Restaurant preferences when travelng
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40192)
Canada
May 14, 2009 1:46pm CST
When we went on our vacation, we would stay at the Country Inn. It had a nice breakfast but there was also Denny's about a block away. Now because of the bathroom remodeling, we will be staying at the Canada Inn, so it will not exactly be a vacation since the travel is about a mile or so away. But we cannot go on any long trips for a while since my husband can no longer drive.
During our trip across to Prince Edward Island we would stay at various motels, not all Country Inn because they were not available at all the places, but usually we would go out elsewhere to eat.
Now the Canada Inn has a very good restaurant there, and yet the restaurant across the street is supposed to be good since since my husband told me that it has the best lasagna and many of the CN functions are held there.
So the question is when you go to a motel, do you eat at the motel restaurant or do you go elsewhere? (I am of course not counting relatives inviting you to their home for a bbq.)
5 people like this
21 responses
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
15 May 09
I love to find things that are not chains to eat at. Often the food is much better.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I do not like Denny's that much either and I like Perkin's even less. I mean who wants to eat dyed pink taco salad? I do like Smitty's, but not for the 55 plus selection - they do make good pancakes and waffles. I prefer the Olive Gardens and Applebees. Yes I could eat at Olive Gardens most of the time. Love pasta and spaghetti and they make a very good salad.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
The only time we eat the food at the motel is when it is the free breakfast. The regular hotel meals are way too expensive and there is not that much selection. They seem to adhere to a certain boring standard that is like the regular run of the mill restaurants. We will eat at a restaurant chain that specializes in what we want to eat, for instance, Italian, we will go to the Olive Garden. But sometimes there are small restaurants that are one of a kind that we eat at or large restaurants who have trained chefs and better quality food, but these usually cost a lot.
@ErrollLeVant (4353)
• United States
14 May 09
Most of my motel stays are one night, and I take advantage of their breakfasts.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
17 May 09
We usually go for a week, and we eat the breakfast because it is free, but then we eat at Denny's the rest of the time or at another restaurant. i do not like Denny's that much, but my in-laws do, so I guess we're stuck when we go to Saskatoon.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
15 May 09
We do not often stay in motels. If we do we will usually eat on site. However, we are also very adventurous, so we will look up restaurants in town and go there and eat.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
We eat the breakfast at the motels because the ones we go to, they are included. Of course, there will be none of that for a while as my husband has als and we cannot travel much, but when we moved to Winnipeg, we had a goal to try out all the restaurants in the area and then when our older son got married, we tried out his wife's favorite restaurant - they make real good cheesecake. but when our younger son got married, we could not do that anymore, since my husband could not go anywhere unless in a wheelchair and there were few places that were wheelchair comfortable. So when we go out anywhere it is usually to Smitty's. But their lemon meringue pie is way too sweet for me. And I prefer cheesecake plan like the New York kind not fancied up the way they have it there.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I find that motels are usually good here for the breakfast. And it depends on what motel you go to. Now the Country Inn has a good continental breakfast, I never got it since I usually eat yogurt and maybe an egg and fruit, but the Canad Inn has a good hashbrowns, bacon, and eggs breakfast. But there I mostly ate rolled oats porridge or toast and juice. As for suppers, the motels are usually a bit more expensive then going out to your favorite restaurant or picking something from the store and heating it in the microwave.
@harmonee (1228)
• United States
14 May 09
We do both. I like to go to resturaunts that we do not have here in town. One of my favorites is Houston's. So anytime we are in a city with one, it get's put to the top of the list. Hotel facilities can be very convenient if you get in late or are hungry and don't want to go too far.
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I find that it is sometimes true, but I do find that sometimes in those outside of the city, they may not have the selection and they have basic food, for instance hamburgers and fries, swiss steak, fish and chips, etc. Of course we traveled mainly in the Canadian Prairies where there is a great distance between the large centers. And the better restaurants are usually ones attached to the service station chains. For instance, Esso has a chain of restaurants, Husky has a chain of restaurants, etc. and so on.
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
15 May 09
When we traveled we stayed at a few different Hotels/Motels and we always went out to eat since most times we could get the food cheaper if we did get it elsewhere.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I do not mind saving on food, but I sort of like it to be good food. I have been at places where the food was cheaper but not that good for you - hamburger joints. I prefer to eat at a good restaurant that has a good selection, the vegetables and salads are fresh and they do not add many fries to compensate for the lack of selection. And when we traveled, we would budget that in because the rest of the year we were sort of thrifty.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
16 May 09
It varries for us. If we're tired or we're in a resort, we grab a bite where we're staying. Usually, we don't stay somewhere that has a restaurant so we have to find someplace else to eat. I like to go to the little homey places instead of the big chains.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
We usually go somewhere else because except for the free breakfast, the hotel meals are very expensive and there is not that much choice. They stick to the standards. We like to go to the big restaurants because here on the Canadian Prairies, they do not have the choice of nice homey places with good selections. You get rather tired of hamburger places where they make the hamburgers by hand. Now when we were on our trip and went through Ottawa, we stopped at this restaurant but the portions were rather too big -must have been all those politicians eating there, and when we were in Bankok, Maine on the way back to Winnipeg, there was this real nice restaurant that was near the motel we stayed at, but do not remember its name. Oh and I missed seeing Stephen King too, but I think I found out his house address. 
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
17 May 09
Haven't traveled or stayed at a hotel in some time but when I did I would have to say it was a combination - one meal in one out type. Last time was when we went to S. Dakota for #2 son's wedding - parents, youngest son, and I all flew out together and we did the same thing some here some there. Son of course had been stationed there several years so knew all the best places, great food, to eat.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
When my husband's family was all in Saskatoon, Sask. we would stay at one of their houses, but they gradually moved away and at first we rented an apartment at my husband's mother's apartment block, then after that stayed at a nearby motel. We would eat breakfast at the motel because we always choose the Country Inn because they had a good free breakfast. But we would eat at Denny's because Peter's younger sister loved it there. I was not that fond of the food there. I liked Smitty's for the pancakes and also Olive Garden plus there was a Thailand restaurant that we liked. They used to be near the Future Shop computer store, and near Staples, but they moved. We did find a nice place here in Winnipeg, but because of my husband not being able to go anywhere except it is power wheelchair accessible, it is hard to go out now.
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
15 May 09
I will normally eat breakfast at the hotel if it is offered free. However, most of the dinner meals we will eat out somewhere else. I find that we need some variety that the restaurant normally doesn't have. With kids, we eat a lot of fast food when we are on vacation and so a hotel restaurant usually doesn't have that option.
I like to talk with locals to see what places that they recommend to eat. They usually will know the best places to eat.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
When our kids were small, we would eat at the regular restaurants. They were well behaved and for some reason when they got older and wanted a place to work at to save money for university, they applied at Perkins a local restaurant so I guess we were doing something right. We would eat mainly at family friendly meals that had kid's meals and offered prizes and coloring pages for the kids and often small toys. We wanted them to get the experience of eating at a good restaurant rather then just go to MacDonald's or Burger Kings. That was mainly a treat, not a regular thing when we went on trips. But the only reason we would eat at the motel is because the breakfast is free and we would go out elsewhere.
We would look for the most popular places and go there.
@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
15 May 09
I like to stay in a guest house and it is fine if breakfast is included. If it costs extra I will eat my own food. I usually take some breakfast cereal with me and buy fruit juice at local shops. I like to have a picnic at lunch time and eat my own food or shop bought food at dinner time. I don't visit restaurants very often when traveling. I would love to visit Prince Edward Island one day.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I do most of my cooking at home, so for me eating at a restaurant is a treat. Therefore when we go on a trip, we will stop in at a restaurant and of course eat at the motel if the breakfast is free. Now when we were renovating the house our house was less then a mile from where we were staying and we knew the area so we would go to the local grocers and buy something to cook in the microwave in the motel room but then we could take the leftovers home.
When one is on a trip, one does not want to waste things or have to eat all of it at once and the microwaves plus the fridges are quite small, but then we usually budget for when we travel.
Oh and Prince Edward Island is quite nice. Would love to go back to visit there again, but with my husband having als, I doubt it will be in his lifetime.
@mermaidivy (15394)
• United States
15 May 09
I think I mostly will choose the restaurant outside like some one has special features, the famous food there, I don't tend to eat at the hotel food unless it is free of chared, I mean unless it is included in the whole plan.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I love the Olive Gardens for its pasta dishes, Tony Roma's for its selection of special types of meals - they have lot of rice dishes, noodle dishes as well as steaks, Applebeas has those shooters -small deseerts in cups,etc. And there are others, that specialize in a specific dish. They are often much better then eating at the motel because the food there is standard and designed to fit the obvious more boring and less imaginative traveler.
@derlilaStern (1756)
• United States
14 May 09
I usually do a combination of both. If the breakfast is free at the hotel, I always eat that! I am a little bit cheap.
You can often find good deals at the restaurants nearby. I find that they often taste better too. The hotel's restaurants dont often try as hard. There are people who are tired and hungry, so they just go to the hotel's restaurant because it is so close.
That lasagna sounds great. I say go for that!
3 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
14 May 09
We like to go to the outside restaurant, but with Denny's it is a bit too filing and starchy for me. I have not been at the restaurant my husband suggested and I hope it is as good as he says.
2 people like this
@inkstainedheart (455)
• United States
15 May 09
I usually go elsewhere, and try to avoid chain restaurants. I love to go to Mom and Pop places. That way, I can really experience the food in that region rather than the same old stuff.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
We have to be careful because sometimes those Mom and Pop places are not that good unless you are in a large city. In the Prairies, most of the local food does not have that much variety, lots of beef - hamburgers, cabbages, etc. fries. And I can make just as good at home. Now I do like Siamese cooking and Chinese, and I will try to find those restaurants if you want something different from the regular chains, but you have to watch it. for instance we went to a Chinese restaurant our relatives recommended, but me having growing up in Vanouver, B.C. was used to real authentic Chinese or Chinese=American food, and their food was not good. But if you go to Prince Edward Island, the lobsters are quite good and they have excellent seafood restaurants.
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
8 Sep 09
We will always try the hotel/motel restaurant, just to say we've been there, but we will also eat at other places in the area. We prefer to find places that are local and different, because franchises are the same in every single town. Why eat somewhere on the road when there's one right up the street at home?
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
We eat the motel breakfast, but usually when we are at home, we will cook at home and the only time we will go for Tim Horton's is for coffee and doughnuts. So the only time we eat there for lunch is when we are on a trip. Of course it is much cheaper and that is the reason we go. For suppers we will go to a restaurant and for lunch when we were on our trip we stopped in at the small chains like Wendys and Taco Bell, Arbys, etc. because we never ate there at home anyway. I guess I love to cook too much to go to restaurants all the time.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
15 May 09
It depends on how I feel. Hotel restaurants are often quite good but they serve a bit of everything and try to please everyone. If there is a restaurant nearby, I might try that before the hotel restaurant, just to be adventurous.
I'd treat your husband to that lasagna if I were you. Have some little adventures while you're away from home!
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I did. He liked it. When he got als, we also had a friend of mine whose husband is a very good cook and he made lasagna that was so good that even though it had mushrooms that my husband normally does not like, he loved it. I really have to get the recipe. I just eat the breakfasts at the motels or hotels because they are free, but we will eat out, bring food into our room and heat it up, or our relatives will treat us if we are visiting there. Will not be much of that for a while.
1 person likes this
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
15 May 09
I've done both. I guess if you have eaten at the hotel you can sway others to eat there too. I'll eat breakfast at the hotel and eat out someplace else.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
It all depends on the hotel. Now I would recommend the Country Inn all the time, because that is where we used to stay when we went visiting relatives, but others not as much. And the meals at the motels are more expensive so usually we would eat out if we were not being treated by relatives. And when we did, my husband and his brother, or whoever it was would fight on who would pay the bill. The winner was the one who paid by the way or the one who got out his credit card the fastest.
@scififan43 (2434)
• United States
15 May 09
Hi, when I do travel I ussualy eat at the nearby resturents from the hotel or motel. if the hottel or motel has a resturent I will eat there as well, it the hotel serves a conntinal breafast I will eat breakfast there. it realy jsut depends on what I want to do when I am there.
@anniecheung216 (168)
• China
15 May 09
In our country ,some motels don't offer food,so i eat outside.
I choose clean and fastfood when i am on a trip.
But if i am in a good place suchlike QINGDAO whch near the sea ,i won't eat fastfood.I will go to a nice place try some seafood.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
In Canada, the better motels offer a free breakfast, but some just offer it on the weekdays. For instance the Canad Inns offer it on weekdays because some of their chain offers gambling and they want the gamblers to go and start gambling rather then eat a free breakfast. In the Country Inns, they offer a free continental breakfast with a large selection. Oh and when we used to live in Vancouver, we would go to the restaurants and order fish and chips. Here in Winnipeg, there is only one chain that offers good seafood.
@chaitu2010 (17)
• India
29 Dec 09
I give preference to a restaurants which have garden type and some western style type of restaurants some times while we travelling we cannot find such type of restaurants at that time i like motels which are the side of the road they are only some motels good at the side i like the restaurant like holiday inn in that there is a garden restaurant swiming pool and it is good and also fun when we go with small children there we enjoy a lot in that when i went with my family members this new year we are planning to celebrate new year function in the holiday inn
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
29 Dec 09
I have not been to a Holiday Inn restaurant. We did have a wedding reception there once when we at a wedding in Saskatoon, but we had the food catered. I have been to the Country Inn, but not to their restaurant and we did order food from the Canad inn. We used to go to the Family type restaurants when our boys were small, but we prefer not to eat at motel restaurants because they do not have that good selection.
Usually when we stay at a motel, there is a restaurant nearby either from a regular chain or a smaller independent place or we will search around to find somewhere to eat.
