Thinking of going in August. The Inn at Biltmore prices are laughable. Never been to Cashiers or the Highlands. Any suggestions appreciated.

wellll.... are you looking for deluxe accommodations? There are some small inns in that area which may be cheaper (albeit less available) than Inn at Biltmore. Then there are chain hotels/motels, of which there are plenty (in Asheville anyway).

Give us an idea of your budget and we may be able to steer you in the right direction.

Do you want hotels or bed and breakfasts?

How many nights?

Did you want to stay in Asheville, Casiers and Highlands -- Cashiers and Highlands are fairly close so I would do one or the other.

I think you might find Highlands (or the hotel there) pretty high also. It is also quite "rustic". There are certainly all levels of accomodations in the mountains.

I like Fire Mountain in Highlands:

www.firemt.com

Highlands Inn in Highland is nice but I stayed several nights at The Greystone Inn outside Highlands on Lake Toxaway. Golf, spa, great resttaurant and water sports. It's a very nice resort. Have a nice trip.

http://www.greystoneinn.com/

http://www.highlandsinn-nc.com/

There are many types of lodging in the area. We stayed at a very nice Comfort Inn (maybe Quality) as a home base and toured from there.
You will love Biltmore Castle, amazing!

I wasn't sure how close Asheville was to Cashiers and the Highlands. Many years ago we stayed at a Howard Johnsons in Asheville, but ate at the Grove Park. We only stayed one night.
We like a deal! A view is nice, but how much time does one spend in the room? Location is a priority. It would be nice to walk places, if possible.
The Biltmore seemed to be about $400 a night. $150 or less a night would be okay.
Also, any thoughts on dining would be appreciated.
Thanks

p.s. In checking out some of the recommendations, seems I've underestimated the prices for traveling in the summer. I may be stuck with a chain hotel/motel.

you may want to try and priceline it for Asheville. I'm surprised you can't find something at a B&B that would easily be in your price range in ASheville, Highlands or Cashiers. Asheville is at least one hr from Highlands - Cashiers is slightly closer. While the road miles may indicate less don't underestimate the you will be driving UP hill on very windy slow going roads.

I haven't even looked at a map or mapquest, but I would think Cashiers was a bit further from Asheville than an hour.

Cashiers mapquests at 1 1/2 hr...it usually takes me about 1-1 hr 15 depending on traffic between Brevard and Cashiers as well as traffic out of Asheville. Highlands is about 20-30 minutes further