gteacher

My husband and I are traveling to VA after a family reunion in NC at the end of June. Our first stop is Charlottesville; we plan to visit UVA,Monticello, and if time permits, a couple wineries. We're staying one night in C-ville and then heading to W-burg 3-4 nights and then flying out of Richmond home to CA.
1. Suggestions on hotels in C-ville?
2. We're planning to stay at Williamsburg White House B&B for the W-burg stint. Good choice?
3. Suggestions for a Richmond hotel? I've read conflicting reports on hotels in Richmond (scary, unsafe neighborhoods near the airport, yucky hotels, etc).

I appreciate your advice! Thanks

SavTrav

As far as Richmond goes - The Jefferson is always first class.

girlonthego

The Boars Head Inn in Charlottesville is nice. In the town itself, there are several chains. I hope someone else will chime in. I don't know the Williamsburg choice.
Why are you staying near the airport in Richmond? Do you have a really early flight? I would stay in Williamsburg,check out and drive to the airport. You are probably 45 minutes to the airport.
I wouldn't bother staying by the airport of Richmond if you want to see the town. The city of Richmond is about 15 minutes west of the airport. The marriott borders a lousy area. The Omni is a modern hotel within close walking distance to bars and restaurants.
The Jefferson is the most expensive, older hotel with flair. I hear the rooms are small for what you are paying, but the hotel has character and Richmond charm. The Omni would be a better stay. The area around the Jefferson gets iffy at night.

gteacher

Thanks for the advice so far! We just booked our flight and we're not leaving Richmond until afternoon which gives us more options. I'd rather stay in a better location now that we don't have to be at the airport at the crack of dawn.

I checked the Boar's Head website and it looks nice, but the reviews at tripadvisor were mixed at best. Anyone stay there recently?

I appreciate your help!

dbenya

We stayed at the Boar's Head over last Memorial Day weekend and found it quite pleasant. Here, though, are a couple of other choices:

http://www.keswick.com/web/okes/okes_a1a_splash.jsp

http://www.southstreetinn.com/flash_content/index.html

mikesmom

I agree that you should stay the night in Williamsburg and drive to Richmond for your flight home. It's an easy drive and staying in williamsburg would be preferable to staying at a hotel near the airport in Richmond.

gteacher

Based on the advice given here, I booked an extra day at the W-burg B and B rather than staying in Richmond. I haven't booked anything in C-ville yet. Anyone else have recommendations there? Thanks again!

mstraveler

dbebya -great suggestions. Intersting for different reasons, but great looking properties.

dbenya

One of our daughters lives outside of Charlottesville and suggested these to us when we were visiting last Memorial Day weekend. Since we were travelling with our then-12-year-old, the Boar's Head seemed like a better choice for us. But some day . . .

germantour

We just returned from a Memorial Day weekend trip to Richmond, and my sister-in-law lives in C-ville, so I can suggest some hotels in both areas. As far as C-ville goes, if you like Courtyards by Marriott, the one there is quite nice and is centrally located near the Medical Center. We preferred it to the Hampton Inn, which is nearby but wasn't very well run. We've also stayed at the Doubletree, which is on Rt 29 as you come into town, but I think we liked the Courtyard room better and it's in a nicer area near the university.

As for Richmond, we stayed north of town both for safety reasons and because we were visiting Kings Dominion on Sun-Mon of the holiday weekend. On Fri-Sat eves, we stayed at the Richmond Marriott West in Glen Allen; it was a DISASTER. Although the property was quite attractive and relatively new, the management was horrible and the service lousy. They promised to send up a rollaway when we checked in because they didn't have double n/s rooms so they put us in a king for four people (2 adults, 2 kids). After several calls the staff still couldn't produce a rollaway, and one clerk had the gall to ask 'would it help if we sent up additional pillows and blankets?' My husband asked, incredulous, 'Do you mean so the kids can sleep on the floor?' "Yes,' she said. Unbelievable. There were other problems too. Poor management in the restaurant so bowls, spoons, and fruit on the buffet weren't replenished despite repeated requests. Room service only sent up one set of silver for four orders, and for the half bottle of wine we ordered they literally sent up a half-full bottle with a cork on it...one wonders if this meets health code regulations.

On a more positive note, we stayed Sunday night at the Virginia Crossings Resort. Lovely place: good sized, spotless rooms with decor that was traditional but nicer than the standard hotel chains. For dinner we did take-out (excellent crabcakes and microbrew beer on tap) from the Yellow Tavern restaurant, and took it to the outdoor pool to eat. There's a firepit nearby for kids to make s'mores (all ingredients provided), and there's also a nice looking golf course (though we didn't use it). Rates are excellent if you just book a room; however, the packages seemed a bit pricey, and the breakfast in The Glen restaurant was only so-so. I'd recommend booking the AAA room rate (it was $98 when we stayed) and getting breakfast elsewhere.

Good luck with your trip; hope this helps!