Norfolk Lodging

Hi all and thanks for reading.

Looking at this forum, I realize that this has already been asked quite a bit, but I wanted to see what I could get for my situation.

I%26#39;ll be coming for one night in late May and am looking for a hotel in the Hampton Roads area, preferably on the southern side in Norfolk or nearby. I%26#39;m looking for something cheap ($50) and am absolutely prepared for what that rate entails. I%26#39;m only worried about getting stuck in a terrible neighborhood and having the rental car busted into, as I know that Norfolk is a military town and I%26#39;ve read some reviews that mention crime issues at some places.

I had seen the Super 8 or Rodeway on the bay on the northeast side of the city, and that sounds good, but I%26#39;m not sure what sort of area that is and what to expect from the hotel.

Ideally, I%26#39;d like a non-chain place close to a Downtown or business area that%26#39;s active at night. Not sure if that even exists for Norfolk, especially for about $50/night.

Any help or insight would be appreciated. I%26#39;ve never been to Norfolk (haven%26#39;t been to Virginia in 20 or so years), so I%26#39;m excited about the trip.

Thanks in advance,

Colin

Norfolk Lodging

Hi again, It%26#39;s difficult to find the lodging you describe in Norfolk. The Super 8, Rodeway, Knights Inn, Days Inn Little Creek, Howard Johnson, are all in Ocean View/East Beach/Shore Dr area; not very convenient to downtown (30+ min), convenient to Ches Bay Br Tunnel, go by the reviews for which one might be best, the area has been transitioning for years so is much improved but still has work to be done, you may be next to $500+k homes and also near 7/11 and shady things. The downtown area is expensive but I would suggest that you check rates at the Radisson, you might catch a deal, it has terrible reviews but is blocks from downtown proper, car should be safe. Another area to consider is Military Circle, just off I264 from downtown (10+min), toward the airport, motels to consider Americas Best Value good reviews, others are Ramada Limited, Days Inn Mil Cir. I do not know of a hostel in Norfolk but there is one in Va Beach at the oceanfront, Angie%26#39;s Guest Cottage at 302 24th St.

Hope this helps, Post again if you have more questions.

Norfolk Lodging

Downtown Norfolk will have nothing in that price range. There is a Best Western in the Ocean View area which has pretty decent reviews but the lowest rate I see is $60 - but heck, a phone call or Priceline might get you there. There is Ocean View Inn (oceanviewinn.net) which I know nothing of. There is Days Inn at Little Creek and at Military Circle, both in your price range, but reviews are not so good. Howard Johnson on Shore Drive is advertising around $80.

Ocean View is working hard to clean up its act - so you might be ok but this is the area that is typically known for drugs and crime.

The Shore Drive / Little Creek area should be ok for you.

I wish I could be more helpful. Post again if you think of anything else you want to ask.

Thanks for the responses.

I had a feeling that Ocean View wouldn%26#39;t be a good area with all of the cheap hotels around. Is Little Creek a better area?

Just poking around the maps, what about the Economy Inn in Downtown Norfolk?

I don%26#39;t necessarily have to stay in Norfolk. I%26#39;d like to stay in a more developed area, if only with offices, and the southern area (is it called the ';south shore?';) is just a preference as I%26#39;ll be coming in from an all-day drive through the Outer Banks. Staying on the water is also attractive, but not totally necessary.

Any additional insight on more areas (they can be suburban) would be appreciated. It%26#39;s really difficult to find places in Hampton Roads because the hotels are always grouped into cities, and you guys have the 7 or 8 different cities to search through.

Thanks again, guys.

The Economy Inn is shown incorrectly on the TA map, it%26#39;s in Va Beach near the oceanfront, I%26#39;m not familiar with it but the one review was OK. Our area can be confusing because of several cities so close. Since you are coming from OBX, consider Chesapeake, you are likely to find a Motel 6 and others that are budget and Norfolk or Va Beach are just 30 min away. If you find something that looks like it will work, post the details and we%26#39;ll tell you anything we know. You may not want to rule out Ocean View, and Va Beach other than the oceanfront might be a solution (there is a Days Inn and Red Roof on Northampton Blvd close to the Norfolk border). Because you are travelling before the summer season you should be able to get rates better than shown in the hotel section. Good luck.

Here are 2 motels you might take a closer look at, they are both in Chesapeake in the Greenbrier area, close to I64. Super 8 Greenbrier and Cedar Tree Inn (formerly Best Value). Cedar Tree is near the Chesapeake convention center.

Here are 2 more motels that might be in your price range, both independent non-chain, and sorry to say I would not stay at either, but.........

Sunset Manor Motel Rt13 %26amp; Rt17 (S. Military Hgwy) 757 4872564, 30 min to downtown Norfolk

MD International Inn 1850 E little Creek Rd Norfolk 757 5888888 www.mdinternationalinn.com 30 min to downtown, not far from Ocean View, I would stay in OV before staying here, by far.

Also try this site allstays.com/us-virginia-hotels/chesapeake-h… it lists many budget motels in Chesapeake area. Good luck

colinaz, You are dead on about trying to figure out our cities. If our various governments could get along, we could be one big city of multiple boroughs like New York City.

If the Economy Inn you%26#39;re seeing in downtown Norfolk is what I think it is, the answer is not just NO, but HECK NO. I think they issue you a gun with your towels and remote.

As for Sunset Manor, that used to be a cute place, but unless goneagain knows something I don%26#39;t know, I%26#39;d pass. It never looks open when I%26#39;ve been by there.

However, now that I know you%26#39;re coming up from OBX, you might be in luck. There%26#39;s a nice little Super 8 and a Days Inn on Battlefield Blvd close to the interstate. Both are in your price range (although Days Inn does advertise a high rate for Memorial Day weekend). This is a safe area and close to shopping and eating.

Look at visitchesapeake.com and click on accommodations for phone numbers of the hotels. Some that are not chains are listed too, but they do not have websites nor 800-phone numbers.

If I have a vote, I vote for the ones on Battlefield.

Thanks again for the responses. The Battlefield area may be best for my situation.

Just %26#39;cause I%26#39;m obsessive and over-thinking it, if I were to splurge a little and stay closer into the city, is Downtown Norfolk or Old Town Portsmouth a better place to do so? And do any hotels in those areas have free parking? There%26#39;s also a Super 8 in Portsmouth that looks nice, but it%26#39;s supposedly in a bad area.

Anything that I should absolutely see? I was just going to drive around Downtown Portsmouth and Norfolk, but would it be worth my time in shooting over to Hampton or Newport News? Keep in mind that I do have to get onto the Bay Bridge by about 1 or 2.

Thanks again. You guys have been really, really helpful.

The Super 8 in Portsmouth is not in the best area, not the worst either but it%26#39;s not ';near'; anything and it%26#39;s not where I would reccommend. I looked again at some options and here is what I think are the top picks, Wendy, please put in your 2 cents(in order):

Americas Best Value, around $50, right off I264, 10 min to downtown Norf and 10-15 to CBBT, call 757 4616600, www.americasbestvalueinn.com

Greenbrier area motels, Super 8, Cedar Tree Inn, Days Inn, all are probably OK, all $50-75, 20-30 min from downtown Norf, 15-20 min to CBBT, lots of traffic in Greenbrier area avoid rush hours

Things to see include in downtown Norf, Battleship USS Wisconsin (free), 2 blks away (nice walk) is downtown working waterfront, tugs, barges, ships, boats, one of best art museuems in country, Chrysler Museum of Art still w/in walking distance about 8 blks, many locally owned wonderful restaurants in downtown. Take ferry ($1) to downtown Portsmouth. In Va Beach check out the oceanfront and stroll the boardwalk. Look in the things to do columns for different cities and ask about anything, we%26#39;re glad to help.

If you decide to stay at the Americas Best Value Inn, you can get a free 15% discount card on their web site.