garner

Need your help. Looking for a safe, clean, well-situated hotel/motel for single woman. Cost is a consideration.

AAFrequentFlyer

Are you looking for beach or city location.

What's the budget?

garner

I'd like a location not far from St.Armand's and I really don't want to spend more than $100.a day.

AAFrequentFlyer

Okay, perhaps I should have asked in my previous post, but you fail to mention many variables:

$100 a night will be tough but possible, maybe

I'll try to cover all the basis this time:

Will you have a car?

What time of the year will you be here?

Do you mind a motel that's on the mainland, just few miles away from Lido Key and St. Armand Circle?

Are you coming for a beach, relaxation or shopping vacation?

Do you mind a 1 or 2 block walk to the beach if necessary?



Just for starters, there is a Holiday Inn across the street from the beach and about 2 block walk to the circle but I have a feeling it will be more than $100 a night. Check it out.

We live on the Sarasota Bay so I know the area, but you will need to provide more info before I can help you.

You may also want to check www.vrbo.com, rentals by the owners of condos. You may find some small studio on the key that may fit within your budget.

Ackislander

We have stayed at the Holiday Inn near St Armand's Circle. We had a beachfront room and could see nothing but water, right up to the sunset. As good a view as we have ever had. It was also extremely handy for walking to restaurants and shops in the Circle, and there was free parking for our rental car that we were using for travel farther afield.

My only caveat is that this was about ten years ago, so I can't tell you the current condition of the property, but it certainly had location, location, location.

garner

I'll be there from March 4th through the 9th and I am renting a car. It's a much needed relaxation vacation and I definitely wouldn't mind being on the mainland. No problem with a 4-5 block walk to the beach. Holiday Inn is lovely but too expensive.

AAFrequentFlyer

La Quinta Inn on Tamiami Trail may just come in within your budget. Very close to downtown Sarasota and Lido Key.

Hotel Indigo, great downtown location but it may be little more expensive.

March and April is the peak of the season here so you have to realize that it won't be cheap.

There are many less expensive motels on North Tamiami Trail, north of Downtown, but I'm not sure I can recommend any of them, especially to a single woman.

There are also few motels around Sarasota exits of I-75 that are very safe, clean and may fit within your budget, but it will be a good 5 miles away from the beaches.

There is also a Best Western, just south of downtown Sarasota on Tamiami Trail. You may want to look that up.

Other than that, try the www.vrbo.com site if you want to be on Lido, that may be your best shot to stay within or close to your budget.

Good luck!

If you do find a certain property and need to get some info on location and safety, please post here and I'll try to help.

garner

Thanks so much for your help. Checked out the vrbo website but the prices for a week's stay are higher than a lot of the hotels/motels I've been looking at. I've kind of narrowed it down to a choice between the Best Western Midtown and Americinn. What do you think?

AAFrequentFlyer

Can't tell you anything about the quality of either place, but location wise, the Best Western wins hands down. It's just a short distance away from Lido Key bridge and it's also a short drive to the fabulous beaches of Siesta Key. It's just few blocks away from historic downtown Sarasota as well as Main Street with numerous restaurants, art galleries, nightclubs, etc.

Again, nothing against Americinn. I'm only talking about location.

Read some reviews of both on www.traveladvisor.com, just remember to cancel some of the worst and best reviews of either place and make your decision based on the rest of the reviews.

Good luck with your decision!