Hello,

Due to the current "swine flu" outbreak in Mexico...we're holding off on our trip...
We're interested in visiting Seattle from Boston....we found good flight purchases...
Going May 13-20.

Could someone suggest affordable places to stay that have good location (so that we don't have to rent a car)?
Thank you so much in advance!

I stayed at the Comfort Suites near the Space Needle. It was very easy to move around downtown Seattle to see all of the sites and very affordable (back in 2007). That being said, I would recommend a car to do a few trips out of the city (ie Snoqualmie Falls, mt Rainier, Olympic National Park). Or look for a hotel near Pike Place Market.

Not an expert on Seattle, but we had a great trip there last summer. We stayed at Mayflower Park Hotel and loved it for its location. The hotel is connected to a passageway to the monorail station, is 1 block from the bus tunnels, is easy walking distance to Pike's Market as well as many restaurants, etc. Other good locales: Inn at the Market and Hotel Andra.

Agree with the Mayflower Park as being a good affordable hotel in a central location--however you are coming at a time there is a huge citywide convention starting May 16--so it may be tough to find accommodations right in the city and if there is availability the rates may be higher than usual. So you might think about staying in the city for the first part of the week then going to another location like the San Juans or the Olympic Peninsula or Vancouver or Victoria...

Also, did you realize the Sox will be playing the Mariners here in Seattle the weekend of the 15-17?

The Mayflower Park Hotel
Warwick Seattle
Hotel Max
The Roosevelt

I found Hilton Homewood suites good value and close to the city. We didn't have a car and caught buses, taxis,overhead train and ferries everywhere.

Mayflower, Warwick, Max, Roosevelt, Homewood, and other hotels near them (such as Andra, Sixth Avenue Inn, and Sheraton) are in a "good location" for visitors.

However, there is a big convention in town May 17-20. You will find a good deal May 13-16, and then rooms downtown are hard to come by and prices zoom.

If you like old hotels, you might find a room for under $100 at The Moore, which is well situated but not the kind of place convention attendees tend to fancy.

HTTY

You mentioned "affordable" so I'll mention Priceline for hotels. If you've never used Priceline's "Name your own price" service, know that they don't tell you the name of the hotel until they accept your offer price...but if you follow a site like BetterBidding.com or BiddingForTravel.com, you can take a lot of the guesswork out - and potentially save a bundle. I've gotten nice hotels for 1/3 or even 1/4 the best website rate advertised. Learn what "free rebids" are and how to use them and you can start bidding low and raise your bid up until you hit the lowest price Priceline will accept.

Most people would want to be in downtown Seattle without a car. I wouldn't personally bid for less than a 3-star hotel there - would probably try for a 4-star and start my bidding well under $100/night given the current economy. I see people have gotten the 4-star Westin for around $60-$70 downtown fairly recently.


You might consider renting a car just for one day (parking at the hotel might be extra downtown, like $25/day extra) to get out and see some sites that are hard to reach by public transit.

I would try the Inn at Harbor Steps. It's part of a b&b chain but feels more like a hotel. It's near Pikes Place market. We stayed there a two years ago and loved it's location.

It helps to know a price range. "Affordable" can mean different things to different people!

In lower Queen Anne is The Mediterranean Inn. It's affordable and a short bus to downtown.