Nearly all of the Monroeville motels are south of town, near the junction with Hwy 21 and US Highway 84. The Holiday Inn Express is no exception. It's close to the general aviation airport and across the street from a pasture. I've also stayed at (and reviewed) the Best Western nearby and probably liked the Best Western more. I'd say it's a better value and roomier.

With that said, we had no serious complaints. Our room at the HI Express seemed too small for its two queen beds. To give an example: there was a chair jammed into one corner, while the only place to put the small ottoman that clearly goes with the chair had to go in a different corner.

The room itself had a fridge and a microwave, both of which we were happy to have. I thought is was nice that the hotel had a VCR to play movies, but most of us have moved on to DVDs. I liked that they had a ceiling fan, but it was too noisy to use. In other words, the room needs an update. The room itself was generally clean, although the microwave hadn't been completely cleaned out. It wasn't disgusting, just not given attention before our stay. There is a small outdoor pool, but it was closed during our stay.

Breakfast is pretty good and is served 6:30AM-9:30AM. The guest services directory in the room says it runs from 7AM-10AM -- yes, the guide needs an update. They have waffles, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, sausage, eggs, cereal, etc.

HI Express makes a big deal about its showerhead, and yes, it made for a good shower. The hotel has free DSL internet access too. There was full Mediacom cable TV with about 60 channels -- lots of selection, even if the channel guide wasn't quite accurate. I saw something about HBO but never found it. The lobby was spotless and spacious, and it looked nice.

As for location, the HI Express is about 5 miles south of the center of Monroeville. It's outside of town in a dry county, and there a couple of restaurants nearby including Old Mexico and David's Catfish House. As I said, it's a dry county. You can eat, but they won't serve alcohol (although the city itself is wet). The location is obviously designed for travelers passing through, at the junction of two highways.

The HI Express seems to be the most expensive place to stay in town -- about $100 a night -- and you don't really get anything more for the price. It's a perfectly fine place to stay and you won't be disappointed. But as I've noted, the Best Western is easily as good and roomier... for less money.