quicksilver

Hello everyone,

Can anyone tell me about the Kensington Court Hotel in Ann Arbor?

I found photos from when it used to be the Crowne Plaza, but I'm not sure how long ago that was and whether it might have changed, a little or a lot, since then.

Alternative recommendations as to where to stay for one night in February would be welcome--I'm interested either in a hotel or a B&B, preferably no more than about 15 miles from U. Mich. North Campus.

Ann Arbor dining recommendations would also be much appreciated.

Thank you!

* Quicksilver *

gbhost

Sorry, can't tell you much about the hotels and I'm no expert on the myriad dining choices in AA, but when we go we like the Prickly Pear on Main Street for Southwest/TexMex, and our favorite lunch spot is the Red Hawk Bar & Grill on State Street across from the UofM campus. The Red Hawk has some of the best bar food I have tasted. Another famous AA lunch spot is the nationally famous Zingerman's Deli for great breads, cheeses, sandwiches and more....

detroit_sg

I second both of gbhost's suggestions. I really love Prickly Pear. Other good places:
Zola (crepes, sandwiches, soup)
The Broken Egg (homestyle breakfasts)

Angelo's (breakfast/lunch by medical center)
Afternoon Delight (healthier breakfast/lunch)
Miki for sushi

Sorry, I don't have much info on hotels. There are a couple on North Campus though. Try seaching the Plymouth Rd. area. On the main campus is "The Campus Inn" where a lot of visiting faculty stay when they are coming for a short stay.

cherie1

Zingerman's for deli.
Graatzi's (on Main) for Italian.
Angelo's or Afternoon Delight for breakfast.
There's also a great steakhouse on Main.

cfntmpn

I hope I'm not too late with this post - I had to do some research to check out if the hotel was the one I was thinking of - which it is. I stayed at the previous Crowne Plaza back in September - it's not bad, nothing special. It is right next to Briarwood Mall, and quite a few restaurants, though none that I would say are any of Ann Abor's best. You will be a drive from the University so hopefully you will have a car. Definately head out to Main Street near campus for dinner - all of the restaurants mentioned in previous posts are all good. Prickly Pear, and Gratzi are located next to one another. On the same block is a Prime Grade Steak Restaurant (can't remember the name, but it's on the other side of Gratzi, a cajun restaurant, and an Irish Pub. Across from Prickly Pear is a seafood restaurant and another italian. (Gratzi is Italian - and one of my favorite restaurants in A2). If you are not too picky about where you will be staying, and want to spend half of the $$ then you will be at the Kennsington, further down the road is a brand new Extended Stay (i know, nothing fancy) But since it is new, it is very clean and very inexpensive.

jlm_mi

The steakhouse on Main is the Chop House, and it's very expensive. Main Street has several nicer restaurants to choose from, so it's a good area to browse and see what appeals.

If you want a good steak for much less money, Knight's Steakhouse is a great, old-time steakhouse. It's on Dexter Ave., just east of Maple (you can mapquest it probably). The only sign outside is a chess knight. There's nothing with the name, or to even indicate that it's a restaurant. But the beef here is excellent!

If you like beer, Grizzly Peak and Arbor Brewing Company are both brewpubs on Washington Street. My opinion - better food at Grizzly Peak, better beer at Arbor, but both are fun!

Shalimar, also on Washington (I think) is really, really great for Indian food.

Ann Arbor has so many choices for good food. If these don't quite sound like what you want, please let us know what cuisine or atmosphere you're looking for, and a general price range. There's bound to be something with a few hundred restaurants in town!

As to hotels - I don't know the Kensington Court. It's located near the mall, and near about 15 other big-name chain hotels. Very close to north campus there is a Holiday Inn, Red Roof Inn and I think a couple of others.

Out on the west side of town is a nice, family run hotel called Webers. It has an indoor pool, and a nice restaurant. Right across the street are a Super-8 and a Best Western.

So, lots and lots of choices for hotels and food right in Ann Arbor. Definitely no need to go 15 miles away from campus to stay! If there's something specific that you're looking for, most likely someone here can help you find it.

quicksilver

Thanks Fodorites! I knew you'd come through for me...

I'll be expensing this trip so budget is not the #1 concern, but even at that I don't think I can justify the Bell Tower or the Campus Inn to the person signing the cheques. I thought Kensington Court might be a good compromise. That said, I may be leaning towards Weber's Inn now. (For some reason I had dismissed it as too expensive, but I was mistaken - it looks like it's on par with Kensington.)

I appreciate all those great dining recommendations and I wish I had more than one dinner to plan!

Do keep 'em coming if anyone else has more suggestions; if I think of any other questions or relevant details I'll be sure to revive this thread before I go.

Thanks again!

* Quicksilver *