Long-term lodging options in Rochester while in cancer treatment

Good morning @stephanieh72. In Rochester we have another option for patients that are coming in to Mayo Clinic, Serenity House Network (http://www.shnrochestermn.com/). These are fully furnished apartments & houses throughout Rochester, offering short-term and extended stay options for Mayo Clinic patients and their families. There is a deposit and 7-night minimum stay required, no smoking or pets allowed. They are rented out to Mayo Clinic patients only and fully stocked with your necessities. Some of their locations are near City Bus Lines that would bring you to the downtown area. Mayo Clinic also has Multiple Day Passes for the clinic parking ramps (ie: 5 Day Pass: $25) that can be purchased from the Valet Desks.

My husband and I usually stay at the Centerstone Plaza Hotel. The Cancer Education Center at Mayo Clinic can tell you all the discounted options for cancer patients. Maybe Centerstone is still too expensive for you. I am not sure. I think the cancer patient rate is maybe from $60-$80 depending on room type? We have to get a Rate Verification Sheet for the hotel to get that rate. We get it from the Cancer Education Center.

What I like about staying at Centerstone (although it is sure showing its age) is both the location and the room types. We usually get a long-term stay room that has a living room with a Murphy bed and a recliner, a small kitchen with full sized stove and refrigerator, a bathroom and a separate bedroom with its own door. My husband stays in there when he is feeling poorly (the bedroom) and he has his own TV and he can close the door if he wants more quiet.

I also like the location. It is near Soldiers Field, which is a great place to go for an easy walk. It is beautiful in every season of the year. It has many blossoms in the spring, several great playgrounds for kids, an easy walking path, a track and (in the winter) an ice rink. It also has pools if you have children visit -- and a golf course. I usually use it for going for nice walks. When my husband is feeling better, he walks, too. I can suggest other, more challenging walks in the area that are very nice. It is also a good location in that you can easily stroll over to the People's Food Co-op which is a very nice, if sort of pricey, grocery store. It is easy driving from Centerstone to many stores, a mall, and restaurants if you need anything. The area is so nice that I would actually not mind living around there.

My husband and I have been able to walk to all of his Mayo appointments and even procedures at St Mary's hospital from the Centerstone location. I don't know about the condition of your husband, but we have found that really nice.

If you ever go to Centerstone, I will say it is a bit grungy but I have gotten used to it. They have what I refer to as a "party deck" where we sat and had the best fireworks seats I have ever had anywhere on the fourth of July in 2021. They shoot the fireworks off in Soldiers Field.

I know the Cancer Education Center does tell you about other places to stay, but Centerstone is the closest to the clinic. We could not try Hope Lodge because of my husband having his care during the height of Covid. I would be more than happy to tell you anything else I know and share any pointers I have picked up during the two years we have been going there. I bet we have lived in Rochester close to half of the past two years, including a five week stay for chemo-radiation. Just write back if I can be of any help.

I have also driven to a few places that kids would like. It is very quiet there on the weekends. One time we went to Zollman Zoo and Oxbow Park. It was very nice. There is a really old fashioned A&W restaurant out in the country I can tell you about if you like, to entertain the kids. There is an Amish area if anyone likes that. I also went to Lake City with my mom when she was ill. She loved that. I also took her to a cave (I can get the name if you like) and a state park that were very nice.

Unfortunately, my mom and my husband have both had advanced cancer. For this reason, I have been around Rochester a lot. My mom was quite the adventurer so I took her all around. At your young age, I figure that some of the things I have seen and done may be of some help.

This is where I stay when I go to Rochester. They have a good cancer rate there. You need to go to the cancer center in the cancer library to get the rates. I stay in the hotel. It’s nice free breakfast. A beautiful restaurant attached. They have a shuttle hat takes you back and forth to anywhere you want to go in Rochester.