My wife and spent a night here recently as part of a romantic getaway weekend. We had attended a wedding reception at this hotel a couple of years ago and had been impressed then, so we were interested to see if an overnight experience would match up. Happy to say, this hotel did not disappoint!

The staff made a great first impression on me even before we checked in. The night before we were to arrive, I had asked if I could leave a floral arrangement there as a surprise for my wife when we checked in. They were extremely accommodating of my request and agreed to keep it overnight in their cooler. When we checked-in on Friday night, there it was waiting for us and fresh as the night before. It definitely got our getaway off to a good start... thank you!

Upon returning from our Friday night activities about 9:30, we grabbed beverages from the lounge (well-made and reasonably priced), and were happy to see that the pool and hot tub were open till 11 PM. This part of the hotel, also, was first-rate with both pools very well maintained and plenty of towels.

Our room had a single king bed which was extremely comfortable. The room was about average size for this price point but it was spotlessly clean, extremely quiet and beautifully appointed, We especially appreciated the shower (with plenty of hot water at high pressure), and that the room maintained a comfortable, constant temperature through the night without a noisy HVAC unit roaring non-stop as we have experienced at other hotels.

Because of other scheduled activities we spent barely 12 hours on the property so we weren't able to take advantage of other amenities and facilities like free Wi-Fi, the fitness center or made-to-order breakfast buffet ($9.95 per person). But from all we could see, those experiences would have been just as enjoyable.

I do need to mention the only glitch of our stay, which was check-in and check-out were both a little ragged. Check-in took a long time considering we were the ones checking in and our reservation had been made several weeks in advance. When I went to check out, I was informed that I had been overcharged, followed by another slow and awkward process to get my refund back. That being said, at least they acknowledged the overcharge and made it right. This being said, I need to stress that all the front desk personnel I dealt with were extremely friendly and appeared to be well trained, so I'm assuming perhaps the delays were caused by computer issues or some such.

The location of this hotel is exceptional. WIthin 2 minutes you can be on I-229 (the major bypass around the city of Sioux Falls), and you are a 10-minute drive or less away from literally dozens of dining options and the Empire Mall, as well as the park where the annual JazzFest and many athletic tournaments are held, and a large church that hosts many group events (including the one that was part of our weekend getaway). If you choose not to dine on-site and you don't have ground transportation, there is a McDonalds, a Panera and several other eating options within a 3- to 5-minute walk away.

My wife and I have each stayed at a lot of hotels over the years we agreed that the Hilton Garden Inn Sioux Falls is without question the best hotel in town and one of the top 3 or 4 hotels we have ever experienced, regardless of price point. We will definitely be recommending it to others.