Background:

After almost 3 months of 60-hour workweeks and the stress of my putting my mother in a nursing home, my wife and I decided it was time to get out of town for a few days. Our 8th anniversary is coming up on May 15th so we decided that this was going to be our anniversary trip only a couple of weeks early. Once we decided where we were going, we decided on the Crystal Inn since it was the hotel (not this location) where we spent our wedding night.

Making the Reservation:

I booked my trip through Travelocity on their Good Buys program where you prepay to get a better rate. I was able to book a rate for $48 per night which was $10 less than the Crystal Inn website.

The Hotel:

Hotel Address:

480 Westland Drive
Brigham City, Utah 84032
435-723-0440, 800-408-0440

The hotel is located about a mile east from Interstate 15 exit 362.

The hotel is served by the Utah Transit Authority Route 630, which runs a half block from the hotel and makes trips every hour to and from Ogden.

The hotel has 24-hour coffee in the lobby, indoor pool, hot tub, exercise room, laundry room, free high-speed wireless service, continental breakfast, free newspapers (Monday-Saturday), snacks and sandwiches available in the front lobby along with a computer to access the Internet.

Note: the hotel is two stories but does not have an elevator so make sure you request a ground floor room if needed.

Checking In:

Check in was painless once the lady figured out that I had already paid for the room. The lobby is large with windows to the left so you can see the pool with the Internet computer right next to the windows. Just past the windows overlooking the pool is the hallway to the rooms with the breakfast room just past the check-in counter on the left.

Room:

The room was large and comfortable. As you enter the room there is a small closet on the left with an iron and ironing board (all rooms have them), followed by the vanity (with a hair dryer), with the bathroom on the right. The bathroom has a full size bathtub and the toilet next to it. The bathroom also has a telephone so you can answer the phone when you are reading.

Once past the vanity and bathroom a King Size bed was to the right with nightstands on either side of the bed with a clock radio on the right side & another phone on the left side. On the left side of the room was a four-drawer dresser with a lamp then a stand with the TV. Just past the TV was a table and chairs. Past the bed was a divider with a beautiful etched glass window with an image of the golden spike ceremony (appropriate since we are close to Promontory Point).

On the far side of the divider was a wet bar with a refrigerator, sink, microwave, and a coffee machine. Beyond the wet bar was a love seat and a coffee table.

The bed was firm but not hard as a rock. The only downside of the room was the television, which was only 19”, which looked very small compared to the size of the room. However, another room we went into had a 27” TV.

The Pool and Exercise Room:

The indoor pool is not large but works for the small size of the hotel. The pool goes from a depth of 3 feet to 5 feet. The hot tub is located in a corner next to the pool. The exercise room is located in a hallway right outside of the pool and is also small. The room is equipped with a treadmill, exercise bike and a stair climber. The room also has a television and a large fan to keep you cool.

Surrounding Area:

The AAA guide says that there are restaurants within walking distance. Well there are two convenience stores, which are less than a block away and easy to walk to. Other than that you need to drive.

Across the highway from the hotel are a Super Wal-Mart, A Sonic Drive Inn, and Wingers, which is a higher end diner. While they are only across the highway, I would not recommend walking to these spots unless you are looking to be part of the remake of Death Race 2000 since even with a traffic light crossing the highway is dangerous.

However there are several great restaurants within a few miles of the hotel including:

J & D’s (American)
Donna’s (American)
Ricardo’s (Mexican)
Hunan Village (Chinese)
Peach City Drive Inn (Burgers and Ice Cream)

Nearby Attractions:

-Crystal Hot Springs Resort
-Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
-Box Elder County Fairgrounds
-Brigham City Museum & Gallery
-Golden Spike National Historic Site
-Historic Brigham City Depot
-Northern Box Elder County Museum
-Old Barn Theatre
-The Spiral Jetty
-Thiokol Rocket Display
-Willard Bay State Park

Breakfast:

The continental breakfast was pretty standard fare with a choice of cereals, bread for toast, muffins, milk, juices, plus batter so you could make your own waffles, and had a hotplate with ham cooking on it.

The Refrigerator:

The only problem we had was with the refrigerator. We had leftovers from one of our dinners and we were going to put it in the refrigerator. However when we opened the refrigerator we discovered that it was not cold. We called the front desk and the person running the counter said that she could have the maintenance guy adjust the temperature but it would be the next day. She also offered us another room.

We looked at the other room but the refrigerator must have been set for the same temperature so we decided to stay in the first room. We would have changed the temperature on the refrigerator ourselves but the temperature setting was not inside the refrigerator like full size units so it took the maintenance guy to get the unit out of the wet bar.

Check Out:

Check out was fast and efficient and there were no surprise charges that always drive you nuts. The hotel will put a statement under your door the morning you are going to check out so you will know exactly what you owe when you come to the counter.

Overall:

While it is only our second time at a Crystal Inn, both experiences have been outstanding. While we did have a couple of minor issues (the refrigerator and the small television) they in no way detracted from our stay. The staff was friendly and helpful, the hotel was very clean, and the room was very comfortable and inviting. Crystal Inns is on the top of our list of places to stay in the future.




Recommended: Yes

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