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hello everybody,
i will be visiting CH for 3 days. i have a business at UNC and would like to stay in a 4-5 stars hotel in downtown so we (my family) can walk around, find somewhere to eat and even shop (minor thing!)
so what are the best hotels that suit my case?
The only hotels that fit your description are the Carolina Inn next to the campus and the Franklin Hotel, a boutique hotel downtown. There's not upscale shopping downtown since it's aimed more toward students.
The carolina inn is very nice and has a great deal of history. The food is great and if you want to feel the atmosphere of the university it is the best bet. The Sienna is very top notch but not walking distance to anything really. As far as shopping, you will need a car and there isn't much "high scale" shopping to be done. You will enjoy Southern Seasons a great foodie store-not a shop- with all sorts of cheeses, an olive bar of all things and every kitchen gadget in the world.
Keep in mind that "downtown" Chapel Hill may not be what you think of as a downtown. It generally refers to a single avenue that runs along the UNC campus. As someone said above, much of what's there caters to the University (student) population - especially with regard to retail. There are some nice restaurants, however.
I think there is some nice boutique retail, too, especially on West Franklin nearer the Franklin hotel, but downtown is small. There are some nice clothing shops (lik Uniquities, not all t-shirt shops) and excellent restaurants (Elaines, Mint, Panang, Mama Dips, etc). There are also some galleries on W Franklin/Main and nice shops at Carr Mill (walkable, about 1 mile from the Franklin).
The Carolina Inn is an old historic inn (100 yrs old?) right on the edge of campus with an excellent white tablecloth-type restaurant, closer to East Franklin and a bit more of the college shops. The Franklin is a new small boutique hotel (built w/in the last 5 yrs) on West Franklin, closer to Carrboro.
I think they are both really very, very nice. If you want newer go with the Franklin, if you want historic go with the Carolina Inn.
The Siena is very nice, too, but not walkable to downtown unless you really wanna hike uphill. It's a very, very nice Italian themed hotel, but sandwiched between gas stations. I think you'd be pleased with the hotel, but the walkability and charm of that area of Franklin St is not on par with the area around the Franklin or the Carolina Inn. It is walkable to University Mall which has some very nice upscale shops and restaurants (Modern Times, A Southern Season, Spice Street).
I think you made a good choice. If you have little kids (6 and under) take them to Kidzu Children's Museum on Franklin. For older kids and the whole family you might enjoy the Morehead Planetarium a little further down E Franklin. Plenty of eats—grab a slice of pizza at Peppers, a burger at Suttons, a beer and a view at Top of the Hill, or check out Chapel Hill institutions like Spanky's, Carolina Coffee Shop, or Ye Olde Waffle Shop. Lotsa places to buy a Carolina t-shirt. You may be able to walk to your meeting depending on where it is on campus and how much stuff you need to take with you. You could take a stroll in the arboretum near the Morehead Planetarium, too, or just walk around campus. It's a beautiful campus, especially the older parts.
You could walk to the W Franklin restaurants, too, if you want something a little nicer, like Lantern or Elaine's. We have free buses (check out NextBus Agency Selector for the schedule) that everybody rides so you could catch the J bus or the CW bus to Weaver Street (if you don't want to walk) and check out Carr Mill. There's a sweet little toy store there (Ali Cat), higher end clothing shops, and some nice famiily restaurants like Elmo's, Panzanella (a little nicer), Spotted Dog, Southern Rail, Acme (a little nicer), Armadillo Grill or just grab a bite to eat at the Weaver Street Market hot bar and watch all the families on the lawn.
have fun!
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