park & fly

we are flying out of minneapolis on August 13th and need a hotel for the one night that will also allow us to park our car there for 10 days

park %26amp; fly

I would check on hotels and motels near the Mall of America:

www.bloomingtonmn.org/accommodations.asp would be a place to start. When you are researching them, check to see if leaving a car in the parking lot for that length of time is permitted. Also, it would help if they have a free shuttle to the airport; that way, you don%26#39;t have to worry about getting a cab to take you down the road to the airport.

The Mall of America is very close to MSP airport, so any hotel in Bloomington (home to the MOA) will be close to the airport and should be able to transport you to MSP.

park %26amp; fly

OK, I hope this is not ';commercial'; too...I don%26#39;t have any connection with any hotels or anything like that. But my brother has urged me to stay a night at the Embasy Suites neat the airport and said they allow parking for a certain amount of time. I thought he had said it was a fenced lot.

Check for responses to a new post I will make in a bit related to a question I have about VA hospital parking.

The Embassy Suites is very close to the airport, and it%26#39;s a great hotel. I would contact them directly to get the skinny on parking. Also, I just want to make sure you are aware: you will want to stay at the Embassy Suites AIRPORT, not Embassy Suites BLOOMINGTON. Both properties are in Bloomington, MN, but the Airport location is very close to the airport, while the Bloomington location is probably five or six miles to the west.

I would suggest the Hampton Inn in Bloomington (on American BVLD.), because if you can%26#39;t attend their great breakfast, they have a to-go bag as well. That is if you are able to splurge a little.

~JS

Try the Hilton Garden Inn (I think in Bloomington). My husband %26amp; I went to Jamaica this Feb. and they were great! Nice, easy drive only 5 miles from the airport, with free shuttle to %26amp; from. It%26#39;s also just south of the Mall of America, and very easy to find! Great rooms, with comfy beds!!

And remember...most of the park/flys require you to call them directly for the special rate to leave your car. Booking on line is for hotel only and not to leave your car. So make sure you check that out carefully! They only allow a limited amount of park/flys according to their parking facilities. Most of the facilities will allow 8 days of parking free for one nites stay...make sure you find out what the extra nites will cost before you book...some have HUGE extra day charges. Also ask if their van is 24 hours...or will accommodate the flights that you have booked. My flights are always 6:30 AM and International...and many of the park/flys do not have a van operating at 4AM or 4:30AM or if your flight comes back too late at nite as in a delayed flight...there will be no van service. Coming back at 2AM in a blizzard is never fun to find out your hotel%26#39;s van does not operate that late! Cabs can be very expensive to some of the park/flys...

some things we learned on our last park and fly:

get an email confirmation that states what is included in the park n fly like the number of free days parking and how they are calculated, and how much extra per day over the number of days that are free. bring a copy of it with you when you check in.

we were promised free parking and they tried to charge extra $ 10 per day.

the free breakfast or bag breakfast may start at 6am on a normal weekday, but may start much later on a weekend or holiday weekday. if you have an early flight, you may not get to eat. they usually have fruit and coffee available early.

some hotels the shuttle is hourly, but not always on the hour, others half hour or on demand or their may not be a driver available at all times. the shuttle may start at different times on different days and holidays. make sure the shuttle time corresponds with your flight.

not all hotels have nice tvs. some have flat screens and some name brand hotels have tvs that seem 20 years old and out of focus. check it out ahead of time.

some hotels have indoor pools but no hot tub, sometimes referred to as a spa.

some hotels the pools are in the main area of the hotel with pool side rooms, which is not very private. other hotels the pool is in a small room, more private, but can sould like an echo chamber especially if there are a lot of screeming kids.

some hotels have a restaurant and bar, but may close very early. if you want food or drink, see if there are neighboring places to eat/drink.