Cody Cowboy Village in Cody, Wyoming: a family friendly place

by Jamie Rhein on

Cody Cowboy Village’s name grabbed me when I was reading over Trip Advisors’ Best of 2008. It’s number 7 on the Best Bargains list. We head through Wyoming by car almost every year, and as timing has it, we usually stay for the night in a hotel somewhere in this state so we aren’t totally road weary by the time we reach Montana.

Cody Cowboy Village looks like a good road trip stop for more than a couple of days. One thing that attracts me is the log cabin style rooms that are grouped into a setting conducive to feeling like you are part of a place. The decor captures the ambiance of staying in the West–much more interesting than another chain hotel that looks like all the others, no matter the location. According to the Web site there’s a large swimming pool which is an item we list as our must haves after hours of driving. Staying in a hotel with a pool is one of the carrots we dangle to our son so that he gets the idea that road trips are fun.

Cody, Wyoming is worth a stop for a few reasons. A big one is the Buffalo Bill Historical Center that pays tribute to Buffalo Bill Cody, one of the American West’s iconic cowboys. In this museum center there are other museums that highlight the Plains Indians, Western art and natural history. Check out the center’s calendar for special events throughout the year. Cody is also only 50 miles away from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park and has a rodeo every night in the summer. Rafting trips and fishing are two more area offerings.

Best hotel bargain in the world: SeaCoast Inn

by Jamie Rhein on

According to the Trip Advisor’s 2008 Traveler’s Choice list, the best bargain hotel in the world is the SeaCoast Inn in Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. As logic would have it, it’s on the list as the best bargain in the U.S. is well.

So what makes this place in Cape Cod such a deal? Cleanliness of the hotel (just read the comments on the dirtiest hotels post), friendliness and knowledge of the inn keepers, and its location, location, location, according to the comments on the SeaCoast Inn Web site. One guest said they never used their car. A guest from Europe said that it’s similar to smaller hotels in Europe. For those Americans looking to go to Europe, but are put off by the lousy showing of the American dollar these days, perhaps staying here may suffice the need for a dose of European travel. If you can walk everywhere, think of the savings on gas as well.

My reaction when I saw the room rates was “Wow, that is reasonable.” The inn must be closed for the season right now since prices aren’t listed for the winter, but starting in the spring you can stay for as low as $68. The highest springtime rate is $108. In the summer the prices jump to $98–$148 which is not bad for a touristy area.

From the inn you can walk to the ferries that will take you to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve never been to Cape Cod, but the SeaCoast Inn’s Web site highlights several reasons why this would be a perfect place to take a family.

What’s the dirtiest hotel in the U.S.? It has company

by Jamie Rhein on

TripAdvisor has just released its annual list of the dirtiest hotels in the U.S. I suppose this is akin to Mr. Blackwell’s Annual Worst-Dressed list aimed at celebrities. Who would aspire to land a spot on such a list?

The Hotel Carter, a 700 room architectural beauty in Manhattan is right at the top of the worst of the dirtiest. The photo on its Web site looks rather 40ish funky–perhaps it hasn’t been cleaned since then. At one time, the hotel was probably magnificent and the place to be. Perhaps, it’s in need of a real update. Whatever the reason, if you look at the travel ratings review chart, this place isn’t even recommended for budget travelers. Young singles might like it a tad better. Young singles without dates, or nowhere to go perhaps?

If all the complaints are accurate, it sounds like this could be named Hell Hotel with accuracy. Mice, lice, cigarette butts, prostitutes, police, blood, hair of various types everywhere, slow to fill tubs, paint peeling–you name it, this place has it. So, this is what the dirtiest hotel looks like? On the plus side, for the Times Square area, it’s price is a deal if you don’t have health or safety concerns. Patricking, who posted this shot on Flickr wrote that this is how he found his room when he arrived. The bag is the only additon. This was in April 2007. For other dirty of the dirtiest.

Check out these weird hotels:


Also on the dirtiest list:

  • Nashville – Days Inn Vanderbilt / Music Row, Nashville, TN
  • Ramada Niagara Falls – Niagara Falls, NY
  • Red Carpet Inn, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • Regency Inn & Suites, New York, NY
  • St. Augustine Beachfront Resort, Saint Augustine, FL
  • Travel Inn Civic/Medical Center, Miami, FL
  • Eden Roc Motel, Wildwood, NJ
  • Days Inn Lancaster, Lancaster, PA
  • Pacific Sands Motel, Santa Monica, CA

    It’s too bad that those connected to Days Inn and Red Carpet Inn have such bad ratings. Since these are brand name hotels, it goes to show that reading about a hotel before you show up is a good idea instead of relying on the fact you have stayed in a perfectly fine Days Inn. I’d also double check to see if anything has changed since the last comments were made. Hotels and motels can go through transformations, however, in the case of the ones listed, there needs to be major, major improvements.

    For those of you traveling to the UK, TripAdvisor also lists the dirtiest hotels there. If a hotel has the word Eden in it, don’t be fooled in thinking it might be paradise. Regency, Manor and Resort also may not mean anything. Whoever thought up the name of some of these hotels had a way with words, even though they didn’t have a clue about how to run them.

    • Funniest Tripadvisor comments of the year

    by Grant Martin on

    We rarely get ridiculous posts or comments here on Gadling (ha), but in some of the heaviest-trafficked websites catering to the plebeian masses, it’s not uncommon to get erroneous, bogus or downright laughable comments. And on sites that rely completely on user participation, like Tripadvisor or Craigslist, those comments can sometimes pile up.

    At year’s end, Tripadvisor decided to have a laugh and publish some of their favorite posts from 2007. Here are a couple of gems:

    “I could have done without the blood-stained mattress and the (actual) chunk of poop on my bedspread, but I didn’t expect the Hilton”

    “Time could be spent pondering over the meaning of some of the many safety signs around the complex. Out of the several we managed to identify, the two we found to be of greatest use were 1. Not to step on any crocodiles whilst bare foot, and 2. No ugly, or spotty children to frequent the pool.”

    Good times. You can read more at their newswire release or soon on their blog.

    Travel trends for ’08 from TripAdvisor

    by Martha Edwards on

    2007 was a good year for travel. Well, at least it was for me — I managed to take 9 weeks off to travel, went to two countries I’ve never been before, crossed the equator twice and spent a large chunk of time beach-hopping. But it’s not all about me, is it? How was 2007 in terms of travel for you? Or in general?

    Oh, forget that. 2007 is nearly over and it’s time to move on to 2008. In honour of the coming of the new year, Trip Advisor has put together a list of travel trends we can expect to see in 2008. In particular, we can expect to see a push towards ‘green’ travel. And the environment won’t be the only concern for travellers — germs rank high on the list, so there will also be a push towards clean travel.

    Want to find out more about what to expect to see in ’08? Click here.