Gigi

My friend and I will be going to Seattle next week but we haven't booked our hotel yet. All the good ones in the main city area that are within our budget are full, so we need to find something in the surrounding area (e.g., Seatac, Tacoma, etc.) Does anyone have a suggestion as to which area would provide the best access to Seattle and also to surrounding sights? Specific hotel suggestions would be great too. We were looking at one in Renton, but was wondering if that would require driving through too many bridges/tolls? We suspect that that may add onto our daily travel times.

Any other suggestions as to good sights and restaurants would be greatly appreciated too!

Thanks. :D

Shizelbs

There are no tolls in Washington state. We have gasoline taxes. Are you driving into town? What areas of downtown have you tried? There are many options in Bellevue (a few miles east). Looks like you will be driving in from the north, if you are driving. How much are you looking to spend? Getting a hotel in Renton will require you to drive through Seattle. I say north of Seattle or do Redmond/Bellevue.

Hard to recommend what to see since I have no idea what your interests are.

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Gigi

Originally Posted by Shizelbs

There are no tolls in Washington state. We have gasoline taxes. Are you driving into town? What areas of downtown have you tried? There are many options in Bellevue (a few miles east). Looks like you will be driving in from the north, if you are driving. How much are you looking to spend? Getting a hotel in Renton will require you to drive through Seattle. I say north of Seattle or do Redmond/Bellevue. Hard to recommend what to see since I have no idea what your interests are.

We want to keep it no more than $100 USD per night (less is preferable). We have searched in what is called the "Downtown" area so I'm not sure where specifically those hotels are. We just want to be in an area where access to the city is fast and stressfree each morning. You have suggested Bellevue/Redmond. How long would that take to get into the city? Also, would it be good to stay in Tacoma since there are supposed to be some sights nearby?

Thanks!

Gigi

Also, restaurant reccommendations would be great too! :D

Shizelbs

Tacoma is like an hour away. Honestly, for hotels, check out hotwire.com. You get the best deals there. From Bellevue, with average traffic (not rush hour), it would take about 15 to get to downtown Seattle. There are really no bad parts in Bellevue or Redmond. I would avoid Tacoma. I don't even know what sights are down there, but I do know that I have never gone down there to sight-see. Try hotwire.com for downtown deals.

What kind of food do you like? There are two Ruth's Chris steak houses in the Seattle area now. They make one hell of a steak. Its pricy though.

I just read that you want stress-free access to the city each morning. Well, rush hour is nasty, so, keep looking downtown if you want that. There are some nice hotels in north Seattle (Space Needle area) that is still close to downtown, but technically not downtown. Check them out as well.

What sights are you looking to see?

Gigi

Thanks Shizelbs, you've been very helpful. I took a look at hotwire and you were right, there ARE some really good deals. My concern with them, however, is that you don't know which hotel you're getting and are also not allowed to cancel or change your reservation. Have you used them before? Are their star rating and descriptions accurate?

I really don't know what there is in Tacoma specifically, but my friend has heard people talk about how they liked it there. That's why we were thinking a hotel near there might be nice. But if it's an hour away from Seattle, I think we'd have to look elsewhere for sure. You mentioned Redmond/Bellevue; how long would a commute in the city during morning rush hour take? Also, are there specific sights to see in that area?

We are basically interested in the regularly touristy sights, such as the Speace Needle, the Underground city, etc. I think we will end up getting that city pass that includes admission to a bunch of those popular sights. Would you recommend anything else in particular? Personally, I love scenic things (e.g., mountains, lakes) so if there is anything nearby that would be great.

Also, we basically eat any kind of food. Thanks for the steak suggestion; any others would be great too.

Chrissss

If you're into steaks, you've gotta try a restaurant called Spenser's. It's in the Seattle Airport Hilton.

It's not cheap...about US$20 - $30 just for the steak...but they were the best steaks I've ever had.

Chris...

Shizelbs

Spencer's is very good too.

During rush hour, the commute from Bellevue/Redmond could take as long as an hour. A little less if there are two of you and you can carpool.

Go to Pike Place market, the waterfront, take in a game at Safeco Field if you can (tickets should be easy, the Mariners really suck right now), go for a ferry ride, EMP can be cool if you want to see the history of rock and roll (lots of Jimi Hendrix). Do you golf? If you like scenic shots, for sure go up top the Space Needle. An hour east of Seattle there are the mountains.

The best pizza in the city is Pizza Pagliaci. Oh, check out citysearch.com. They have lots of info. Also, checkout seattletimes.com just before you go so you know what is going on in town.

How are the prices on hotwire.com for downtown Seattle? I have found their star rating to be pretty accurate. I used it once for a three-star hotel in Bellevue, and it was a step above a Holiday Inn room.

Gigi

Ok guys, I will definitely have to try Spencer's. :)

Seems to me that anywhere outside of Seattle would involve a lengthy commute each morning; hmm...how about the airport area? Would that take take awhile too? I managed to find a pretty modest hotel (Vagabond Inn) near the Space Needle. The price was right but if there are other alternatives, I would definitely consider them. The prices on hotwire for downtown Seattle hotels are well over $200. All the ones listed were located at Pike Place. The others ranged from $45 to $85 and included Bellevue and the airport area.


Thanks for the suggestions. I would love to go see the mountains. I have heard Mount Rainier is beautiful.