Good or bad Hotels on I-95 in VA: Ashland, Doswell, Richmond, Chester?

[gk90]

Please share any good or bad hotel experiences in southern VA that you may have!

On our way down to WDW from NY we're going to spend a few hrs sightseeing in DC with a family who has never been there at all. We'll leave DC by 3:30 (hopefully before rush hr traffic is at its worst) and drive a couple of hours before we stop for the evening at a basic hotel/motel, just a clean place to rest our heads, something preferably under $70.

We've stayed in Fredricksburg before and one time ended up at a motel I would never stay at again, the Days Inn at exit 133--the carpet was dirty! The Travelodge was passable, so was the Super 8 off exit 126 on Jefferson Davis Hwy--both of them basic and on the older side but clean enough.

BUT we hope to drive an hour or so further than Fredricksburg so I was up for hours last night looking at hotel reviews for Ashland and Doswell and not coming up with much--complaints about hotels in isolated areas or truck stops.

How about Richmond? Something on the outskirts/suburbs of Richmond would be ok in terms of driving distance if anyone knows which areas look decent there. When I told DH we might sleep somewhere around Richmond he said a loud NO becaues he remembers driving through areas that from I-95 looked really run-down.

Does anyone know about Chester? According to the WDWinfo page on driving down I95, at Exit 61BA: VA 10, Chester, there's a Comfort Inn, Courtyard, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Homewood Suites, Quality Inn, Clarion, Day's Inn, Fairfield Inn, Howard Johnson, Super 8. The Comfort Inn has a AAA rate of $71.

It's so hard to tell just from listings--when we went to Petersburg there were lots of hotels that sounded fine but when we got there the area looked like a ghost town so we ended up driving on to Williamsburg instead.

TIA for any advice!

 

[Christine]

No hotel advice except that you are spot on for not stopping in Ashland or Doswell. Dumps!

I would think Richmond might be okay but anything right off I-95 is probably going to be pretty funky. Have you checked on taking the 295 bypass around Richmond and looked for something there.

Also, one other trip. Try to leave DC by 2:30. Especially if it is a Friday. I live DC at 2:30 each day. I pretty much sail home in the express lanes (HOV)--I go down to Woodbridge. However, sometimes, around 3:00, even the regular lanes are backed up pretty badly when you hit Springfield and then Lorton and then Woodbridge. On Fridays, it is true gridlock at 3:00 p.m. Leaving DC at 3:30 is going to put you right smack in rush hour.

 

[gk90]

Thanks Christine! I was going to post asking what time rush hour starts in DC heading to Northern VA and whether it's any lighter in August--we're in NYC burbs and while rush hour is always bad it's definitely a bit lighter in late summer. Luckily our travel day thru DC is a Thursday. We'll head for the HOV lane too, 7 of us in a minivan!

And another issue just got thrown into the mix: if we're going to be leaving DC at 2:30-2:45, how long will it take us to get to Potomac Mills? My 17 yo nephew is going to be with us, somewhat reluctantly ("too old" for Disney) and i just heard that his one request is to stop at a Hollister or Abercrombie outlet. If we stop at Potomac Mills for an hour, will I-95 traffic be too brutal when we get back on the road?

I'm looking at I-295 hotels but we're also wondering about a short stop in Petersburg which was one reason for staying on I-95.

 

[Christine]

Thanks Christine! I was going to post asking what time rush hour starts in DC heading to Northern VA and whether it's any lighter in August--we're in NYC burbs and while rush hour is always bad it's definitely a bit lighter in late summer. Luckily our travel day thru DC is a Thursday. We'll head for the HOV lane too, 7 of us in a minivan!

And another issue just got thrown into the mix: if we're going to be leaving DC at 2:30-2:45, how long will it take us to get to Potomac Mills? My 17 yo nephew is going to be with us, somewhat reluctantly ("too old" for Disney) and i just heard that his one request is to stop at a Hollister or Abercrombie outlet. If we stop at Potomac Mills for an hour, will I-95 traffic be too brutal when we get back on the road?

I'm looking at I-295 hotels but we're also wondering about a short stop in Petersburg which was one reason for staying on I-95.

Sorry to take so long to answer you but I couldn't get on line all day!

Summer rush hour in DC: You would *think* it would be light and, for sure, less people go to work; however, I-95 is a different story. While regular commuters are on vacation more often, the "travelers" on I-95 just RUIN rush hour for us. Grrrrrr...it is horrendous in the summer. If you leave DC at 2:30-2:45, get in HOV you should be at Potomac Mills between 3:00 and 3:15 p.m. You will hit a slowdown in the express lanes (HOV) at Springfield because at that time, the lanes are not restricted (restrictions start at 3:30), so everyone who didn't come from DC is jumping into the express lanes at Springfield so they can get 30 minutes of travel time. It will cause a temporary backup in Springfield and then will open up. Friday evenings are the worst with Thursday evenings running second to worst. It is really very iffy as to how it will be at that time. One thing you need to note is that if you get off the express lanes at Potomac Mills, there is no entry point to get back on them, so you will be in regular lanes the rest of the way down and it can be pretty brutal. I say this in general as, sometimes you luck out and they will be okay. It's so hard to tell.

As for the A&F and Hollister outlets: A&F is at one end of the mall (near Nordstrom Rack) and Hollister is at the other end (of course, huh??). I suppose you could always stop at Potomac Mills, shop for awhile, have dinner, and then get back on the road about 7:00 p.m. and make your stop in Petersburg.

 

[aquaticmom]

I just booked the Hyatt in Chester off of I295 for my best friend last week. When I called her the night of their check-in they seemed very pleased with the accomodations. It was a suite with two queen beds and a pull out corner couch, plus breakfast for around $84.00 a night. She just got back last night and I haven't had the opportunity to ask her, but I will try to talk to her tommorrow and give you a review. I hope its a good review because I would like to stay there in about 4 weeks..

 

[nordkin]

My company has a training center in Chester and we use all the horetls in the area all the time. The ones most often used are the Holdiday Inn Express, The Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites. I have stayed at alll three and they are clean, include continental breakfast, and the service has been great. They are all located about 2 minutes east of 95. The hotels on the east side are better than the hotels on the west side of 95. They are newer and get a lot of business travelers.

 

[jcanary]

When we travel to Myrtle Beach from upstate NY we always stay in Colonial heights, VA. It is right off of 95 and very convenient. We have stayed at a comfort suites and Hampton Inn. In June we stayed at the Hampton, which they both have free breakfast, and it was just opened in November so fairly new. There is tons of restaurant, shopping, super WalMart, etc right there. Gas was even cheap at the one station. I highly recommend that area. This is about 4 1/2 hours from Myrtle beach and about 8-9 hours from Albany, NY

 

[Henlady]

Whatever you do, if you do stop in Ashland, DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT stay at the Days Inn. It was the most disgusting place I have ever seen. In January '09, DH and I were on our way back from Myrtle Beach, got a late start and at about Ashland it was pouring down rain so DH said "Why don't we just stop overnight here and get a good start in the morning". The Days inn was the first place he spotted. What a mistake. I felt like I was staying in one of those cheap motels in a horror/slasher movie. Yeah, it was cheap and the room was definately not clean, I removed the comforter and there were cigarette holes burned in the blanket. The seats of the chairs at the table were grossly stained. I would have rather paid much more and gotten someplace I felt comfortable in, but he was tired and did not want to change to another hotel at that point so we stayed.

 

[njmom47]

Thank you for your suggestions ..we will be heading to Myrtle Beach and I am also interested in where to stay on the way...We have only one driver (me!) and won't be making the entire 11 hour trip at once...

 

[gk90]

njmom47, I'm glad the thread helped you--now my question is quite different since it looks like we won't be able to leave NY until 9:30 which means we'll get to DC by 2 or so, do our sightseeing until rush hour is over and then drive a couple of hours--maybe to Fredericksburg, maybe to Richmond/Chester, or maybe even Colonial Hts, (thanks jcanary and nordkin) depending on what DH and BIL say (they're driving so I'll run our route options by them) and also depending whether we stop at Potomac Mills Mall or not--we might just go to the Hilton Head outlet mall instead. Christine, thanks for your HOV lane and mall info! I started a post last night to thank you and then found out that our departure time was changing...

So my question now is, what time does DC rush hour start easing up? I know that it all depends--2 yrs ago we left DC around 7 on a Wed. pm in August and crawled for miles--it took us at least 1 hr 40 min to get to Fredericksburg, and I have to hope that isn't typical! But if it is then it's better to know wwhat we're dealing with.

aquaticmom, $84 is a great rate for the Hyatt--the best I could find was $109!

 

[DisneyRah]

Being originally from Richmond, our family always jokes about DC rush hour (which is why we never travel through DC to get to Richmond). It seems lately though, the people we've talked to said that it can go as late as 8pm, maybe 9pm on weekdays, which I'm guessing is due to all the tourists as well. Rush hour on weekends isn't as bad since as many people aren't working, but then it's filled with more travelers.

However; I would NOT stay in Doswell (as that's where Kings Dominion is & a lot of the hotels are cheap, dirty motels) or Ashland. My family also never stays in Chester due to the fact it always seemed like it wasn't a great area. Your best bet for hotels is probably off of 295. When visiting Richmond we stay at Days Inn on Dickens Rd. I think we pay around $60 a night with the prepay, and it includes a microwave, fridge, and continental breakfast. Also, if you do stay somewhere on Broad St., which is the main road in Richmond, be careful and do not stay downtown. Most hotels are overpriced down there as it is, and many of them are not in the greatest area of town.

You could also look into Innsbrook, it's near everything. I'm also pretty sure it's close to 95 and all the hotels in that area are very nice, clean, and most of them have continental breakfast. There's also hotels in Glen Allen that are nice.

I would just be careful of where you decide to stop, because not all of Richmond is where you want to stay. But most of it, especially if you know the areas to stay and not to stay, isn't bad.

 

[Christine]

In general, rush hour eases up at around 7:00 p.m. You will find most of the clearing out more towards DC though. If any type of accident has occurred south of DC on 95, the gridlock can go on for hours. I think if you left DC or even Potomac Mills by 7:00 p.m., statisically, you are going to be okay. But this doesn't account for things that happen on the road that just screw things up for hours. HOV restrictions are lifted at 6:00 p.m. and so you can then make use of all lanes and it takes about an hour for things to ease up.

 

[Missytara]

August is the busiest time of the year for traveling; most people are taking vacation then before kids go back to school.

You will definately see a great deal of traffic on Fridays and Sundays out of DC. But Thursdays seem to be picking up as well.

I live in DE and several people from DC have homes at DE beaches. Here's what we are seeing; many people are taking three day weekends all summer, rather than taking off a total one or two week vacation. A friend of mine is a bartender down at the beach here and she says they are getting busier on Thursday evenings, because people are taking three day weekends. I commented that was funny, because a lot of our bars are empty on Thursday nights, since the locals are leaving to go to their beach places. Makes sense. I would definately make sure you leave right at 2:30 pm, as the other poster said - even on a Thursday.

 

[cc911va]

I dont know how long it has been since you stayed in Fredericksburg but there are several new hotels that have opened up recently that are nice.

Hilton Garden Inn
Wingate by Wyndham
Country Inn Suites
Fairfield Inn

Also search Stafford which is just north of Fredericksburg.

Avoid anything south of Fredericksburg until you get to Roanoke Rappids, NC

 

[nordkin]

Avoid anything south of Fredericksburg until you get to Roanoke Rappids, NC

I disagree with this. Chester is a good area, but I would avoid Ashland, Doswell, and Petersburg. I would stay at the newer hotels in Chester that are on the east side of 95, but the area itself is fine and safe.

 

[aquaticmom]

Anyone have a review of the Holiday Inn Express off of I95 in Emporia, VA? My husband works for the state of Pennsylvania and the Holiday Inns always offer a nice discount with his state ID.

 

[njmom47]

We are back from Myrtle Beach and on the way down we stayed in the Hyatt in Chester VA. It did seem the GPS took us a weird way to get there from I95 but getting back onto I95 was a breeze (down the road a minute or two). I would highly recommend this particular hotel!! There are 5 in my family, (3 teenagers) and there was 2 double beds and a double pull-out couch in our room. That worked really well. The small pool outside was just enough for us to cool off and wind down before turning in for the night. The staff was really great and the free breakfast had a great variety. There was also free wireless internet access (I think that's what it was) because my 17 yr old had her laptop and that made her very happy!! Great big TV on the wall...asked for extra shampoo and conditioner, not a problem. Also many restaurants and stores nearby.
On the way back we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Stafford Va. Also nice and right off I95...A bit smaller than the Hyatt but we asked for a trundle bed and it was in the room when we arrived. They also had free breakfast. There was a shopping plaza around the corner from the hotel...that was a good place to walk and stretch our legs before bedtime.