Last weekend my family and I had the privilege of attending the Delaware Family Blogging event at the Christiana Hilton in Delaware with four other bloggers and their families. The event, coordinated by Jacqui from Single Parent Retreat, was organized to bring awareness to Delaware as a venue for seminars and conferences.
Located just off of I 95, the Christiana Hilton is conveniently located in the Brandywine Valley, between Philadelphia and the Baltimore/Washington areas. The hotel is a perfect location for business events, weddings and leisure travel. Prior to my arrival, I stopped by to check out their website HERE which is filled with information about the hotel and property.
My children were super excited about heading to the hotel for an overnight stay. Upon arriving, they were pointing and giggling with glee at the gorgeous swans in the lake on the property. Upon check in, the hotel staff members were gracious and welcoming. The front desk area was lively and a-buzz as a bride and her bridesmaids walked through the hall, getting ready for their soon-to-be wedding.
We headed to our room to drop off our baggage before getting ready to meet up with the other bloggers for a tour. Our room was modern, spacious and very pretty. My kids were quick to turn on the TV and surf for fun family friendly shows. After settling in our room, we headed back to meet up in the lobby for our tour.
Our tour guide Forrest was knowledgeable and captivating. He began by giving us some background about the hotel. The decor of this 266 guest room hotel is reflective of the hotel theme, the Brandywine Valley. Beautiful murals on the walls of the rooms and well as the decor showcase the beauty and draw of the Brandywine Valley. We visited some of the meeting rooms, ball room and exclusive Executive Lounge on the Fourth floor. During our tour, we stopped to check out the ballroom that was being set up for a wedding…so elegant and tasteful.
The La Chameleon Room just beyond the hotel bar was set up for a business meeting. The U shaped set up was perfect for the upcoming event and Forrest pointed out the many available electrical outlets – perfect for charging laptops and other media.
There is a gym, complete with equipment and TVs, which is perfect for guests who like to keep up with their fitness routines.
There is also a pretty area just outside, which is perfect for wedding ceremonies.
Outside of the property, there is a picturesque pond with ducks and royal swans. Each day at 5:30 PM, a swan master, dressed in formal attire rings a bell and all of the swans gather to be fed. Guests are welcome to come outside and enjoy the ceremonial feeding. My children absolutely loved this!
Here is a quick view of the exclusive key-entry-only Executive Lounge. This lovely space boasts a fireplace, kitchen, meeting tables, plenty of seating and gorgeous decor.
In addition to the vast rooms we toured, the hotel also has its own restaurant, Brasserie Grille, which specializes in steak and seafood entrees! On Sundays, the hotel offers a lovely brunch. This spacious hotel has so much to offer – it’s easy to see why it is the perfect setting for weddings, business conferences, leisure and blogging events.
Upon completion of our tour, we headed back to our rooms to freshen up before meeting back for dinner in a meeting room with the other bloggers. Here we munched on pizzas and enjoyed each other’s company. Our children had a blast building cars from RideMakerz. These were a huge hit with all of the kids. I have to say, these would make awesome holiday or birthday gifts, especially for kids who love cars and love building. They were extremely user friendly and all of the kids were able to assemble them with minimal help. Here’s a picture of my kids with their creations:
For dessert, we munched on yummy cookies and juice, compliments of Christiana Hilton as well as yummy Pretzel Crisps. (By the way, they are addictive!) The hotel generously loaned us a DVD player in which the kids enjoyed a fun movie.
All of the bloggers who attended received amazing swag bags full of goodies. We were treated to healthy snacks such as Dole Fruit Crisps (my new favorite snack – especially the peach yummm)and PopChips (delicious baked chips).
We headed back to our rooms at the end of the evening, where we enjoyed a very comfortable night’s sleep in our beds. What a perfect ending to a wonderful event!
I’ve since headed home and have been enjoying all of the cool swag that we were given. The Remington Ultimate Stylist and awesome Redken hair products have been wonderful for keeping my hair looking its best. I have a feeling my 20 year old is going to be claiming this when she gets home from college this week!
And I am especially loving my new Agile Slim Laptop Case from Everki. It is perfect for carrying around my trusty laptop to all of my events and outings. And what’s even better is that there is also room for pens, papers and business cards – without all the bulk! Love it!
Many thanks to all of the sponsors including Christiana Hilton, Everki , RideMakerz, Dole (Crisps), Prefense (hand sanitizer), Remington (Ultimate Stylist), Do Tell Game, Eye Candy (eye refreshing coolers), Goody (hairbands), PopChips, Carolina Pad (pens), DayTimer (Mom Day Planner), EOS (lip balm), Redken (products), 1 Bag at a Time, Reuseit, Snapsac (reusuable bags), Deuce Watch, YoYo Lip Gloss, Time Island, Bling Strands, Little Ducks Organic (toddler snacks), Zippies, Bra Barrette, Sid the Science Kid (DVD), Pretzel Crisps and Toddy (computer screen wipes)
…and to Jacqui from Single Parent Retreat for organizing this awesome event!
