Distance from Augusta Regional Airport: 12.5 miles (14 minutes) (Offers free Airport Shuttle)
Length of stay: 4 Nights
Average nightly rate: $100 Avg/Night.
Chance of upgrade: The 5th and 6th floors (top floors) are Hilton Honors only floors. As long as you are a Hilton Honors member you have access to check in on the mobile app and choose the room you want 24hrs in advance.
Augusta is a small town in Northern Georgia specifically known for the annual Master's PGA tournament it hosts every April at Augusta National Golf Course. It is one of the most exclusive pristine golf courses in the whole nation. It is certainly not open to the public, the club only has about 300 members and the annual membership fee ranges around $50,000. The only chance of playing at Augusta National is being friends with a member (The member must be on property in order to bring up to 4 guests.
The Flight:
This was the worse flight of my life! I have never felt so sick to my stomach. As most know I stay loyal to American Airlines and Us Airways so when I chose this flight my route was Orlando-Charlotte/Charlotte-Augusta. After I arrived in Charlotte for my layover I walked to terminal E which is the terminal for regional flights (Usually operated by American Eagle, Piedmont Airlines and US Airways express which are all part of American now). All of these planes are usually prop planes or Embraer's which are kind of like private jet size. I have been flying for a long time and have already flown 80 flights in 2015 but I have NEVER been on a prop plane. I am not usually prone to motion sickness but this was the exception.
(American Eagle Dehavilland Dash 8-300)
(Descending into Augusta Regional Airport)
Once we landed all I could think in my head was "you gotta be kidding me". This airport is the tiniest airport I have ever seen in my life. It was in comparison to a tiny DMV office made out of bricks. Anyway I was just happy I didn't have to be on that plane any more and I got my bag and made my way to the hotel.
(Augusta Regional Airport)
The Hotel:
I enjoy when I stay at a Double Tree's mostly because they are part of the Hilton chain. Hilton Honors seems to give the most benefits to their elite members, as I checked in I saw a brown paper bag behind the front desk with my last name on it. After I checked in the lady handed my the bag and it was filled with water bottles and a warm cookie. Not a big deal but it is definitely a warming welcome and this is one of the things I truly enjoy about the Hilton brand.
I wont go into much detail about the hotel because small hotels like this are dime a dozen. One cool thing the hotel did have though was the pool. Most hotels you see north of Florida have indoor pools because of the winters. Usually they are basic and and I usually stay away from them because they just feel dirty to me. This Double Tree had a indoor pool with a Jacuzzi with a sun roof and an indoor garden. Nothing out of this world but just different than the basic pools the other hotels have.
(Indoor Pool)
Augusta Must Eat Restaurant: T-Bonz Steakhouse
On the 3rd night of my stay me and my coworkers decided we wanted to eat something real (not from a chain). The night before we went to a mom and pops Italian restaurant called Giuseppe's but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. So we drove around town and stumbled upon T-Bonz Steakhouse. From the outside the place didn't look very appealing but it was packed, you could see people waiting outside for a table.
We where tired of driving around so we figured we would give it a shot. Once we walked in you could see the walls covered in pictures and memorabilia of famous golfers and country artists. It turns out that T-Bonz is the spot where all of the golfers come when they are in town and it has been named the best Steakhouse in Augusta for the past 15 years. The menu had about 15 different steaks and just looking at the menu made me anxious because I was so indecisive. The waitress recommended that me and my buddy share the 32 0z. Porter house, it is a huge cut with both the T-Bone and Tenderloin Filet. This was probably the best choice I made all weekend, this huge steak fed 2 people and was only $35. It was one of the best meals I have ever had, the best part was that it wasn't a fancy restaurant at all. All the staff was super friendly and welcoming, they also had a great happy hour. You could pair your steak with red wine for an extra $3.
NightLife:
Augusta doesn't really have a central downtown with bars like most cities do. Luckily next to T-Bonz there was a plaza that seemed to consist of only one central bar. This bar is named "The Country Club", it is a typical southern country bar with a main dance floor. This place was huge, the dance floor is surrounded by tables and about 5 bars. There was also a main stage fit for a full size band, the live music starts around 10pm.
It was cool to experience the southern environment, countless people doing different line dances song after song. I really don't seem to understand how they remember all that, it seems as if every song has a different dance. Beers where about $5 and a shot of Parton was $7, really not bad at all when you compare to Florida prices at a similar bar.
Augusta probably isn't the first choice for anyones vacation destination unless you are a serial golfer. I really wouldn't recommend it as a place to bring family or a loved one. If you do stumble upon this small town though I highly recommend the hotel I stayed at. Also I admit that if I ever came back here I would fly on Delta, it was the only other airline that flew to Augusta Regional and they don't have any prop planes. That motion sickness isn't worth the miles American Airlines gave me. If you have any questions about this destination or travel in general feel free to message me on Google Circles.
Next week I will be spending 4 nights at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, I will also be posting within the next week on the best way to book hotels online and how to get the best deals.
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