<p>I know it may seem early but..... We have our plane tix for CW for the end of September all set. Fares are not bad. Any thoughts on lodging from anyone? Our S is a rising freshman and this is our first family visit to CW. We will be 2 adults and a 12 y/o boy. Thanks</p>
<p>Williamsburg has all the big moderately priced chain hotels. The Hospitality House is the closest to campus. In my opinion it is overpriced, but you are paying for the location. I obviously lived in the dorms on campus, and when I visit I usually stay at the cheap places (Econolodge on 2nd street or Days Inn on Richmond Road), so I am not much help here. Though I do find both of those sufficient, but they obviously are not super nice.</p>
<p>hopefully some parents will chime in =)</p>
<p>The Hospitality House has a terrific location, because it means not having to move your car to get to campus or CW, as long as you’re in fairly decent shape and it’s not pouring out. It worked well for us for our first few trips to campus. Now that we understand campus parking better, we usually stay on Richmond Road, which is less than 10 minutes to campus by car.</p>
<p>I recommend the Hilton Garden Inn on Richmond Road - professional staff, rooms in excellent condition, very pleasant. I do not recommend the Residence Inn, just next door - many noise issues, and the place is somewhat rundown. We’ve stayed in many spots in Williamsburg (Homewood Suites, Springhill Suites, Embassy Suites, the Crowne Plaza, and the Courtyard near Busch Gardens), and all are adequate, but the HGI is better.</p>
<p>Have fun as W&M parents!</p>
<p>We agree with the previous posts… Hospitality House has an excellent location and rooms are good.Its been around for a while. (stayed in it on our honeymoon in 1989 
You are able to walk campus and CW easily.
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn on Richmond Rd also and it was very nice. Pool and gym . Breakfast not included with room but available for an added fee.</p>
<p>We stay at the HGI often and like it, but one watch out if you are an early to bed person. The hotel backs up to the High School football stadium so if it is a Friday night home game, there is noise until around 10:30 or so.</p>
<p>Stick to the mid-tier chains, like Marriott, Hilton, etc, and you should do ok. Bear in mind, it’s a bit of a tourist area, and some of the chains that might sound ok might be a little run-down - the Super 8, for example, looks dismal. Check one of the travel sites to confirm. </p>
<p>Depending on the length of stay, you might shop around and see if you can pick up a timeshare rental for a few days - I’ve done this a few times, usually for less than a hotel, and it’s nice to have a kitchen, full bedrooms, etc. Of course, none are that especially close to the campus, but close enough, usually. Only once did I get a sales pitch, and that was put off by a firm “not interested.” But these usually go for sale a month or two out, so I’d get the hotel reservations now - can always cancel if you find a better deal.</p>
<p>The “usual” things to do (beyond Parent’s Weekend activities) include Busch Gardens, CW, Jamestown, Yorktown, and of course, “golf”, if you’re into that. And while it’s still way too early to worry about, if you’re planning a special dinner out, Parent’s weekend fills up the restaurants, so you’ll want to get reservations a few weeks ahead.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on dinner reservations?</p>
<p>We ate at these spots during our recent graduation trip:</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to Food for Thought Restaurant - Williamsburg, VA](<a href=“http://www.foodforthoughtrestaurant.com/]Welcome”>http://www.foodforthoughtrestaurant.com/) Reasonable prices, very good food, neat atmosphere, and across the street from HGI</p>
<p>[The</a> Whaling Company Williamsburg](<a href=“http://www.whalingcompany.com/]The”>http://www.whalingcompany.com/) Good quality seafood, too-large portions, and reasonable prices; near Busch Gardens - this and Food for Thought would be good if you wanted to take along some of your kid’s friends</p>
<p><a href=“http://fatcanarywilliamsburg.com/[/url]”>http://fatcanarywilliamsburg.com/</a> Expensive but worth it; excellent food and service, next door to the fabled Cheese Shop</p>
<p><a href=“http://bluetalonbistro.com/[/url]”>http://bluetalonbistro.com/</a> Our favorite spot, slightly less expensive than Fat Canary; terrific comfort food and more upscale offerings as well</p>
<p>This is the best food in Williamsburg bar none:</p>
<p>[Queen</a> Anne Dairy Snack - Williamsburg, VA](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/queen-anne-dairy-snack-williamsburg]Queen”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/queen-anne-dairy-snack-williamsburg)</p>
<p>Ignore the one negative review, the dude probably ate too much fried food and felt “sick” because of it or something.</p>
<p>We’ve stayed at the Hospitality House (terrible night in a bed that sunk to the middle). We’ve also stayed at the Hampton on Richmond which was fine. Our best stay was at the Hampton on Bypass Road. There are so many hotels to choose from within a relatively short distance. Getting around is fairly easy.</p>
<p>We’ve enjoyed Food for Thought. If you like pancakes, CW is oddly full of pancake houses.</p>
<p>My son is now a rising Sophomore and love W&M. We’re from Pittsburgh, so we were not very familiar with Williamsburg. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Welcome to the Tribe.</p>