My Wife and I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Midtown Savannah for 4 nights after Easter. We had originally oped for Hotwire purchases on this Georgia trip (4 nights in each of Atlanta and Savannah) as it was not our main holiday of 2008, but were disappointed to get the Promenade Hotel, a hotel well located in Savannah's Historic District but also a hotel under quite extensive renovation. The reviews put me off big time and I questioned Hotwire a number of times on whether this hotel should be available for purchase, only to be told each time the renovations would be complete. They are not. I have an ongoing dispute with Hotwire now about a refund, but that is a totally different story.

With this in mind we decided to book another hotel as backup in case our worse fears were confirmed on arrival at the Promenade. They were.

The hotel was the Hilton Garden Inn in Midtown, about 10 mins drive away from the Historic District albeit through some beautiful tree lined roads and squares. The reviews on Tripadvisor seemed positive and the location, although outside where we would have preferred seemed ideal.

In the end we were glad we chose this hotel. We paid a lot more than the Hotwire room cost us, but we felt it was excellent value for money @ $119 which included two buffet breakfasts each morning (normally $10.95 per person). In all honesty, the hotels in the Historic District were charging closer to $200 and above, and although they may have a bit more character than a modern Hilton Garden Inn, I felt the value was in Midtown. They are many hotels of similar type (and cheaper) along Abercorn, a main road into Savannah which stretches from the Savannah Mall about 15mins drive away and the Historic District.

One disappointment upon check in was the unavailabilty of a requested King bed room, which didn't impress me being a Hilton Honors member but also didn't spoil anything too much. The room allocated to us was on the 3rd floor (of 6) and was very spacious with two good size Queen beds. I must admit there was little wear and tear at all, although that is something you should maybe expect from a relatively new property. The furnishings were modern and the large LCD TV was a definite hit with us. The room just looked high quality.

The bathroom was also very nice and a good size. The shower pressure was good and the hotel also provided toiletries free of charge.

I couldn't fault the room or the bathroom at all.

Breakfast was very good, although probably a tad expensive if you were paying on the day. I'm sure you can get breakfast cheaper in the countless restaurants and cafes, some of which are a short hop across the street. Anyway as it was included in our rate we ate there everyday. The selection was substantial with make your own waffles, scrambled eggs, potatoes, grits, biscuits, bacon, bagels, muffins, various cakes, oatmeal and plenty of juices. The service was excellent, with coffee pretty much brought to the table immediately. It certainly helped keep us filled up for the majority of the day.

Another plus point about the hotel is the free business center. This is a great perk with two PC's linked up to the internet. You can also print from your laptop in room to one of the printers in the center by way of a secured coding system, meaning the print won't come out until you enter a password in the machine attached to the printer. We managed to check in for our flight from Atlanta back to the UK using the PC's. I must admit also, it never seemed that busy and even if it was, guests are only allowed a maximum of 30mins each visit anyway.

As mentioned previously, location is very good and not far from the Historic District. There are also plenty of restaurants and shops in close proximity to the hotel (some walkable) and both the Oglethorpe and Savannah Malls are on the same road albeit a fair drive away.

Staff were extremely friendly and the manager was always asking us how our stay was each morning.

Parking is free and onsite. There are plenty of spaces but it did fill to almost capacity a couple of days we were there. You have to get a parking permit from reception and display in the car when leaving it at any point.

There is a heated pool and gym also, plus plenty of conference rooms.

As I stated in the title of this review, a pretty much faultless experience.....and Savannah is such a great city also.