Williamsburg hotels
 

Someone has recommended the Williamsburg Lodge. Is there a less expensive hotel near Colonial Williamsburg? It looks like the Hampton Inn is very close, but it is hard to tell on the map.

The Williamsburg Lodge is "inside" the Colonial Williamsburg complex. You can walk to everything from the Lodge (but there is a shuttle service that you can use to get around.

The Hampton Inn is "outside" the complex - about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from the center of the "complex".

It is absolutely worth the cost to stay in the historic area. The Lodge is a fantastic hotel, and you can walk just about everywhere (or catch the shuttle bus).

If you stay at the Hampton Inn, you will be forced to drive to Colonial Williamsburg and deal with parking and other unnecessary indignities.

Stay at the Lodge. And do not miss the incredible breakfast buffet!

When I go to Williamsburg, I can commute for the day from Richmond.

You buy tickets at the visitors center, off site, which has massive amounts of parking and a shuttle bus to the reconstructed areas and museums. Parking might be tight in high season, but if you stay at the Hampton Inn, you can be there when they open if you are disciplined enough to get out of bed on vacation.

In the evening, you can park on the street outside the historic areas and enjoy the grounds in twilight for nothing.

So, it would be Hampton Inn for me unless I were celebrating an occasion. You could certainly eat there if you want to see the complex itself.

But as I say, I haven't had to do either.

I have done both (Lodge and outside hotel) and both were enjoyable stays. Parking at the visitor's center is a breeze and buses run regularly. In the evening, it is usually possible to find parking in the historic area if you want to enjoy one of the taverns for dinner.

There are 3 Hampton Inns in the immediate Williamsburg area, the "Historic" one probably being the closes to Colonial Wmbg's restored area. I'm sure the website will say but most Wmbg hotels have shuttles.

CW has another property, the Woodlands Hotel & Suites which is less expensive than the lodge but still has some hotel amenities. It's w/in walking distance of both the visitor's center and the restored area but, of course, operates a shuttle as well. I'd put it in the same general category as an HI. You can see the specifics at CW's website.