were fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, mini cinnamon rolls, toast, home-style potatoes as well as coffee, juices, hot tea and hot chocolate. The only two items that were not good were the scrambled eggs and potatoes on the buffet. I would skip those. A waitress came by and picked up plastic plates and dishes while we ate and checked to make sure we had everything we needed.
Although we didn’t choose to eat at the restaurant, we did check it out briefly. It was very nice with full menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Room service was also available with an additional fee of $1.50.

Free Drinks for each guest 21 and over and The Lounge
When checking in, they ask how many guests staying in the room are over 21 so that they can let the bartender know. These drinks are unlimited which sounds like a great deal, and it would be except that it is only available from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. which of course is dinner time. Not so helpful. If we had ordered pizza in that would have been nice, but we went to Logans in Midland so that wasn’t so convenient.
The lounge itself was very nice, nice enough that we stayed for a couple of hours late at night with the teenager supervising our sleeping six year old. Prices seemed reasonable, crown and coke was $5.00. The bartenders were very nice and very quick service. The lounge had a few pool tables, a small dance floor and options to sit either at the bar “Cheers” style or at tables dispersed around the room. They also had a nice feature… drinks to go to carry up to your room …very nice when traveling with family to enjoy a drink or two before bed. (We didn’t. We had a couple of drinks each then went upstairs.) It was a slow night that night, but there were a few other customers enjoying the pool table and music… and even danced a few dances on the dance floor. On weekends they have a D.J. and I expect that they are quite busy. The McM Grande Fundome is located near Jaguars, an adult establishment (topless) and it would not surprise me if they didn’t receive business from their customers as well. The last I heard that place was B.Y.O.B.

A note about housekeeping and guest services…
Although the front desk was very helpful about answering questions and providing extra toiletries, the housekeeper when called was not so helpful. I called to ask for an extra couple of blankets for the kids and she said she could only send one per room. When I very nicely stated that we had two beds and the kids were chilly she told me she had 245 rooms and that they didn’t have enough for every room to have two. After promising to send up an extra blanket, I got tired of waiting after an hour and took a blanket off the bed to give to the kids. The extra blanket never arrived.
Out of all the staff, the bartenders in the lounge were the most professional and friendly. They were quick to make sure our needs were taking care of and had superior customer service. The other employees really seemed like they were there to do a job and were counting down the hours until they got off. None were directly rude; it was just something in the overall attitude. Not a big deal unless the client wants those extra touches.
Not traveling with kids?
Then I would suggest that you check out the McM Elegante, as it’s quite nice and classy and more for the kid less traveler if you are planning on staying in the area.
What’s in Odessa and Midland anyway?
Museums (including a Presidential museum and a Santa Fe railroad museum;) malls; bowling, ice-skating, batting cages, miniature golf, water parks and pay lakes (picnic and pay to fish.) Movie theatres and theatres for plays and musicals are also in the Odessa/Midland area. Interested in sports? They also have Indoor Football, Baseball and a Hockey Teams.

Overall…
We so enjoyed our stay for the kids that we are planning on going back with the other two kids and getting the two room suite! That’s how much we liked it!


Recommended: Yes