SLEEPLESS & PENNYLESS IN SEATTLE

Advantages: Discovering a really beautiful piece of the U.S.A
Disadvantages: None unless you want sandy beaches and palm trees.

...Sleepless and Pennyless in Seattle !!! and I was both. Staying in a little paper manufacturing town of Camas, on the edge of the Columbia River Gorge which divides Washington State from Portland, in Oregon, gave me lots of oportunity to explore the surrounding countryside. Most of all a chance to stay in Seattle and explore this very dramatic area situated on the borders of Canada. A short drive up and you find yourself crossing over into Vancouver in British Colombia, Canada. I booked a ticket on the retired American Greyhound which goes by the name of Green Tortoise, for obviouse details....anyone who has travelled this way, will know exactly what I mean. Never heard of it? then I will be writing a reviiew about it shortly. The only way I can visualise it for you is to say that it is a bright green Hippy bus for anyone who...

elinor.z 06.03.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Seattle

Very comfy stay in Seattle

Advantages: Good location, good facilities, really comfy beds!
Disadvantages: Expensive

...Last summer my boyfriend and I travelled across Canada and down through America. Our first stop in the States was Seattle. Now, being two students we wouldn't normally have given the Hilton a second thought. However, my father (bless him!) had a Hilton Honours card with a few spare points on and so offered to use these to give us the room! We were very grateful, especially as we were due to arrive in Seattle quite late in the evening and we didn't relish the thought of finding we were staying in a dump when we arrived! We were pretty sure that the Hilton would provide us with a clean, comfortable welcome so we jumped at the chance of staying there. PRICES There is no set room rate for this hotel. You have to type in the dates you want to go on and then they give you the rate for that room for that particular night. Our room...

tartlette83 15.02.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Hilton Seattle, Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle

Advantages: Climate is quite similar to England
Disadvantages: Time-difference means big jetlag, and calls home are hard

...I go to Seattle quite regularly for work reasons, and have quite enjoyed my time there. The city is located in the 'Great North-West' near the border with Canada, close to Vancouver. It's climate is generally a little colder and wetter during winter than England, but about the same temperature during summer. Flying into Seattle over the Cascades is a beautiful sight. The countryside around Seattle is densely pine-wooded , very green and lush. Offset against that is the snowy Cascades and majestic Olympic mountains. For reference Seattle is close to two major, active volcanic ranges. There is plenty to see or do around Seattle. Best way to soak up some culture is to chilling-out for breakfast in one of the Starbucks that have sprung up on every other block corner. Soak up a weekend with in Downtown Seattle at Art Museum...

stephbu 16.02.2001 (04.03.2001) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Seattle

Seattle & Bellevue, WA

Advantages: Lots to see and do, nice weather, friendly people
Disadvantages: Costs of flights, not "usual" tourist spot!

...Well I was hoping to find some reviews on Bellevue and Seattle, so I thought that I would attempt to write a good one! Well the flight from London Heathrow (direct) is around 8.5 to 9 hours. Its not a bad flight but there is only one service that offers direct flights, the others all offer flights with changes, which is a bit impractical. However, when you get there (Seattle-Tacoma) its quite a way from Seattle, so its quite a journey to the city or to Bellevue (the city next to it!). The city is surrounded by several lakes, which you will see on your journey to the city. Lake Washington, Lake Union, Lake Sammmamish, the list goes on... It's a beautiful city with lots of greenery and mountains. There are lots of scenic points where you can see the surrounding mountains, including Mount St Helens (the famous volcano). There are...

groovybaby3002 24.11.2004 (25.11.2004) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Seattle

NOT Sleepless in Seattle

Advantages: Cheap, nice rooms, good location, nice employees
Disadvantages: The elevator smells like a pit latrine

...If you are visiting Seattle, Washington and looking for a cheap stay, give a thought to the Days Inn on Seventh and Blanchard. It could just be a good option. The downtown Days Inn is located just about one mile from the King Dome and the AMTRAK station and just one block off the "free ride zone" of the Seattle MTA. Checking In ? with some "reservations" The ground floor of the hotel is primarily taken up with parking, and the small Green House café just past the reception area. Reception is a small area on the ground floor just off the covered drive through entrance. The desk is populated by helpful and friendly employees 24 hours a day. Our 2 AM check in experience was accompanied by a very obvious "working girl" wringing an elevator key out of the desk attendant. Not a good sign! Nor is the elevator to the room which...

grape_nehi 26.03.2006 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Days Inn - Seattle Downtown, Seattle

Seattle - great tips for visitors

Advantages: Natural beauty, funky interesting things to see/do
Disadvantages: Hey - sometimes it rains there

...I have lived in Seattle for over 30 years and I know the place inside and out. Here is what all visitors to Seattle must know: 1. You don't have to go up the Space Needle but the views from the top are fabulous. Have a drink there but don't spend the $$$ on the food - there are better places. 2. If you want to experience a cool European style farmer's market - with indoor and outdoor booths, fabulous displays of food, funky crafts, beautiful flowers, and off beat art - go to the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle overlooking the waterfront. Entrance at various places but just get yourself to the corner of Pike and 1st Avenue and head West. (This is where they throw the salmon). Hint: great place to buy various foods from all around the world. 3. Look around - there is lots and lots of water. There is Elliot Bay...

patriceinseattle 16.12.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Seattle

Skiing in Seattle...

Advantages: Skiing nearby, The Spaceneedle, fab fish
Disadvantages: Always rains!

.....Well not actually in Seattle, but there are some great resorts nearby. Stevens pass, Snowqualmie and Crystal Mountain are all great places to do some cheap skiing and kill a bit of time should you find yourself sleepless. Skis can be hired for the day and daily lift passed purchased for about 40 GBP, and if you go mid-week you'll find the slopes virtually empty and no queues for chairlifts (yippee!) - watch out for the fact they have no bars though. The city of Seattle itself is great though. I would advise anyone to take a trip up the space needle for fab panoramic views (you'll need a drink in the bar if it's a bit windy though). The aquarium is fairly good - try to catch otter feeding time. There are also a few good museums including the museum of flight, the Old Curiosity Shop and the new music museum which hadn't opened the last...

disco-clare 11.08.2000 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Seattle

Seattles best views or not?

Advantages: Facinating building, views
Disadvantages: Beaten by the Columbia Tower

...As the main must-do sight in Seattle, the iconic Space Needle, was always going to be 'done' while visiting Seattle. It dominates the area to the north of downtown and has an irresistible magnetic force pulling people towards it. I didn't resist. I was up there within 2 hours of arriving in the city! (I was there solely for the views, not the restaurant, not the souvenir shop, so I cannot comment on either of these.) Tickets at 2007 prices are $16 for adults ($8 for under 13s), although a day/night ticket for $20 will give two visits in a 24hour period. To be a cheapskate, you could go once just before sundown and linger until the city lights up. It is open until 11pm daily. I was warned that queues could be quite long, but at my visit (a wet Wednesday in October), the queue for the tickets and the security checks very minimal...

ElStevo 29.10.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Space Needle, Seattle

Seattle's best attraction

Advantages: Interesting stuff for lovers of all music genres
Disadvantages: Audio guide is big and heavy. Entrance, at $20 a person, is quite pricey too.

...Anyone visiting the Seattle Space Needle over the last couple of years won’t have failed to notice the blobby, mirrored building near its base. That curvy creation is the Experience Music Project and if you’re a fan of any kind of music, you should be inside it, not making faces on at the mirrored walls. The EMP was first conceived to house the extensive collection of Jimmy Hendrix memorabilia owned by one of Microsoft’s founders. It soon grew in scale and eventually took shape as a 140,000 homage to music designed by Frank Gehry (and not dissimilar in style to his Guggenheim museum in Bilbao). The EMP doesn’t come cheap - it’s $20 a go but get there early and you’ll be there all day and still feel like you haven’t seen everything by the time you leave. There’s a chunky audio guide to...

lula153 05.09.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Seattle

A Seattle gem!

Advantages: Price, location, ameneties.
Disadvantages: Noise, no elevators.

...The hotel is a pleasant medium range/budget hotel in the Queen Anne District of Seattle, close to the Seattle Arena within 10 minutes walk of the Space Needle, the Experience Music Project and the Monorail. The hotel has 68 rooms over three floors in two parallel buildings separated by a small courtyard. Rooms have AC, multi-channel TV and a kitchenette. For full details logon to their website. (www.innatqueenanne.com). The hotel is an 'older style' building built in 1929, but it has been refurbished. However, some of the fittings and décor are showing their age. Despite this it is comfortable and very clean. Two things should be noted. Firstly, for accessibility, it has no elevators. Secondly, as the hotel is at an intersection, rooms on the street side can be quite noisy, especially on the ground floor. If noise is an issue make...

ElStevo 26.10.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Inn at Queen Anne, Seattle