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Pensacola and Pensacola Beach are extremely busy the weekend of our wedding: it's Memorial Day, so the long weekend encourages travel; it's the unofficial start of the summer season, and this happens to be a beach town (and a cheaper beach town than those in South Florida, so it attracts a lot of tourists); and it also coincides with the unofficial Gay Pride Weekend, with tens of thousands of people from all over the United States celebrating here in little ol' Pensacola. This makes for some expensive travel (and was a total oversight on the part of a certain bride-to-be, who totally thought there was for sure another Monday in the month of May, and hence another week 'til Memorial Day....). So, I did my absolute best to negotiate the best hotel rates for both convenience (downtown) and fun (beachfront) while not sacrificing cleanliness or quality. Below, the two hotels at which I have reserved blocks of rooms (additional accommodation information can be found online through the PNS Airport website, www.flypensacola.com, as well as the travel websites (mentioned on our link, "By Air, Land,or Sea (Travel Information)") and, of course, www.hotels.com -- please note, if you begin your search at www.ebates.com and click through ebates.com onto the hotels.com website, you can get 3% cash back on your purchase!):

Free shuttle from PNS airport available as needed (must call from courtesy phone near baggage claim at airport); free shuttle runs from hotel back to the airport on an hourly basis during airport operating hours only (see www.flypensacola.com for additional airport information).

This hotel is located in downtown Pensacola, directly off the interstate (I-110), approximately 15 minutes from PNS airport, a short walk from the historic district, and a short walk from St. Michael's Catholic Church (which is where we expect to hold our ceremony, though it's not set in stone yet). It is built onto what was once the L&N Railroad Station, which dates back to 1912 (historical information may be viewed at http://www.pensacolagrandhotel.com/notes%20of%20interest.pdf). Photos and an exhaustive list of accommodations and amenities at the Crown Plaza (including free wireless internet service hotel-wide) are available at http://www.pensacolagrandhotel.com/accommodations.htm. I have visited this hotel to scope out the rooms personally, and they are just as clean and lovely as they appear in the photos, and the staff is very polished and professional!

We have reserved 35 rooms (non-smoking only) here, all with either a single king-sized bed, or two queen-sized beds. Both the single-king rooms and the double-queen rooms have been reserved at $139 per night (not including taxes). Rooms have been rented for arrival on Thursday, May 21st, and departure on Sunday, May 24th. Anyone wishing to arrive sooner and/or depart later will need to call the hotel directly to extend your dates of stay. When you call to secure your reservation, please mention the Helmes - Trostle wedding on 5/23/09.

This hotel is located on Pensacola Beach; while it is a bit more expensive and a bit further away (an extra 15 to 20 minutes from downtown Pensacola; downtown Pensacola is the location of the Church, but the reception is appx 10 minutes from downtown, in the opposite direction of the beach -- please see the "Campus Layout (Maps)" link for details, at left), we know several among our [landlocked] guests have expressed an interest in staying on the beach, no matter what!

The negotiated rate for all rooms at SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach is $169 per night (plus tax, $24.50). All rooms [as far as we've been told] have a veiw of Santa Rosa Sound. Please note that the usual rate for these rooms for this particular weekend is $229 per night -- believe it or not, $169 was the best we could do! All rooms include a microwave, mini-fridge, hot breakfast and free high-speed internet access.

PLEASE NOTE: Reservations at the SpringHill Suites Pensacola Beach required a credit card for deposit. Jason and I have posted our credit cards to secure these rooms; however, we cannot pay for guest accommodations. Because these reservations were not made in the name of our group/party, but were made via credit card in smaller blocks, you must first call or email either of us for credit card information and confirmation numbers, and then contact the hotel directly with our credit/conformation info to change the billing information from our credit card to yours. Again: IF YOU INTEND TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AT THIS HOTEL, YOU MUST CALL US FIRST!

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There are plenty of other hotels in Pensacola -- near the airport; near downtown; near the beach; near everything. It's just a matter of looking, and of what you want to spend. One guest found rooms at the Ramada by the airport for $77/night. I've seen rooms at the Howard Johnson for $46 per night (of course, it's not the Waldorf, but if you're more concerned about being economical than you are about swimming in a heated pool, that may be a better option). The prices and amenities run the gamut here; it's entirely up to you whether you want to stay in the reserved hotels or elsewhere. Again, www.hotels.com is a great way to go, as are the other travel websites (like expedia and priceline, for example).

The website www.vrbo.com -- vrbo stands for "Vacation Rentals By Owner" -- is an excellent resource for scouting out condo and apartment rentals. This might be a good option for those of you considering sharing a larger accommodation setup with other guests. It's definitely good to look into, especially for anyone who prefers making their own food when on travel, as opposed to restaurant dining all weekend long.