need help picking a hotel

My 17 yr old daughter and I are planning on comeing April 24, to april 29 (for the Barbaro Memeorial). I%26#39;ve already booked our rooms at the Seelbach but have changed my mind because we can%26#39;t really afford $200 a night. So I%26#39;m torn between the Hyatt Regency (I figure my daughter would like that one) or the Holiday Inn Airport East because we also want to go to the zoo and a couple malls.

I would greatly value any help and opinions.

Thank you.

Katie

need help picking a hotel

Hi Katie! You are right in the midst of pre-Derby activities and you should book NOW. I agree about the Seelbach, too $$$ and you%26#39;ll deal with downtown traffic and parking money. You are driving, right? The Barbaro event is at Churchill Downs. I have stayed at the Holiday Inn when we lost our power. It is very convenient to the Malls, zoo, race track and downtown. It has a bit of wear, but it%26#39;s not dirty or rundown at all. The plus side is that there%26#39;s no parking fee. There are not many restaurants around the property, but you are only a couple miles from plenty of places. I think you will be happy there. i remember the staff was very friendly and you have direct access to the Expressway.

need help picking a hotel

Thank you sooo much for your help!! We are flying in from Wa state. So we would be relying on cabs. Will that make a difference between staying downtown or at Holiday Inn Airport East?

We are so very excited to come!!! Which Malls do you recommend?

Thanks :o)

Katie

I recommend you rent a car. It will be easy to find the Malls and Churchill Downs and you may want to enjoy some of the downtown pre-derby activities such as the Chow Wagon down by the river. April 25 is the Derby Festival Mini Marathon and it will be difficult to get near the track that dat day...you%26#39;ll have to wait till about 1 I imagine. There%26#39;s also the fun Cherokee Art Fair that day, plus a slew of other events. Check my golist for Louisville and use the link for the city calendar. We have 2 nice malls within about 500 feet of each other, but you can%26#39;t walk to both because it%26#39;s a busy road. My daughter prefers the Mall of St Matthews. The other Mall is Oxmoor Mall. We also have a nice SteinMart across the street from Mall of St Matthews. There%26#39;s a shopping center before you get to the Mall with a Borders, Gift store, Feeder%26#39;s Supply and my favorite, Off Broadway Shoes . :-) Shelbyville Road Malls are directly off the Watterson Expressway; an easy drive.

I have a daughter and she would choose the Hyatt over the Holiday Inn Airport East hands down. I personally do not like the aiport east location. You could walk to Fourth Street Live which is near the Seelbach where there are several restaurants. There is also a couple waterfront restaurants, Joes Crab Shack and a Tumbleweed that have great walking along the river. If you can rent a car for a day you could go to St. Matthews Mall. A more unique experience and a place teens love to walk and hang out is Bardstown Road in the Highlands.

…about.com/od/…highlandstour.htm

www.thehighlandsoflouisville.com/Shopping.php

If you want to stay out from th

thank you so very much! We did pick the Hyatt because of your daughter%26#39;s recommendation.

Thanks again :o)

Katie

Glad to help. If you shop Bardtown Rd/Higlands make sure your daughter checks out EAR-xtacy. It is a teens wonderland of cd%26#39;s etc. There are many small quirky shops with clothing and jewery and many many restaurants. Marks Feed Store is a local casual barbecue place that is reasonable and good for lunch or dinner. Avalon is great and wonderful outdoor seating if it is a nice day. Another shop she might want to peak in for souvenirs is Why Louisville.

WHY Louisville | Souvenirs %26amp; Curiosities

Shop Online Anytime

STORE HOURS

Monday-Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 10am - 8pm

Sunday: 12pm - 6pm

1583 Bardstown Rd.

Have a great visit.

Here is the Fourth Street Live Link

http://www.4thstlive.com/events.cfm

I have to second that rec to go to Bardstown Road. I have 2 daughters, 15 and 19 and they LOVE it. Really fun store is the Queen of Rags (is that the name) a funky vintage place. Lots of fun places. I do not think a 17 yr old would really like Joe%26#39;s Crab Shack- it%26#39;s fine for a 10 yr old%26#39;s party, but the food is pretty bad. What kind of food does she like? We have some outstanding places in this city. Both my kids love sushi and we have several great places. Don%26#39;t waste your money (lots of it) at the Hyatt for breakfast. Go to Toast on Market or a bit further to North End Cafe. However. Saturday is the Mini-Marathon and there will be about 25,000 people downtown, so you%26#39;d better find out how to get out of there, as half the city is shut down!!

thank you for you tips about meals. I was looking up restaurants last night....I%26#39;m a meat and potatoes person and my daughter is a vegetarian so it%26#39;s hard to find places where we can both get something good

Katie

Thank you so much for your shopping tips. We have 1 day just devoted to shopping so I%26#39;ll make sure we go to those places. I%26#39;m getting soooo excited!! I love KY and wish I could live there.

Katie

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