Betsy

I'm just starting to plan a two-night trip to Asheville in late September and am trying to decide whether to stay in/near Biltmore Village or in downtown Asheville. In either location, we'd like to stay within wandering distance of the restaurants, shops, and galleries. We'll have a car. Thanks so much for your input.

Brian_in_Charlotte

For wandering distance to restaurants, definitely downtown. It's a quick 2-3 minute drive to the shops around Biltmore Village.

SAnParis2

Downtown, certainly.

cmcfong

Downtown, stay at Haywood Park Hotel and everything is at your doorstep. As Brian says it is a short drive to Biltmore Village.

If you decide to stay around Biltmore Village the new Grand Bohemian is very nice.

Have fun, it's a great town.

tcreath

I too would definitely stay downtown if I had a choice. There is much more to do and you'll have a much better restaurant selection.

Tracy

kgriff01

Not even a question! The little restaurants, tiny breweries/bars and shops are what make Asheville Asheville.

Betsy

Wow! You folks are fast! Downtown it is. Now tell me where to book to be right in the middle of those little restos, breweries/bars, and shops. When I narrow down the area I can probably find the right hotel, but if you have any favorites in the $150/night range, I'd appreciate hearing about them.

starrs

Have you considered renting a loft via VRBO? One day, I'll own a loft in downtown Asheville. Here's one option but "shop" for others. This requires a 3 night mininum - so stretch your trip a bit
http://www.vrbo.com/42697

Betsy

To provide a little more information: I have a downtown map from the 2009 Asheville Visitor Guide, but it only shows streets, not landmarks. It looks like downtown is roughly both north and south of 240, or maybe south of 240. Maybe around Broadway St. /Biltmore Ave. and Patton Ave./College St.?

starrs

My post should have said "I'll own a loft...ONE day"

Brian_in_Charlotte

Downtown is south of 240, I think the dead center would be the "Broadway St. /Biltmore Ave. and Patton Ave./College St" spot you've indentified. I think that's approximately the location of Pack Square.

Walking the area south of 240 is easy, so anywhere around there is fine. The Haywood Park is a great option - very central - but may be a little above your budget. There's also a large, well-located Renaissance Hotel on Woodfin Street. Avoid the Days Inn.

tcreath

There doesn't appear to be many hotels in the immediate downtown area, so we always end up staying a little outside of downtown and driving in. You may want to consider some of the many bed & breakfasts around Asheville. I think several are within walking distance of downtown, although I'm not sure of the costs.

Tracy

Brian_in_Charlotte

There's also a Sheraton 4 Points near the Renaissance that used to be an older Best Western. As a BW, it was a bit run down, but had large rooms and was a good budget choice. If Sheraton did renovations when they took over, it could be a good choice. tcreath - I noticed that they do except pets.

Brian_in_Charlotte

From the pictures, it looks like they did significant renovations. Looks pretty nice, especially compared to what it used to be.

Betsy

I've been looking at the Sheraton 4 Points, Brian. It gets horrible reviews on TA but better ones elsewhere. I noticed that the only 3.5 star level on Priceline for Asheville is the Renaissance, so I may go ahead and book the Sheraton as a cancellable back up and bid on PL closer to our travel date. Both appear to be within easy walking distance to the restaurants, ect. I'm also checking out the VBRO possibilities that starrs mentioned above.

Thanks to everyone who's posted!