FREDFIX

My wife and I plan to spend 3 days in the Asheville area in April. The AAA shows many motel/hotel listings. One of the 3 diamond recommendations is the Best Western of Asheville Biltmore East. The rate is very reasonable. Has anyone stayed at this motel. Is it nice, well located, etc? Any info, or other lodging suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Litespeed_Chick

I have stayed several times at the BW Biltmore, but not EAST. I like the downtown location because you can walk to dinner, etc. Obviously, being a Best Western, it's not all about luxury, but it was good enough if you are planning to spent zero time in the room like we do. The rate on Expedia for this weekend is $49...best I've seen in awhile, they quoted me over $100 in October.

The Expedia description of BW biltmore EAST made me think it must be near Tunnel road and the Asheville mall, which is not one of Asheville's nicer areas. It's where you find the Wal Mart and the crappy chain restaurants. You want to stay downtown or near Biltmore Village. Hope that helps.

FREDFIX

Thanks Chuckfor your response. - The AAA book shows 3 Bst Western Listings: 1) BW Asheville Biltmore (22 Woodfin St.); 2) BW Asheville Biltmore East (501 Tunnel Rd); and BW Biltmore West (275 Smoky Park Hwy). You don't recommend the one on Tunnel Rd. apparently because of the location. Which of the other 2 do you recommend?

coach4448

There is also a Renaissance hotel that is located close to downtown. I have stayed there a few times and it's an easy walk to the downtown area. There are also a few B&B's that are within walking distance of downtown.
The BW on Woodfin would be the one closet to downtown, and if I remember right it is right across the street from the Renaissance.
I have had good rates at the Renaissance a few times, so it may be worth checking into. I'm not sure what range you are looking for price wise.
I can also give you the name of the B&B we have stayed in if you are interested in going that route.
Hope this helps. We love Asheville, and April is a great time to be there! There are many great restaurants downtown and some wonderful shops in Biltmore Village that fun to visit.

Katie7

Fredfix: I've topped a message I posted about two weeks ago for the Asheville area. I received a lot of very helpful info. Have fun on your trip! We are looking forward to ours!

Katie

Litespeed_Chick

The BW on Woodfin is the one I prefer. As Coach says, there is a Renaissance right across the street as another option, but it tends to be a little higher priced. What price range are you looking for? Haywood Park is also downtown, a little fancier I hear, and more expensive. Grove Park Inn has spectacular views and prices. (and sort-of weird attitide) B&Bs are everywhere, some very high, some surprisingly cheap.

FREDFIX

Thanks Katie- lots of useful information. The info I've seen seems to indicate that its better to stay someplace in downtown Asheville, and that seems to be the reason several folks have recommended the Renaissance hotel or the BWI across the street. I see you are staying at the Baymont. It sounds nice, but is it located downtown?
Is it better to stay downtown? Is parking a problem?

Catherine

I am a frequent visitor to Asheville as my daughter is in college there. I wouldn't rule out staying in the Tunnel Road area as it is not a bad area, just lacks distinction. Asheville is very well signed so you should have no problem driving about.

I would make one restaurant recommendation. Every time my husband and I go visit our daughter, we try to eat at Barley's Tap Room downtown. There is easy parking across the street. It is a microbrewery and according to my husband, has some of the best beer anywhere. Their food is also very, very good. Spinach lasagna is excellent and another favorite of mine is the pita wrap, a vegetarian dish. My husband usually opts for the jerk chicken sandwich. All excellent and extremely well priced. Sort of an eclectic clientele, but a very laid back kind of place. Pizza is exceptional and if you order one of their calzones, make sure you are hungry, because they resemble footballs. All good, very, very good.

hauntedheadnc

The Best Western Biltmore is at 22 Woodfin Street right downtown, and the Best Western Biltmore East is at 501 Tunnel Road, while the Best Western Biltmore West is out along Smoky Park Highway.

Of these three I'd go for the one downtown. Parking at the hotel won't be a problem, nor would it be a problem downtown itself as there are many parking decks hidden away amidst the art deco facades. Your best bet though is to park at the hotel itself and hoof it, although the hotel is on the fringe of downtown, and you'll be doing a lot of walking... but walking's good for you! Besides, despite the fact that it's just a little more than a couple of blocks from the center of town doesn't meant that it's an unmanageable distance away -- do park there and walk.

As one other poster has pointed out, signage around the city is very clear, but unfortunately the road system appears to have been laid out by blindfolded drunks at the city's founding ("Okay boys, now just go where the spirit moves ya!")... and despite the best signage, if you can navigate College Street as it passes through the Beaucatcher Tunnel and becomed Tunnel Road, and navigate that maze of lanes and signs you find beyond the tunnel without turning right into the Asheville Mall parking lot, you win a cookie. It takes a few tries to get it right, trust me!

The best advantage of the BW Biltmore East is that is near the aforementioned mall, which is a pretty good one, if you like being near malls, plus it's near an excellent restaurant that I cannnot say enough good things about, McGuffey's.

Either way, no matter where you stay, so long as you are patient and study your maps, Asheville is easy enough to get around in. You can't go wrong with either choice though I would recommend the BW downtown simply because it's closer to the heart of town.

Katie7

FREDFIX: we choose the Baymont because it's very close to Biltmore Village and we got a pretty good price. It was recommended to stay close to the Biltomore or downtown.

Katie

Litespeed_Chick

Hey Haunted - that was hilarious. I can't say how many times I've heard my husband exclaim " Damn, I'm in the MALL again" Pretty clever traffic engineering if you were the merchant's assoication.

You are kidding about McGuffey's right? If not, you need a spanking for eating at a chain restaurant (think Applebees) when Asheville has so much to offer.

hauntedheadnc

Applebee's, Litespeed? APPLEBEE's?! Au contraire, my dear denizen of Greenville. McGuffey's is indeed a chain, but a very small one -- they only have a few locations in NC (Asheville, Hendersonville, and Hickory) and in MO (Branson and Springfield), and this particular small chain is based in Asheville.

They're not a thing like Applebee's. I've found their food to be better than any large chain like Applebee's, O'Charley's, Outback, and Fatz Cafe. At McGuffey's they only use fresh ingredients and everything is prepared in-store -- nuttin's pre-packaged, and everything's full of flavor at McGuffey's. Good food -- I can't get enough of the place!

Hm... I might go there today, in fact. Mmmm... McGuffey's...

alise

ahhh McGuffey's! I used to love their Fried Mushrooms appetizer when I lived in Hickory. We tried to eat at the one in Asheville during our wedding planning but they closed early during the week so we ened up back at TGIF at the Doubletree where we were staying.

As far as the downtown Best Western--from the outside it looks like crap...now maybe the inside has been refurbished and for the $ it is a good deal BUT I would stay at the Baymont near Biltmore and drive to the downtown area or spend more $ and stay at the Renaissance....

There is a parking garage on the right on the main road from the Baymont before you get to the traffic circle area where the statues are?? can't recall the intersection. It was cheap and easy the night we went out downtown.


They Baymont gives you a decent free breakfast, indoor pool.....new, clean hotel...and they were very friendly and helpful. Most of my family and our friends stayed there for our wedding this past September.

FREDFIX

Thanks for all the helpful info. I made a reservation at the Baymont Inn.
We are from NY and after our stay in Asheville will be driving back home. We have no set time, and will likely take 2-3 days, and stop over somewhere for at least 1 night. In planning the drive we would like to start out on the Blue Ridge Parkway to view this famous highway. Any suggestions as to the nicest areas to look for, or nearby towns that are worth stopping to visit on our trip back? Thanks again for your comments.

nyer

I'll throw an additional opinion into this discussion.

How much time to you expect to spend in Asheville proper?

I spent a great long weekend there about a year ago, and stayed at the "inconvenient" Baymont
It was new, clean, well maintained,good facilities (indoor pool, etc) pleasant
staff and an excellent value. We chose not to stay at one of high end hotels or inns, because we came to the area to see the Biltmore Estate and the surrounding areas, not to hang around a resort.
The Haywood Park hotel looked interesting (but a bit pricey),the Renaissance kind of dull, but since we weren't going to be spending the bulk of our time in town (we ate downtown 3 times, then walked around before or after), the out of the way location of the Baymont actually turned out to be perfect, for us. Driving to downtown was rarely longer than 15 minutes . Very easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway and to the airport (maybe not relevant for you). We looked into staying nearer to the Biltmore Estate but it was a very congested area and the rates for comparable hotels (doubletree?) was higher. Since we were only going to the estate once (and the drive wasn't bad, anyway, even on one of the busy "festival of flowers weekends"), it wasn't necessary to be closer.
I agree with the others here when they mention that getting around by car is pretty easy compared to many cities in the northeast and there are lots of opportunities for great meals downtown and breathtaking scenery outside the city.

nyer

HUGE correction to my post: I stayed at the WINGATE , futher out of town, not the Baymont (I was reading so many posts mentioning it, and it was a place I had considered, so it was stuck in my head--sorry!)All other info stands. For me, the "inconvenient" location turned out to be a great starting point for my drives.

hauntedheadnc

Alise, are you sure you're not thinking of the Days Inn on Patton Avenue across from the Federal Building? That used to be a Best Western and I agree that it looks cruddy from the outside.

The Best Western downtown that everyone's been talking about is at 22 Woodfin St, near the Renaissance, and is either new or has gone through extensive renovations. I can't recall what there was on the site before Best Western came along. All I know is that the downtown Best Western hasn't been around long enough to get crappy looking!

And the parking garage you're thinking of is on Biltmore Avenue, I believe, near the Fine Arts Theatre and Doubledecker Coffee Co. (you know the one -- it's the coffeeshop in the converted London omnibus). It's just a block or two down from the intersection of Biltmore and Patton, where Biltmore going north becomes Broadway, and Patton going east becomes Pack Square.

Or are you referring to the Civic Center parking garage? There are more statues at the Civic Center than in Pack Square.

gbhost

We stayed at the Baymont Inn, Asheville, based on the recommendations here and found the place to be clean and decent, but the rooms were very small and the indoor pool and free breakfast area tiny. Even the parking lot and the parking spaces were puny.

There are several hotels in the vicinity of the Interstate/Biltmore entrance and after being in the area for three days I wished we had stayed at the Doubletree Inn across the street. It is attached to an ice cream shop and a TGI Fridays. The Lobby looked luxurious and the outdoor pool large and inviting. Though I didn't examine the rooms, the overall appearance of the place seemed to reveal a sense of quality, luxury and spaciousness absent at the Baymont.

Both the Baymont and the Doubletree are rated 3 diamonds by AAA, and this goes to show the lack of subtlety of this rating...