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Sheraton Niagara Falls, NY October 21-23 2022
Hockey is back! Really great news for the boy, not such great news for the parents. The things we do for love. Drive to practice, drive home from practice, drive to games, listen to how great they played, how crappy they played, how good they are. Out of town tournaments, in town tournaments, other parents, other kids. Uuugggghhhh. The things we do for love. This years hockey tournament brought us upstate. Upstate New York. A chance for the kids to bond, play some hockey and have some fun and whilst it wasn't the most appealing place to visit, we managed to achieve all of the above. The weekend started out with a nice win against a team who was below average. For game 2, the rumors were flying about playing in an outdoor rink. I of course, didn't want any part of this nonsense talk from a bunch of 14 year old's, so just shook it off and told them they were crazy. Well, what do you know. Apparently, I didn't know anything as we pull up to this out door arena. I tell you it was cool. The ice was in rough shape as was our team, as we got demolished, embarrassed and any other adjective you have for bad. In any case, a great experience all around and it was a nice weekend with lots of laughs and some fun.
SET UP
The first night was at the Best Western in Lockport, NY because our booked hotel had no room and our first game was so early on Friday morning, we decided to stay about a 5 min drive to the rink. The room was a standard 2 queen bed room and was fine to lay your head. You can see the view from this room below. Awesome! The Sheraton for the following 2 nights was also a nice size room with the traditional 2 queen set up. Just father and son, not cramped at all and more than I was expecting. The rooms at both places were clean and tidy and offered a pleasant stay.
MATTRESS
A double shot of Simmons. First night was the picture on the far right. The Sheraton did have the Exceptionale which I think is a fancy French word for exceptional. I beg to differ. While the zippered pillowtop is a neat idea, the mattresses offered a very average feel. On the firmer side which as you know is not to my liking. I suppose the benefit to the zipper pillowtop is that it can be exchanged for a softer or firmer one and it keeps the bed a bit fresher and not as much turnover as the guts of the mattress can stay a bit fresher. It also keeps costs down for the hotel as they don't have to replace the whole mattress. By the by, this Simmons option of the zipper pillowtop is what the Four Seasons hotel does in North America. They offer you choice of comfort top. So.....goes to show you that you do NOT need to spend the exorbitant amount of money on a hotel's website for their mattress. Keep in mind, the hotel stay is always enhanced by the linens, the pillows, the duvets, the drinks, the relaxation of being away, the drinks and the company you are keeping with!
SLEEP
Not much of it, but that comes with the territory of being on a schedule of hockey tournaments. It was restful at times and the late nights helped a bit. 7-8 hours each night of the 3 and no real complaints.
OVERALL
Good times, let the boys play. Hockey tourneys bring out the best in the kids and parents. Just there for a good time and clean innocent fun had by all. 🏒🗼 🌊
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