Whirlpool suite getaway in Lawrenceburg, IN — jetted tub, casino dinner & wineries

It is a king room built for two, with a jetted whirlpool tub right in the room. You get the same refreshed basics as every room at the hotel: a flat-screen TV with cable, a mini-fridge, a microwave, a coffee and tea maker, a hair dryer and an in-room safe. The tub is the reason to book it.

We only have four of these suites, and they go first on Friday and Saturday nights, anniversaries and Valentine's weekend. If you have a date in mind, call +1 (812) 717-4062 and book it directly rather than hoping one is open when you arrive. The front desk can also give you the current whirlpool suite rate; standard rooms start from $69.

It is not a spa resort, and we will not pretend otherwise. It is a clean, comfortable, non-smoking room with a big tub, close to everything you would want to do on a night away, at a price that leaves room in the budget for dinner.

A simple plan: check in at 3:00 PM, run the tub, then drive about 5 minutes to Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg for dinner on the river. The casino has several places to eat and live entertainment on many weekends, and you are back in your suite in minutes without worrying about a long drive home.

Saturday is for the wine country of the Ohio River valley. At the Barn Winery and other small-batch wineries are 10 to 20 minutes from the hotel; pick a designated driver or plan for a short tasting. In the afternoon, stroll historic downtown Lawrenceburg, about 6 minutes away, and walk the Ohio River levee.

If you want a quieter day, Aurora is about 12 minutes down US-50, with a small riverfront downtown and Hillforest, a Victorian mansion museum on the hill above the river. Rising Sun, farther downriver, makes a scenic drive along IN-56.

• Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg: about 5 minutes
• Downtown Lawrenceburg and the levee walk: about 6 minutes
• Aurora riverfront and Hillforest: about 12 minutes
• Local wineries: about 10 to 20 minutes
• Shawnee Lookout trails and river views: about 15 minutes

Book early, especially for a Saturday. With four suites on property, holiday weekends and special occasions can be gone weeks ahead. Confirm the cancellation policy with the front desk when you book in case plans change.

Check-out is at 11:00 AM. If you are hoping for a slow morning, ask at the desk the night before whether a later check-out is possible; it depends on how busy the hotel is. Free hot breakfast runs until 9:30 AM on weekdays and 10 AM on weekends, so you can still have coffee and eggs before you go.

Celebrating something? Mention it when you book. Bring your own bubble bath with caution, since many jetted tubs foam over with regular soap; ask the front desk what is safe to use in the tub.

Because it puts the money where it counts. A whirlpool suite here costs a fraction of a resort weekend, parking is free, and breakfast is included, so there is more left for a good dinner at the casino or a few bottles from the winery.

The location is easy from Cincinnati, about 25 minutes away, and from Indianapolis or Louisville by interstate. You are about 2 miles from I-275, so a Friday-night getaway starts the minute you leave work. The building is 100% non-smoking, the indoor heated pool is open until 9:00 PM, and the 24-hour front desk is there if you need anything late.

It also works in every season. Summer brings riverfront evenings and long drives along the Ohio; fall is harvest time at the wineries; and in winter, a warm whirlpool after a day on the slopes at Perfect North, about 15 minutes away, is hard to beat. Whatever the weekend, the suite is a short drive from dinner and a quiet place to come back to.