Budget but nice hotel in Atlanta

[JustineMarie]

We are planning a trip from NJ to Atlanta in August. My dd8 met a little girl from GA on our Disney Cruise last August and they have pretty much spoken on the phone every day since! They both are anxious to see each other again, so my DH and I thought that we could meet up with her and her family for a weekend. We are planning on doing a Braves game and maybe the American Girl shop. We have never been to Atlanta, so I was wondering if anyone had any nice but cheap hotels that they could recommend? Thanks!

 

[Purseval]

You've given yourself quite a range. Turner Field is about 26 miles south of the American Girl store so that narrows it down to a few hundred possibilities. Where does your friend live? If we have that town we could find you a central location.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Check the American Girl website, most of the time they have specials at the hotels adjacent to the mall (NorthPoint mall) and it is a much nicer area than downtown.

We stayed in downtown Atlanta last Feb and the streets were sooooo crowded and you had to be brave to go out at night. I won't ever stay in Downtown Atlanta again. Make sure you allow alot of travel time when heading to Turner Field, as the traffic is heavy and the streets confusing.

Suzanne

 

[JustineMarie]

Her friend lives in Centerville, GA. But they are going to meet us in Atlanta. We would like to stay closer to the ball field as we are positive we are going to be doing that. We would also like a hotel with a pool, indoor or outdoor. Thanks!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

It has been several years since I stayed in the Atlanta area. I retired from AT&T and traveled to Atlanta from Birmingham quite frequently but always stayed north of Atlanta in the Buckhead area. You need some good advice from an Atlanta native as I know there are MANY areas where you don't want to stay.

 

[Purseval]

The closest hotels (that are available through Priceline) to Turner Field are in the Midtown and Downtown areas but keep in mind that a lot of these hotels will charge you for parking. For instance, we stayed in the Georgian Terrace Midtown, a 3.5 star hotel, on 12/26 for a winning bid of $52/nt On top of that there were $14.84 in fees and taxes plus $22 for parking, so that $52 turned into $89 very quickly (we knew all of this in advance and figured it into our bid). If you stay in the Perimeter area which would be about midway between Turner Field and AG you won't pay for parking.

Considering where you want to go I would personally look at hotels in the Perimeter or Fulton - Gwinnett (Roswell - Alpharetta). The Roswell-Alpharetta ones are closest to AG, the Perimeter ones are about 13 miles from Turner Field (south) and AG (north) but easy access.

You also haven't said how long you want to stay or what time of year. If it was warm enough you could consider chipping in on a house at Lake Lanier. It's a bit further north but a beautiful area, easy access to the highway that goes to AG/Turner and lets you all stay together.

 

[maleficentmom]

we went this past summer and stayed at Drury Inns and Suites,it is a few exits from downtown,but not too far out.We were at the Georgia Aqarium(outstanding) and World of Coke(good),in maybe 10 minutes.We picked up a coupon book before we got to Atlanta(at a Burger king or gas station,can't recall)we stayed for less than the price advertised on their board which was $59. They have evening snacks/cocktails,all day popcorn and sodas, and a great hot breakfast(eggs/bacon/biscuits/gravy,etc)...all free with stay.

 

[okeydokey]

We stayed up in Buckhead at a Comfort Inn when we went to the aquarium last year. This area is safer than many others. I remember it being under a $100 a night and I think was free self parking.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I would see where the friend lives and stay close to them. Staying in downtown has its advantages, but also its downfalls. There are TONS of hotel in Atlanta, chains and independant. There are also some cute B&B's that might be worth a try too.

Have a great trip!

 

[Epcot luvr]

I live in Atlanta you really do not want to stay downtown. The Buckhead area of Atlanta is is very nice and lots to do and centrally located, it is north of downtown. Downtown really is for daytime only, nothing to do for families at night. There are tons of hotel specials in Buckhead for weekend stays especially in the summer time. You can probably get a higher end hotel for less than you think. Do not stay near Turner field. Atlanta is very large and everybody drives here it is not a walk around and visit kind of place, not pedestrian friendly. In Buckhead they are trying to make improvements for toursit who would like to try and walk, in August it will be very hot though.

 

[finz2left]

I always Priceline bid for hotels 3* or 4* in Buckhead or Marietta (just north of Atlanta) and I have never, ever paid more than 65.00 a night . Sometimes I've gotten the Buckhead hotels for 48.00 a night . I love Buckhead the best, but we have friends in Marietta, and Alpharetta (where the AG store is, and Marietta works out very well!).

 

[taylor3297]

If you were just going to go to the Braves game, I would recommend the Holiday Inn Conference center that is across the street from Turner Field. I have stayed there many times (also have stayed at the Comfort Inn that is also across the street). If I am going to be going all over Atlanta and have a car, I stay at the Marriott by the airport.

Last year we did the AG thing and stayed at a Marriot that is near Northpoint mall. We did get an AG rate.

As other posters said, these two are on different sides of town. Now staying downtown is not bad, but you do have to pay for parking. We have stayed at the Hyatt, the Sheraton, and the Marriott downtown. From there we would take MARTA to the Braves games.

Now most of these hotels I found when I used to live outside of Atlanta and spent most of my summers at Fulton County then Turner Field.

As with most big cities, you do have to be careful as to where you are and what you are doing.

 

[skw444]

I'm from Roswell, and the hotels in the Roswell/Alpharetta area are nice and not too expensive. It's not too far a drive down to Turner Field and it's real close to AG. If you want to be a little closer to downtown, I'd recommend the Perimeter Mall area.

 

[Purseval]

I always Priceline bid for hotels 3* or 4* in Buckhead or Marietta (just north of Atlanta) and I have never, ever paid more than 65.00 a night . Sometimes I've gotten the Buckhead hotels for 48.00 a night . I love Buckhead the best, but we have friends in Marietta, and Alpharetta (where the AG store is, and Marietta works out very well!).

Marietta is out of the way when you consider that they want to go to the AG store which is off of exit 9 on GA 400. Buckhead would be acceptable but they are also looking for budget and a pool. Most winning Perimeter bids put you near Perimeter Mall, I-285 and GA 400 which is ideal for what their plans are.

One more thing to consider: If you happen to have a Bank of America card and you are going in the first weekend of August you can get free admission to the Atlanta Zoo, the Botanical Gardens, Fernbank Museum, the High Museum of Art and others. We always take advantage of these deals:

http://museums.bankofamerica.com/

 

[Epcot luvr]

As a tax paying citizen to the city of Atlanta, I want to stress do not stay downtown. There is a lot more crime there than people realize, my sister lives in NJ and I would not let her or her friends stay downtown. It is not worth the risk.

 

[Swimalie]

I would see where the friend lives and stay close to them. Staying in downtown has its advantages, but also its downfalls. There are TONS of hotel in Atlanta, chains and independant. There are also some cute B&B's that might be worth a try too.

Have a great trip!

They don't want to stay near where the friend lives if they want to go to Turner Field and North Point Mall. Centerville is about 90 min south of Turner Field. My mother in law lives there. It's a tiny town of nothing but shopping and horrible, horrible traffic. The planners just allowed malls and stores to go up but didn't add any roads so going anywhere takes forever and yet it's a town of very few people. Yuck!

I would suggest looking in to staying near Duluth area. It won't take you long to get to Turner Field - maybe 45 min - and North Point Mall. My parents live near Duluth so I know that area.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

I live in Atlanta you really do not want to stay downtown. The Buckhead area of Atlanta is is very nice and lots to do and centrally located, it is north of downtown. Downtown really is for daytime only, nothing to do for families at night. There are tons of hotel specials in Buckhead for weekend stays especially in the summer time. You can probably get a higher end hotel for less than you think. Do not stay near Turner field. Atlanta is very large and everybody drives here it is not a walk around and visit kind of place, not pedestrian friendly. In Buckhead they are trying to make improvements for toursit who would like to try and walk, in August it will be very hot though.

As a former Atlanta resident I would have to second that. No way would I recommend anyone to stay downtown.

I have a friend who makes monthly trips to Atlanta and she hotwires out 4* hotels in Buckhead and routinely gets them for around $100 a night.

Buckhead would be my recommendation or maybe Midtown (where I used to live and always felt very safe there)

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

They don't want to stay near where the friend lives if they want to go to Turner Field and North Point Mall. Centerville is about 90 min south of Turner Field. My mother in law lives there. It's a tiny town of nothing but shopping and horrible, horrible traffic. The planners just allowed malls and stores to go up but didn't add any roads so going anywhere takes forever and yet it's a town of very few people. Yuck!

I would suggest looking in to staying near Duluth area. It won't take you long to get to Turner Field - maybe 45 min - and North Point Mall. My parents live near Duluth so I know that area.

Actually Duluth is in the North East of Atlanta and The AG store is at Northpoint which is on the north west side of Atlanta.

I have to tell you though, some of my friends who have gone there did not think it was so super. The shop and all is apparently great but the food not so much.

The Zoo is wonderful, my family has bee sponsors for years and it has become an really great place to visit. The ticket prices have shot up, but there are usually discount deals around. Check out
http://halfoffdepot.com/atlanta/


I grew up in Atlanta, and yes there is crime (big shocker for a large city right) and yes there is traffic, but there are some wonderful areas both inside and outside the perimeter you can stay at that would be nice to stay at.

I should have added earlier that the only area downtown that I would recommend you stay (although it would to be my first choice obviously) is around Centennial park. That is where the Aquarium, the Children's Museum and The world of Coke, etc are.

I also have to warn you that Atlanta is pretty spread out and you should consider renting a car.

I would recommend you stay in the Buckhead area. There are lots of shops and restaurants and it si pretty central to a lot of the Atlanta activities.

The Intercontinental has become the pretty popular hotel in Buckhead
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/atlbh

It has a bunch of good restaurants and is right down the road from Craft and, my favorite, Dante's down the hatch (totally worth the splurge, even for the kids! http://www.dantesdownthehatch.com/ ) and 2 malls.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

The intercontinental is one of the hotels my friends stays at and gets for around $100 a night on hotwire.

She recommends it highly.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I have to disagree about the food at AG, it is out of this world. Dh and I don't even have children and will drive the 1 1/2 hours just to eat there. There is also a Disney Store in that mall .

The Aquarium and World of Coke are outstanding and a great place to visit and take the kids. We want to make a trip to the zoo when it gets warmer, I have't been since I was child and that was a long time ago.

Suzanne