Motel 6 Fort Wayne

The thing I hate most about motel chains is that you just seem to catch a lucky break. You know, like get a great motel with lots of amenities and freebies at a cheap price. Of course, you could also end up in a dump. But with chain motels, you know what you're getting, and it ain't much.

Still, you're on a budget and you want a nice, clean place to sleep and rest and shower, well, nothing better than a Motel 6. While their Fort Wayne motels look much like the ones in Tulsa or Scranton or any other God-forsaken waste, the least that can be said is that you're getting a non-smoking room with a queen bed and roll-in shower for $31.99.

You also get an outdoor pool, a coin laundry, and free morning coffee. Throw in the free local calls, parking, and easy access to nearby public transportation, restaurants, the airport (11.7 miles from Fort Wayne International Airport), and you can see why it's not such a bad deal.

Basically, you come in from the airport, the motel isn't that far. You can use public transport to get to the motel. You pay $31.99 for a room with 2 beds (so you can sleep four). Kids under 18 stay for free.

Again, if you're a family wanting to visit the tourist attractions in Fort Wayne, Motel 6 is located centrally enough for you to be able to go see all of them without having to go long distances. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is 2.3 miles off, Glenbrook Square Mall is 2.6 miles, Allen County Memorial Coliseum is 3.2 miles, the Lincoln Museum is 3.9 miles and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art is 4.0 miles off.

If you're an environmentally aware family, you could all rent bikes and check out all the attractions on a bicycle tour of Fort Wayne. It's cheap and good for the planet and for your health. Factor in food and other expenses, and you could wrap up weekend family vacations in Fort Wayne for as little as $200.

Info: 3003 West Coliseum Boulevard I-69 at Coliseum Boulevard, Exit #109-A Ft Wayne, IN, 46808; Phone: (260) 482-3972; website

El Greco Motel in Atlantic City

I've come to view most everything on offer in Atlantic City with a jaundiced eye. There's more hustlers per sq. ft. in AC nowadays than you'll find even in Vegas or Miami. Which is why when I come across something that sounds too good to be true in Atlantic City, I just keep moving. And that includes most, if not all, independent motels in Atlantic City.


See, the only thing you can trust in AC is a company which has a national reputation to look after, or at least a regional one. Meaning that a motel chain like Super 8 or Motel 6 or Days Inn won't throw it all away by hustling for a few tourist dollars in Atlantic City. To limit yourself to these chains is probably your only safe route to enjoying Atlantic City vacations, especially if you're on a budget.


Even so, when I bumped into the El Greco motel, it did look like a good deal. Located 1/2 block from the Boardwalk and the beach, sandwiched between the Hilton and Tropicana Casinos, free parking, sun deck, lounge area, daily maid service, ice, and coffee in the morning. 58 guest rooms with refrigerators, color cable TV, phones, one or two beds, air conditioning and electronic key access. Rollaway beds, game room, shower & tub, 24 hour front desk... You get the picture. Average rates from $137, which, considering the location and the amenities, was pretty decent.


The question that remains - What's the catch? You can get a hint by their cancellation policy. $20 cancellation fee, regardless. To sum it up, once you're booked, you're hooked. If you land up there and don't like it, you lose money. And the motel gets free money.


So, if you must stay there, I suggest you forego booking in advance, and just land up in person. Take a look around, and if you like it, well, have fun. If you don't, there's two big Atlantic City hotels to left and right, who'll be quite happy to part you of your money.


Info: 3200 Pacific Ave Atlantic City NJ 08401; (609) 345-6195; www.elgrecomotel.com/

Ripleys Aquarium Package at River Edge Motor Lodge Gatlinburg

There's a lot of mountain lodges and motels in Gatlinburg, up in the Smoky Mountains. Most of them are cozy getaway retreats, which offer heated pools and courtyards with tables and chairs to help you enjoy the morning sun. One of these cozy motels/hotels up in the Smoky Mountains is the River Edge Motor Lodge.

The lodge is within walking distance to many of the timeless attractions in Gatlinburg TN, including Ripley's Aquarium, Ober Gatlinburg Tramway, Christus Gardens, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Also within minutes of the lodge are Dollywood, Dolly's Splash Country, and Pigeon Forge, along with downtown shopping malls and music theatres.

Accomodation options vary from a standard queen room to a honeymoon jacuzzi suite and family suites with two baths. The standard queen room sleeps four and comes with 2 queen-sized beds, a private balcony, cable TV and HBO, refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave, hair dryer, free wireless internet.

Rates from $55. The honeymoon suite costs $70 and the family suite with twin baths clocks in at $95. The River Edge Motor Lodge is also offering some packages and discounts. One of the packages - Ripley's Aquarium package - costs $144.95 - $304.95 for 3 days/2 nights. And until March 31 2009, you'll get 15% off if you book 2 or more nights.

Info: 665 River Road Gatlinburg TN 37738; (865) 436-9292; www.hotel-gatlinburg.com/

Searching for Quality Inn Washington DC

There's a very real and tangible class divide in and around Washington DC. There's the haves - those who have something to with politics or federal bureaucracy, and the have-nots - those who're just ordinary District citizens working in local jobs.

Visitors in DC also get lumpe dinto these two categories, like it or not. If you're here on business or to visit someone who's someone in DC, then it's a good bet that you'll be staying at one of the posh Washington DC hotels lining Pennsylvania Ave.

On the other hand, if you're some ordinary Joe Schumck from Hicksville, then these hotels, which charge anywhere between $450-600 per night on average, have no place or you. For the have-nots, there's a string of Washington DC motels and cheap budget hotels, where the rates are more in tune with the rest of the nation ($80-150).

One of these cheapskate hotels happens to be the Quality Inn near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It's also one of the few places where you can check-in without automatically being lumped on to one or the other side of the class divide. At the Quality Inn, you'll find business travelers and liesure travelers alike - People with a corporate expense a/c who have business in DC, and those spending from their personal chekbooks, who just want to see how business is done in DC.

Of course they offer you rates from $99.99. But one of the main reasons the Quality Inn is so popular is it's location. The hotel is situated close to many of the tourist attractions in Washington DC, like the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the White House and the United States Capitol building.

The New York Ave-Florida Ave-Gallaudet U Metro station is within walking distance, providing easy access to everything the city has to offer. Enjoy a variety of restaurants, cocktail lounges, theaters and world-class shopping in the surrounding area.

Amenities include free limited parking, free continental breakfast and free coffee, free wireless high-speed Internet access, free local calls, and a seasonal outdoor pool. For business travelers, they offer additional conveniences like in-room desks and access to copy and fax services.

Info: 501 New York Avenue NE, Washington DC 20002; (202) 543-7400; website

Dolphin in San Diego Bay

We're talking about the Dolphin Motel in San Diego, which is located 200 ft from the Bay. It's all about the splendid tradition of an 'American Owned' family motel, handed down from one generation to the next.

Dolphin Motel has been in operation for 32 years now, and it's one of the last remaining indie San Diego motels which hasn't given in to the temptation to sell out to a real estate developer or become part of a big chain and build a luxury hotel.

They offer cheap and clean rooms starting from $55 onwards. Located 5 minutes off San Diego airport and 12 minutes to the Cruise Terminal, Downtown, Broadway, the Gaslamp District and the other attractions in San Diego.

The air-conditioned rooms are furnished with 5 star diamond Serta beds and cable TV with over 78 Channels, and some of the rooms have refrigirators. You get free high speed internet and wi-fi and they even have a laptop you can use. To top that off, you get free morning coffee and pastries, luggage storage facilities and free monitored parking. There are 7 major restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the motel.

The Dolphin Motel is surrounded by major San Diego hotels and chains like the Ramada, Vagabond, Comfort Inn, and Holiday Inn, all of which offer essentially the same basic amenities and same Harbor view rooms, but at more than twice the price, and in some cases, more than 4 times the price.

Bottomline here is that if you're traveling on a budget in San Diego, then the Dolphin Motel is the perfect choice.

Info: 2912 Garrison St. San Diego CA 92106; (866) 353-7897 or (619) 758-1404; www.dolphin-motel.com/

50s Style Rooms at Ohio House Motel Chicago

Chicago is where Route 66 kicks off on it's long historical & colorful journey to the West Coast. As such, there's plenty of Chicago motels which are still stuck in the heydey of the Great American Roadtrip, even if Route 66 is only a faint memory now.

One of these antique motor courts is the Ohio House motel in the heart of downtown Chicago, which offers a classic 50s style double-decker roadside lot with free parking. Each of the 50 guest rooms offers a television, free cable TV, shower and bath. If you want to splurge, there's also a mini-suite with a Queen Bed, full sofa sleeper, refrigerator, and microwave.

There's an attached coffee coffee shop (Ohio House Coffee Shop) along with other restaurants, diners and other facilities close by, including laundromats, and shopping. The motel is located in the River North Area within walking distance of Hard Rock Cafe, Rock n' Roll McDonalds, ESPN Zone, Navy Pier, North Bridge and Merchandise Mart.

It's also just five blocks west of Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, and the other famed Chicago attractions on the lakefront.

It's simple and clean. Offers the necessities and is convinient for both tourists and for overnight guests passing through Chicago.

Info: 600 N. Lasalle Street Chicago IL 60610; (312) 943-6000; www.ohiohousemotel.com/