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As a native Columbian and a graduate of the University of South Carolina, I always love visiting Columbia, South Carolina. I have stayed in a number of hotels (and you may remember some of our reviews of these hotels on this blog).
But recently, I stayed at a new hotel that my family really loved. That hotel is Hyatt Place Columbia/Downtown/The Vista.
We had never stayed here before, but there were a lot of reasons we wanted to stay there. And the hotel did not disappoint. In fact, I would say it exceeded my expectations!
You’ll see for yourself during this review.
Location
The location of this hotel is exceptional. It was just around a ten minute walk to Colonial Life Arena. We were in town to watch a South Carolina’s Women Basketball Game, so the location was perfect for us.
The parking lot is very convenient for the location. You park right outside the building.
I like not having to bother with a parking garage across the street, which is often the case when you stay in a downtown area.
There are a lot of great dining options around the hotel. One of our favorites is Grill Marks. But there are other good dining options, too. They even had a helpful list of nearby restaurants in the elevator.
Additionally, there are some grab and go options in the lobby.
Room
For a hotel with a good location, the room was pretty spacious. And that was really one of the things we were hoping when we booked our stay. We did not get a suite but got a studio instead. However, these studios have both a living room area and a bedroom area which my family really likes.
The bathroom was a deent size as well, which I don’t normally expect when I stay downtown.
It’s nice to be able to relax in the living room area and then go to bed in a different part of the room.
I really like the living room area, too.
It’s nice how you can turn the TV so everyone in the TV area can watch.
But at the same time, you can watch in bed. Though with two queens, those in the bed closest to the window don’t get a great view.
The beds were so comfortable.
So much so that you won’t want to get out of bed in the morning.
Free Breakfast
Except that you will, because the breakfast was good! First of all, I wasn’t expecting a free breakfast. I would have booked this hotel otherwise.
But I am so glad there was a free breakfast, and not just because that saves me money (which it does). But I am glad it was this specific free breakfast because the food selection was amazing!
I am seriously not used to that many choices. Part of me wanted to keep eating because the selection was so good, but I was full because, well, the selection was so good!
My favorite part was that there was Almond Milk! Hotels rarely have almond milk, so that was great.
But the bacon was also delicious. There was great vanilla yogurt. I could have tried the waffles or bagels but didn’t. The sliced fruit was really good, too. I didn’t like the French Toast as much but that wasn’t a big deal since the rest of the food was so good. It was a really nice mix of foods, too.
There was also plenty of seating available for the breakfast.
Additional Things I Liked About the Hotel
I love the decor throughout the hotel. The artwork really adds.
I love all the comfortable, inviting chairs on each floor.
The indoor pool is a really nice touch. It adds something to do on your trip. And it’s a good size pool, too.
They also had a nice fitness room.
The staff was all really nice and friendly. A definite plus to my stay.
Price
When you consider all of the great things about staying here, the price really is reasonable. But it is not a cheap hotel (again, which you should expect, given the hotel benefits).
Luckily, you can at time find good deals on the hotel. I would look here for the cheapest price.