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We're coming down to scope out Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill Jan 28-31, so we thought it would be best to find a hotel somewhat centrally located. Looks like RDU & RTP are somewhat central, but we're open to other areas if there are reasons to stay away from RDU-RTP, or better areas that aren't expected to be mobbed with conventions, sports, or other events. Yes, I've looked at lots of online sites, but you never know which reviews you can trust and which are planted by employees, friends or others.
I stayed at the MicroTel near RDU last year, it was borderline, I would NOT go back there. Wingate by Wyndham RDU looks OK in pics and they're offering rooms for $62/night, but that sounds just too good to be true.
Hoping for something no more than $100/night, just someplace that's clean and in good repair since we'll probably only be in the room to sleep at night and not use any amenities other than TV & WiFi. I've had good luck with name brand hotels IF the location is (fairly) new, but they don't make it easy to find out when hotels were built online.
We're mostly going to be scoping out neighborhoods for relocation, and some restaurants, shopping & parks/outdoor attractions if time permits.
Sorry if I'm being a PITA, I'm sure long time members get tired of seeing the same questions over and over, but I did a search here first and didn't find anything similar. Suggestions would be welcome.
I like the Embassy Suites in Cary (Harrison Oaks Blvd) - probably going to be over $100 but they do have the big breakfast and free happy hour every night. You can see where my priorities lie They also have one of the better indoor pools I've ever been to.
We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites for 8 days early in May. Larger than average rooms with microwave and fridge, comfortable and clean. Convenient to several restaurants (including a couple that I can recommend - BabyMoon for Italian, Dim Sum House and Texaz Grill.) Should be less than $100 per night.
We stayed at the La Quinta for two nights in late May. We had our dog with us on that trip and La Quinta (God Bless them) is 100% pet friendly at no extra charge. It was perfectly fine for us, clean with unusually comfortable beds. Slightly less convenient, but not a big hassle. A bit less expensive than the Country Inn.
Check out the Marriott brand hotels, like Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites and SpringHill Inn & Suites. I stayed at several of these in the Brier Creek/RDU airport area before I moved here, as well as a couple near Crabtree Valley Mall. They are all clean and in good, central areas for exploring.
Those listed as the "Raleigh-Durham Airport" locations are surrounded more by corporate buildings, but are only a few miles from shopping/dining. I personally like the FFI&S Raleigh-Durham/Brier Creek location best, but it would depend on the nightly rate.
I recently spent the night at the Cambria Suites near the airport. Depending on the time of year, you might be able to get it for less than $100/night. I thought it was pretty nice, but the indoor pool is miniscule .
We stayed at the La Quinta for two nights in late May. We had our dog with us on that trip and La Quinta (God Bless them) is 100% pet friendly at no extra charge. It was perfectly fine for us, clean with unusually comfortable beds. Slightly less convenient, but not a big hassle. A bit less expensive than the Country Inn.
We also stayed at La Qunita on our first trip to the area 5 years ago. It was extremely clean and as Jkgourmet mentoned, very comfortable beds. We made certain we stayed in the main front buliding rather than the the older building in back. Our room also had a small fridge and microwave.
Check out Hyatt House on Chapel Hill Road (near where it intersects with 540) and Radisson in Research Triangle Park just off Davis Drive/I-40. Hyatt House is brand new and bills itself (now) as an extended-stay hotel. I've seen $99/night rates there, but that was a few months ago.
Radisson is an older hotel -- looks pretty sparse from the outside -- but I've stayed here on the cheap for mini-getaways. They have renovated rooms and added Sleep Number beds.
Check out the Residence Inn on 55 and 54 in Durham. It's right off I40, free breakfast every morning, and I believe they have an evening social during the week with food and libations as well. It's on the same road as many fast food restaurants, and one exit down, there is a big mall with better, yummier places to eat.
We're coming down to scope out Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill Jan 28-31, so we thought it would be best to find a hotel somewhat centrally located. Looks like RDU & RTP are somewhat central, but we're open to other areas if there are reasons to stay away from RDU-RTP, or better areas that aren't expected to be mobbed with conventions, sports, or other events. Yes, I've looked at lots of online sites, but you never know which reviews you can trust and which are planted by employees, friends or others.
I stayed at the MicroTel near RDU last year, it was borderline, I would NOT go back there. Wingate by Wyndham RDU looks OK in pics and they're offering rooms for $62/night, but that sounds just too good to be true.
We stayed at Wingate off Westinghouse/Capitol in late August and found the hotel to be very clean, friendly staff, clean swimming pool, and good choices for breakfast. Definitely an upgrade from the Holiday Inn hotel chain.
I also stayed at the Fairfield Inn near Brier Creek in October and was equally impressed.
I would highly recommend either hotel and their rates are very reasonable.
I wish the US had clean, cheap hotels like other parts of the world. In Japan you can stay in a clean, no thrills hotel for $50/night and not worry about roaches or getting stabbed lol. Even the sketchy $20/night hotels weren't as bad as some of the Econolodges I've stayed in. Surprised there's not enough of a market for that sort of thing here.
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They also have one of the better indoor pools I've ever been to.
Marriott
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