Place to stay in Rochester, MN: 5th Avenue Inn and Suites

For those living on a budget and you need an inexpensive place to stay while in Rochester, Minnesota, you may want to give the 5th Avenue Inn and Suites a call.

Located less than 2 blocks from the Mayo Clinic, it's an easy place to walk to.  Underneath Mayo are a number of nearby hotels with connecting tunnels.  Even though the 5th Avenue Inn and Suites isn't connected tunnel-wise, tunnel entrances are not far away.

5th Avenue Inn and Suites offer three full floors of rooms, all overlooking an inner balcony and an open floor on the second floor.  Here, there are tables and comfortable recliners--yours truly had to test a number of these out on his last visit--and a bookshelf with books, magazines, puzzles, and games.

There is a small pool on the first floor, which was roughly five feet deep at the deepest and three at the shallowest, was perfect for my three children.  The continental breakfast didn't offer many choices, however, when compared with a few of the other places I've visited while in Rochester, MN.  But, if your breakfast choice of pastries, donuts, toast, and cereal is all you need, then there won't be any complaints.

For my family of five, the rooms offered enough space for us to roam around.  Overall, it's a pleasant place to stay and the close proximity to the Mayo Clinic give it an added plus.

Guesthouse International Inn and Suites, Rochester, MN

Last year, when my wife was down in Rochester, MN, due to her treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukamia, I stayed several times at the Guesthouse International Inn and Suites.

If you're going to the Mayo Clinic, there are reduced rates available, as well as reduced rates for those staying a week or more.  There is also a shuttle service going to and from the Mayo Clinic Monday through Friday.

It's a nice hotel, with a complimentary breakfast, and a good-sized pool.  There is also a hot tub.  Here is a video of my children jumping into the pool one day last summer, which gives you an idea of how big the pool is.

From the first phone call to the first time arriving at the hotel, I knew the front clerk (who I believe his name was Jerry), was a first-class salesperson.  He knew how to treat guests extremely well.  In fact, the moment I arrived the first time, it was around 11:30pm.  He said that normally the pool closed at midnight but liked to keep it open later to accomodate the late-arrivals.  Also, he said he always kept the coffee on--which I didn't quite need at the time but admired the gesture.

The one drawback, which I even hate to mention, is the slight smoky smell to the carpet.  I had been told there had been some remodeling done but the carpet hadn't been touched yet.  Because of it, there was a hint of smoke along the halls.  This didn't bother me, even though I'm a non-smoker, but my wife was extremely sensitive to it.

Here's a picture of the front--this is from their website.

Because of the drawback, I give the Guesthouse a 4 out of 5 stars.  If I just took into account the level of service, it would be 5 out of 5.

Hampton Inn and Suites (Rochester, MN) - A world-class facility

For the past 14 months, since my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, we've stayed in Rochester, MN in a few various hotels.  In one stretch, my wife spent from April through December 2011 in Rochester, and every 2-3 weekends, I'd bring the kids down to see her.

She is now at home and has appointments every 4-6 weeks.

One of our favorite places to stay is the Hampton Inn and Suites.

The Hampton Inn is located on the north side, and has shuttle services running quite regularily to the Mayo Clinic.

Their staff is world-class, greeting me by name, and even greeting me in the same manner when I just spent 7-8 hours in the car and am half-asleep.

Their continental breakfast is outstanding.  After about the tenth time I've stayed there, I've only seen a hot menu item more than twice.  They have so much variety, it's amazing.  They even have an assortment of muffins, bagels, and english muffins.

They have an exercise area and even a pool, accessible through the second floor.  It's typically open until midnight, and there is both a regular pool and a sizeable hot-tub.

The manager, Dan, is the epitome of world-class, always friendly and is a very hands-on manager.  I've seen him many times out sweeping the parking lot or driving the shuttle van.  On one occasion, my youngest daughter was acting up.  Dan came up to us, asked if she was alright, and offered her a small piece of candy.  She immediately smiled.  The gesture made her day.

The Hampton Inn and Suites is located just off of the main Highway 52 North.  There are plenty of places to eat nearby, as well as a Target and Wal-mart.

Out of five stars, I give them a full five.