Aloft in Homewood
The Aloft hotel boasts a sleek, modern look with an outstanding view of Vulcan—well if you enjoy a giant metal ass. And who doesn’t? Right? Seriously, the view is really good. During the last football season, we stayed at Aloft twice to get a feel for the place with and without the nice view. Even without the view, the room is comfortable and the hotel fun. One important element for a comfortable stay is the quality of the pillows. Too soft and the pillow provides no support—and this can make for a rough night’s sleep. Fortunately, Aloft provides the best mix of support and cushion. It was a great night’s rest. If you like the water, the hotel has an indoor pool. The big television made for a nice Sunday morning watching Sportscenter and NFL previews in bed. Some friends from out-of-town also stayed at Aloft on one of our stays, so it provided a convenient meeting spot for the carpool to the game.

Michael’s provides a nice dining experience right in the hotel. We enjoyed a pre-game lunch on one occasion and a dinner on our other visit. The lunch burger was enormous and tasty. For dinner, the food was good, but the highlight had to be a Cabernet Sauvignon by Liberty School. It was exceptional.

Embassy Suites in Hoover
The Embassy Suites in Hoover is one of the best choices in the area. The price is reasonable when you combine the manager’s reception and the superb free breakfast. In the South, you judge breakfast either by grandma’s or Cracker Barrel (I would say the Another Broken Egg, but while good I still prefer Cracker Barrel); Embassy Suites in Hoover provides a quality breakfast with an array of options. The meal is good. The staff is friendly. The room was everything you could want. Large enough so that you do not feel cramped, and you get the added benefit of the suite area for watching late night or early morning television without disturbing anyone. If you like the water, the hotel has an indoor pool.

The location in Hoover is a bonus too. You can enjoy shopping and many area restaurants. If you like Mexican then Cantina is one option with very good margaritas. The grilled salmon was a delight and the garlic-mashed potatoes complemented it nicely. If you enjoy more a more American meal, then J. Alexander’s is right there too. One night prior to the game, we enjoyed dinner at the restaurant and happened upon a friendly couple from Gadsden who were down for the Mississippi State game. While sipping wine at the bar and waiting for our table, the conversation turned to the Saturday game schedule and that we both were attending the game. If you need a suggestion for something to enjoy at J. Alexander’s, then try the Prime Rib. You will not be disappointed.

Hyatt Place Birmingham/Inverness
The Hyatt Place was nice experience. The room was comfortable with a nice television and bed. The lobby area was equipped with a nice selection of cookies, and a warm chocolate chip cookie made for the perfect check-in and late-night snack. (What can I say; I’m a sucker for chocolate chip cookies.) The HDTV is good for getting up Sunday and watching a few NFL games.

A great thing about the location of this hotel is the number and quality of the surrounding restaurants. You can enjoy Mexican at Superior Grill (this works for lunch or dinner.) The enchiladas are very good and tacos too. If you prefer another experience or you are getting into Birmingham very late there are two choices at the Summit that you could try—P.F. Chang’s and Cheesecake Factory. Both are open late and that is helpful when you are stuck in traffic trying to get out of Tuscaloosa. The Cheesecake Factory’s menu is exhaustive; you are bound to find something you will like. When in doubt try the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn succotash. As for P.F. Chang’s, the four-course meal for two is a good choice and you can get it with the Orange Peel Chicken, or you could order separately and try the Chengdu Lamb if you want something a little different. My favorite though is the Orange Peel Chicken.

Courtyard by Marriot at the Colonnade
Without a doubt the worst hotel stay of the season was at the Courtyard by Marriott right off I-459 and Highway 280 at the Colonnade. The room possessed an odd smell that caused sinus issues. We had to open the window to allow fresh air in during the night to get any type of restful sleep. The toilet flush chain broke too. It made for a miserable evening following a miserable drive to Birmingham. We couldn’t wait for the next morning so we could leave.

Two restaurants close are worth trying. Taziki’s at the Colonnade is a nice stop for a pregame lunch. For a nice lunch or dinner then Carrabba’s is a good choice. I never claimed to be imaginative, but I do enjoy the lasagna. The Chianti Riserva, Ducarosso paired nicely with the lasagna and the Zucchini Fritte—this friend zucchini just might be the best food ever. Instead of the glass of Chianti, try the quartino instead.

The great thing with hotels like Aloft and Embassy Suites is that the hotels work for football weekends, or romantic getaways when you leave responsibility behind and escape to focus on more important things.

So, what are some other options for pre or post-game stays? Next year any suggestions for stays in Tuscaloosa that should be reviewed?

A view of the Gulf at Rosemary Beach

Rosemary Beach trip review
Note: Just to prove that I actually like some stuff.
In October, I traveled for a stay at Rosemary Beach. It was my first real vacation in over a decade. Sure, I’d take days off, but that was usually just to get some extra sleep or recover from the flu. But, you’d be shocked what a beautiful woman can get you to do—so instead of staying home to watch a road football game, we traveled for several days to Rosemary Beach. Rosemary is located just outside Panama City Beach and is near Seaside and Alys Beach.

The cottages were reasonably priced and convenient to the beach. We stayed south of 30-A and it was worth it for the convenience of not having to cross the highway to get to the beach. The October period was a perfect time for a visit with the weather topping out at around 80 each day and going no lower than about 60 at night. This made for nice days in the sun with the cooling water and invigorating mornings while drinking coffee on the boardwalk. The nights were marvelous with a full moon illuminating the white sands as the waves rhythmically crashed into the shore. It was a perfect setting for us to sip wine on the beach. (It also made for a great party encounter with a few other Alabama fans—more on that later.) Rosemary is an excellent place for a family or couple—it has the beach and bike riding and is even close to some great shopping.

The trip from Birmingham to Rosemary included a trek through Montgomery and some interesting places in south Alabama. It was a nice drive. After getting settled into the house which included unpacking everything from some household items like detergent to all the luggage, we relaxed a bit from the drive and planned a trip to the local Publix to buy the necessary groceries to stock our kitchen. The real highlight of the first day was taking a bottle of Argyle 2007 Pinot Noir and sipping it under the stars. The winds kicking in from the Gulf of Mexico made it delightful to the senses bringing in the saltwater feel to the boardwalk area where we sat.

One of the more memorable moments from the trip followed a bike ride a mile or so down the bike trail along 30-A to Alys Beach. After riding around looking at the community at bike speed, we decided it was time to get some water before heading back to Rosemary and a chance to watch the Alabama-Tennessee game. Fonville Press was the destination of her choice, and we headed there. Upon arrival we encountered something amazing.

Standing at the counter was a beautiful woman. And she knew it. She wore designer shorts that accentuated her long, tanned legs and arched her back to make sure everyone noticed her obviously spectacular butt. Heeled boots completed her evening attire in a way that said, “I’m fancy, and yes these boots cost more than you make in a month, but I’m not too high maintenance.”

However, she was high maintenance. How long does it take to order and get a coffee? At Starbucks maybe two or three minutes. This woman ordered an exotic drink and she felt compelled to explain detail by detail just how to make the drink. The details ranged from how to pick the coffee beans, prepare the beans for brewing, and how to harvest the sugar cane and then how to optimize the introduction of the finished sugar granules into her unique drink. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. My girlfriend and I were standing there desperately wanting water, but we cannot get water until this drama concludes. Fifteen minutes. Finally. Thank God. She gets her drink. Wait. No. “This isn’t hot enough. Could you warm it or brew it again?” The girl behind the counter meekly nods and fetches the pot to warm the drink. “Careful not to put too much in and ruin it!” the lovely beach girl interjected. My girlfriend was to the point of rolling her eyes. I think she wanted to stab this woman holding up the line. She deals with her desire by letting out a gentle sigh, and as the beach girl moves away, she places our order for the desired water. We went outside and enjoyed the water in the now late afternoon.

We relaxed and then headed back to our house to watch the football game. The Alabama-Tennessee game was something we both looked forward to seeing. We made it through the game and then she cooked a very nice meal with a new wine. This time it was Dry Creek. As it got later in the evening, we decided to take a glass of wine to the boardwalk and sit while watching the ocean and enjoying the cool night. After about 45 minutes of seclusion, a few men from a nearby cottage walked out. This was a group of Alabama fans from Mobile who held a party while watching the game. The party was now spilling outside to enjoy the evening. The host, or at least he appeared to be the host, kindly introduced himself and apologized for intruding on our seclusion. Immediately, the discussion turned to football, where we were from and work. There was an interesting connection with one of his guests—a doctor from Mobile with a specialization in infectious diseases.

When the doctor arrived, the gentleman immediately brought him over to introduce to us; more to introduce him to her than me. Alas, I’m used to that. The introduction itself was funny.

“Hi. I work with (the name of a big, multi-national company that I was forced to redact under threat of my life),” she said.

“Well that is great. I work with VD,” the doctor said. Immediately the doctor looked at me and informed everyone that I was dating way out of my league. The doctor was quick with the jokes. After spending about 45 more minutes on the beach and sharing an excellent sampling of the Mobile gentleman’s wine, we decided to head back to the house. As we were heading off, the revelers asked why we were leaving. She told them “It is past our bedtime.” The doctor couldn’t let that go without a retort. He looked squarely at me and shouted “Congratulations.” The doctor was the life of the party. Any party.

The interaction with others at Rosemary was always pleasant. People were friendly and thoughtful. It is impossible to find something bad about this trip—except that it ended. The only irritation was our problem with getting the house’s Internet to work. That was a major frustration for people who need to work even when on vacation. Other than this, the trip was wonderful.

The Gulf of Mexico was clear, cool and inviting most days. Even when the wind was kicking up and the waves were swelling a little, the water was fine during our stay. One day the seaweed was sufficient to distort the water’s color a bit, but it didn’t spoil the outstanding views.

We’ll be visiting Rosemary Beach again. Soon.

A view of the Gulf at Rosemary Beach

Frontera Grill Grove Blvd in Hoover

How can a Mexican restaurant be worse than Taco Bell?

I don’t know. I don’t want to know. But Frontera Grill was horrible. It was worse than Taco Bell. It was worse for a number of reasons, and not just because it suffered poorly in comparison to the place we ate the night before—Cocina Superior was amazing—but Frontera’s food was awful.

The food was bland; it made my date a little sick to her stomach before we left the table. I’m glad I didn’t get the Burrito Supreme with fajita chicken. I had beef instead. The food wasn’t hot and it wasn’t cold. It was lukewarm. The food looked appealing on the plate, but was unrewarding to the mouth. From the first bite, I knew something was wrong.

My date summed the food up in one word, “Nasty.” This was different from my experiences with other Frontera locations; the Trussville location was good on my last trip there (it has been awhile) and there was a location in Oxford that I visited years ago that was also very good. This made the Hoover restaurant seem like a safe choice. It wasn’t.

The service was good. The chips and salsa were supplied quickly and our drinks were refilled with speed. The salsa was adequate, and the cheese dip was decent. The chips were standard—and probably the best part of the dining experience.

The décor was interesting. Trippy lights adorned the ceiling of the restaurant creating star-like points of light running almost the width of the dining area. It added nothing to the experience, but perhaps distracting and disorienting one from the taste on the plate; the food was just bad. I guess it needed any help it could get. Unfortunately, the lights didn’t really help.