Visiting Waterloo / Cedar Falls are on business or leisure??? Forget the chain hotels (sorry Hampton) for once and stay at The Black Hawk. Hotel is historic with a variety of room options. Single rooms are smaller and bathrooms tiny. However the hotel is filled with Character. Friendly staff, great lobby, real keys, attached restaurant and an awesome Martini Bar. There's even a barber shop in the lobby. On this stay I stayed in the detached motor lodge out back. A throw back to the 60's with all sorts of character. Platform bed, flat screen TV and other "throw back" touches. This is a great hotel! Right smack in the middle of Cedar Falls, shopping, dining and drinking district. There is no elevator so request ground floor.

PS: you'll find rates lower than Holiday and Hampton Inn

Claiming to be the longest operating hotel in Iowa this awesome property on the National Historic Register is just one of the draws of this cool college town. There's a thriving pedestrian friendly downtown with neat shops, bars and restaurants on which the Black Hawk is perfectly situated.

Cool lounges make it a nice place to hang out too.

We opted for the MotorLodge because we were drawn by the mid-century modern furnishings. It's behind the main building so the location is probably a lot quieter than some of the further forward rooms. Beautifully furnished and appointed, clean and comfy...if you have to be anywhere in this vicinity it's worth the drive and very much worth the price.

We went to Cedar Falls for a wedding and the bride set us up in the Black Hawk instead of the commercial hotels near the reception site. What a blessing! It is a beautiful place with a lot of character you won't find in a chain hotel. We stayed in a suite in the top floor where they took several rooms combined them and enlarged the bathroom. The tiled floor in the bath was heated, the jacuzzi shower was wonderful and they even had a little rubber ducky on side. Cute! The room was very comfortable and quiet. The only downside was the refridgerator was actually a wine cooler and for a long weekend a fridge would be a better option. Nearby is a great Italian restaurant, a fantastic cupcake shop, and lots of fun shops for you to visit. It was the end of October and the Farmers market a block away was a delight to walk through and find treats for the morning. Even though it is right downtown, they have a restricted parking lot that made it easy. And being close to the river there is a lot of area to run, walk, and exercise.

We decided to make a stop in Cedar Falls, and as soon as we saw the Black Hawk's website, we knew that's where we wanted to stay. We like historical buildings, and the decor looked great. When we arrived, the staff was very nice, and we were pleased with the room we ended up with - comfortable bed, whirlpool tub, comfy chair, flat-screen TV.

Our one complaint was the noise, however. We were located right next to the outside entrance and were surprised at just how noisy things could be in the hallway, above us at times, and the outside alley as well. The earplugs in the nightstand probably should have tipped us off. The other small complaint we had was how much the breakfast voucher tickets cost. We weren't expecting your average Super 8 continental breakfast when we walked downstairs, but that's what we got, and for the price - not worth it.