Hershey & Kennywood hotel suggestions?

I'm heading to Hershey Park and Kennywood on the 11th and 12th of this month. Any suggestions for decent 3 star plus hotels in the surrounding areas of each of the parks?

Also if anyone knows of any of the Hershey area hotels that are off site that offer room/ticket packages that would be awesome!

I usually always stay at the same Comfort Inn when I go out to Kennywood. Its pretty close to the park(7 miles away,) The rooms are nice & clean, nice indoor pool, and decent free breakfast. Will be at Kennywood on the 18th.

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I live 25 minutes from Hershey, and there are a lot of Hotels. How far away do you want to be from the park? How much $ do you want to spend? Rooms right around the park get really expensive on the weekends, You'd be better off staying a little farther away and getting a really nice room for reasonable $. Here are a few that are close to the park.

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(Hilton is probably the nicest hotel in Hershey besides Hershey's own hotels.)

There are a bunch of Econolodges, and lower hotels like that if you want to stay closer, but their rates are still really high being so close to the park. These are the hotels that are a little farther away, but you get pretty much the same room as the ones above, but a lot cheaper. It would take you about 20 - 25 minutes to get to the park from these hotels.

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Hope that helps.

(fixed the ugly links :) - LG)

*** Edited 5/7/2007 5:49:07 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

Thanks Gonch

*** Edited 5/7/2007 5:51:01 PM UTC by Coasterfantom2***

I always stay at the ChocolateTown Motel and i think its an ok place for a good price, plus you can go to this place called Funks(i think its still there)

No idea on Hershey, but I believe the best bet for KW is the Courtyard Waterfront. About 4 miles away from the park and it should fit your 3-star request. :)

awesome thanks for all the suggestions and especially the links!!

This is my first trip to Kennywood so I'm pretty stoked about it and want the best experience possible. We're planning on hitting the park friday and hoping the crowds are pretty light considering it is a school day.

Anyone been to or heard anything about the Crowne Plaza in Harrisburg? We're planning a trip in early June and none of us have been. *** Edited 5/7/2007 6:24:03 PM UTC by halltd***

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halltd said:
Anyone been to or heard anything about the Crowne Plaza in Harrisburg? We're planning a trip in early June and none of us have been.

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Seems to have gotten a lot of bad reviews lately. :(

The Crown Plaza is right downtown in Harrisburg on 2nd street(get of the 2nd street exit of I83, and it will be on your right 4 or 5 blocks into town)Its a nice hotel, and there are a lot of good restaurants within walking distance on 2nd. Its in a nice section of the city.

Those reviews are pretty horrible Gonch. The last time I stayed there was about 2 years ago, and It was nice then. I know that they recently renovated a lot of the rooms. Of course when it comes to a hotel stay I am happy with a comfortable bed, good water pressure in the shower, and an overall clean room.

I am not the "hotel snob" like Gonch. I am sure his standards are higher then mine. ;)

*** Edited 5/7/2007 6:35:25 PM UTC by Coasterfantom2***

Oh wow. I hadn't read those reviews before. I wondered why the place was so cheap. I had a bad experience at the Crowne Plaza in Allentown during my trip to Dorney, so I guess I'll try the Hilton like one person mentioned.

Oh yeah, from downtown Harrisburg, how long would it take to get to Hershey? We're driving there from Great Adventure, so we don't want to have to get up freakishly early to get to Hershey. *** Edited 5/7/2007 6:42:03 PM UTC by halltd***

Its about 15 - 20 minutes to get to the park from the Crowne Plaza depending on traffic. Its not that far at all.

Sweet. The regular Hilton is cheaper than the Hilton Garden Inn you linked to earlier. So, I guess I'll go with that.

Thanks for the tips.

While we're on the subject: Are there any good campgrounds neat KW?

No campgrounds near Kennywood.

Not exactly a three-star hotel but there is a decent Super 8 in Harmarville, which is about a 30-minute drive from the park (mostly back roads, very little traffic). What makes the place great is that it's a very nice property that costs about $55/night. We almost always go for Hampton Inns/Marriott-branded smaller hotels/upscale Best Westerns but we always make an exception when going to Kennywood because that Super 8 has never done us wrong, and the money we save is pretty significant.

There are lots of hotels on Rt. 22 (about 15-20 minutes or so from Kennywood if memory serves me correctly) and it puts you right at PA Turnpike. There are also a lot of businesses along this road for all your shopping needs.

^The area IF is referring to is Monroeville. There are quite a few hotels in that area because of the turnpike exit. There's a Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn and others.

I just booked the Quality Inn in Jonestown (Lebanon Valley) for our trip to Hershey. $59.39 a night in July and it's gotten good reviews. It's about a 15 minute drive to Hershey, but you go in the back way so there is little traffic.

I second Gonch's suggestion. Its brand new, and there is tons to do within walking distance of the hotel. There is a Rock Bottom if you like craft beer and good food, a movie theatre, and tons of other stuff you normally get at a mall.

Monroeville is also a good choice if you are into a quick start the next morning. You could be there from Kennywood in less than 15 minutes and on the turnpike less than 5 minutes in the morning.

There are Starbucks at both places for your morning caffeine intake as well. :)

I think Monroeville is one exit away from Harmarville (which I mentioned before). Easy assess from the highway is nice since we usually get into town around midnight.

I did some research for some friends a few years ago who were visting Hershey, and one place that pleasantly surprised me was the Comfort Suites in Grantville (off of I-81). The prices were comparable to "regular" rooms, but you get a little more room and could sleep as many as 6 if you had to.

When I went to KW, I stayed at the Comfort Inn at Penn Hills. Nice hotel on the hill overlooking the parkway (376), but it was a p.i.t.a. trying to find the driveway entrance at 10:30 at night.