A little break

March is a month of longing.  We know that spring is around the bend, but winter seems interminable.  My husband and I like to go to the Carribbean for spring break, but we decided we had to take a few years off until our kids are a little bit older.  Desperate to get away, we decided to do something simple:  a mini hotel vacation right here in town.  Our plan was to head Dowtown St. Paul after naps, check in, go for a swim, have dinner, swim again, sleep in the hotel, and then swim one more time in the moring before we left.  We decided to stay at the Embassy Suites.  The pictures on the web showed they had a nice pool and affordable prices.  We like staying in a suite because we can put the kids in the "living room" in their pack-and-plays and we get the "bedroom" to ourselves.

When we arrived at the Embassy Suites, we were more than happy with our choice.  The pictures on the web had not done justice to the beauty of this hotel.  It's a very classy looking building.  It is designed in courtyard style; all the suites have windows on the inner courtyard and on the outside of the building.  The inner courtyard is centered around a pretty waterfall and includes a patio for the Irish pub attached to the hotel and the hotel's breakfast dining area.  But what really sold me was the duckies.  I knew as soon as I saw them that I would have two well-entertained kids for the weekend.  "Look, duckies!" I told them in a dramatic whisper, and they were hooked.  When we weren't swimming, we were in the courtyard, running around and watching the ducks swim, prune themselves, and eat. 

We had a really nice weekend, and it was a great way to get away without going away.