I'm a single 22 year old traveling alone to Seattle. And like I said in a previous post I'm going in May. I really want to do a lot outdoor activities but still hang out and party in Seattle for a couple of days. Then rent a car and drive out to the mountains, Vancouver, and Victoria. Does anyone have any good places that have private bathrooms to stay at on a very tight budget?

NOw I know that the airport has cheaper motels. But I'd prefer to stay in the city. Now what about Aurora Ave on the northside of the city? I've heard mixed reviews about the area. I've read that it's ok with lots of budget hotels. I've also read that it's like a road in my town Victory Dr. I've heard that Aurora can get seedy with prostitution, shabby no tell motels, and drug dealers. Would it be cheaper to stay out there or even the airport rent a car and drive into the city? Or just cough up the dough for a hotel downtown?

I've been to Seattle before and I stayed at the cheapest hotel I could find the Vermont Inn and I didn't like it. I survived but I'd really would rather somewhere else. But does anyone have any other tips on saving money in Seattle? Cheap restruants or tricks that I haven't thought of?

How about spending about $22 a night at a hostel right next to Pike Place Market? Alas, it doesn't have private bathrooms, but the Seattle International Youth Hostel rents out beds, not rooms, for individual travelers. It's one of the best in the country. You'll have to rent out a locker (just bring a lock, or you may be able to purchase one) and there's a lights out. But you can meet other interesting people, enjoy a common lounge that has tons of info, go on guided tours, and purchase continental-type breakfast items for a low price. It has great views of the waterfront, and really is in thick of the action.

Website: http://www.hiseattle.org/

You can ride the Seattle transist system free downtown. Go to the half-price ticket booth at Pike Place for same-day tickets. Eat at clubs with happy hours that serve snacks.

Maybe try bidding on Priceline? Last summer I got the 3* Crown Plaza downtown for $45.

Check this direct link to Bidding for Travel for Seattle http://pub210.ezboard.com/fpriceline...biddingseattle

Thanks for the tip about the hostels. No you can't beat a location next to Pike Place. I've heard of hostels but I've always been hesitant to try them out. And I don't really like the idea of sharing a bathroom. Also when I travel I like to go to clubs and last time I was in Seattle I remember coming back from Vancouver at like 3:00 am so even if I dont' party I'll be coming in pretty late. I'm not a backpacker so I travel with lots of luggage so just a locker might not work. But have you ever stayed there? Cause I have heard of hostels tht have private rooms. And I do like the idea of meeting other travelers. Maybe I could just try it out for a night to see how I like it. But thanks for giving me something to chew on.

Now about the bidding. I'm real scared of that because from my understanding it's irreversible and you don't find out what hotel you're staying in until they get your money. But I keep hearing about it. How does it work? I just look and see what price I like? Am I trying to outbid people? But I looked at the website and it does list the hotel so that's good. Now should I do this as far in advance as possible or bid later? I didn't see too many bids for hotels in May. Thanks to both of yall for the info.

victorious, my first hostel stay was in that one; no other has come close. Yes, you have to share a dorm with 7 other people, but if you keep your things locked, they should be okay. I didn't opt for the private bathroom, but according to the website, it does have them. Of course, you'll have to pay a higher rate.

The community bathrooms are clean, and the one I used was decked in redboard counters and stalls, similiar to the material you'd find in a fast food restaurant.

As for coming back late, it is open 24 hours a day, unlike other hostels. Only, when you get back into the dorm room, you'll have feel your way to your bed and belongings (thus, go with a key lock, not combination). But the common areas are still lighted and active.

If you want to consider using Priceline to bid, go to BiddingForTravel.com and check out the prices people have successfully gotten rooms for. (There's a "Washington State-Seattle" hotel thread. If you go to pages 12-14 within that thread, there are winning bids for May 2003 stays. There are also hotel reviews on that site.)

With Priceline, you don't know the hotel in advance and a winning bid locks you into whatever hotel it ends up being associated with. But if you find from the listed winning bids that a 4* might be within your budget, Seattle's a great city for 4* Priceline bidding. There's a technique described in the Hotel FAQs on the BiddingForTravel site that would enable you to have a total of 9 bids (the original bid and 8 free rebids) for a 4* hotel in downtown Seattle.

If you don't want to take a chance on possibly ending up in a hotel you don't want (and there are 4* hotels on Priceline that people complain about), don't use Priceline.

Check out the most recent Sunset magazine. There's a good article on Seattle on a budget.

The Lonley Planet Guidebooks list inexpensive places to stay.

My daughter is a student at Univ. of Washington and I can tell you that there are many very inexpensive and good places to eat in the Univ. district. Don't know about places to stay there, but I'll ask her and if she knows of any, will get back to you.

Let me just repeat what Don said, but loudly:

Go to www.biddingfortravel.com and look at the hotels list by zone. You'll see that there are numerous 2.5, 3, and 4-star places listed in Seattle, all of which are major chains which will offer perfectly decent accommodation (or better) for you with conditions lightyears above hostel status.

Then go to the listings of bids won by people and you'll see that while 4-star places (Sheraton, Hyatt, etc.) downtown are running over $100 a night, the 2 1/2 and 3-star places are typically going for half that or less. Believe me, the 2.5-star Courtyard by Marriott on Lake Union, which is being regularly hit for $40 to $45 a night is a helluva deal.

Last year I bid $26 for 2* on Priceline and got the Inn at Queen Anne. This year I see people have had bids for $28. Now - it does have mixed reviews, but all I can say is that my daughter and I were quite happy there, both for the location and the room. It's an old building, but once you accept that, it's fine. And even for 1 person, it's still only a few dollars more than a hostel.

We have also stayed at the Pike Place Hostel, which was fine. I suggest that if you do that, though, do not stay in the 10-women dorms. These only have one bathroom, and to get to other bathrooms you have to go down a floor! Better to stay in a 4 or 6-woman dorm which do not have a bathroom in the room.

My other bids in Seattle have won the Summerfield Suites (a really lovely 2.5* option that includes a good breakfast) and the Sixth Avenue Inn (a basic but perfectly satisfactory 1* hotel, but I think it really should be a 2*).

I just wanted to add that if you want to stay downtown then only bid "downtown Seattle" zone, don't be tempted to add another zone. And BTW all of WillTravel's hotel mentions are downtown.

Thanks again for the tips yall. I may try the bidding for one night to test it out. But thanks Artlover for the U-District idea! I had completely forgotten about the U-District I did find a couple of hotels I liked. And i was in that neighborhood the last time I was in Seattle. I really liked it. It's so busy and way more busy than downtown Columbus,GA That's what I liked about Seattle so many cool self contained neighborhood. It's like it's own little city and not a small boring city but a big city without as many skyscrapers. and the bus ride into downtown isn't too bad.

Inn at Queen Anne was won with the downtown Seattle zone - but keep in mind it's not quite downtown. It's a great area, though, in an interesting neighborhood.

Victorious...I vote for coughing up the $ and staying downtown. You'll save enough on cabs to make up the difference. U District has its share of transients and don't even get me started on Aurora (don't even think about it). The Pacific Plaza, a small European-style hotel, used to be very reasonable, for central Downtown. They are at 5th and Spring I think. But really, you should be able to get a decent rate downtown following some of the experts' advice on bidding.

Victorious,

I am confident that PRICELINE.COM is your answer!! Firstly, I have used it many times and have only this week completed arrangements through Priceline to stay in three different big city areas in California. My highest rate for the different spots will be $53 per night (in my case I am INCLUDING all of the fees in the number I give you) My highest actual BID price is $46.

I am confident in saying that what you can get through Priceline for the downtown area would equate price-wise to many of those cheaper Aurora Avenue motels which are unsavory.

Mind you, Aurora is an OK option for you, safety-wise, as Seattle simply doesn't have the bad areas known to many other big cities.

I would be happy to coach you through learning about Priceline if you make up an e-mail address and leave it here for you to be contacted.

In brief, about Priceline strategy for Seattle, I would first book your transportation here so that your NIGHTS are clear in your mind. THEN and only then does it make sense to proceed with Priceline.

If your interest is generally "downtown Seattle"... then do NOT investigate any other areas aside from "North Seattle", "Seattle", or "Lake Union" in the Priceline categories. "North Seattle" equates to the University district, which is near enough to downtown to suit most.

IF I were bidding for priceline rooms in Seattle in May, as of right now... I would at least take the chance that I could get a 4-star hotel downtown, initially, with a bid of $40 per night. (I have read that $40 is the priceline "minimum bid" for a 4-star room, though I cannot confirm that - it does say so at biddingfortravel.com)

You have a better chance when bidding for 5 consecutive nights than you do for one random night, because the hotel may be quite happy to fill 5 "room nights" vs. just 1.

So, first move I'd make would be to submit a priceline "bid" for $40 for a 4-star hotel IN the downtown seattle zone only... (if it is accepted, a 4-NIGHT stay would cost roughly $185 with fees and taxes included) Upon check-out from the hotel, you'd probably have ZERO BALANCE owed, unless you were charged for phone calls, etc. (but NOTHING large in the away of money owed - it would already be taken care of)

IF indeed you could NOT get a 4-star room downtown... then I'd lower your bid to maybe $30 and go down to the 3-star level... again staying JUST "downtown Seattle"... if that didn't work, then maybe scoot up to $32 and add "Lake Union"... if that didn't work, scoot up to $35 and add "North Seattle".

If none of that happened to work, you should wait 72 hours and try the exact same procedure over. Priceline gets added rooms to sell all the time, and the rates, admittedly, are a bit better as you get NEARER to your arrival date. (because by then hotels have a sense for how full they might be, and then give Priceline rooms to sell if they're not going to be very full)

(If, say, you got a room for 4 nights with a bid of $32 per night... your whole bill might be just a shade under $150) There are some adequate 2.5-star hotels listed, and they could likely be had for $25 a night on Priceline.

Priceline.com can be used up until 6pm local time on the night you need a room, so you could go to an internet cafe in Seattle and book a room for Vancouver, just to see if you happen to get one at a great rate.

Again, speak up here if you want added guidance.

PS - go to Priceline.com and test it out... (by going as far as you can beFORE you have to submit credit card info) You'll understand much more that way... AND you ALWAYS get to know the ENTIRE TOTAL BILL beFORE you "commit" with your credit card.

Good luck !!

NorthwestMale, I think you are being really optimistic about Seattle Priceline prices. I have used it several times for Seattle, and the best I did was $26 for a 2* hotel (bid of $25 failed) - very good, I agree. On a super-busy weekend, my bids cost a lot more.

BiddingForTravel.com doesn't list anybody reporting bids in the 2.5* to 4* range that you are suggesting. Seattle Downtown is a lot more expensive zone than many others on Priceline, although for some zones your amounts would indeed be realistic.

Thanks yall for the tips. I've got a less money for vacation this year than I thought I would so I'm going to have to take a more serious look at priceline and using public transport instead of driving at all.
But of course I'll need to see if I'm going to get the time off to go and maybe I'll have to shorten my trip to stay within my shrunken budget. I did the math and I'd save about $90 if I just stayed 2 nights bidding $50 a night. Is $50 for a 3 or 4 star hotel downtown expecting too much? If it's a 3 or 4 star then I might just stay the whole time at the hotel instead of just trying for a night.
Priceline is still a little scary but if I can survive the place I stayed at the last time I was in Seattle I can survive a 3 star hotel. Any additional advice would definately be appreciated Northwest Male.
Oh and thanks WillTravel for info about Queen Anne. I liked Queen Anne. You ever go to Kerry Park? I went there last time and what an awesome view! I do believe they shot a scene from Ten Things I Hate About You there.
But my e-mail is [email protected]
Thanks all yall.

According to biddingfortravel.com, a few bids at the 4 star level in downtown Seattle have been recorded at prices below $100. Most are for stays in Feb-March, but I found the Sheraton at $80 in early May when I dug into the back pages at BFT.

There is some action around $70 for 3-stars downtown, and also a few in the $40s for Lake Union 2 1/2 star places.

If you stay around Lake Union at half the price of downtown, you will save the cost of a rental car or numerous taxi rides.

There are no records on BFT of winners above the 2 star level in the North Seattle area, and no hotels named at that. The zone might well include some blah places around the Northgate Mall as well as the University District; I frankly wouldn't risk it to save a few dollars.