mmyk72

I plan to make a quick first visit to Savannah. I'm not into classy hotels and don't plan to spend much time in it other than sleep and shower.

What's the downside to staying in a Midtown hotel and just drive into the Historical District area, park, and walk around till the days ends. Is it possible to find street parking easily? I assume the drive (on weekend) can't be more than 15 min, correct?

I'm trying to avoid paying more for a hotel inside the Historical District since I won't be using it much, plus parking is $12-15 per day additional. I'd be just as happy to leave the hotel in the morning and not go back until I'm done for the day. Love to hear advice from locals or those who've already been there.

tovarich

Stay at the Quality inn heart of savanah.You just have to cross the road and you're in the historic district.You're also very close to the riverside where many restaurants are.Paul

gail

I was always able to find street parking somewhere - the closer to center of Historic District, the less time one is allowed to park. And there are a couple of garages where parking for the day is not prohibitive. Weekends/Saturday evenings - not so lucky at finding parking, though.

When our son was a student at SCAD we would sometimes stay in a Midtown hotel and do just as you suggested. It worked when we needed to save some money. There are a wide variety of chain hotels in Midtown - and you can certainly get more space for the money. Avoid the lowest priced ones - Days Inn was particularly horrible. Also, there is a hotel (forget the name) that is at the end of a runway of some military air facility - and the weekend I was there helicopters sounded as if they were about to land in my bathroom all night - some sort of special training weekend. Avoid that one. We had the most success with those closest to Abercorn Mall.

I still prefer staying in Historic District - nice to be able to just walk out of hotel. But understand the financial part. There was a recent post here by starrs about renovations and lower prices at Thunderbird Motel - a place that a few years ago looked like a homeless shelter but motel and area seems to have undergone a revitalization. I would check that out as well as price-checking other Historic Distric lodging - sometimes there are real deals that are not much above Midtown.

starrs

I stay in Midtown a lot when I'm in town on business. It's just a short drive of a few miles down Abercorn to get into town. There are more hotels near the airport and is a quick drive via the interstate into downtown. Weekend parking is fairly easy to find - and is free (on the street). So, your plan will work.

Having said that, there are at least three options for staying in Midtown at a reasonable rate -

1) Paul's option - Quality Inn Heart of Savannah
2) Thunderbird Inn - I stayed there last weekend and really liked it
3) Hotwire - I've gotten great deals (The Staybridge Suites for under $70) but I just checked for a couple of weekends and the rates are high.

starrs

The Thunderbird - http://thethunderbirdinn.com/
My report on the Thunderbird - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...pest-hotel.cfm

mmyk72

Great responses, THANKS! I can redeem my points (Hilton or Marriott) for free nights, and I figure staying at Midtown requires fewer pts and no expensive parking. Thanks for the tip about the air field, never thought of that! I'd probably go for one of the mid-tier hotels like Hampton Inn.

I missed a Groupon/Living Social deal on a smaller hotel inside the Historical Dist by just a week ($45 per nt), so I'm going to see if something else comes up in the next few weeks before booking.

ronkala

We held a ship's reunion at the Hilton Garden Hotel Midtown in 2007 and were extremely satisfied. I was in savannah in 2006 looking at hotels for the 2007 reunion site and selected the Hilton before it was opened based on what they promised us and their brochure.

Hopefully you won't be in Savannah during the St. Patricks day celebration.

starrs

mm, check out how many points you'll need for the Courtyard Marriott in the historic district. That may be a good compromise between points and location.

mmyk72

Fairfield Inn Midtown requires the fewest points (10K) while all others are much higher. Tripadvisor has both really good and really bad reviews. I may just take that one.

starrs

I hate Fairfields. I've not stayed in the one in Savannah but based on stays in the Carolinas, it's the one chain I always avoid. IMO it's worth the points - or the money - to stay elsewhere, even at a hotel nearby in Midtown.

mmyk72

Wow, you must really hate it! I think it's the lowest tier brand in the Marriot chain.

I keep tossing the idea around my head (is it worth spending more points - points I can use on another trip)... Well, I'm only going to be in the room long enough to sleep and shower. If it was for multiple days, I'd be more picky.

mmyk72

Post-Trip Update: Staying in Mid-town worked just fine. I found parking quite easily on Saturday (along the river) and on Sunday. Meters are free on both days.

Fairfield Inn was ok for staying 1 night, good enough for a shower at the end of the day and a bed to sleep on. It's clean (if you ignore the carpet) and once everyone else goes to sleep you won't hear all the walking on the upper floor. Breakfast is decent (enough to fill you up) and parking is free. The drive to the pretty area of Savannah is only 10 min or so in the morning. Also, for dinner, I went to a restaurant called Sweet Potatoes close to the hotel and it has good food at local prices (half of what restaurants in the Historical District would've cost).