Looking for a nice motel or hotel to stay in near Gorham N.H.

[hermit]

Thanks in advance for any help.I am planning on hiking the Presidentail Range in 1 day in the next few weeks with a friend.I will arrive the day before and would probably take a short hike,spend the night and hike the range the next day with a friend from Vermont who is very familiar with the White Mountains ,spend the night and travel back to the Catskills . It's been 40 years since I was in the White Mountains,and I drove my Veh. up Mt. Washington after coming back from Quebec City.I am looking for a quiet place to stay near the route.I know that we need to spot cars early that day.Looking for a place with a pool in case my girl friend comes along,so she can stay at the pool and have cocktails while I hike.Maybe another town besides Gorham would be better.It doesn't have to be fancy,just clean.
Thanks so much
Ralph

 

[Tom Rankin]

Hey Ralph! Check these out:

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?4898-Cheap-Sleeps-in-the-Whites

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?42627-Lodging-in-Gorham

 

[peakbagger]

Top Notch, Northern Peaks and MT Madison motel all have pools but are all on directly on main street and back up against a railroad tracks so you get a very early morning wake up call. Royalty Inn has a pool and set back from the road a bit, most regard it as the best one in town. Northern Peaks is probably the most basic They are all quite busy. The Town and Country in the next town over, Shelburne, does not have a pool and gets a lot of traffic plus a railroad crossing close by. Shelburne is in the opposite direction of your intended hike. There are two bed and breakfasts in Shelburne . There is one next to the AT crossing in Shelburne with a good reputation with hikers http://whitemountainslodgeandhostel.com/?page_id=36. The owner is trying to sell it but i beleive they running it until they get a buyer. The other one is the Mt Washington Bed and Breakfast. I havent heard anything good or bad, but they do seem to close quite often. There is also a motor court with cottages in Jefferson plus a couple of hotels near Santa Village on the west side of Jefferson.

Many VFTT folks like Mt Madison but given its location at a major intersection and a railroad track in the back its not what you call quiet.

 

[Raven]

The Royalty also has a hot tub and dry sauna which is nice after a hike like that. Really nice after a winter hike.

 

[Breeze]

The Town and Country most definitely DOES have a pool, as well as other amenities.

http://www.townandcountryinn.com/amenities.htm

"Next town over" means little, the T&C is barely a half mile from the intersection of 2 and 16, is set back from the roadway and offers a nice view over the golf course.



Breeze

 

[peakbagger]

My mistake , the T&C does has an indoor pool.

The place (and several other motels) has been taken over by construction workers for the power plant project in Berlin of late.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

My mistake , the T&C does has an indoor pool.

The place (and several other motels) has been taken over by construction workers for the power plant project in Berlin of late.

I like the Town and Country but I would not care to dip into their indoor pool.

 

[Lefty E]

Moose Brook Motel on Rt. 2 shortly before the Rt. 2/16 jct. also has an inground pool and reasonable rates though I do not know the reputation...looks full quite a bit in the tourism months.....

 

[hermit]

I want to thank you all for your help! I have been a member here since the 1990's and re-joined in 2004 after the 2003 crash.I could always count on the folks on this web site for help.That Moose bk. motel looks interesting.After we complete the traverse I hope to submit a report with pictures,it's been a long time since I did that.
Thanks Ralph-aka Hermit aka Night Dog!

 

[Raymond]

The Moose Brook had no air conditioning when we stayed there in August 2001 and I was miserable during a hot spell even for just the one night, trying to sleep with my head at the foot end of the bed, sprawled under the ceiling fan.

I recommend the Mt. Madison. I haven’t found it noisy.

 

[hermit]

Thanks Raymond,it's good to know that.The Mt.Madison does look like a nice place to stay!

 

[erugs]

The Moose Brook had no air conditioning when we stayed there in August 2001 and I was miserable during a hot spell even for just the one night, trying to sleep with my head at the foot end of the bed, sprawled under the ceiling fan.

I recommend the Mt. Madison. I haven’t found it noisy.

2001 is a while ago, isn't it? I know, it seems like yesterday to some. (Myself included.)

 

[Driver8]

Hi Ralph:

I'll put in for the obvious, deluxe and expensive and note that the Mt. Washington Hotel has everything and is right nearby the southern end of your traverse - you can leave Car 1 at Appalachia overnight. Expensive, I'm sure, but you won't need to sweat having any accommodation or amenity within reason and several above and beyond. If within the budget, there's something to be said for a nice dinner in that restaurant with a view of your course, where you can dine in sore satisfaction at your accomplishment and the events of the day. They might even have a complimentary glass of champagne or other grog for patrons who've completed the traverse, who knows?

 

[Raymond]

Ellen, that’s why I mentioned the year. There could easily have been an upgrade in the last dozen years, but if air conditioning is important, for Ralph or anyone else reading this, it would be worth verifying before outlaying any money. I kind of think the motel’s office had a unit, but our room didn’t.

 

[erugs]

Ellen, that’s why I mentioned the year. There could easily have been an upgrade in the last dozen years, but if air conditioning is important, for Ralph or anyone else reading this, it would be worth verifying before outlaying any money. I kind of think the motel’s office had a unit, but our room didn’t.

I agree. I've stayed in a few sketchy places and now will spend another $10 bucks to be comfortable.

 

[peakbagger]

Its always difficult to answer the OPs type of request, everyone is looking for something different. To some Hikers Paradise or the Barn would suit them well for a basic place to sleep while many would probably opt for more. AMC used to have the tradition to book rooms at the Notchland Inn for Presi Traverses. To many, the freight train that goes through Gorham and blasts its whistle in the early AM is a rude awakening. Mt Madison made an effort to get posts on trip advisor so they tend to be complementary. Town and Country used to be "the place to stay" years ago in the area but it has faded somewhat. Royalty took over " the place to stay" crown but for many the health club is of no interest and only half the rooms are particularly modern. I used to universally tell folks to stay away from the place in Berlin but I think the owners finally gave up.

 

[Silverfox]

Mount Madison has some very decent rooms and I like the fact that the owners are on site and take pride in their business...I usually dont sleep that late on a hike day so occasional truck noise at the corner has never been a problem

at the Royalty the rooms down towards the ends in motel section arent bad but I have had very noisy nights in the main building there and would not take one of those rooms again

hikers paradise must look pretty good if you are thru hiking for a couple of months but pretty scary otherwise

gorham motor lodge in a little spartan but large rooms and very clean when i have stayed there

 

[TwinMom+1]

We always stay at the Royalty. The rooms in the main building are quiet, clean, the WiFi us great and I personally love the health club's hot tub and warm indoor pool, plus in the summer there's an outdoor pool. I agree with Silverfox that the rooms in the out buildings are smaller and can we noisy dep. on who's there. We hike/travel with our twin boys who are autistic and the pools were a key factor for them. Plus an ice cream stand across the street. For breakfast if you can wait til 7 am there's the White Mountain Cafe and if not I think the nearby McD's is open 24hrs. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[DreamFarmer]

Just want to add-Hikers Paradise has provided "shuttle service" for me in the past.