Sailing out of Seattle next summer. Any hotel suggestions?

[ams cruiser]

Light rail from SeaTac to downtown is $3. Westlake Station is in heart of downtown with many hotels in the area. Pike Place Market is a short walk and the monorail will take you to Seattle Center/Space Needle.

 

We stayed at Sheraton (5th Ave) and Westin (6th Ave) last week. Both close to Westlake Station. Both very nice, give the nod to Westin (Heavenly Beds). Booked a few months in advance when I found sales on their websites.

 

Seems trend is for hotels to offer great rates on their own websites to eliminate commission?

 

I've noticed that as well! Right now some places aren't booking this far in advance. I did, however, reserve a room at Hyatt Place, which seems to be mid-range in price. They also have a shuttle for a 1-mile radius, and seem to be walking distance to Pike's Market Place and public transit. The price we got through their website (AAA rate) was HALF of what hotels.com is listing the room for, and can be canceled up to 24 hrs before without penalty.

 

I'll keep checking other hotel websites for specials and sales. (Would love to find a great sale on the Sheraton or Westin!) I guess it's like a cruise price. You have to keep monitoring the prices. A friend of mine was planning a trip to Washington D.C. She said she couldn't sleep one night, and got up at 3 a.m and decided to re-check the hotel they wanted to stay in, that was out of their price range. For some reason the price had dropped significantly so she booked it, and it went up again the next day!

 

Thanks for the info about public transit! Is light rail different from the monorail?

[cinesage]

Thanks for the info about public transit! Is light rail different from the monorail?

 

Yes, the Light Rail is from the airport to the Westlake station for $3/person. From there, call the Hyatt Place and their shuttle can pick you up:

 

http://m.soundtransit.org/schedules?direction=outbound#40_100479

 

The monorail is from the Worlds Fair that built the Space Needle as well. It originates near the Space Needle and goes to Westlake for $2.25 each way:

 

http://www.seattlemonorail.com/about/#route

 

Hope this helps.

[titangas]

We just got back from a cruise on the NCL Pearl.

We booked our hotel rooms over a year out and couldn't find what I felt a reasonable rate downtown.

 

We stayed 2 nights near Seatac at the Embassy Suites before the cruise. Very Easy to get downtown using the Light Rail. ** This was a really nice hotel for the price**

 

We stayed 2 nights at the Hampton Inn and Suites near Seattle Center (Space Needle) after the cruise. Was a little bit of a walk to get to SC but the monorail was quick and easy to get to Westlake.

** This was a strange hotel layout, the suites were in a separate section and the hallways were a maze, hotel was a mob scene when we arrived from cruise**

 

Both options worked pretty well, if I were to do it again, given the price paid I would probably stay near airport and take the light rail - if you wanted to go to Space Needle the light rail station is next to monorail.

 

We enjoyed the Waterfront, Pike Place, Seattle Center and Westlake areas pretty equally and our time spent in each were pretty proportionate.

[cinesage]

View from our room at Hyatt Place in Seattle, near Space Needle:

 

[Gardyloo]

Pike, Pine, and Stewart are very steep hills between 1st Street and Pike Place though. It's just 1 block though. The "major hills" are the streets such as 1st Street. As you head south, the hill goes down.

Pike Street to Pike Place is level; it gets steeper as you go north (Pine, Stewart etc.)

 

The really steep hills in Seattle are the E/W streets farther south - University down to Yesler - as they climb from First Avenue ("streets" are E/W, "avenues" are N/S, like in NYC) east toward I-5. The avenues themselves are far less steep.

 

From Pike Place down to the waterfront is basically a bluff - too steep for E/W streets.

[K.T.B.]

Pike Street to Pike Place is level; it gets steeper as you go north (Pine, Stewart etc.)

 

The really steep hills in Seattle are the E/W streets farther south - University down to Yesler - as they climb from First Avenue ("streets" are E/W, "avenues" are N/S, like in NYC) east toward I-5. The avenues themselves are far less steep.

 

From Pike Place down to the waterfront is basically a bluff - too steep for E/W streets.

 

You're right about Pike. I was thinking about the hill to get down to Post Alley.

[journeycollector]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites-Downtown Seattle (corner of 5th & Roy). It's about a 10 minute walk from the Space Needle/Monorail station. Close to everything. Plenty of restaurants around. The hotel includes a continental breakfast (scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon, etc...) if you're looking to save a few dollars. To get to the hotel from Sea-Tac airport, we took the light rail to Westlake and then switched to the Monorail. Then walked the 10 minutes to the hotel. Easy peasy.

[mexicobob]

On our May 31 cruise out of Seattle we stayed at Inn at the Market for two days prior to sailing and one day after the cruise.

 

Across the street from Pike Place Market and dozens of restaurants within a few blocks. Great location and place to stay. Solid 5 star.....and prices to match.

 

The reason to stay here is the view from either their deck or your room of the harbor and the constant boat traffic, the Ferris wheel, the market, the mountains. Incredible experience that I will always remember. This place is off the freaking charts.

 

Expensive but worth every penny.

Reservations are required months in advance.

[Ireallyneedavacation]

Thanks, I'll check into it. I'm not at all familiar with Seattle. Is this hotel within a 30-minute shuttle drive of Pike's Place? Were you able to walk to a lot of places you wanted to see, or did you use taxis/Uber?

 

The hotel is like 4 blocks from the Space Needle, where the monorail is located. We would walk to the monorail and take it to Pike Place Market. We did walk to Pier 69. It was around a mile. The one issue we did have was the monorail opened later on the weekends. I think it was 8:30. We had a 9:00 tour at Pike Place, so we ended up getting a taxi, since we had not researched any other public transit ways to get there.

[ams cruiser]

Yes, the Light Rail is from the airport to the Westlake station for $3/person. From there, call the Hyatt Place and their shuttle can pick you up:

 

http://m.soundtransit.org/schedules?direction=outbound#40_100479

 

The monorail is from the Worlds Fair that built the Space Needle as well. It originates near the Space Needle and goes to Westlake for $2.25 each way:

 

http://www.seattlemonorail.com/about/#route

 

Hope this helps.

 

This is very helpful. Thank you!:)

[ams cruiser]

Pike Street to Pike Place is level; it gets steeper as you go north (Pine, Stewart etc.)

 

The really steep hills in Seattle are the E/W streets farther south - University down to Yesler - as they climb from First Avenue ("streets" are E/W, "avenues" are N/S, like in NYC) east toward I-5. The avenues themselves are far less steep.

 

From Pike Place down to the waterfront is basically a bluff - too steep for E/W streets.

 

 

Thank you. (I pulled up a map to follow your information.) Very helpful!

[ams cruiser]

View from our room at Hyatt Place in Seattle, near Space Needle:

 

 

Great to see how close the Space Needle is! I think I read on Trip Advisor that the Space Needle view rooms are quieter than the other side of the hotel.

[ams cruiser]

The hotel is like 4 blocks from the Space Needle, where the monorail is located. We would walk to the monorail and take it to Pike Place Market. We did walk to Pier 69. It was around a mile. The one issue we did have was the monorail opened later on the weekends. I think it was 8:30. We had a 9:00 tour at Pike Place, so we ended up getting a taxi, since we had not researched any other public transit ways to get there.

 

I think that Hyatt Place is a little closer to Pike Place than the Hampton's Inn and Suites, so we'd actually be backtracking a little to go to the monorail station. Nice to know that the option is there, though!

 

Did you take the Savor Seattle food tour? It got really good reviews. If we decided to do it, I was wondering whether the Early Access morning tour would be preferable to regular Food and Cultural walking tour. I like the idea of going before it gets too crowded, but am not sure how hungry I'll be early in the day!

[ams cruiser]

We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites-Downtown Seattle (corner of 5th & Roy). It's about a 10 minute walk from the Space Needle/Monorail station. Close to everything. Plenty of restaurants around. The hotel includes a continental breakfast (scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon, etc...) if you're looking to save a few dollars. To get to the hotel from Sea-Tac airport, we took the light rail to Westlake and then switched to the Monorail. Then walked the 10 minutes to the hotel. Easy peasy.

 

Hampton is on of the places I was looking at, but they haven't posted their late July availability yet. I'm going to keep checking over the next several weeks.

 

Were there any restaurants in the area that you might want to recommend? We are going to be there for 3 dinners pre-cruise, and hope to have at least one good seafood dinner.

 

We are thinking about taking the light rail from the airport to Westlake and having the hotel shuttle pick us up there. I've read that is it kind of a long haul from baggage claim to the light rail station, however. Would it be manageable if each of us had one suitcase (spinner wheels) and one daypack/carry on? To be clear, we are fairly good walkers (one senior, and one "not there yet"!), but luggage adds another dimension.

 

Really enjoyed reading your cruise review! Beautiful pictures!

Edited July 17, 2016 by ams cruiser

[ams cruiser]

On our May 31 cruise out of Seattle we stayed at Inn at the Market for two days prior to sailing and one day after the cruise.

 

Across the street from Pike Place Market and dozens of restaurants within a few blocks. Great location and place to stay. Solid 5 star.....and prices to match.

 

The reason to stay here is the view from either their deck or your room of the harbor and the constant boat traffic, the Ferris wheel, the market, the mountains. Incredible experience that I will always remember. This place is off the freaking charts.

 

Expensive but worth every penny.

Reservations are required months in advance.

 

Sounds wonderful. Will put it on my "wish" list!:)

[ams cruiser]

We just got back from a cruise on the NCL Pearl.

We booked our hotel rooms over a year out and couldn't find what I felt a reasonable rate downtown.

 

We stayed 2 nights near Seatac at the Embassy Suites before the cruise. Very Easy to get downtown using the Light Rail. ** This was a really nice hotel for the price**

 

We stayed 2 nights at the Hampton Inn and Suites near Seattle Center (Space Needle) after the cruise. Was a little bit of a walk to get to SC but the monorail was quick and easy to get to Westlake.

** This was a strange hotel layout, the suites were in a separate section and the hallways were a maze, hotel was a mob scene when we arrived from cruise**

 

Both options worked pretty well, if I were to do it again, given the price paid I would probably stay near airport and take the light rail - if you wanted to go to Space Needle the light rail station is next to monorail.

 

We enjoyed the Waterfront, Pike Place, Seattle Center and Westlake areas pretty equally and our time spent in each were pretty proportionate.

 

Good to hear both perspectives! I stayed in an Embassy Suite many years ago, but remember enjoying their breakfasts! Since this is our first trip to Seattle, to save a little on "commute" time, we're hoping to stay at least close to downtown, cost permitting.

[Gardyloo]

Hampton is on of the places I was looking at, but they haven't posted their late July availability yet. I'm going to keep checking over the next several weeks.

 

Were there any restaurants in the area that you might want to recommend? We are going to be there for 3 dinners pre-cruise, and hope to have at least one good seafood dinner.

 

We are thinking about taking the light rail from the airport to Westlake and having the hotel shuttle pick us up there. I've read that is it kind of a long haul from baggage claim to the light rail station, however. Would it be manageable if each of us had one suitcase (spinner wheels) and one daypack/carry on? To be clear, we are fairly good walkers (one senior, and one "not there yet"!), but luggage adds another dimension.

 

Really enjoyed reading your cruise review! Beautiful pictures!

You can rent a luggage cart at the airport and leave it at the light rail station.

 

Important: I think you'll find a lot more information if you consult the "West Coast Departures" board here on CC - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

[ams cruiser]

You can rent a luggage cart at the airport and leave it at the light rail station.

 

Important: I think you'll find a lot more information if you consult the "West Coast Departures" board here on CC - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

 

 

Ah, that would help!

 

Thanks, I have been reading West Coast Departures, as well.

[bigeck]

Thanks for all the Seattle info. After the cruise we will move to Vancouver for a few days. Any hotel ideas??

Edited July 18, 2016 by bigeck

[cinesage]

We are thinking about taking the light rail from the airport to Westlake and having the hotel shuttle pick us up there. I've read that is it kind of a long haul from baggage claim to the light rail station, however. Would it be manageable if each of us had one suitcase (spinner wheels) and one daypack/carry on? To be clear, we are fairly good walkers (one senior, and one "not there yet"!), but luggage adds another dimension.

 

My spouse and I are both 55; we each had a carry-on with a shoulder strap and a large suitcase with wheels. It is a long circuitous but well marked walk around the SeaTac parking lot to the Light Rail station, but it was no problem for us (we didn't need to rent a cart).

[ams cruiser]

My spouse and I are both 55; we each had a carry-on with a shoulder strap and a large suitcase with wheels. It is a long circuitous but well marked walk around the SeaTac parking lot to the Light Rail station, but it was no problem for us (we didn't need to rent a cart).

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. Our spinner wheel suitcases almost transport themselves, so we should be fine.

[ams cruiser]

Thanks for all the Seattle info. After the cruise we will move to Vancouver for a few days. Any hotel ideas??

 

Everyone on this thread has been so helpful, but you might have better luck on this thread which is about Vancouver hotels!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2377037

[mapleleaves]

We are thinking about taking the light rail from the airport to Westlake and having the hotel shuttle pick us up there. I've read that is it kind of a long haul from baggage claim to the light rail station, however. Would it be manageable if each of us had one suitcase (spinner wheels) and one daypack/carry on? To be clear, we are fairly good walkers (one senior, and one "not there yet"!), but luggage adds another dimension. !

 

The walk to the Light Rail station takes 7-12 minutes depending on which luggage carousel you start from. After collecting your luggage, you take the elevator or escalator upstairs then follow the 'path ' thru the parking garage. It's well marked, level and lighted.

A video of the entire walk is posted on the Port of Seatle web site:

http://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Parking-and-Transportation/Ground-Transportation/Pages/Public-Transit.aspx

 

Have you looked at the Seattle forum of tripadvisor? There are several traveler articles including this one on hotels:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60878-c83685/Seattle:Washington:Where.To.Stay.In.Seattle.html

 

And a bunch of other articles on activities, sights, etc:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60878-s1/Seattle:Washington:Inside.html

[ams cruiser]

The walk to the Light Rail station takes 7-12 minutes depending on which luggage carousel you start from. After collecting your luggage, you take the elevator or escalator upstairs then follow the 'path ' thru the parking garage. It's well marked, level and lighted.

A video of the entire walk is posted on the Port of Seatle web site:

http://www.portseattle.org/Sea-Tac/Parking-and-Transportation/Ground-Transportation/Pages/Public-Transit.aspx

 

Have you looked at the Seattle forum of tripadvisor? There are several traveler articles including this one on hotels:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60878-c83685/Seattle:Washington:Where.To.Stay.In.Seattle.html

 

And a bunch of other articles on activities, sights, etc:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60878-s1/Seattle:Washington:Inside.html

 

Wow, these links are fantastic! Thank you! I have been using Trip Advisor, but am not very good at negotiating it. I had found the "where to stay" article, but not the page with all of those great articles. (I love "How to talk like a local"!)

 

The video showing how to get from baggage to Lite Rail is quite helpful (and funny!) I'm glad you told me it is a 7-12" walk, because, based on the video, I would have predicted a much longer trek.

[jonsmom]

Wow, these links are fantastic! Thank you! I have been using Trip Advisor, but am not very good at negotiating it. I had found the "where to stay" article, but not the page with all of those great articles. (I love "How to talk like a local"!)

 

The video showing how to get from baggage to Lite Rail is quite helpful (and funny!) I'm glad you told me it is a 7-12" walk, because, based on the video, I would have predicted a much longer trek.

 

Awesome! Thanks!