South - Dallas Hotel Recommendations

I have decided to head to Dallas rather than stay near the airport during my layover in DFW as I want to explore the city a bit more. Also will just head into town via taxi and back to avoid driving and stuffing around with public transport.

Which area/hotel will you recommend in Dallas?

I am thinking of priceline a hotel and they have the following areas:

Arlington - Grand Prairie – area map Best deal

Arlington South – area map Best deal

DFW Airport North – area map Best deal

DFW Airport South – area map Best deal

Dallas Northwest – area map Best deal

Downtown Dallas – area map Best deal

East Dallas - Mesquite – area map Best deal

Frisco - Plano West – area map Best deal

Galleria - Dallas North – area map Best deal

Grand Prairie South – area map Best deal

Hurst - Euless - Bedford – area map Best deal

Irving - Las Colinas – area map Best deal

Knox - Northpark – area map Best deal

Lewisville – area map Best deal

Market Center - DAL Love Field – area map Best deal

Park Central – area map Best deal

Richardson - Plano – area map Best deal

My usual reply is to tell folks coming here to get a rental car. But if you're set on public transit & cabs, and also set on Priceline, I'd try downtown Dallas, no question. Although Dallas is not as geographically concentrated as other cities and downtowns, there is a bunch to do in Downtown, and anywhere inside the downtown freeway loop will be a relatively short walk to both the light rail and the DART bus centers.

Most of the other areas do have transit, but not every hotel in those areas will be near the bus/train stations. And having to take a cab to a bus stop seems like a real hassle. And taking a cab everywhere will likely negate your Priceline hotel savings.

Excluding a very small portion of old downtown, Dallas(northern exposures in particular) is a huge strip mall connected by expressways and tollways with a few suburbs with single family dwellings sandwiched in.

This was the wide open spaces. I don't think taxi is readily available in a large part of the area, and would probably cost a fortune.

car rental is very cheap, and even when the 40-50% tax is added, still not bad. check EZ car rental.

If there for a few hours, then taxi. a few days, car rental.

If must cab, I would think the most central area for restaurants would be around Addison. I do not know of hotel deals in that area.

Definitely agree with the previous posters. Unfortunately, Dallas is a city which you need your own wheels.

Do the Galleria or Downtown for your two options, as these will net out a nice hotel in the heart of town. Galleria is nicer if you want to go shopping, Downtown is better for the history. Enjoy dinner/drinks in West End.

As the previous poster said, it is sort of one big strip mall here... but its our strip mall, and its the Biggest Strip Mall in the World... everything is Bigger here in Texas.

If you are dead set on not having a car, and are going to visit the 6th Floor Museum (as you indicated in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=715278) :)), downtown Dallas would be your best bet, IMO.

You'll probably want to acquire the phone number of a cab company or two, as finding one in the street might not be easy.

Thanks all,

I am now contemplating whether I should get a car.

Is driving hard in Dallas (directions, parking etc....)?

Also for the places I am going, would traffic jam be a problem (JFK museum and AA museum, and the galleria for shopping - is that the largest mall??)

The Galleria is the most ritzy/pretentious mall (take your pick of terms). It is not the biggest in DFW, that honor probably goes to Grapevine Mills, in, well, Grapevine. Although Grapevine Mills doesn't have high-end retailers (like Bailey Banks & Biddle).

I find Dallas proper relatively easy to get around in - very gridlike and the streets are mostly straight.

Thanks all,

I am now contemplating whether I should get a car.

Is driving hard in Dallas (directions, parking etc....)?

Also for the places I am going, would traffic jam be a problem (JFK museum and AA museum, and the galleria for shopping - is that the largest mall??)

real estate in dallas is cheap. most parking lots are very large and have space.

driving is fairly easy. lots of toll roads, so bring quarters(I got a texas toll pass). I find a compass useful, and as the toll roads bend and fork, without much info, or with info that I cannot digest(this way to Hurst or grapevine or somesuch). there are roads everywhere named Beltline.

evening rush hour is not a fun time.

the maps at the rentalcar agencies are not very useful.

The Galleria is the most ritzy/pretentious mall (take your pick of terms). It is not the biggest in DFW, that honor probably goes to Grapevine Mills, in, well, Grapevine. Although Grapevine Mills doesn't have high-end retailers (like Bailey Banks & Biddle).

I find Dallas proper relatively easy to get around in - very gridlike and the streets are mostly straight.

The nicest mall in Dallas is Northpark on 75. The biggest mall in DFW would be either Hulen or the Parks.

To the OP...if you're going through Priceline and bidding downtown Dallas...a 4* bid will almost always give you the Hyatt Regency in d/t Dallas. My parents come here somewhat often and with 1 exception are able to bid on Priceline and get that room for between $65-80 (before tax). This is what the building looks like:

http://dallasregency.hyatt.com/hyatt/images/hotels/dfwrd/gallery_9.jpg

The nice things about that area is you can walk/taxi to West End, Victory Park, and Uptown. These areas will provide substantial amounts of entertainment, nightlife, food, and people watching. If you just want to see "Dallas proper" then go stay near the Galleria area and you can venture to the Galleria mall as well as the 100+ restaurants on Beltline in Addison (northwest Dallas).

Another good hotel that shows up on priceline (usually in the $90+ range) is Hotel Palomar. I think that it goes under the "Knox-Northpark" title. It puts you close to Northpark (the best mall in DFW IMO and not as crowded as Galleria) as well as you're next to Mockingbird Station and within a short cab/car ride to Knox/Henderson and/or Lower Greenville.

real estate in dallas is cheap. most parking lots are very large and have space.

driving is fairly easy. lots of toll roads, so bring quarters(I got a texas toll pass). I find a compass useful, and as the toll roads bend and fork, without much info, or with info that I cannot digest(this way to Hurst or grapevine or somesuch). there are roads everywhere named Beltline.

evening rush hour is not a fun time.

the maps at the rentalcar agencies are not very useful.

real estate is cheap??? Haha...thanks for the laugh.

Did you get lost? The Dallas North Tollway does just that...it goes north out of d/t Dallas until you reach Frisco (Hwy 121). It doesn't curve every which way like you said. The other tollroad (George Bush) runs E/W through Plano before going South towards Las Colinas/DFW Airport area.

Beltline is one road...it serves as a city street loop around Dallas County.