Have any of you stayed at the Providence Hall Wings of the Williamsburg Inn? Made reservations for end of October but at $285/night (w/o breakfast) wonder if it is worth the high price. Their website does not show the rooms (would like something special as this is a birthday gift). Also am considering Williamsburg Woodlands (at $145/night) or Kingsmill $209/night). Read good reviews on both of these. Would like to visit Busch Gardens so Kingsmill is convenient for that but don't know which would prove more convenient, in walking distance to Colonial Williamsburg or closer to Busch Gardens. If any of you would like to suggest other accommodations, please do so! Thank you so very much.

We stayed at the Woodlands in May and it was very nice, very new; clean, well-staffed, good continental breakfast included. The Woodlands is located adjacent to CW so you can either take a path and walk over or ride the shuttle bus, since the Visitors Center is on the same property as the Woodlands.

We stayed at the Kingsmill Resort for a week at the end of June. We had a one bedroom suite, which was lovely. It had a full kitchen and a master bedroom with a king size bed. The suite was quite large and was very nicely furnished. The resort is great. There is a spa, golf courses, restaurants, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, tennis court, marina, etc. It was great! I can highly recommend it. Also, it is the closest hotel to Busch Gardens. They offer a shuttle service, if you don't have a car. The shuttle service is also offered to Colonial Williamsburg. It is about a seven minute drive to Colonial Williamsburg from Kingsmill.

I'd called Colonial Wmburg and ask about the most recent renovation to the Providence Hall Wings. They were built in the 70s I think adjacent to the original Inn. Heads rolled in the hotel division of CW a few years back when the lauded Inn lost a star of its 5 star Mobil rating. They've poured millions into renovation and recently reopened but I don't know if the updates included Prov Hall. If not, I'd pass on it for that amount of money.

Wmburg Woodlands is new and nice but not what I'd call something special. It's a great place for families. Ditto for Kingsmill on the specialness scale tho it's a more upscale location.

For something special I'd consider spending another $100 and staying in Wmburg Inn. Or even better, consider staying in one of the Colonial Houses (private guesthouses with reproduction furnishings). You'd be in the heart of the restored area which should be beautiful in late October. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, the rates for the houses are lower than the one you quoted for Prov Hall.

Have a great time.

Any suggestions where you would stay if you were going to go visit William and Mary for a college visit? We don't want something expensive;have already visited Williamsburg many years ago so something that is close but good for the wallet. Also,would you fly into Richmond or Norfolk? thanks-

If the prices are the same, fly into Richmond. Richmond can be more expensive, though. Richmond and Norfolk are equal in distance to Wmsbg but you have to go through a tunnel to reach the airport in Norfolk so traffic can be worse. Also look at Newport News. Its the closest.
The Hospitality House is across the street from W&M. It will probably be full, however, if you are coming on a football weekend. Any other hotels in Wmsbg will be at the most a 10 min drive from the college.

Thanks for the information. Would you possibly know if Columbus Day weekend is
a home football game weekend?

Check William and Mary's website...they've got to have a football schedule posted somewhere on the site.

I checked Quikbook's prices for places in Wmbg that week for friends who will be visiting Columbus Day weekend. They are currently showing plenty of rooms in suites hotels $110 and under.

You don't say where you're flying from but Air Tran often has good prices for flying into Newport News. Otherwise I agree with the other poster. Richmond is a much easier drive to Wmbg than Norfolk but can be a pricier flight.

Thank you all for your responses. DDD, I tried booking a "Colonial House" but unfortuately everything is booked for October. I will call Providence Hall and ask about these renovations. At a rate of $450/night at the Inn (and that's the cheapest!), unfortunately, that is way over my budget!

Hey ddd! Me again, I tried the Colonial Houses again. Had to change my dates to the following weekend (and do a Sat. & Sun. instead of Fri. & Sat) but I was able to get a Colonial House - 1 Queen Bed. I could have gotten a room at the Lodge too using these dates but I think my husband would enjoy the House more. Now all I have to do is decide between Providence Hall for the dates I really wanted or the Colonial House! Thanks again for all your suggestions.

Hi Lila,

If you do decide to change your dates, definitely opt for the Colonial House over the Lodge. The Lodge is about to or is in the process of receiving the same type of updates as the Inn. And it's needed.

Don't know what your first choice dates are but it sounds as if you may have bumped into Homecoming Weekend at the College of William and Mary. If so, you'll find things pretty busy in town and you'll definitely want to book ahead for the more popular restaurants.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance. I have lots of opinions and am happy to dispense them!

We stayed at the Williamsburg Lodge last year. We got one of the packages off the website (www.history.org) that included tickets to Col. Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and breakfast included. The Lodge is actually very nice. Our room was sizable with nice, reproduction furniture. The bathroom was a little dated. It has a full gym with pool (I think) and spa services. The breakfast was great -- not just your continental breakfast at the roadside motel, but whatever you wanted off the menu at the Lodge's full-service restaurant or the delicious buffet. Probably a $20 pp value. You can also get tee times at the Inn's golf courses.

For my money, we were glad we didn't stay at the Inn. We went there for a drink and found the crowd to be older and the atmosphere very stuffy. Instead, we enjoyed hanging out in the lobby at the Lodge -- roaring fire, free coffee/tea, nice pub.

Yikes, I just checked the College of William & Mary's website and home coming is Oct. 24-27. Surprisingly, this was the weekend I was able to book a Colony House. I preferred the weekend before (Oct. 18-20). I do have reservations at Providence Hall for that weekend but was thinking of cancelling for the Colony House but I don't think we'll enjoy our weekend if it's very busy. Thanks for the Heads Up about homecoming ddd. Maybe I better stick w/Providence Hall ($285 vs. $210 for a Colony House).

College Mom: There are some Bed & Breakfasts on Richmond Rd, near W&M. Also there is a Days Inn on Richmond Rd (920?) that is walking distance to the college (& Colonial Williamsburg), but is nothing special ... in fact was a Holiday Inn in the early 70's. A little further up the road is a Super8 at the corner of Richmond Rd (1220?) & Lafayette. Not the typical Super8, this is a converted older concrete/steel building with larger & quieter rooms than many of the cheap wooden roadside S8s. While you could walk from S8, most people would not. I go to Wburg often, and my favorite lodging is at Governor Spottswood Motor Inn, an old but family run "motor court", and again, nothing special, but a place I like. Check motels on Bypass Road (Rt 60) - there's plenty to choose from, and as pointed out, within a 10 minute drive to the college. I agree w/ others, that RIC is the easiest, NN has Airtran, but Norfolk has Southwest ... so according to where you're traveling from you weigh out the differences. BTW, Amtrak has service to Wburg, and the station is walking distance to the college, Hospitality House, and Days Inn ... if you're not dragging too much stuff. (there is no X in my REAL eddress)

Lila,

Pick the date and the accommodation that is most appealing to you and don't worry too much about whether it's Homecoming Weekend or not. They'll be focused on campus stuff. Just make sure you make a booking at any of the nicer restaurants you might want to visit.

If you choose to go with your original plans, I'm sure you'll find the Providence Hall Wings to be a fine place to stay. My original point was that autumn is a popular time to visit Wmbg so you're likely paying a premium price.

Wmburg is a small town and it's hard not to enjoy it's charms in the fall. Hope you have a great visit!