Iowa Hotels

Heartland Inn - Davenport: Great Place to Stay for Good Value

by Bloomers

Very nice CLEAN and quiet accomodations. Rooms are nice size, very clean and comfortable. Halls and lobby were also very clean and well kept. Staff is very helpful and a free breakfast from waffles to toast. Prices are very reasonable. We would absolutely stay with them again.

Beiderbecke Inn in Davenport: Rooms of the Bed and Breakfast

by deecat

The Beiderbecke Inn has four rooms used as the Bed and Breakfast. A full breakfast comes with the room.

The room that we stayed in was called Mississippi Rose. We chose it because it has a private, outdoor veranda with a view of the Mississippi River. It also has a Queen-sized bed, a working fireplace, a Sitting Porch with a view of the Mississippi River, and a Bath with antique claw foot tub/shower. It was a quite large room with a large closet, beautiful furniture, and a very comfortable bed. It cost $95.00 plus tax per night.

Because we were the only customers on that Friday night in May, we were able to see all the other rooms:

The Victorian Room was the most expensive room at $105 plus tax per night. It has an antique queen-sized bed, a working fireplace, and a bath with Jacuzzi tub and shower.

The Tower Room has a hexagon turret, which makes it quite unique. It also has an antique queen-sized bed, a working fireplace, and a bath with shower.

The smallest room available is called the Bix Room and it cost $85 plus tax per night. It has a Brass Double Bed and a Bath with shower. It would be good for a single occupant. Note, it is the only room with a double rather than a queen bed.

Because we were the only guests, we were able to wander through all the rooms and take photographs. Below is a description of each photograph.

Photographs:

1. Our room, Mississippi Rose. Note that it is Rose in color and has beautiful wall paper.

2. Victorian Room has a beautiful antique queen-sized bedroom set and frilly curtains.

3. The Tower Room makes use of the unique hexagon turret.

4. The Bix Room is a small room with a lovely brass double bed.

5. Another photo of the Tower Room to show the gorgeous antique bed.

The love and hard work that has gone into The Beiderbecke Inn is quite evident.

During the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival brings a multitude of Jazz enthusiasts to Davenport, and The Beiderbecke Inn is always booked at least a year in advance. People are eager to see where Bix's grandparents lived.

Beiderbecke Inn: Delightful Bed and Breakfast in Davenport

by deecat

Our last night in Iowa, Jill and I stayed in The Beiderbecke Bed and Breakfast in Davenport. (Yes, the original owners were the grandparents of the famed jazz musician, Bix Beiderbecke)

The Inn Keeper, Pam LaRoque welcomed us warmly. She gave us the tour of her lovely home and told us about the history, the family who built it, and what she and her husband have done to renovate it so lovingly.

Each room has central air conditioning, Color TV, DVD, VCR, private bathrooms, and comfortable beds. In the second floor landing, you will find a huge bookcase filled with DVDs and VCRs for your use.

The Beiderbecke Inn was built in the late 1800s (about 1880) and is located in the heart of historic Davenport. Pam offers four rooms with a full breakfast. All of the rooms are unique and well appointed. Breakfast is held in the large formal dining room. For us, it included French Toast with slivered almonds, a light fluffy egg with delicious spices, sausage links, juice, coffee and tea, and some kind of breakfast cake. Needless to say, we could not everything.

Pam was quite helpful about directions, places to eat, and historical facts about Davenport.

The following tip concerns the four rooms that are available at The Beiderbecke Inn. For Jill and I, we were so pleased because this Bed and Breakfast is totally a non-smoking establishment.

Photographs:

1. The outside of The Beiderbecke Inn.
2. Sign for the Home.
3. Dee and Jill eating breakfast in the formal dining room.
4. Leaded Windows as you descend the staircase.
5. Jill resting on our private veranda.

Holiday Inn Downtown: A Hotel Downtown

by melissaK

When my basketball team went to state we stayed at the Holiday Inn. It is very close to Veterans Memorial Auditorium and the NEW Wells Fargo Arena. The hotel provides free shuttle service. It has the whole top floor designated for parties.

However, the walls are paper thin as well as the floors (some girls got in trouble for running because it sounded like thunder a floor down, but they were only walking). So if you're a light sleeper this is definitely not the hotel for you!
Oh, and the beds are only double beds. So keep that in mind when traveling. I got stuck sleeping with our 6'1" center who slept right in the middle of the bed.

My room did have a nice view of downtown Des Moines. You could see Vets, which was cool. The window is very big.

Adventureland Inn: Great Family Hotel

by cardsfan66

We stayed in a 2nd floor room with a balcony that was nice and big for a family of 5. We had a flip bed for one kid and plenty of room to put it down. Mini frige, hair dryer, 2 sinks, one in coat area and one in the bathroom.
plenty of towels. Breakfast was great and they have a buffet if you like. Bring your own pop, because the machines are very expensive.

Where do I start?

2 waterslides.

2 whirlpools.

1 kiddie pool that goes from 0 depth to about 1 foot and a half with water activities and baby slide

swim up bar

2 game rooms

all contained in 2 courtyard settings

right nextdoor to the amusement park by the same name.

Sac City Motel: Greatest little motel in Iowa

by Tatianaxanadu

This is a great little motel. Clean rooms, usual motel stuff, friendly guy called Sky who runs it, will get out of bed to check you in in the middle of the night, and then give you exciting little gadgets such as bright green neon backscratchers and fridge magnet calendars that say Sac City Motel on them. Too bad you have to go to Iowa to stay there (haha just joking...Iowa is nice really, just watch out for the coppers- they dont like speeding!)

Ha, i didnt realize this at the time, but apparently they have a "bird cleaning service". According to their website: "We cater to hunters, supply them freezer storage space, bird cleaning area with running water and work benches. When I am available, I also do a bird cleaning service for our guests."
Hey who could ask for more!

Days Inn: Once again, I have to go with...

by reon80

Once again, I have to go with Days Inn! I've stayed at Days Inns all over the country and have found them to be consistently high quality budget accomodations. These hotels are almost always first rate in the Midwest! Clean rooms, free breakfast, and low prices....good times:) And best of all, you can book your entire trip through their main toll free number! Wow, I sound like a commercial...:)

Deep Mountain Retreat Center,...

by entguy

Deep Mountain Retreat Center, between Elkader and Littleport in Clayton Cty, NE Iowa. 319/245-1006

Rambling country farmhouse on private 300 (or so) acre preserve. $15 per nite per person, last time I checked. This is the peaceful Iowa countryside at its finest!!

Undeveloped camping also available for nominal fee. Trail conditions permitting, onsite resident caretakers may be bribed to take camping gear back in the 4x4. Guiness is the suggested currency if you plan to attempt such bribery.

by Ekahau

Tents camping or stay with local residents.

by KLomaskin

Most folks who participate in RAGBRAI camp in groups. I highly recommend registering with a group with prior RAGBRAI experience, such as an existing team or bike shop.

Blessed are the campers whose group gets the site near the Kybos (port-a-pots).
An IOWA vacation is very economical. Getting there with your bike (in one piece) is another matter financially. I recommend shipping your bike from a local bike shop via UPS to a bike shop in IOWA near the start of the ride. Several bikers I saw at the airport were very angry at the airline for damaging their bikes before the ride.

Get a good leak-proof tent. Bring a radio that you can listen to the weather report. Before you go to sleep, identify the nearest tornado shelter and plan your escape if needed.