Do you worry about finding a room during your fall foliage vacation?

Remember!

• The cheapest places are not always the best
• Driving forever to find a hotel is not the wisest plan
• Sometimes the big tourist towns have gems worth finding

In a comment, Misty asked me where I would recommend finding a room for her fall foliage vacation. This is a tough one for me since over the past decade, I wouldn’t normally stay overnight.

But as I get older, I’m not as interested in driving from Salem all the way up to the NEK (Northeast Kingdom) of Vermont and then back to Salem. This is a minimum of 8-9 hours *if I don’t stop* and where is the fun in that?

So, when I go out on a long drive it will usually turn into an overnight trip. I usually spend the early morning to the mid-afternoon driving as far north as I need to be and then I start looking to find a place to stay. I rarely make reservations when I’m on the road by myself but if this is a family vacation for Lisa and me then we do make reservations.

She likes a clean room and amenities. Balcony with comfortable chairs overlooking the mountains or open the door and walk on the beach. I’m a guy so I can make do with just a clean room, a hot shower, cable TV, and WiFi.

I usually use my Hotels combined page app which uses kayak.com which is on my Thrifty lodging page but If you want to use something different then do so.

Lessons to live by…

Lesson #1 – The cheapest places are not always the best

During this October drive, I was heading up into Vermont and I arrived in Stowe and I photographed the Stowe church on the hill. Then I wanted to see Smuggler’s Notch and after that, I got to the top (almost 6 PM)  I pulled over and parked (to use my cellphone and my thrifty lodging webpage). I identified a place down the road. (*Note, I could have gone back to the places it suggested in the resort but some were $200+ and I quit after the first few)

So with my choice between below in Smugglers Notch (Of course “I know” those places will be sooo much money) and ahead of me was a place at $79. So I decided to go to the cheaper place. (how bad could it be?) The sun is going down fast and I get there in the dark.

As I sit in the parking lot I observe that the place should have been named the Bates Motel (zero curb appeal). I decide to not go in and see if Norman Bates or Marion Crane is there and I will see what other accommodations are down the road.

Lesson number 2 – A hotel in the hand is worth more than the promise of one down the road…

For the next 2 plus hours, I drove (not finding a single hotel) until I ended up circling back around to the outskirts of Stowe.

I’ve been driving all day and I’m really beat and don’t care how much I have to pay for finding a room and I figure I’m in Stowe and will pay $$$$.

So I again check my thrifty lodging page and I go down the list $240, $300, $97… Wait? $97.00! IN STOWE?? (prices change daily and I think the later you look the better the prices)

The Stowe Inn

I drove through town looking for what must be a run-down motel. Nope wrong again… (note* remember to kick myself later), because I drove right by the Stowe Inn and I would never suggest this place because it “looks” expensive. Cleanroom, check. Hot water, check. Cable TV, check. WiFi, check. I crawl into bed after a sandwich from the gas station and I’m dead to the world from all the driving today. The following pictures are from before crawling into bed and the next morning.

Ok, let’s do a recap…

I drove all day (4 AM start) and into the night (almost 9 PM). I didn’t want to spend $$$$ in Stowe since “I know” how expensive it will be. Only to find out, I could have stopped at 6 PM and paid $97 (maybe it was higher at 6 and dropped at 9om).  Shows what I know!

So, don’t count someplace out just because it’s got an expensive reputation… Ok, they earn those Reputations for the most part but deals can be found and the hotel I stayed at was very nice, clean, and quiet.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

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