St. Louis, anyone?

[LizinSTL]

Ok, now that you guys have given me some great tips, I was actually thinking of pricelining, to see what I get. If I put in the map, it really shows the intersection of 270/ 44 as the area around Fenton. Fenton/Kirkwood, it says. Would I be Ok doing this, or is there some places that I could end up with that would not be good? It lists the drury as a 2 star. There are some three stars too. Thanks for the help!!

The risk w/ priceline is you may get a hotel further off the interstate or one that's not so nice. (There's a motel that shares a parking lot w/ walmart in Kirkwood.... I don't think I'd stay there. and there's another further south on Lindbergh that I'd prefer to avoid for myself. ) That said- they'd be safe, just not very new and likely more run-down.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

http://biddingfortravel.*********/

Before you go to priceline, check out the above site. Folks have gotten 3* hotels (downtown) for $48 plus tax. I'm going to try later tonight (we're going 6/1) and will let you know if we have success. Personally, I don't mind staying downtown at the 3 or 4* places (especially for that price) and that shouldn't be too far out of your way if you're going on I-70.

BTW: Big Cedar is wonderful!!! We stayed there last year and loved it!

 

[FoundMyPrince]

okay...apparently I cannot post the name of the site...so it's

biddingfortravel (dot com)

 

[cjnix29]

I think I am going to wait until the AAA office opens tomorrow, and get my big Missouri book. It will give me hotels by exit, so that should be helpful. I wouldn't mind staying downtown, but I am certain the rest of the party won't. Especially my dad pulling his big fishing boat!

we are looking forward to Big Cedar. This will be our third trip there, although the last two times we only had to drive from Omaha, so it was no big deal for one day. Thanks so much for all the helpful advice!

 

[SarahKate]

Based on your situation, Fenton does sound like a good option. Downtown would be a cool place to stay but you are hauling a lot of stuff, that would make it pretty inconvenient plus most hotels downtown I think you have to pay for parking.

The Drury in Fenton is right on I-44 and you'll be able to see it and get to it easily from the interstate. I don't know what other hotels are right there off the top of my head.

We don't live in STL but go there several times a year for weekend trips. I've NEVER had problems with traffic on the weekends unless it was construction or a bad car accident.

I looked at pics of the Fenton Drury and like the other poster said, it is the "older" style and it appears they're getting ready to remodel. But it still looks very clean and you get all the same amenities. They have one of those cool indoor pools that has the wall that you can swim under and end up outside!

Drury runs special codes and one I just tried is STLFUN and it worked. It pulled up a rate of $74.99 a nite (I used 6/6, not sure of your date!). The one in Creve Couer, which is on I-270 right on the interstate and not far at all from I-44 is also the same price.

And not to make things any more confusing, but there is one in Chesterfield for $69.99 a nite. This is a Drury Plaza which is the "mack daddy" hotel. That rate is a total STEAL. It is SO beautiful inside, you would think it would cost a few hundred a nite. I can't tell you how much we love this location.....I would have you just pull up a Google Map (if you want!) and see where it is in relation to where you want to be.....it would be about 10 minutes out of your way. One nice thing is they have a HUGE indoor parking and their outdoor lot is HUGE too, plenty of room for all of your vehicles.

I hope you're not more confused by all this!!! In another life I would totally be a travel agent.....

 

[Suzanna1973]

Chesterfield is WAYYYY out of the way for someone traveling I-44 to Branson. It is on 1-64/40. Don't go there!!

If you are preferring a new Drury Inn, there is one at the intersection of 141 and I-44. It will either say Valley Park, MO or Peerless Park, MO on the website. It was built around 5 years ago. It is the next exit down from Bowles Ave. We have several restaurants at 141 and 1-44 (ruby tuesday, bob evans, Mc Donald's, Hardees, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Steak n Shake).

If you stay at a hotel on Bowles Ave, you have Denny's, Cracker Barrel, Bandanas, McDonald's, Sonic, but you have more hotels to choose from (there are at least 5 that I can think of).

To avoid getting lost, staying at a hotel on 1-44 really is your best bet. And the Fenton/Valley Park area is only 4 hours away from Branson.

I live in Valley Park, and go by these exits quite frequently(the drury inn in Valley Park, is a little over a mile from my home). Don't hesitate to pm me if you have any questions.

 

[JB2K]

I know you said you are looking for the west side of St. Louis, but the Illinois side is probably cheaper. Look in Shiloh & O'Fallon. Almost all of the hotels in this area have been built within the past 5 years, and are located near shopping areas, and is right off of I-64.

As I live in the local area, I can vouch for mom2brina's post...

It is noteworthy to mention there is a brand-new LaQuinta that opened by the MidAmerica Airport exit (with none of the busy traffic patterns which Shiloh has become well-known for in recent years).

 

[JB2K]

I just wanted to let you know that if you are traveling straight thru STL on 64 that there is a few miles that is closed so you will need to reroute. I am not sure of the exact streets, but I think Brentwood to Lindeburg. I hope that some one can give you the exact streets. You could google it to see what is closed right now.

You might take 64 to 270 bipass on the Illinois side... it will save you a mess further into STL. Fairview Heighs and O'Fallon have alot of places to stay on the Illinois side.

HTH!

She wouldn't need that -- she will connect to I-44W (Tulsa) well-before the Highway 40/I-64 shutdown...

 

[NotUrsula]

Brentwood to Ballas (not Lindbergh) was last year's traffic problem; this year I-64 is closed Kingshighway to Brentwood. As the PP pointed out, it's irrelevant for this OP, because she will leave I-64 and get on to I-44 downtown, just as soon as she has crossed the Poplar Street Bridge.

For other readers who may be thinking of coming to or through St. Louis for a visit, the current I-64 closure DOES affect access to the Zoo and all of the other attractions in Forest Park, as well as making it much more difficult to cross through St. Louis from the east whilst headed toward the Chesterfield Valley area.

If you are only passing through, your best bets are to take I-44 or I-70; avoid I-64 through St. Louis proper. If you must transit via Chesterfield for some reason, you will need to go 'round via surface streets or I-270.