Hello,

I am planning to trip to the NW coast this month, but I have never been to Seattle or Vancouver and I have a few questions:

1) Can you advise me on an affordable hotel in Seattle? I am looking for a clean, comfortable place, does not have to be upscale, around $120 $130 or so/night. I don't want to spend $300 just to sleep.

2)Are there any wineries in the Seattle that I can visit for tasting?

3) Is there a shuttle service for a day hike to Mt. Rainier or St. Helens? I have been doing some searching and I get the feeling that the sightseeing bus just takes you to the vistas. I want to do some hiking for a few hours.

4) What is the best mode of transportation for an overnight trip Seattle to Vancouver? Is driving a hassle?

Thanks for any help that you could give me.

Dennis Hughes
Chicago

There have been lots of threads recently on Seattle and Vancouver. Using the Search feature at the top of the page, type in Seattle and you will be able to see the recents Q & A's. I'd also do the same on the Canada Board...type in Vancouver.

You can also use the drop down menu and click on Washington here on US board, or British Columbia on the Canada board to find posts.

Hope this helps...
Debi

Check out Doubletree or Best Western- usually both are clean and affordable

Lots of wineries- look up Seattle tourism....

Sounds like you need a car- there may be shuttle service, but it will be much cheaper/faster/ more convenient to simply rent a car. And if it's a choice of "or"- Mt Rainier!

I believe (but not sure) the only other way to get to Vancouver is the ferry from Anacortes. I'd recommend driving- that said, some like the ferry better, some like driving better.
I don't think there's much hassle going across the border either way- just make sure you have a current passport! (ferry will be CROWDED this month)

have a great time

1. It is hard to find reasonable accomodations that are in downtown. We like the Sixth Avenue Inn (sixthavenueinn.com), for about $150/night. If you want a more budget-level place, check out the Moore Hotel (moorehotel.come), where you can get a room for about $80. Nothing fancy, but clean and an accessible location.

2. Most of the interesting wineries are outside of Seattle, on the Eastside, near Woodinville, Redmond, or Bellevue. Some big ones (Columbia, Chateau Ste. Michelle) are concentrated just south of Woodinville (check out woodinvillewinecountry.com). You can catch a bus there from Seattle, but it might be tricky to make the right connections.

3. Yes, there area couple of shuttle services from Seattle to Mt. Rainier: Rainier Shuttle (360-569-2331), and Ashford Mountain Center ((360) 569-2604). In addition, Gray Line runs tours to Rainier & St. Helens (graylineseattle.com).

4. To get from Seattle to Vancouver, I would take the Amtrak Cascades or Coast Starlight train, which is quite modern and comfortable (www.amtrak.com/timetable/july06/W32.pdf). You can also go by bus, but I don't think it is as comfortable. Bus schedules are shown on the Web page in the last sentence, and also check out Quick Shuttle (quickcoach.com).

I just read on another board that all of the shuttle services to Rainier have gone out of business, leaving only the Grayline type tours that don't allow for hiking time. Since you want to go there and Vancouver (which is NOT on an island and not accessible from Washington by ferry, as the one poster thought), why not just rent a car?

People often have good luck with Priceline for Seattle hotels, but August is the busiest month and there might not be much inventory open.

Dennis,

If you want to do a day hike on Mt. Rainier, you may go with the Seattle Mountaineers as a guest. Information on this is on their website:
http://www.mountaineers.org/
Go to "Courses and Activities" on the top bar, and then look at "Guest Membership". You can go on a hike without charge as long as you fill out the waiver form. The list of available hikes is on the "Activities sign up" lower on the page, by the compass. Several hikes to Summerland are listed; this is in Mt. Rainier NP. YOu must have proper clothing and boots, plus carry water, food, etc. When you sign up for a hike, you can also sign up to join a carpool as a passenger. This would take all day (driving there and back, and doing the hike). I don't know of any shuttle service that will take you to the park and allow time for a hike.

You asked on another thread about hiking on a glacier at Mt. Rainier. I have hiked there quite a bit, and I'm not quite sure what FainaAgain is talking about. You can hike TO the snout of glacier, the Carbon River glacier, but not up on the glacier itself. Hiking up to the Muir snowfield from Paradise is also possible, but that is a strenuous hike involving careful routefinding. There are often some persistent snowfields in the Paradise area, where you can hike across snow, but those aren't glaciers. Still, it makes a nice hike. If it's too complicated to make the Mountaineers option work, consider renting a car and just heading up to Paradise for a day hike there. On a clear day, the views of The Mountain are spectacular there.

As for going up to Vancouver, that is very easy with Amtrak. The train departs from Seattle every morning, and it is a very pleasant and scenic trip. You can return the same evening, or stay over and return the following day.

How about the Ace Hotel? It's right in Belltown (dining/drinking area--pubs not clubs). They have different kinds of accommodations, including shared bath. I think rooms are in the $100 range. It's hip w/minimalist decor and good lighting effects. But the smaller rooms, they really are very small. www.theacehotel.com.

Thanks to all for your help. I think I'm going to rent a car to go to Rainier, that sounds like a better idea. I contacted Gray Line shuttle and they only give you a max of 2 hours to hike.

Dennis.

www.mayflowerpark.com their least expensive room rates fit your budget. It is in an excellent central downtown location.

I also agree with the recommendation for both The Moore if you want a budget basic and the Ace Hotel in Belltown for more artistic funky.

Priceline would work well for Seattle. I bid on a downtown hotel last July on two separate dates and got Crown Plaza and Red Lion for about $80.

Best western Pioneer square.Great.Paul

We stayed at Comfort Suites on Roy St pre and post a cruise. It's about 3 blocks from the Space Needle. It is proabably in your price range.They have a free shuttle to the downtown area.
Don't know if this location would suit your needs but it worked well for us.