Monterey Historics hotel suggestions?

[Ringmaster]

Hey Californians,

I am in the midst of planning my trip down for the '09 Monterey Historics and I could really use some help deciding where to stay. Word on the street is that you need to book very early to get the right spots. I haven't been to the area in almost twenty years so I have no idea

Ideally I would stay in a smaller hotel not too far from the event that was clean and had a safe place to park my car. It would also be nice to keep it under $250/night but I don't know if this is possible over the Historics weekend?

Do any of these places fit my needs?

http://laguna-seca.com/pages/hotels_travel

Also, is parking at the event a major PITA? I see they sell a 3 day VIP parking pass for $75. Is it worth it?

Thanks

[trekkor]

Check out the Quality Inn in Marina. It's about 20-30 minutes from Laguna.
Good parking, nice restaurant across the street and it right on the coast.
There is a state beach you can walk to as well.

I've stayed there many times.



KT

[aigel]

I have stayed at the Motel6 in Marina which is in the same location than Trekkor's tip. It is one of the nicer Motel6 that I have been at. I also have stayed at the Motel6 in Salinas which I would not recommend. That has too much transient people / laborers staying there and is too far from the beach / nice areas.

I have also stayed in the Monterey Plaza, which is in Monterey on cannery row right at the water. Very nice hotel. They have valet parking / parking garage. They will cost you 5x the Motel6 price. Likely $250 will get you the back side room.

The town of Monterey certainly is overrated - the cannery row strip is set back from the water with no coast access. Marina actually has a nicer beach than the town of Monterey. No dogs allowed on that state beach.

That's all the input I have ...

George

[Ringmaster]

Thanks for the help. It seems like there are some decent options.

Are there any smaller boutique type places that don't require a Carrera GT-sized bank account to pay for the room charges?

[MattKellett]

Ringmaster - not really sure where to recommend that isn't very expensive. I'm writing this sitting in a very nice hotel in Carmel before going to dinner. The trouble is that most places are booked and at about 2 to 3 times the normal rate!!! So for a reasonable rate you will need to stay further away.

Parking can be far away from the track, but I've not found it too far to walk. But there will be a Porsche corral trackside for the weekend, I cant really remember how much it was last year but I think about $50 or maybe it was $75.

[artplumber]

Not to hijack the thread, but should there be a sticky about Historics plans?

[p911dad]

If Carmel is not to far for you, try the Green Lantern Inn.

[trekkor]

What are the dates of the Historics?


KT