I hate to admit this, but my birthday was last month and I turned 37! (Ssshhh) Actually, my birthday fell on a weekend and it worked out perfectly for a little girls weekend trip. I think I’ve mentioned that I moved to Iowa over the summer and a lot of my good friends are still in Minnesota, so we were looking for a place that we could easily meet and spend some time together. I know when people in Iowa and Minnesota think of Rochester, we think of the big hospital but I wanted to take a minute to tell you that there is so much more there and if you’re looking for a quick getaway this is a great location!
Where We Stayed
I don’t know if you remember that amazing hotel I stayed in when I visited New York City in July, the Homewood Suite. It was a gorgeous hotel that’s full of all the amenities I’m looking for when I travel by myself or with my family. So, of course it’s the first place I turn to find a hotel whenever I’m traveling.
I love that they have amazing rooms with oh so comfy beds, free breakfast, complimentary evening social hour during the week and so much more.
We had a suite with a separate bedroom from the living room and kitchenette area. It worked out perfectly for us to hang out and watch tv in bed with our snacks and wine set up like a small buffet in the kitchen area.
The Rochester, MN Homewood Suite is in a fabulous location too, we were able to walk to Caribou Coffee and within minutes from shopping and restaurants. This is just one of those hotels that once you stay, you’ll always look for them when you’re traveling. Promise!
Where We Ate
While we were in Rochester, we wanted to try someplace different for dinner. Not the normal chains that we could have any place so we started to look online for some options and settled on Chester’s Kitchen and Bar. Oh My Goodness, I am so glad we did! I’ve never Lobster Mac and Cheese that was this amazing. By far one of the best meals I’ve ever had and a PERFECT Birthday meal!
What We Did
Rochester isn’t know for shopping like Minneapolis and the Mall of America but there is still a lot of options. The mall has a ton of great stores and we made our way to the downtown area that was full of little shops and great shopping. I found a great outfit and boots! WIN!
We had an amazing time in Rochester, everything was fabulous from our hotel stay at Homewood Suites to the dinner at Chester’s! If you have a weekend that you’re planning a little getaway, be sure to keep these ideas in mind! You can find more Homewood Suite locations HERE!
Disclosure: I partnered with Homewood Suites on this post but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own!
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