alanjarvis57

We are planning a 10 day tour from New York up to Niagra falls and back in August with a rental car. Any idea what budget we should have for hotels? Don't need fancy hotels, just nice clean basic rooms. We are planning to book the hotel each day, not book in advance. Is there a book or guide which lists lots of hotels in this area?

Thanks!

garyt22

there are thousands of hotel rooms along the way at all price ranges, but you are picking the busiest time of the year to "wing it"... using your computer or cell phone is enough of a guide... just google the city along with hotels and you will have enough info to find a place to stay... good rooms in Niagara sell out in advance for August, so consider booking those night in advance...

cd

You do plan on the Canadian side right? The American side does not offer many good places to stay and none with a Fallsview. I'm not sure I would chance August without reservations. I would recommend Embassy Suites which offers packages including a wonderful"made to order" breakfast and $40.00 towards dinner at The Keg which has beautiful views of the Falls. Also the Marriot next door to Embassy usually offers package deals.

With that much time I would also recommend visiting Niagara-on-the Lake. It is a pleasant drive of about 45min, a quaint little town with lots of wineries and two forts that are fun to visit.

You will want to visit Goat Island on the American side. No hotel but the grounds are great, you can get up close and personal to the Falls. Also, Cave of the Winds is a must do.

travelbuff

Stop at a rest stop and pick up a hotel guide. You can make calls right from your car and book a room as you travel.

mclaurie

That's an enormous amount of time for that trip. How many stops do you plan to make? Do you have specific places selected you want to see? AAA lists hotels along a route or by state/area.

capxxx

If you join AAA you can get a book of attractions, hotels and restaurants in NY State (in any state you want to travel to), with maps and ratings.

bardo1

I agree w/ mclaurie - for a trip of this length you might consider pairing Niagara Falls with Toronto (a little over 90 minutes from Niagara Falls).

This is a very popular combo for someone going to the area for a week or more.

In Niagara Falls, you can get a "nice clean basic room" for about $150. Less ($100?) if it's a little ways out of the central tourist area.

In Toronto, you can get a "nice clean basic room" for about $250. Less ($150?) if it's a little outside the city.

Hotels in the areas between Niagara Falls and NYC (Finger Lakes, Binghamton, etc.) are similar to Niagara Falls, that is to say, pretty inexpensive.

nytraveler

Agree that 10 days is a LOT of time for that trip - unless you plan on lots of outdoor activities like days of hiking or canoing etc.

Have you considered visiting Toronto? It's only about 1.5 hours from the falls - and a great city.

I would not risk going without reservations in August.

alanjarvis57

I wasn't really planning to do a direct 10 day trip to Niagara, but a tour heading that way and then somewhere different on the way back. Suggestions for places to visit on the trip would be every helpful. We will probably stay a couple of days in NY so maybe 4 days up to Niagara and 4 days back. We love countryside, mountains etc. BTW what is AAA? sorry we are from the UK!

ggreen

With that much time, you could do a loop that takes you a little farther east in one direction than just a direct route to the falls and back, taking advantage of both the Finger Lakes to the northwest and the Catskill and even Adirondack mountains due north of the city.

For example:
- Head north towards Albany.
- You could take the meandering local routes from Woodstock out to Oneonta, passing the Ashokan Reservoir through the scenic small mountain towns of the Catskill "park". Towns like Margaretville and Delhi have cute shops and local restaurants.
- Or go all the way up to Albany and detour for a day to Saratoga Springs. August is when horse racing is in session, so hotel availability in town will be low and expensive. But the town is very pretty, lots of restaurants and shops and plenty to see if horses aren't your thing.
- In either case, then head west (Binghamton or Syracuse, respectively) and out to the falls.
- On your way back from Niagara, spend time in the Finger Lakes, possibly dipping south into northeastern PA on your way back to the city.

// AAA is the American Automobile Association. www.aaa.com

nytraveler

Not to be a worry wart - but do yuor visas allow for multiple entries into the US? You don't want to get stuck in Canada.

And sorry - I wouldn;t do Saratoga is August unless yuo are going for the racing. That's wonderful - but the town is a madhouse and everything is super expensive then.

panecott

Consider visiting the 1000 Islands as well if you head up to Toronto.