DON''T book a room @ the Baymont Inn & Suites in downtown Houston Texas!

I know its only the second week in July but it already has been a busy summer for me.  I moved to Tennessee mid May and was just getting settled in when Family Vacation Time hit... Galveston Island Texas, our destination - Beach House was ready for us... I left on the 20th of June and drove down to meet up with my kids at the Beach House we were renting.  I enjoyed the ride through the states, South Tennessee, the tip of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, till I got to Louisiana.  I had stopped in a Mc D's for an break and an ice cream cone in Mississippi only 6 miles from the Louisianan border.  Rested I proceeded to drive into Louisiana Planning to stop in New Orleans then on to Baton Rouge and on to Texas.  Well I had to cancel that thought pretty quickly!  As soon as I got into LA it started to Rain, a big downpour, I couldn't even see out my windshield and had to pull over to stop several times because the heavy downpour made driving impossible.  So I headed toward Baton Rouge, slowly and finally the rain stopped just before I got to my chosen stop for the night, a small town about 3/4 of the way thru the state.  I resumed my trip in the morning and headed towards Houston Tx were I planned to meet my daughter Nancy at a hotel.  That turned out to be a farce.  She had booked a room at the Baymont Inn & Suites in downtown Houston.  I arrived, got my room key and off the the room I went.  When I opened the door the odor of cleaning agents was VERY strong.  That should have been my hint to turn around and get out but I was to meet my daughter there!  So I gingerly went in and looked around all seemed ok at first glance.  I decided to turn on the TV and it wouldn't work so I looked for the phone to call the desk! no Phone!  I had to walk back out in the 96 degree heat to the desk and ask for help.  The attendant tried but could not get the TV to work but I did by plugging in a HDMI cable that was hooked in.  I started to settle in and get my CPAP plugged in and moved the little nightstand away from the wall to plug my machine in and what to my horror! I saw a large 1 1/2" Dead Roach lying on the floor by the bed.  Ewwwwww! that freaked me out the I took a closer look and saw an empty, torn candy wrapper under the bed.  I then looked more closely at the bathroom too.  there were dead bugs behind the toilet and a large long black hair stuck to the tile under the sink.  I called Nan to let her know about the room, fearing that she would be pulling into this hotel at midnight with the kids and baby Amelia.  I packed up my car and scooped up the dead bug a napkin and brought it to the desk and checked out!!!!! I was so mortified by the uncleanliness of the place I just wanted to throw up!  So if you are ever in Houston DON'T stay at the Baymont Inn & Suites in downtown Houston.

After spending the night in a cleaner hotel in Houston I met up with Nancy and we made our way into galveston which was only an hour away.  She showed us around town a bit, we took a ferry ride across the bay and then made our way to the beach house.... The week was perfect despite the rain, we were at the beach.  I enjoyed my weeks stay at the Beach House, did a little sight seeing and a lot of just hanging out on the deck or in the house relaxing while the kids did their own thing... the week went fast and before you knew it - it was time to head home.

The drive home was uneventful, I had decided to take the coastal route instead of going back up toward Houston and  except for the ferry ride.  I waited almost an hour to get on the busy ferry and when on the ferry broke down so all the cars, including me, had to back off and wait for another ferry taking another hour of waiting.  finally I was on my way.  the skies were clear with no hint of rain the entire trip home.  I ddn't make a lot of stops along the way because of the heat.  it was around 96 degrees out all the way home.  It took me two overnight stays before I arrived home in Newport TN around 10pm on Wed eve.  So glad to be home and the bonus was 78 degrees out.  how nice!  It was and adventure and I enjoyed it immense, so now back to the real world....  and a whole lot of summer fun to share with you.