Can I ask for your help again pleas

Hi All

Can I first of all thank you for the help and guidance you have provided so far – we are very grateful and it has already proved to be of immense help. Since my last flurry of posts Lyn and I have been revising our plans in the light of your suggestions.

Ok – we now have our second itinerary and again we would be very pleased to receive any observations that you have. We also still have many unanswered questions that we would like to ask:-

Fly into Boston, Mass – 30th September 2009

Spend 3 nights in all in Boston

We have not sorted out any accommodation yet – suggestions would be very welcome – we are trying to stick to a budget of about £100 per night ($140) – in the cities we like to stay sort of downtown – within walking distance to most of the major attractions – safe areas – clean and tidy. In the country we like Condos, log cabins, basic but clean – waterfront is a big bonus but just great views are what we want.

From Boston we intend to drive in one day all the way to Bar Harbour in Maine – I know it’s a long drive and we wont be able to stop and look around this wonderful coastal area but it one of the compromises we have had to make.

We intend to spend 3 nights in Bar Harbour – again any accommodation suggestions would be much appreciated.

From Bar Harbour, ME we intend to drive to Moosehead Lake, ME to take in the Lakes and Leaves Drive, take a trip on the steamer and maybe go on a Moose Safari. Again any accommodation suggestions would be much appreciated – we plan to stay 3 nights at Moosehead Lake.

From Moosehead Lake we plan to drive to the White Mountain area of New Hampshire. Now as yet we haven’t sorted out a location to stay but I can tell you where we intend to visit – its really a big square – North Woodstock, Franconia Notch, Franconia, Bethlehem, Gorham, Mount Washington, Jackson, North Conway, Lincoln – taking in of course along the way the Kancamagus Highway. Again, recommendations of which town to stay in and accommodation as well would be so useful – we intend staying in this area for 3 nights.

We than intend driving from New Hampshire to the Green Mountain National Forest of Central Vermont. Again, we haven’t sorted out a location to stay but I can tell you where we intend to visit – and yes again its really a big square – Rutland, Bethel, Quechee, Woodstock, Bridgewate rand Plymouth. Again, recommendations of which town to stay in and accommodation as well would be so helpful – we intend staying in this area for 2 nights.

From Central Vermont we intend to drive to the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts via Rutland – Ludlow – Weston – Peru – Manchester Village – Arlington – Bennington.

Once again, we haven’t sorted out a location to stay but I can tell you where we intend to visit – another big square – Williamstown, North Adams, Shelburne Falls, Deerfield, Northampton, Springfield, Monterey, Sheffield, Great Barrington, Lenox, and Williamstown – of course taking in the Mohawk Trail along the way. Recommendations of which town to stay in and accommodation as well would be very much appreciated – we intend staying in this area for 3 nights.

This is where it is still a bit sketchy (well ok a bit more sketchy). From Massachusetts we think we will drive to Philadelphia – have an overnight stop – really just to break the long journey.

From Philadelphia we will then drive to the Skyline Drive in Virginia – we are looking to stay some where on the Skyline Drive itself (probably about half way along) we really have no idea about accommodation here – any nice romantic getaway suggestions would be very welcome – we intend spending 2 nights on the Skyline Drive.

From the Skyline Drive we drive to Washington DC for 3 nights. Again no accommodation sorted out as yet.

I appreciate we are asking for a lot of information and we don’t expect for you to provide all the answers for us – any help would be most appreciated.

Oh sorry just a couple more questions – we would like to try and take in as many fairs, concerts, festivals as possible – can anyone point us in the right direction

Does any one have any suggestions for the best place to hire a car we are obviously looking to pick it up in Boston and drop it off in Washington – preferably a medium size car with an open top.

Thank you so much

Speak soon

Take care

Ray

Can I ask for your help again pleas

Hi SomersetBoy,

Wow, that%26#39;s some wonderful and exciting trip you%26#39;re planning! I%26#39;ve been to most of the places you%26#39;ve mentioned, but spread out over years of growing up and living in New England and the Northeast in general.

Anyway, my first recommendation would be for you to invest in a few of the %26#39;Explorer%26#39;s Guides%26#39;. I%26#39;ve used these over the years and they have never steered me wrong. They give accurate, up-to-date and descriptive info on accomodations, itenaries, restaurants, museums, etc. for alltastes and budgets.

The one for Maine is written by Christina Tree and Nancy English and is titled %26#39;Maine: An Explorer%26#39;s Guide%26#39;. There are guides with similar titles in the series for Massachusetts, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Vermont, DC area, etc.

Next, I would post what you%26#39;ve written on the other TA%26#39;s forum if you haven%26#39;t already.

Regarding Boston. Book early as September and October are popular times and places fill up early. I%26#39;d say the same for Vermont and New Hampshire in the Fall. It is prime leaf peeping time in those states versus Maine. Though I have to say Maine is absolutely gorgeous in September and October and the color will be great. But New Hampshire and Vermont have gotten the reputation for Fall Color more so than Maine, so those states get the lion%26#39;s share of visitors.

Recently I%26#39;ve stayed at the Lenox in the BackBay section of Boston and have for years. Its a lovely, small and charming boutique style hotel with, for Boston, reasonable prices. Its close to everything ie subways, shopping, restaurants, the Charles River, Beacon Hill, the Public Gardens, museums, galleries, etc. For the most part you%26#39;ll be able to walk almost everywhere as Boston is not that large of a city.

However, I highly doubt you%26#39;ll be able to find accomodations for $140 in the city. Most likely you%26#39;ll either have to bite the bullet and spend at least $225 or stay outside of the city in a nearby town, where you can take the subway or %26#39;T%26#39; as we call it, into town. Framingham to the west of the city or Quincy or Braintree to the south are some suggestions. They will offer reasonably priced accomodations and only be about a 15 to 20 minute subway ride into the city. Or if you stay in Hingham, a bit further south, you can take the high speed ferries into Boston. Hingham, in and of itself is a lovely, coastal town with lots to offer.

Hopefully after posting on the other TA forum%26#39;s you%26#39;ll receive lots of great responses that will help in combination with any tourist guides you borrow or purchase.

Good luck and please post back and let us know how you make out, where you plan on staying and of course, a review of the trip, after all is said and done, would be wonderful!

cozyharbor

Can I ask for your help again pleas

Many thanks Cozy harbour - yes when we visieted the US last year the exchange rate was great now it has dropped significantly - $225 last year would have been ok - but the exchange rate has really put this type of accommodation out of our range - not to worry we will just have to travel a bit more - Hingham sounds nice - will go and look at all of your suggestions.

I have posted on all the other relevant forums - thanks for the advice re explorer guides - there are so many it is always useful to get a recommendation.

I will post back and I will provide a trip report - just be careful what you wish for - lol - (I took some ribbing over my trip reports last year)

Take care

Ray

I would look for a Bed and Breakfast in Bar Harbor. Go to sleepbarharbor.com to search for a bed and breakfast that meets your criteria. There are so many B%26amp;B%26#39;s in Bar Harbor with a wide variety of pricing options.

It%26#39;s an easy drive from Boston to Bar Harbor. You can take 95 up to Kittery, then take Rt1 for a slower trip up the coast. If you plan the whole day for the drive, you can stop at several locations and enjoy several small towns on your way up. The Camden/Rockland area is a great place to stop for lunch and get out and stretch your legs on the Main Streets.

Thank you LovingBarHarbor - that is exactly what we want to do - I was reluctant to take Rt 1 from Kittery because I looked at a route planner and it seemed to almost double the travel time - I must admit I didn%26#39;t think at the time that it looked right.

Will definately stop off at Camden or Rockland to stretch our legs.

Many Thanks

Take Care

Ray

The drive up Rt 1 will add an extra hour or so. Of course, if you stop often, it may double your time!

Ah thanks LovingBarHarbor - in the scheme of things an odd hour here or there is not going to make a lot of difference and your route looks a lot more scene.

Thanks again

Ray