My husband booked this trip for me as a suprise for my 40th as I am an Elvis fan but not a fanatic. I was so excited when I found out. The flight was long as we flew into Washington and had to get a connecting flight to Memphis. We had been travelling for 16 hrs when we finally landed. We collected our luggage and went to get our transfer, only to find it was not there. We tried ringing the Heartbreak Hotel but all we got was an answer machine, some kind guy came over and offered to call it from his cell phone but he got the answer machine too. After some 40 minutes of hanging around and phoning we saw the Heartbreak Hotel minibus pull up. We loaded our baggage on board and were on our way. My jaw fell open as we passed Gracelands and turned right into Lonely St, but it fell even more open when I layed eyes on the RV park right next to the HH...The hotel is set in the 70's so be warned its not lavish and bright its dark and deary. Elvis is obviously the theme of the hotel so there are Elvis films being played 24/7 on the 50's style tv in the lobby. There is a gift shop in the lobby too. Elvis songs are tuned out in the lifts and the bar and The TV's in the rooms have the Elvis Channel. The rooms are very basic more motel than hotel. We noticed a funny odour in the room, we put it down to the fact that none of the windows opened and the AC was in need of cleaning. We made our way down to the bar come diner and ordered some food, which although a little expensive was very good. There is a dado type rail that goes around the eating area. It's painted black and was covered in a thick layer of dust, so my husband wrote the number 8 in it. It was still there 7 days later when we left! Breakfast was good, you got choice of cereals,fruit, donuts or toast. We took a liking to toated peanut butter and banana sandwiches. We ate in the bar a few times but more often than not we ventured out for something to eat at the local fast food outlets or restuarants. Theres a steak house down the road that picks you up in a Pink Caddy and drops you back all free of charge, just ask reception for the number. Be warned the lady at the bar often charged us various prices on different days for the same drinks! We often got the free shuttle from the hotel into Downtown Memphis, have to totally honest there is very little to do there during the day. It really is a night time place. There are lots of places to eat, and lots of bars to drink in, there is music everywhere, after all you are in Beale St. There is a small shopping mall and I mean small. We ended up paying $80 for a private taxi to take us to German Town (which was a 10 minute ride) so we could go to a proper shopping mall for the day. If you take a stroll out onto Elvis Presley Blvd and take a right and walk for about a mile or two, you will come to a small shopping precinct. We have since learned this is not such a good idea but we didnt have any real problems. We took a few excursions which we booked at the HH, we went on a fantastic trip to Tupelo, well worth the money. We also did the Sun Studios and the Rock n Soul Museum, again worth the money. As for the hotel on our second day, we returned to our room to find our door had been left open by the maid. We reported this to reception and they sent housekeeping up to see us, a very bulshy lady banged on the door, checked nothing was missing then went away. 10 minutes later she returned with a bag full of Elvis goodies by way of apology. On the day of my 40th my husband had up graded us to the Graceland Suite ($400)plus this was our last night at the hotel. We were going to Gracelands for the day, I was so excited. We had been up to the graveside a few times and i was suprised that I didn't cry after all I cried for 6 weeks after he died! But then again I was only 11 then. You can go to the graveside every morning before 8.30am and its free of charge. The tour around Gracelands was amazing, its such an insight into the man himself and his music. You finish the tour at the graveside and its then that it hits you and believe you me the floodgates opened. It was such an emotional experience and one that I will treasure forever. We went back to the hotel packed our bags ready to go to the Graceland Suite, I knocked something off the side and retrieved it only to discover a carrier bag with chinese cartons stuffed behind the side. Hence the funny smell in the room for the past 6 days! We checked out and checked into our Graceland Suite, which was so not really worth the $400 upgrade for one night but it would of been had it been clean. I proceeded to write 'I am 40' on all the glass surfaces in the kitchen as they were thick with dust! There were food spillages on the dinning table where it hadnt been cleaned off from the preivous occupants. As well as several other things, It was such a let down. I don't really know what I was expecting when we arrived. After all this is the flagship hotel for Elvis Presley Enterpises so I figured I was expecting more than I got. So for me the board basis is ok, breakfast is good and so is the diner menu even though it is a little over priced. The cleanliness in the hotel is a big zilch. I was really shocked at this. The location for Gracelands is fantastic, the brochures boast across the road from Gracelands but they neglect to say behind the souvenier shops and the car parks! Its not a direct view, but it is only a 2 minute walk. The staff are rude which really suprised me, they only speak if spoken to, unlike floridians who are always polite and friendly. There is very little to do at the hotel and Beale St is great if you dont have kids. Would I stay here again, no I wouldnt unless they cleaned up there act. 7 nights in Memphis is a no no, especially without a car, if you are going to do this do 2 nights here and 5 nights in Vegas or Tennessee or at least hire a car so you can get out and about. The one thing that truly suprised me is the lack of emotion from the people here,I really found them to be cold. But I am glad we went and I would definately do the whole Graclands/Tupelo trips again given the chance. Its a must for any Elvis fan. Plus there are plenty of other hotels in the area to stay in. We even met a couple who were from the UK and they were on holiday in Florida and decided to get a flight to Memphis to do Gracelands it cost them $50 each for the flights! They stayed at the HH for 2 nights then flew back to Florida to finish their holiday! The trip cost us