I'll be in the Hudson River Valley in October and could use some advice on where to stay in the Lower Hudson/Tarrytown area. I am travelling with a friend, so we aren't really interested in romantic B&B/Inn options. We are ok with staying in a chain hotel but we don't want to spend more than $150/night and we'd like to be in an area with some charm. Can anyone provide insight into what Nyack is like? Does it have a nice downtown area where you can walk to dinner/drinks/shopping after a day of sightseeing? Would you recommend staying there?

Also, I know there are a lot of chain hotels on White Plains Rd heading toward Elmsford...is this area just a hotel row? Should I consider staying there?

Thanks so much,
LLM

To be specific - you know that Tarrytown is on the EAST side of the Hudson River, and Nyack is across the Tappan Zee Bridge (Toll) on the WEST side - right?

White Plains Road has alot to offer, big mall/chains; hotels are spread out - the Rye Town Hilton is a Favorite place - lovely grounds.

The Tarrytown Hilton is no longer a Hilton property & if I can recall what it is now , I will repost. In WEST Nyack there is a Best Western right on Rt 59 - main drag; functional, would not say 'charming'.

Stones throw away is Nyack, along the river, with a main street and South Broadway - walkable, eateries, antiques.

The Sheraton in Tarrytown is new and has been built to be more of a "boutique" hotel, rather than a chain. The old TT Hilton is now a Doubletree. Both have a free shuttle which will take you into Tarrytown where there are numerous cute shops and restaurants along with the Music Hall which gets some great acts. It's not a very big town, but I think it is very quaint and full of charm.

Nyack is fun too, a bit bigger than TT, but besides the Best Western mentioned by the above poster, I don't know of any other hotels in the immediate area and none that are walking distance from DT.

Before you decide on Nyack vs Tarrytown you should ask yourself where you'll be spending your days sightseeing. If it's on the Tarrytown side of the Hudson, you'd be on the wrong side of the Tappan Zee Bridge for both morning and evening commutes. Any charm will wear off soon when you wait in big city rush hour traffic waiting to get across a major interstate highway/ toll bridge twice a day.

Most of the sights most people are interested in seeing are on the East side of the Hudson, with the exception of places like West Point and Storm King Mtn art center. Getting to those from places from Tarrytown you'd be going against commuter traffic, which would suggest that staying in Tarrytown area would be your better bet.

http://www.hudsonvalley.org/content/view/87/152/

The Doubletree has a lot of false fire alarms at night. THe Sheraton is nice but the pool is small and the last time I stayed there it was very noisy. There is not too much to do in that area except to see the historic sites which will involve driving.

You can avoid the Tappan Zee Bridge if you decide to go to West Point (Bear Mountain Bridge) that would also take you to Woodbury Commons for shopping (outlets).

I would not stay in Nyack, but that is just me. I could never find much to do there.

The Castle in Tarrytown is lovely but expensive. Out of all that Tarrytown has to offer that is where I would stay.

Thanks so much, everyone, for your insight! It is so helpful to get the point-of-view of those who live in (or have been to) the area! We are really looking forward to our trip!