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Accommodation

There's no shortage of hotel space in Seattle, but it can be difficult to find the middle ground between smart, expense-account-type places - some of which are superb - and the seedy dives of the down-and-out. The standard-issue motels lining the highways on the outskirts of town are reliable, if predictable, but you'll sniff far more of Seattle's flavor by staying at a Bed and Breakfast. Mostly homey and comfortable, these lie scattered amongst the city's neighborhoods with a concentration in the Capitol Hill district on the northeast edge of downtown. Most B&Bs take reservations direct, but others use an agency who will require a deposit (credit cards will do) with your booking, which should be made well in advance: try the Pacific Bed & Breakfast Agency, 701 NW 60th St (784-0539), or the Washington Bed and Breakfast Guild, 2442 NW Market St (548-6224), which has members across the state as well as in Seattle.

Budget travellers are in for a treat at the Seattle International Hostel on the waterfront, but otherwise low-price, downtown accommodation is usually grim and occasionally risky. If you want to camp, try Fay Bainbridge State Park (842-3931) at the northeast end of Bainbridge Island, where there are a handful of basic sites.

Hotels and motels
Bed and Breakfasts
Hostels

Hotels and motels

Alexis Hotel
1007 First Ave at Madison (624-4844).
Medium-sized hotel downtown near the waterfront. All the luxuries, from jacuzzis to real wood-burning fireplaces, but no views from this tastefully restored early twentieth-century building. $130-180.

The Edgewater
Pier 67 at Wall St and Alaskan Way (728-7000).
Seattle's only waterfront hotel is a treat. Rates soar if you want a room overlooking Puget Sound. $130-180+.

Mercer Island Travelodge
7645 Sunset Hwy, Mercer Island (232-8000).
Simple, comfortable motel doubles. About five miles east of downtown, just off I-90 on Lake Washington's Mercer Island, a leafy, low-key island-suburb. $45-60.

Moore Hotel
1926 Second Ave at Virginia St (448-4851).
Grim and basic hotel with unsettling nightlife just outside the front door. But it is low-priced and right downtown, a stone's throw from Pike Place Market. $30-45.

Motel 6
18900 S 47th Ave (241-1648).
The lowest prices of the nationally known motels, but it is some distance out of town near the airport; exit 152 from I-5. up to $30.

Pacific Plaza
400 Spring St (623-3900).
Newly renovated 1920s hotel, halfway between Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. Unambitious doubles. $60-80.

St Regis Hotel
116 Stewart St at Second Ave (448-6366).
Scruffy but centrally located hotel across the street from the Pike Place Market. It's a risky area at night, but fine during the day. Very basic doubles. $30-45.

Seattle Hotel
315 Seneca St (623-5110).
Modern, downtown hotel, with reasonably priced doubles. $60-80.

Stouffer Madison Hotel
515 Madison St at Sixth Ave (583-0300).
Massive, luxurious hotel at the southeast edge of downtown. $130-180.

Super 8 Motel
3100 S 192nd St (433-8188 or 1-800/800-8000).
Standard motel doubles out near the airport. $30-45.

Woodmark Hotel
1200 Carillon Point, Kirkland (822-3700 or 1-800/822-3700).
Located in the wealthy suburb of Kirkland, seven miles east of downtown on the shores of Lake Washington, this splendid modern hotel is the height of luxury, but it's only worth the price if you're in one of the lakeside rooms (or suites). $180+.

Bed and Breakfasts

Chelsea Station Bed & Breakfast Inn
4915 N Linden Ave (547-6077).
Opposite the south entrance of Woodland Park Zoo, northwest of downtown across Lake Union. Good- quality doubles, with king beds. $60-80.

College Inn
4000 NE University Way in the U district (633-4441).
Very popular, basic B&B above its own restaurant and bar. Rates include full breakfast. A students' and backpackers' favorite. $60-80.

Gaslight Inn
1727 15th Ave at Howell (325-3654).
Capitol Hill landmark home converted into attractive B&B, with its own swimming pool. $60-80.

Green Gables Guesthouse
1503 W Second Ave (282-6863).
Refurbished turn-of-the-century villa near Seattle Center. Rather twee, but the food is delicious compensation. Four rooms. $60-80.

Lake Union B&B
2217 N 36th St (547-9965).
Three blocks north of Gasworks Park, this 2-roomed B&B offers ample and luxurious accommodation. Parking can be a pain. $80-100.

Roberta's Bed & Breakfast Inn
1147 E 16th Ave at Prospect (329-3326).
Plushly furnished Capitol Hill B&B on quiet residential street near Volunteer Park. Five double rooms. $80 - $100.

Salisbury House
750 16th E Ave at Aloha (328-8682).
Capitol Hill location for this grand maple-floored, high-ceilinged B&B. Four doubles. $80-100.

Hostels

Commodore Hotel
2013 Second Ave (448-8868).
Bargain-basement, cheerless downtown hotel in chancy location. Dormitory, hostel-like, beds at $12; also singles and doubles. up to $30.

Green Tortoise Backpackers' Guesthouse
715 N Second Ave at Roy (322-1222).
New uptown hostel, partly owned by the alternative bus company, two blocks north of the Seattle Center. Bus #15 or #18 from Amtrak, #1, #2 or #13 from Greyhound. $10 dorms, also private doubles. up to $30-45.

Seattle International AYH Hostel
84 Union St, behind Pike Place Market (622-5443).
Comfortable and well equipped, with dorm beds for $14 (AYH members) or $17 (non-members) a night. Midnight curfew, and you'll need a sheet sleeping bag. Closed 10am-5pm. Full membership required and reservations advisable from June to September. up to $30.

Vashon Island AYH Hostel
12119 SW Cove Rd, Vashon Island (May-Oct; 463-2592).
Rural Vashon Island is a thirty-minute ferry ride (Mon-Sat) from Seattle's Pier 50. A refreshing break from the city.

YMCA
909 Fourth Ave (382-5000).
By far the best option if you want your own room, clean and safe and open to men and women. Dorm beds (which are reserved for AYH members) cost $17, also private singles and doubles. up to $30-45.

YWCA
1118 Fifth Ave (461-4888).
For women only, and slightly older (and cheaper) than the YMCA. Large clean rooms with or without private bath. $30-45.

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