1. Best Western Eden Resort Inn and Suites
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 569-6444, (866) 801-6430
Address: 222 Eden Rd.
Description: I usually think of Best Western as offering nice but pretty standard accommodations, but this one’s a beauty that offers some pretty special amenities. There are 2 pools—one indoor, one outdoor—and a whirlpool, lighted tennis court, basketball court, 3 restaurants from fun to fine dining (the Sunday Champagne Brunch is a local favorite), and a lounge that serves spirits and light fare. Pets are more than welcome (fee is $15). The Eden offers doggie day care, grooming, overnight accommodations, and emergency veterinary care.
2. Continental Inn
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 299-0421
Address: 2285 Lincoln Hwy. East
Description: Location is a big draw here; it’s right next door to Dutch Wonderland and a few minutes from the 2 big outlet centers. There are also indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, full breakfast, and on-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner. Ask about attraction discount tickets. Some smoking rooms are available.
3. Cork Factory Hotel
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 735-2075
Address: 480 New Holland Ave.
Description: One of the city’s upscale boutique hotels is housed in one of its oldest, most historic buildings, an 1865 cork factory that maintains its industrial, redbrick-inside-and-outside look, yet manages to have a cool upscale urban appeal. Don’t expect plush here; the minimalist decor is deliberate. Cork Factory is a member of the Historic Hotels of America. There’s a casual restaurant and bar on the premises. On-site parking is free. This is a good deal in the heart of the city.
4. Fulton Steamboat Inn
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 299-9999, (800) 922-2229
Address: 1 Hartman Bridge Rd.
Description: Moored in a private lake just outside Strasburg, next to an Amish farm and across the street from Rockvale Outlets, this 3-deck, old-fashioned steamboat isn’t transportation. It’s an accommodation named to honor Lancaster native son Robert Fulton. The decor is an interesting combination of nautical and Victorian, but it works nicely. The property has a heated indoor atrium pool and whirlpool, playground, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, and on-premises restaurant.
5. Lancaster Arts Hotel
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (866) 720-ARTS (2787), (717) 2
Address: 300 Harrisburg Ave.
Insider Pick:
Description: Rustic brick walls and wood beams are reminders of this historic building’s background as a tobacco warehouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But the experience at this heart-of-Lancaster-City hotel is surprisingly luxurious. Each guest room is a showcase for area artists. Suites are available. The on-premises restaurant, John J. Jeffries, features seasonal, sustainable American cuisine, the majority of which is organic and gleaned from local farms. The lounge has Lancaster-produced microbrews on tap.
6. Australian Walkabout Bed and Breakfast
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 464-0707, (888) WALKABT
Address: 837 Village Rd.
Description: In Australia, a walkabout means to go and discover new places. This 1925 4-suite home with warm American chestnut wood interiors is the perfect place from which to begin and end your daily forays. Each suite has a fireplace; 2 have whirlpool tubs. Full breakfast is included. The property also offers a private cottage ($$$$$). Be sure to check the website for some super seasonal, last-minute, romance and baby moon specials.
7. E. J. Bowman House
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 519-0808, (877) 519-1776
Address: 2674 Lititz Pike (Route 501)
Description: Route 501 is a busy main road, but you won’t even think about it once you step into this circa-1860s Italianate home, known locally simply as “the Big Yellow House,” that’s as colorful on the inside as it is on the outside. Fourteen murals depict seasonal life in 19th-century Lancaster. Choose from 4 fireplace rooms or 1 whirlpool suite. Jam by the grand fireplace in the music room on the inn’s instruments or your own. Full breakfast is included. Children over age 10 are welcome. No credit cards. Ask about discounts for military personnel, teachers, musicians, seniors, and people riding 2-wheeled vehicles.
8. King’s Cottage
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 397-1017, (800) 747-8717
Address: 1049 E. King St.
Description: You don’t have to be a newlywed to love the private Carriage House or main-inn “Majestic Chambre,” both of which feature double Jacuzzi, fireplace, and in-room breakfast delivery. All of the other rooms in this restored National Register of Historic Places–listed Spanish mansion have fireplaces (the Princess also has a whirlpool), and 2 have bathrooms that are private, though located steps down the hall. Full breakfast is included as well as private, off-street parking, a real plus at this downtown Lancaster City accommodation.
9. O’Flaherty’s Dingeldein House
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (800) 779-7765, (717) 293-1723
Address: 1105 E. King St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Okay, first things first. Dingeldein was the name of former owners of this 1910 Dutch colonial residence that now serves as the main house for this bed-and-breakfast. O’Flaherty is a nod to the Irish heritage of later owners. Originally built for Armstrong family flooring tycoons, the residence now houses 2 guest rooms and 2 suites, some with fireplaces. Across the garden is a cottage with 2 additional guest rooms. Children over age 12 are welcome. Home-cooked breakfast is included. On-premises parking is available.
10. SILVERSTONE INN & SUITES
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (877) 290-6987
Address: 62 Bowman Rd.
Description: You won’t believe the outlet shopping hub of Route 30 is just right around the corner when you stay at the serenely elegant, circa-1750 Silverstone Inn & Suites, situated on a 15-acre sheep farm. Most rooms have fireplaces and Jacuzzis; the private Butternut Cottage has its own porch and large outdoor hot tub. A full breakfast is included.
11. Walnut Lawn Bed & Breakfast
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 464-1382
Address: 1027 Village Rd.
Description: Tom and Sarah Murphy have done everything possible to maintain a safe and healthy refuge for guests with environmental allergies or other conditions. Even breakfast features hormone-free milk and eggs from local farms and produce from their own orchards. But the ambience here is anything but sterile; the 4 guest rooms in their 1909 2-story brick home are warm and welcoming. Ask to see (or stay in) the Siam Room, an homage to the Murphys’ experience in the Peace Corps.
12. Equestrian Estates Horse Farm Bed & Breakfast
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 464-2164, (717) 464-1345
Address: 221 Schultz Rd.
Description: If you are equine-inclined, you’ll love this farm where the Stoltzfus family breeds show and quarter horses. Stay in one of the 3 each guest rooms and suites, some with working fireplace and/or Jacuzzi, in their circa-1800 brick farmhouse. Guests are invited to help feed the steeds or accompany their hosts to a horse auction or show. Amish country breakfast is included.
13. Pheasant Run Farm
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (717) 872-0991
Address: 200 Marticville Rd.
Description: It’s only about a 15- to 20-minute drive to downtown Lancaster, but all you’ll see is scenic countryside when you stay at this restored 1809 stone bank barn on this 48-acre working farm. Henry and Anna’s room, one of the 4 in the barn, has a fireplace and whirlpool. Full breakfast is included. Children age 12 and older are welcome.
14. Old Mill Stream Camping Manor
City: Lancaster, PA
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (866) 386-2839, (717) 299-2314
Address: 2249 Lincoln Hwy. East
Description: Although you’re within steps of Dutch Wonderland and a short drive to the outlets, you’d never know it, situated as it is in a country setting beside a quiet stream. Open year-round, this property offers full RV hookups and tent sites (primitive and with utilities). Pets are permitted.