Omni or B&B?

I want to take my mom to charlottesville in May for her 50th birthday. I am debating on whether we should spend one night or two (I live in DC and she will be visiting me). I am trying to get the best bang for my buck because I can%26#39;t afford to spend too much on the trip. I am debating between staying at the Omni, which has the cheapest rates but doesn%26#39;t have the cozy feel of a B%26amp;B, or staying at a Bed and Breakfast, which is more expensive. I plan on hitting up some of the wineries, walking around the shops, and grabbing dinner out. Because I plan on doing all of those things I%26#39;m not sure if it matters if we are staying in town or on the outskirts. Advice on where to stay would be helpful. If you are suggesting a B%26amp;B which one would you recommend? I%26#39;m looking at Sugar Hollow as one possiblity. A lot of others are too expensive or already booked. Thanks!!!

Omni or B%26amp;B?

Sugar Hollow is a wonderful B%26amp;B in a very pretty location. It%26#39;s close to wineries in White Hall, Crozet, Afton- anywhere on the west side of Albemarle County. The advantage to the Omni is that it is on the Downtown Mall which is a fun place to walk, window shop, and there is a wide variety of dining experiences. It%26#39;s also centrally located.

What shops are you planning on walking around and which wineries are you interested in? Did you already have a restaurant planned for dinner? The Clifton Inn is also a nice place to stay and has a great restaurant as well.

Laura

Omni or B%26amp;B?

Given how comparatively young you are since mom is having her 50th this is so nice of you to plan all this.

One caveat May is big graduation time in .... well, a lot of area. And colleges and universities in lots of smaller areas feed into the accommodations in neighboring areas. However, while the Mall may be busy...probably no busier than many Saturdays; and wineries is not a typical graduation weekend pursuit:) It%26#39;s the availably accommodations that may be an issue.

You might also take a peek at http://www.va-guesthouses.com/

These are accommodations in Charlottesville and the area. They are offered by one b%26amp;b service that%26#39;s been in operation in Charlottesville for at least a few decades. It%26#39;s a family run thing. There are cottages on wonderful large estates, historic log cabins (one I know is $100/night is you do 2 nights; otherwise it%26#39;s $125 and set in the woods with big window views.) They also have suites and apartments. You can be in the woods, in town, surrounded by pasture or gardens. And you get a full or continental breakfast by the host in your accommodation or in the house dining room depending on where you choose and what you prefer. Every so often when I recommend then to someone I have fun just clicking on the beautiful pictures to see what%26#39;s new.

Good point about graduation! UVA%26#39;s is May 17 this year and starting the week prior to the graduation, Charlottesville becomes crazy. The vineyards do get a lot of visitors that weekend and most restaurants are completely booked.

Laura

Right...forgot about the restaurants. We discovered that with all the schools..even prep, military as well as colleges and universities...up and down Rt. 29 and I 81 and Blue Ridge area if there are graduations in one area and no accommodations people keep going further afield so that it seems that whole long rectangle gets filled up. I remember a friend offering accommodations in Lynchburg Va told us with so many colleges in Lynchburg, Farmville..even Roanoke, Blacksburg..some of the families coming for Lynchburg graduations (and with all those schools in town so many graduate the same weekend) had to camp on the Parkway! Even now that they have more hotel rooms it seems there%26#39;s never enough for May weekends.

Thank you everyone. I am planning on taking her during the week of May 4th so I%26#39;m hoping to avoid the graduation craziness. Do you think there will still be people there for graduation at that time? I%26#39;m still trying to decide what to do but I know I should book soon. I will check out the va guesthouses. I%26#39;m also debating on whether I want to spend one night in Charlottesville and one night in Williamsburg since neither of us have been to Williamsburg before either. Thanks for your help.

Just book early. Graduation festivites are several days and extended families from all over the world, not just the country. But parents seemed to have arrived like Thursday. I%26#39;ll check dates and get back to you. I do remember lots of graduations in Lynchburg Mother%26#39;s Day weekend.

Graduations all around...and people can need accommodations when they%26#39;re attending graduations for miles around....seem to start first weekend in May. But UVA%26#39;s won%26#39;t be till May 16, 17. Colleges and Universities further afield, while they%26#39;ll probably need Charlottesville%26#39;s accommodations, I don%26#39;t know of anything earlier than graduations May 9, which would put extended families coming May 7/8.

It%26#39;ll be a nice time and probably wonderful weather.

The Omni is very convenient since it anchors one end of the pedestrian walking mall with over 100 shops and 40 restaurants. If you are there on the weekend you can also walk over to the Farmer%26#39;s Market on Saturday morning.

Our B%26amp;Bs are all lovely, and there are some very close to the downtown area, but this means driving to dinner and shopping so you have to see which you prefer to do.

We have wine tour companies as well, which for a flat fee will drive you to the wineries.

As the others have all said, you must avoid the weekend of May 16.

An alternate if you cannot make it down to Charlottesville is to be picked up and have a nice day of wine touring at the northern wineries - check with Deidra at http://www.vawineadventures.com/

Best,

Erika