Kay_nyc

My parents have two of these certs expiring May 2015, and I'm pretty sure I can't fit them into their planned travel over the course of the next year. Any suggestions for a weekend trip use? They already did the Willard in DC, so that's out. They're not really interested in a New York City weekend. Montreal would be nice, but I don't think they want to drive that much.

I'm thinking of just organizing a weekend trip to Long Island (there's a Hotel Indigo) or Lake George, but I wonder if there are better uses of the certs within a few hours drive of northern NJ.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Intercontinental Boston. There also is the IHG resort in the Berkshires, but I really don't know how good the actual product is. Finally, although not as far as Montreal, there also is a Crowne Plaza at Lake Placid, I believe.

Kay_nyc

Thank you! I hadn't thought of the Crowne Plaza in Lake Placid, and it actually looks like a nice place to stay. Probably a good option for skiing in the winter. (IC Boston is also a good idea - but they've been to Boston a ton).

I ended up booking them into the Hotel Indigo - Long Island East End. It's not directly on the beach, but close enough, and it makes for a nice summer long weekend. Geez, the rate for that nice but basic hotel is $400/night on weekends.

I might look at the Lake George Resort next year if they're in the same situation. That property looks like a decent option for a summer weekend. There also a few properties in Ocean City, MD... not even remotely aspirational, but close to beach, and convenient to Assateague Island.

In case anyone else is interested, here's the list of properties I considered, in order of how much I like them:


City Breaks

• The Willard DC
• InterContinental Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Intercontinental Boston

Close to Beach/Mountains

• Hotel Indigo Long Island East End
• Holiday Inn Resort Lake George-Turf (NY)
• Crowne Plaza Lake Placid (NY)
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ocean City (MD)
• Crowne Plaza Pittsfield-Berkshires (MA)
• Holiday Inn Bethany (MD)
  

NJUPINTHEAIR

There also is a Holiday Inn Resort in I believe Ascutney, Vt. but I believe that like its counterpart in the Berkshires, it has not received very good reviews on T/A.

Of course, your parents could also make it a nice weekend in NYC taking in theater, museums and restaurants, etc. should they wish to stay at either IC property in NYC, but I believe that you ruled that one out above.

pointshogger

I generally wait for the PointsBreak promotions to happen. There is usually at least one hotel nearby (45 min drive or so) away from NYC.

What you can do is book a fully refundable room and once the Pointsbreak list is released to cover your trip, you can see what's available on the list.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Yes, the H/I Berkshires definitely fits that bill this time around, but the OP wants to use the credit card certs, so they should be used at properties that never go on PBs.

Kay_nyc

Thanks for the input folks. Looks like my list of easy weekend trip properties is exhaustive, and that it won't make sense to keep the cards if the certs don't fit into existing travel plans.