Monday, August 11, 2014

3 Great Hotel Options in the Montpelier, Vermont Area

Planning my recent wedding gave me the opportunity to work with 5 different hotels and motels in the area. I worked with the staff, went into the rooms in each establishment, and received direct feedback from friends and family lodging in them. If you're looking for a place to stay within an easy drive of the Montpelier/Waterbury area, these 3 will get you started.

1 - The Comfort Inn at Maplewood, Berlin
213 Paine Turnpike North, Berlin, VT 05602
(802) 229-2222
Moderately Pricey

This is quite a nice hotel, and it's where the majority of our families stayed. Clean, well-maintained, and attractive with a generous continental breakfast, wireless internet, and a guest-access computer in case you don't have a laptop. The Comfort Inn is a five minute drive from downtown Montpelier, and 15 minutes from Waterbury, the two main destinations in the area. Truly, this hotel offers just about the nicest accommodations in the area, outside of the super-premium B&B's. The staff is competent and friendly, and the rooms are extremely clean and well-maintained. They offer a huge and reportedly very satisfying continental breakfast, complete with one of those waffle machines that are so very popular right now - this is a selling point, it seems

2 - The Hilltop Inn, Berlin
3472 Airport Road, Montpelier, VT 05602
802-229-5766
Affordable

Let's be honest. Some of us want to be pampered, and some of us just want to be comfortable. If you belong to the second group, the Hilltop Inn is the place for you. This one is less than a mile from the Comfort Inn, so you still benefit from the nearness to Montpelier, still about 5 minutes, 15 to Waterbury. Both the mini-suite styles (microwaves and little sinks, right next to the bed) and the standard rooms are clean, and the beds seem comfortable - there's a large and smelly smoking section in the front of the hotel, so ask to be far away from that section of the hotel if that's something that bothers you. The staff will direct you to clean towels by screaming directions to you across the lobby, rather than getting up to get them for you, but hey - they DO have clean towels... The hallways and common areas are decorated in a clean, presentable, and eclectic manner, like a cross between a hotel and TGIFridays. All of the after-parties for our wedding tool place at this hotel, so we know they'll put up with some shenanigans. Whether this is a good thing or a bad one is really up to you.

3 - The Capitol Plaza Hotel, Montpelier
100 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
802-223-5252
Moderately Pricey

This is another fine option for those looking for lodging in the midst of the "big city." Located in downtown Montpelier (Vermont's capitol city) this hotel is a short walk to all of the downtown shops and restaurants. There's quite a lot to do in Montpelier, so if you're looking to take in the sights within walking distance of your home base, this would be a good option. It's about 15 minutes from Waterbury. The Plaza offers clean, comfortable rooms, and is the choice of the VERY infrequent rich and famous visitor to our capitol city. Certainly, this hotel is every bit as comfortable as the Comfort Inn, but it's an older building and that shows just a bit. There's a very nice steak and seafood place attached to the hotel for your dining pleasure. Parking is in back of the building.

If you'll be visiting the capitol area, these three accomodation options are the start to a great trip. Enjoy your stay!