Embassy Suites Golf Resort & Spa

5400 John Q. Hammons Dr. NW, Concord
704/455-8200
www.embassysuitesconcord.com [1]

At one of the newest hotels in Concord [2], there are no chipped bathroom fixtures or bedspreads handed down from the Reagan era in sight. The hotel has 308 two-room guest suites ($130–185 d), including 16 two-bedroom suites and two presidential suites, and amenities that make it a much better option than other chain hotels in the area.

There is a free cooked-to-order breakfast in the mornings and the on-site restaurant, Rocky River Grille, has some Southern favorites like mac-and-cheese and Low Country shrimp and grits on the menu. The biggest draws to the hotel are the on-site spa, Spa Botanica, and Rocky River Golf Club [3], ranked one of the top 100 courses in North Carolina.

You’ll quickly forget it is part of a national chain of hotels after you’ve played 18 holes and indulged in the hot stone massage. The hotel actually lives up to its tagline: “Play, indulge, relax…All under one roof.”