KellyM

Husband and I will be seeing a concert in late September at Starlight Theatre. Anyone know of a good hotel that's easy to find from there? How close is the Plaza/Crown Center? If the Plaza is not terribly far, we'd like to stay close to it, also. Would like about $80-100/night. Pool and clean rooms. Thanks a bunch!

g

I have seen a lot of negative comments about Priceline, but I will say that I have always had good luck with them accepting my bids in Kansas City. We have gotten rooms as low as $31 in Overland Park (about 30 minutes from Starlight Theatre) (not any exciting hotels, but good basic ones - Doubletree, Fairfield Inn, etc.) and a bit higher in other areas. You can specify the Plaza area if you want to give that a try. The Plaza is not far from the Starlight, so that would not be a bad choice for your hotel stay. www.countryclubplaza.com lists all of the shops, restaurants, and hotels in the Plaza area. If you are looking for a bit of a pampering weekend, you might want to consider The Elms in Excelsior Springs (about 45 minutes away - give or take depending on traffic) - www.elmsresort.com.

Lou

The Elms will NOT be convenient for an out of towner wanting to stay near Starlight. It would also be out of the $80 price range Kelly mentioned.

The 2 main hotels on the plaza are the Fairmont (formerly the Rizt), and the Rapheal (nice older hotel with a rich history). The Rapheal also has a good restaurant.

You could also look into staying in the Crown Center district. Theey have a Hyatt Regency with a revolving restaurant on the roof. There are several others in that area as well.

Good luck!

Beth

Wait. Have either of you who mentioned The Elms actually been there? Because although my experience is from 8+ years ago, we were absolutely horrified with the Elms. My husband and I tried it for an anniversary weekend back in the early 90's when it reportedly had been renovated and updated. We even read a fairly glowing article in Midwest Living about it. It was just gross, for lack of a better word. I realize it was a long time ago, but I just wanted to put in a possible warning, in case you were recommending it based upon what you've read.

willow

AVOID THE ELMS!!!!!!!!!!

The place is positively scary.

Why anyone would drive all that way to stay at that place is beyond me. (I was there in fall of 2001....only long enough to look and turn around and leave).




Also, Starlight is in a park which is in a BAD part of KC. There are no hotels within a mile or two, but if there were, you'd want to avoid them.

The Plaza is the place to be. There's a Hampton Inn which is not too old if you're on a budget. The Fairmont is a little run down for the price. The restaurant at the Raphael is not one of the 5 or so best restaurants in the Plaza area (Plaza III, Ruth's Chris, JJ's, Grand Street, Frondizi's, Classic Cup and even the chains like P. F. Chang's and Cheesecake Factory are better than the Raphael).

Fred

Willow, Ruth's Chris is also a national chain.