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A few years ago in a conversation with my husband I exclaimed, “traveling is my favorite!” I was trying to convince him that we needed to take a major family trip and he wasn’t fully on board with the expense of a big vacation. He laughed and called me Buddy the Elf because of the famous line, “smiling is my favorite!”
There is just something about planning a vacation and letting the excitement build as the days pass by that I just absolutely love. I really love picking a new place and getting to explore it with my husband and our kids and just about every year, we plan our family vacation for December or January. While I spend a ton of time with our kiddos, I always feel like our one on one time is so limited. With a baby arriving any day, I have been concentrating on getting some of this precious one on one time in with each of our kids. Penny, who just turned 7 is just about always looking for a way to get herself into a swimming pool. She loves the water so for her special time, I wanted to do a “big girl” sleepover at a hotel with a swimming pool. A little known fact about Penny is that she talks at great lengths about owning her own hotel called “The Coral Hotel” someday and the girl loves to stay in hotels. We call it “market research.” So I knew that a 2 night stay at the brand new Towne Place Suites by Marriott in Kill Devil Hills would be right up her alley!
As soon as school let out for winter break, I picked her up and surprised her with a sleepover bag already packed. The plan was for the two of us to swim, order dinner in and enjoy our alone time with in-suite manis, pedis and movies. Penny ended up being the one to surprise me and asked if her little sister could also join us for some swimming! Lulu was thrilled to join us and I know that made Penny so happy to play with her sister in the pool.
We kept the sleepover portion of the weekend for just the two of us and we loved staying up late together with tons of snacks and our spa theme was perfection!
I was absolutely blown away at this beautiful new hotel experience right in the next town over. Over the past few years I have heard stories from hundreds of hopeful OBX vacationers who feel like they have been priced out of the local vacation market because there are so many giant beach houses. The big complaint is that without a large group to vacation with, oceanfront and oceanside rentals are really out of reach. The new Towne Place Suites is an incredible answer to this problem and I think couples and small families are going to love this option for their next beach vacation.
The suites are super spacious with a separate bedroom and living area. The bathrooms are giant and the kitchens are fully functioning and well stocked with plates, bowls and cooking essentials. You could cook an entire meal using the brand new stove and oven and keep your refrigerator stocked with all of your favorites to pack your cooler for a beach day.
You won’t have to worry about breakfast or coffee because that is all provided in abundance each morning. Penny was pretty thrilled to share breakfast time with me in the morning and we had a lot of fun waking up early and checking out Bodie Island Lighthouse and Jockey’s Ridge, just the two of us! Both are just a short drive from the hotel. We even watched the sunrise from our bed! Bliss!
The hotel is perfectly located in the heart of Kill Devil Hills on the beach road. It sits just across the street from grocery options, shopping and unique OBX experiences. You're also within walking distance to the iconic Kill Devil Grille!
Another amazing thing about the Towne Place Suites is that they are willing to book rooms for locals! I tried to book a local hotel a few years ago for a staycation for just my husband and I and they wouldn’t allow locals to stay so staying in this beautiful new hotel was such a treat. They're even offering some amazing local specials over the winter so give them a call and let them know that I sent you!
Penny called her Daddy on Sunday morning and asked him to bring Lulu by for cartoons because she was missing her... proof that this sister is ready for DOUBLE DUTY in the big sister department!
