Hershey Lodge

[mrsboz]

We are planning a trip to Hershey for the first time this year. I was wondering if anyone that stayed at the Hershey Lodge liked it. Do you think that it is worth the extra money? Would you stay there again? I understand that there is outlet shopping across the street from the hotel. Is it close enough to walk to?

 

[dthogue]

We live right outside of Hershey, so I never stayed at the Lodge. I know many stay there and enjoy it, but I'm not sure if you can justify the price. The place is beautiful and like WDW, they have shuttle buses to Hersheypark. The outlets are no where near the Hershey Lodge. In fact, the closest shopping is several a mile or two away.

There is a timeshare place near the outlets, that would be within walking distance and is actually closer to Hersheypark then the Lodge.

If you need any other info about the area, please let me know!

 

[Desnik]

We absolutely love the Hershey Lodge and have been there 3 times. We will definately be back there. We like to get a room in the Tower. It is the main building and has all the restaurants and such in it. The other areas are outside entry but would be closer to the outdoor pool. It is a really nice hotel, on the same scale as Disney in terms of service and cleanliness. Just ask for a tower room when you make your ressie and you won't be disappointed! There is also a shuttle bus that takes you to the park. When you check in they give you Hershey bars and DD and DH are in heaven. The restaurants are open late and the resort kinda reminds me of the WL in terms of decor. I really can't remember the outlets being in walking distance. When we go DH and DD are all about the park! No shopping for us!!LOL I totally think it is worth the money. If the resort isn't full ask for if they have any specials or discounts. We have been able to get a discounted rate in Aug. just by asking.

 

[ljsmom]

My family stayed there Sept. '03 and although it was beautiful (especially the lobby), we did not think it was worth the money. You can not walk to the park or shopping. They do give away lots of free full sized Hershey Bars, which the kids loved. I can't say anything bad about the place, but you can spend a lot less and get similar ammenitites elsewhere.

 

[Muushka]

Is the Hershey Lodge the same place as the (I think it's called) Hotel Hershey? If so, you may want to catch the Travel Channel featuring Samantha Brown. She stays there and pretty much ODs on chocolate.
A hoot and a half. We love Samantha! We were there (Hershey) last May and visited the hotel (well the Hotel Hershey) and it was beautiful. An odd lobby, but beautiful.

 

[RWE2L8]

We stayed at the Hershey Lodge this past summer and loved it! We are deffinatly going back there this summer. Having the shuttle take you right to the park entrance was great...no need to worry about parking at the park. The Lodge is very nice and the staff was helpful. Our room was closer to the pools and free miniature golf. Here is their link...hope this helps!

http://www.hersheypa.com/accommodations/hershey_lodge/

 

[curlyjbs]

Honestly, the Hershey Lodge is "beautiful" and the shuttle is convenient but there are PLENTY of very nice hotels in the area for less than 1/2 the price and within 10-15 minute ride!

If you want I could email you info on discount tix..........but first you need to turn your email on.

Curly

 

[piglet33]

We just stayed at the Hershey Lodge in December, because we went there for Christmas CandyLane and had a great time. I am definitely planning on staying there again. The other poster was right in that it does remind you of the Wilderness Lodge. It has a homey kind of atmosphere. We also stayed in the Tower. We had a king bed and there was even enough room on the floor to use the toddler size Aerobed for my DD.

 

[j's m]

We stayed twice in the summer of 2003. My DS is a miniature golf nut, and the free golf was a real plus, we played at least twice a day. The free bus to the park is way easier than parking and riding a shuttle bus.

The first time we stayed, we were very far from the lobby, in an old section that really needed to be refurbished. The second time we stayed in the tower which was way nicer. The only problem was they only have double beds, not queens. Yes, it's expensive (although not as expensive as the Hersey Hotel which also has only double beds) but the amenities are nice.

There were 2 outdoor and 1 indoor pool, tennis courts, mini golf, activities for the kids, plenty of restaurants. The best part was the chocolate bars. My DS even went up to the front desk at night and asked for extra candy bars for him and his brother. Of course, they gave him 2. But, he's an only child!

The best place to eat breakfast is the Hershey Pantry in town. They make the best stuffed cream cheese french toast. We eaten there many times.

 

[mrsboz]

curlyjbs - thank you. I have figured out how to turn my email on. The price that they had listed on the interenet is $200.00. When I called it was $250.00. They do make it sound like the shopping is right across the street. If you are aware of any nice hotels I would certainly be interested. I'm not really into a motel. I'd prefer to stay in a hotel. Thank you very much.

Also, thank you to the other posters. It is hard when you've never been there before and trying to plan something. I have heard that so many of you love Hershey though. So, that's neat.

Has anyone done the character breakfast?

 

[Steffi]

We stayed at the Hershey Lodge in June of 2003. We thought it was beautiful, clean, and well worth the $139/night that we paid. DH enjoyed the free mini golf and we all loved the free Hershey bars and the hot cocoa. And I LOVED the soaps and lotions that were in the room. DD did a couple of the kids' activities, including the candy treasure hunt. The kids' center employees were so fun & friendly! We loved the option of an indoor pool; there aren't too many of those in FL. And Hersheypark itself was just way too much fun; love those roller coasters!

 

[disneysteve]

If you are aware of any nice hotels I would certainly be interested. I'm not really into a motel. I'd prefer to stay in a hotel.

There is a nice SpringHill Suites by Marriott practically across the street from the park (though kind of a long walk). Nice breakfast buffet included.

 

[frannn]

We live in NY, on LI, so we'd drive. How long is the drive? I think we'd probably do a Thurs-Sun, maybe staying at the Springhill Suites mentioned by an earlier poster. Is this a park where it would be worth staying that long? We have been spoiled by WDW- staying onsite at the value resorts at AP discounts, and never a dull moment. We'd be taking DD2, and I am not a thrill ride person. Is this just as expensive as WDW? If so, I'd just as soon save my $ for our next WDW trip.....or is there a place we could go Thurs-Sun that would be like a catskill hotel type thing...for DH, DD2, and me, for about 400. (including meals, shows)...

 

[mrsboz]

Steffi, just curious - how did you get the rate for $139.? Did you use some kind of discount? The cheapest price that I have seen so far is $199.

Frann - I'm just looking into this myself so I'm not sure of prices yet. I do know that flying on Southwest from MA to PA is $29.00. I'm thinking of going that route - an hour flight versus an eight hour drive???? Not a question for me. I don't know how long it would take you.

Thank you everyone else for your kind suggestions. It seems like a lot of us Disney fanatics also visit or plan to visit Hershey. We thought that we would try something different this year.

 

[ljsmom]

I have also heard many good things about the Springhill Suites. We have not been able to stay there because there are never any vacancies when I call. We like to stay at Willow Valley in Lancaster, but I would try SS before paying over $200 for HL.

 

[j's m]

We stayed twice in the summer of 2003.

The first time we stayed, we were very far from the lobby, in an old section that really needed to be refurbished. The second time we stayed in the tower which was way nicer. The only problem was they only have double beds, not queens.

I'm quoting my last post. I just checked to see what this summer's price is ($ 239/night) and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the rooms (I think they said 665 rooms, is that all of them? ) have been redone and now have queen beds.

They do give a AAA discount of I think 10%.

I checked the Springhill Suites, they give a AAA discount too.

 

[Steffi]

Steffi, just curious - how did you get the rate for $139.? Did you use some kind of discount? The cheapest price that I have seen so far is $199.

Frann - I'm just looking into this myself so I'm not sure of prices yet. I do know that flying on Southwest from MA to PA is $29.00. I'm thinking of going that route - an hour flight versus an eight hour drive???? Not a question for me. I don't know how long it would take you.

Thank you everyone else for your kind suggestions. It seems like a lot of us Disney fanatics also visit or plan to visit Hershey. We thought that we would try something different this year.

We had been looking into staying at the Hershey Lodge for about a month before our trip, never seeing prices (on Expedia) lower than $199. Just when I was about to give up & book our stay elsewhere, the $139/night rate for a standard room popped up on Expedia. We couldn't have been more pleased! We went the week before school let out in that area, so maybe that affected our rate.

We also got $10/person off each park ticket. That was a special they were running at the time; I think we had to bring in a certain number of Hershey wrappers to get the discount. It was a very nice, affordable vacation & we can't wait to go again!

 

[curlyjbs]

Frannn: FYI, The park is not open in March.

If anyone is interested in DISCOUNT HP tix please pm me.

curly

 

[bsusanmb]

The Hotel Hershey is a resort, the one that sits on top of the hill overlooking Hershey, which Samantha Brown showed on the travel channel. The Lodge is more like a motel, but nice and large. I would not spend the extra money to stay at the Lodge - you can buy the candy at Chocolate World for a lot less than the rooms at the Lodge. The Hotel, on the other hand, is awesome, first class, with a spa and wonderful dining.

Just wanted to clarify this for you, as I am a few minutes from Hershey.

 

[Muushka]

The Hotel Hershey is a resort, the one that sits on top of the hill overlooking Hershey, which Samantha Brown showed on the travel channel. The Lodge is more like a motel, but nice and large. I would not spend the extra money to stay at the Lodge - you can buy the candy at Chocolate World for a lot less than the rooms at the Lodge. The Hotel, on the other hand, is awesome, first class, with a spa and wonderful dining.

Just wanted to clarify this for you, as I am a few minutes from Hershey.

Thanks for the clarification! We have only visited once and are not too familiar with the area.