We(me, my husband and 8 yr old daughter) are flying into Manchester from California for a vacation in Maine. Our flight arrives at 5:45pm and we will be exhausted from travelling all day. Looking for a recommendation on where to stay that night. The next day we are making the long drive up to Bar Harbor so wanted something in that direction. Portsmouth sounds interesting but pretty expensive for a quick stay. The Sheraton Harborside sounds great but is $168.00. Howard Johnson's is $72.00 but is it in a horrible location? Would it be better to head to
Hampton Beach? Does anyone have any hotel suggestions for that area? Thank you!

It will probably take you about 45 minutes to get to the Portsmouth traffic circle via Rt 101. I think the Howard Johnson's is right next to the circle. This is where you can also get on Rt 95. There's several hotels right there. One might be a Holiday Inn. It's only one night and will be easy to find. Portsmouth is a wonderful city with some great restaurants. If you want to do some walking, drive to the historic area by following the signs to Strawbery Banke. Park in the parking garage if it's in the evening. Otherwise, I would suggest taking a short walk in the Prescott Park area adjacent to Strawbery Banke and finding a good place for breakfast in the morning before you head out. Maybe pick up up some snacks for the long drive. The traffic circle area is not horrible, but might be a little noisy. It is probably fine for the night and if it has it's own restaurant you can just park and relax. Have a great trip.

I think Portsmouth is more like at least an hour's drive from the Manchester Airport (and four hours from Portsmouth to Bar Harbor). There's a bit of construction along the way if you go via Route 101, which is the most direct way. You may want to stay near the airport. The Highlander Inn and Resort is less than a mile away and very nice. Within several miles there's also a Susse Chalet, Comfort Inn, and a very nice Sheraton Wayfarer (would be my first choice), which I think is no longer a Sheraton. The Wayfarer has lovely grounds. Your daughter would love the ducks outside the dining room window at breakfast. You'll find much better rates in the Manchester area, as it is not a vacation destination like Portsmouth and Hampton Beach. You might want to book a room close to the airport, have a nice dinner and get a good night's sleep before heading to Bar Harbor. There's also a very nice mall near the airport (the Wayfarer is right next to another shopping center) for picking up anything you forgot to bring.

Hi Ann,
The circle at Portsmouth is very easy to negotiate, and there are at least three motels there, the HoJo, the Holiday Inn and the Anchorage Inn (smaller chain I think). I also noticed a brand new Courtyard by Marriott at the bridge that crosses into Maine (just a mile or two up the road). I'm sure these major places are listed in the AAA guides. They are on the outskirts of Portsmouth which means about a five min. drive into the city (this is New England...think small) and depending upon when you arrive at Manchester, it would give you a head start on your drive up to Bar Harbor. I'm not familiar with the drive over from Manchester and I don't have a map to consult right now, but by your body clock it will only be 2:45 when you arrive so you might still feel up to the trip to the coast.
Oh, the location of the HoJo...it's a major highway circle, nothing there but the afore mentioned hotels and the state liquor store. We often stop there for lunch or as a meeting place for family coming down from Maine. It's perfectly fine and same, just not picturesque. If you still have energy, the drive into Portsmouth itself would probably be no more than a few minutes. Don't go to Hampton Beach as it's supposed to be rather honky tonk and not in the right direction. Have a great vacation.

Donna's advice is best; you will be exhausted and in no mood to deal with traffic, etc. Stay in the Manchester area (the Highland Inn is a great choice as is the Wayfarer); it is indeed more reasonable than Portsmouth. And I wouldn't go near Hampton on a bet.

We're doing something similar the end of September. We fly from California arriving at 4:30 p.m. We've booked a room at the Anchorage Inn in Portsmouth for $79.00 per night. I know it will actually be 1:30 PST when we arrive, so figure the 50+ mile drive to Portsmouth won't be that bad. I figured Portsmouth might be more interesting than Manchester. We'll still have a little energy to find a nice restaurant for dinner maybe around the harbor. We then drive the next day to Boothbay Harbor, not quite as far as you.

Several years ago, we flew into NY arriving about 4:30 p.m. and drove to Simsbury CT for the first night. Other than it getting dark and unfamiliar roads, we weren't exhausted. Flying to the East Coast is actually the only time I can get my husband to stay up past 9 p.m.

Have a good trip.