英语博客：The Hotel of Choice.

　　Because it is Spring break, we have arranged a quick get-a-way to Seattle for a couple of days. My husband has been extremely busy at work, and hasn't even had a weekend break for a while, so I decided¹ that it is time for us to 'get out of dodge²'. He has taken this Friday off, and we are heading West. I got online yesterday and booked the hotel. What do you look for in a hotel? Location? A good rating? An available restaurant or swimming pool? These are all things to take into consideration. Because all of us are going, the location was most important to me; we don't often go to Seattle, so we should be close to downtown. The web page for this particular chain of hotels offered locations all over the city, at varying rates per night. The cheapest was in an area close to where my sister-in-law lives. Mmmm, that would be good, because we want to visit her anyway. But there wasn't a swimming pool available, and that is a priority for the kids. We could always travel a little from a different hotel to visit family. How about a decent breakfast? I have had experiences of staying in hotels that claim to serve a 'continental³ breakfast' which ends up being a dry pastry⁴ and a cup of coffee. If a breakfast is included, it should be substantial. Those two prerequisites⁶ limited our choice to about three out of the original list. So, I thought, what else would make our stay comfortable and pleasant? A free shuttle service to different parts of downtown. You know what it's like to drive in a big city when you don't know the streets; it can be a nightmare. A free shuttle would be soooo helpful! How about internet access. It seems to be a constant need in our lives, and so useful in so many ways. After considering this, I crossed off the least appealing hotels from the list, and ended up with, believe it or not, the same hotel we stayed in the last time we went. It has the amenities⁷ that we were after, all of them: location, a huge breakfast, a free shuttle, and internet service. I was even able to order a roll away bed, and extra towels. How convenient. I am so looking forward to our little break, especially as the hotel is just the right choice.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary and expressions: a get-a-way, to get out of dodge, a prerequisite⁵, access.
1. The travel agency is offering cheap weekend get-a-ways this month.
2. This place is driving me crazy! It's time to 'get out of dodge'.
3. If you want to get the position, the prerequisite is being bilingual. It is a must.
4. There is no wheel chair access to the theater, so we will go to the cinema instead.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

3 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

4 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

5 prerequisite   

n.先决条件；adj.作为前提的，必备的

参考例句：

• Stability and unity are a prerequisite to the four modernizations.安定团结是实现四个现代化的前提。
• It is a prerequisite of entry to the profession that you pass the exams.做这一行的先决条件是要通过了有关的考试。

6 prerequisites   

先决条件，前提( prerequisite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Good muscles are one of the prerequisites of physical fitness. 肌肉发达是身体健康的一个必备条件。
• One of the outstanding prerequisites of any city is a local transportation system. 本地运输系统是任何城市的突出前提条件之一。

7 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》