alhood

Travelling from Europe to the ryder Cup in September. Looking for tips on decent places to stay fairly close to Bloomfield Hills, preferably with lively nightlife nearby? Tks.

cassidy2002

Well, how much do you want to spend? I would highly recommend Birmingham, specifically the Townshend Hotel. But that's pretty pricey (Not N.Y. pricey, but about $200/night). Birmingham has a great little downtown, with nice restaurants and bars. GREAT shopping!! There is also a Holiday Inn close to downtown, not sure how nice it is, but if it's in Birmingham, it's probably pretty nice. Birmingham is a short drive from Oakland Hills, the site of the Ryder Cup.

Another option is the Kinglsey Hotel. Was just taken over by a chain (forgot which one) and given a major facelift. Has a nice restaurant on the premises, but is drive from a good nightlife.

Cali

I would also recommend Birmingham or Bloomfield Hills. The town part of Birmingham is a great place to walk and enjoy dinner, shop, etc. We just stayed at both the Townsend Hotel (it's wonderful) and the Radisson Kinglsey and they were both fine, but the Townsend is right in Birmingham and easier to get around the area and not have drive. The Kinglsey is great tho and right across from the Fox & Hounds which we like.

jvrab12

I am organizing the Ryder Cup for our company. I also would highly recommend the Townsend Hotel, wonderful, wonderful.
However, I would advise that you book very very soon. Private homes in this area are being rented out for up to $100K for that week.

LilMsFoodie

Here is another rec for the Townsend. I would think that it might already be booked. It is a great little luxury hotel which I've stayed in several times when back in the area on business. The Rugby Grill is a very good restaurant and the hotel serves afternoon tea in the lobby. Tons of restaurants nearby but no nightclubs per se. Not many of those in the Detroit area. LMF

SparkysRevenge

My understanding is that the Townsend is already booked and not taking reservations for that time. I think a lot of the nicer hotels in the immediate area are also booked. If you're looking for places with nightlife within walking distance, and depending on your age, you're kind of limited in your hotel choices. Birmingham and Royal Oak have the most put together downtown areas with restaurants, bars, shops, etc. but the immediate hotel space in both locales is pretty limited. If you have access to car/cab and are willing to pay for going from Point A (hotel) to Point B (Oakland Hills) to Point C (bar/restaurant) and then back to Point A, you should probably look at staying in Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Novi. Depending on how long you want to stay, you might also want to contact some executive housing companies who should have fully furnished apartments available. Be sure to stop at Hogan's (a restaurant/bar) about a 1/2 mile from Oakland Hills entrance. Have fun.

cassidy2002

If you can't get the Towhshend or Holiday in in Birmingham, my next best recs would be Troy or Auburn Hills. Pontiac is a hot nightspot (lots of dance clubs, etc) and has a great restaurant in the Pike Street, but there are no hotels in that general area. Auburn Hills would have the closest hotels. Troy has a lot of good restaurants, hotels, etc and is closer to Oakland Hills. However, with either of these selections a car would be needed to access entertainment and to return to your hotel. Although, there might be shuttles that hotels are offering to help with transport.

cassidy2002

Oh, BTW, if houses in that area are going for 100k for that week, we'll take 50k for our house!! ;-)

alhood

Thanks v.much. That's very helpful. Cassidy2002: At that price I'll do the same with my house in 2006.I appreciate your kind offer but if we have to pay $50k rent for a house I think we'll buy a tent!

SparkysRevenge

Hey, I live in Birmingham and if you're serious about renting a house during that time period let me know how to contact you. It will be a lot less than $50K.

alhood

ToparkysRevenge. Thanks for that, always open to offers. There will be 3 or 4 of us travelling. My mail address is [email protected]. Cheers.

caryn1122

Check out the Somerset Inn. I am currently working on the renovation of the rooms to be completed by The Cup. There's great shopping nearby at the Somerset Collection. I also have a friend who is considering running an Inn at her lovely home in Bloomfield. She is offering shuttle service and breakfast. Respond back if that sounds interesting.

alhood

to caryn1122 : Yes, we would be interested in any reasonably priced accom. We are hoping to finalise in the next few weeks. I'd be grateful if details could be mailed to [email protected]. Tks.

Podge

Also travelling over for RC, and only hotels that seemed available in October when booking were the Radisson Kingsley in Bloomfields which we are in from Sun-Thu and then the Travelodge in Royal Oak from Thu-Mon.
What is the Travelodge like.
These decisions were based on proximity to restaurants and nighlife ( short cab ride).
Any other suggestions for resaturants/nightlife

parisinspring

Is the Travelodge located on Woodward in Royal Oak? It's okay, nothing special. It looks clean from the outside - never been inside. It is close to downtown Royal Oak where there is shopping and restaurants/ bars.

mgfit

Podge, - in response to your request for info on restaurants. If you are staying at the Kingsley, they have a good restaurant called Great Lakes Seafood Company. There is also the Fox and Hounds near by (I have not eaten there, but hear it is good). As far as the Royal Oak area, for nicer restaurants, my favorite is Woodruff's (reservations needed). They serve american food and usually have live music too. I also like Andiamo's Tratoria in Royal Oak for Italian. There are a number of casual restaurants in Royal Oak. You are not too far from Birmingham where there are some great restaurants too. Big Rock (steaks) in Birmingham is good - though it is not in the down town Birmingham area. For nicer dining in Birmingham (in town) try Forte or 220 Merrill. There are also a number of less expensive, more casual restaurants in town. There are two other nicer restaurants I would recommend in the area. Both are in Bingham Farms (about 3 miles from Oakland Hills). They are Morel's or Shiraz. Both require reservations. They are nicer....Shiraz can get pricy but the have excellent steaks. Get directions because they are hard to find unless you know the area. These are just some of my personal favorites. I entertain clients alot for work and these are the restaurants I typically enjoy. Some of these can get pricy. I hope this helps!

mgfit

Another Hotel in the area is the Hamilton Inn - it is in Birmingham, but not right in the town area. I had a friend stay there for work...the rooms looked nice. Too bad the Townsend is booked....a wonderful hotel! The Hamilton is walking distance to downtown birmingham - which would be easier if you don't plan on having a car. Cabs are NOT readily available in the Detroit suburb areas....you must call to get a cab every where. There really is not much public transporation either....I definately recommend a car! Getting around those areas (Bloomfield hills and birmingham)is very easy to navigate by car.

Podge

Thanks for that, they all sound good.
We will have a car as we hope to play a few rounds of golf early in the week, any recommendations on courses.
At night though the car will not be an option as there may be some beer or wine involved.

gbhost

The Links of Pinewood is a beautiful course in Walled Lake, about 25 minutes NW of Oakland Hills. There's several other nice public courses in the area including Mystic Creek in Milford, Pine Knob in Clarkston and Glen Oaks in Farmington Hills.

These are just some of the courses that I've personally played. Dozens of public courses in the Bloomfield Hills area can be found at Golf.com.

momtoboys2

Hey I live within walking distance to Oakland Hills (14 Mile and Lasher) and have an extra bedroom. What a hoot it would be to rent to some fun people.