During our visit, we had the pleasure to stay at the Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch, part of Drury Hotels, which is located right in the heart of everything.
Great View, Close to Everything
The Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch, located at 2 South 4th Street in downtown St. Louis, is only half a block from the Gateway Arch and just steps away from the Historic Old Courthouse. In fact, we could see both landmarks from our hotel room - my 5 year old was very excited to see part of the arch from our window!
St. Louis is a special place to me because my dad grew up there. However, since I grew up in south Louisiana, we didn't get to visit often due to the distance. We do have extended family there, so it was great to re-connect with them and see some of the main tourist attractions.
We left early Friday morning and returned Sunday evening, packing many memories into those few days. St. Louis is a great city for families with kids to visit because there is so much to do for a wide range of ages. My girls are 5 and almost 2, so we chose attractions that we felt would appeal to both of them and then hope to return in a couple of years to see even more!
In addition to visiting the Arch and Old Courthouse, we stopped by the Old Cathedral, grabbed a couple of photos of Busch Stadium (the Cardinals were out of town while we were there) and tried out some restaurants in Ballpark Village - all of which were in walking distance from the hotel.
We also spent nearly a full day at the St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park, which was just a short drive away - about 5.5 miles. I loved having so many attractions within a few blocks or miles.
Plenty of Space for a Family
The Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch offers several room types, including a King Bed, double beds and suites. Since we are a family of four and our youngest daughter is not quite 2, she still needs to nap, so we opted to try out a suite. The suite featured a bedroom with a king bed and flat screen TV, a bathroom and a sitting room with a couch, chair and TV. The bedroom had a door to separate the two rooms, which was perfect during nap time and bed time. It can be quite a challenge to get our almost 2 year old to sleep if we are all in the same room because she wants to play, even when she is tired. With the suite, we were able to get her to sleep so much quicker. The room was spacious, clean and had good water pressure (important to me for a good shower!).
Many Extras
The staff was incredibly helpful from the moment we arrived. The hotel offers many amenities, including a pool, a fitness center, free hot breakfast, free 5:30 kickback (featuring a variety of food - the night we went they had hotdogs, mac n cheese, baked potatoes and salad), free wifi and free long distance calls. My 5-year-old's favorite "extra"? The popcorn! Every afternoon, there was fresh popcorn and soft drinks.
Historical Significance
I'm a big history buff, so, needless to say, I was so excited to walk into the beautifully decorated lobby - a mix of past and present - and learn about the historical significance of The Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. The 355-room hotel is made up of three buildings listed on the national Register of Historic Places - The International Fur Exchange Building (built in 1919 - home to the world's largest and most important fur trading auction floor), the Thomas Jefferson Building and the American Zinc Building. The hotel was renovated to utilize many features of the original fur exchange building, such as imported marble from Italy and Waterford crystal for the chandeliers and light fixtures.
Many Locations
I definitely recommend the Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch and would take my family to other locations as well. There are several Drury Hotel locations in St. Louis, including Drury Inn and Suites Convention Center St. Louis and Drury Inn St. Louis at Union Station in the downtown area, as well as a location near Forest Park (Drury Inn and Suites St. Louis Forest Park) and one by the airport (Drury Inn St. Louis Airport), among others. Drury Hotels also has locations across the country - perfect for a quick getaway or a week long trip.
Learn more about Drury Hotels or book a stay of your own by visiting their website.
I received a one-night stay in exchange for this review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
