First, the disclosure:  Country Inn & Suites gave us a complimentary stay in return for reviewing their hotel and exploring their Streams & Shores vacation itinerary.  They didn’t tell me what to write or that it had to be a positive review.  The opinions are mine, based on our experience at this particular hotel.

The Country Inn & Suites, Madison Southwest, is located on the southern edge of Madison, Wisconsin.  Some addresses list it as Fitchburg, and others as Madison, and it’s just a few miles from Verona.  The hotel is just off U.S. 18/151, making it easy to access points west of Madison, such as The House on the Rock and Cave of the Mounds.  The Baraboo/Wisconsin Dells area is about an hour away.

Our Room

We stayed in a suite, with two queen beds, a chair, and a television in the bedroom, and a sofabed, desk, and television in the living room.  A real door separated the bedroom from the rest of the room, so my husband and I could watch TV in the living room after we put the kids in bed.

The bathroom had a large countertop and, although not a massaging showerhead, the shower had power and was high enough for my tall husband to fit under.  Mirrors were plentiful in the room.  A bar area with a sink sat atop a dorm-size refrigerator and microwave.  Plentiful light switches in the suite allowed lighting when and where we wanted it.  The thermostat was easy to configure, and a ceiling fan in the living room helped with circulation if we wanted it.

There was a dresser with three drawers in both the bedroom and living room, and also a closet with several hangers in each room.  The usual amenities (ironing board, hair dryer, coffee maker) were available for our use.

The beds were comfortable, and although feather-type pillows were all that were offered, they were better than some I’ve used in hotels.  I don’t always sleep well in hotels, but I got a good night’s rest throughout our stay here.

The sofabed sunk toward the middle, as sofabeds often do, but it was adequate for our kids.

The hotel was quiet; although adjacent to a busy road, the pool faces the road and the rooms face the parking lot of the hotel on one side and a bowling alley on the other.  We seldom heard any noise from the hallway or adjacent rooms.

Our room adjoined another identical room, so a large family or group of people could share two rooms with a door between.

Outlets were plentiful in our room for charging all of our gear, and wi-fi was free and easy to log in to.  For those traveling without a computer, a terminal and printer are available in the lobby for guest use.

The entire hotel is non-smoking, which is helpful for my families’ allergy concerns.  An elevator is available for the second- and third-story rooms, and there’s a guest laundry room available.

Breakfast/Cookies

Country Inns & Suites prides itself in its breakfast, and it wasn’t a disappointment.  Cereal, yogurt, and a variety of breads were available, as well as hard-boiled eggs and microwaveable omelets and sausage.  The part of breakfast we liked the best was hot waffles, with batter ready-to-pour and waffle irons that were well-seasoned so that the waffles came out perfectly every time.

In the afternoons and evenings, chocolate-chip cookies were available in the breakfast area.  I appreciated the manager’s knowledge of the peanut-allergen status of the cookies (a may-contain statement on the package).  I was also happy to see that there were not peanut butter cookies served, as this would have created some fear in using the tables for breakfast in the mornings.

The breakfast area was large, with several tables and high chairs available, as well as a sofa and television.  Even when it was busy, we always found a place to sit for breakfast.

Pool/Exercise Area

The pool area at this hotel consists of a large hot tub, a medium-sized pool with basketball hoops, and a children’s slide/splash area. 

It was an excellent setup for a family with younger children.  The pool depth ranged from 3 to 4 feet, and balls were available for playing basketball. 

The splash and slide area was just right for our kids, and I could easily keep my eye on the entire area from the pool deck so I could count heads while my husband played in the water with the kids.  (We’ve been to bigger waterparks that were a nightmare for keeping track of little ones.)

An exercise room is adjacent to the pool, and if you prefer more workout equipment, you can check out a pass to a nearby 24-hour fitness club.

Lobby/Library

The lobby at Country Inn & Suites is homey, and features a Read It and Return It library with books for both adults and children.  You can borrow books from the library and then return them to any Country Inn & Suites.  It was nice to have a few extra books in our hotel room for when the kids tried to claim boredom.

Suggestions for Improvement

Our stay was positive, with our complaints being very minor.  I’ll start with the tiniest one:  the Pantene conditioner is in narrow round bottles, and it’s nearly impossible to get any conditioner out of the bottle.  For three days I shook and shook the bottle, trying to get out conditioner.  On the fourth day, I gave up.  I know it sounds strange, but it drove me crazy.  Squeezable bottles or not-so-thick conditioner would solve the problem.

The second, not-so-trivial, downside was finding our way into the hotel itself.  We came in from the back side, in the dark, and there is absolutely no signage for the hotel from this side.  Fortunately, I had spotted the company logo atop the building, through the trees, as we approached, but this was the only clue I had that we had arrived.  I mentioned this to the manager, who said he receives this complaint at least once a week.  Apparently, the corporate office only allows one sign on the property, and their sign is along the busy road (which has no direct access to the hotel).  In addition, if you approach from the back side of the hotel, there is no sign on the building at all.   Driving past a hotel because of lack of signage has happened to us before, and it puts us in a poor mood before we even walk in the door.  Signs are important in getting guests to the hotel efficiently and happily.  I hope the corporate powers that be will change this policy.

My third suggestion has to do specifically with our larger-than-average family:  Our room was designed to sleep six people, and there were pillows and bedding for six, but only towels for four.  I received more towels upon request at the front desk, but it would be nice to have them in the room, ready for us, when we stay in a room and have six people on our reservation.

Hit the Road Country Streams & Shores

We used several suggestions from the “Hit the Road Country” Streams & Shores itinerary for a last-minute vacation.  For four days, they suggest Mall of America and Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, and Circus World, Noah’s Ark at Wisconsin Dells, the Original Wisconsin Ducks, and the State Capitol in Wisconsin.

We’ve been to Mall of America several times before, but we hadn’t taken the kids to Minnehaha Falls yet, so we started our trip there.  The kids loved the falls.  We may go back to rent one of the bicycle-cars for a ride around the park.

In Wisconsin Dells, we did the Ducks tour, and although it was a nice ride through the forest and on the lake, we found that our kids were too young for the jokes told on the trip.  They just didn’t understand the puns and other “cheesy” humor.

We decided against Noah’s Ark since we’d be outnumbered by young kids.  (See above comment about the pool.)  Maybe when the kids are older we’ll brave that big waterpark.

Circus World was a delight, and I see why it was a “mom-approved” choice on the itinerary.  The shows throughout the day were fun and interesting for the whole family.

The State Capitol was on our list, but the kids’ patience was wearing thin so we decided a guided tour wouldn’t work out so well.  We’ll try that on another trip.  A necessary part of traveling with kids is flexibility.

We also found many other interesting things to do in the Madison/Wisconsin Dells area that complemented the Streams & Shores itinerary.

Conclusion

Our stay at the Country Inn & Suites was pleasant, as our previous stays at Country Inns have been.  (We’ve had good experiences in Cedar Falls, IA, and Roseville, MN, in the past.)  The kids were disappointed this morning when we had to leave.  When we travel, we like to find a central location where we can stay, yet have several places to visit within an hour’s drive.  This location fit the bill.

Our room was spacious for our family of six, and this is no small task.  As other families with more than two or three children know, it can be difficult to find a hotel room for five or six people.  Our room not only had enough beds for all of us, but it was not cramped, and had plenty of closet and dresser space as well.

The room that we stayed in generally runs from $129-$149, which is a decent rate for a room that fits all of us and includes breakfast.  With AAA discounts or Country Inn’s current “Sweet Deal” promotion of saving 15% with multiple-night stays, the price is very good for a large room.

Our stay at the Country Inn & Suites in Madison was pleasant, and we would not hesitate to return to this or another Country Inn location.

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