Hampton Inn in Concord (Bow) New Hampshire
Written: Feb 19 '03 (Updated Nov 05 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great rate, nice continental breakfast, location
Cons: indoor pool smell, slippery tiles around pool
The Bottom Line: A nice place to stay with attentive staff. Although geared toward business traveler, families can use it as a terrific stopping-off point.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Hampton Inn Concord/Bow, New Hampshire |
The ski trip my oldest daughter had been waiting a year for was coming up. However, we were also being stalked by a snowstorm that threatened to strike the day we planned to leave. It was up to Mom to make the call whether or not to leave New York a day early and hold up in a motel somewhere overnight.
I am happy to say, I made the right call. I was right to leave New York a day early before the worst storm the east coast has seen in seven years, and I was right to choose to stay at the Hampton Inn in Bow, New Hampshire on the outskirts of Concord.
I made a reservation at the Hampton Inn site on the Internet and got the terrific rate of $62.10 (AAA discount) for one night's accommodations for one adult and three kids. The site advertised an indoor pool and a complimentary continental breakfast - both features I was looking for.
The directions to the motel put it right on the path we were traveling at the intersection of Routes 93 & 89 just south of Concord. As I drove up I93, I clearly saw the Hampton Inn sign from the highway and had no trouble reaching it.
Check in was a breeze. Even though I had only made the reservation the afternoon before, I was in their computer with no problem. Their security is really good; the only way in and out of the motel (besides emergency exits) is through the lobby and past the front desk. I liked this feature quite a bit. I asked if a crib was available or I'd bring in my Pack-n-Play from my minivan. One was available, and brought down to our room within a half-hour of our arrival. It was a wooden one which I wasn't sure how well it would hold up with my son, but he slept in it just fine.
We parked the car and walked across a lot that was cleared pretty good of the snow. Our room was one floor down on the same level with the pool, non-smoking as I'd requested. If there's one complaint I'd have of the place it's that the smell of the chlorine from the pool seemed to permeate every hallway from the lobby down to our room. It didn't seem to affect our room, however.
Our room had two double beds, a table and chairs for playing cards or doing work, a set of drawers, and a wardrobe in the main room. The wardrobe was nice for hanging our bulky winter coats, and there was an iron and ironing board in there. I could tell this was a motel geared towards business travel, but it suited families as well.
In the bathroom was a 4-cup coffeemaker along with packets of both decaf and regular coffee. Why you would need this when coffee is available 24/7 in the lobby is beyond me, but some people just would not want to be bothered, I guess. The problem here was the location of the coffeemaker made it easy for my 2 � year old to grab the pot. (Another bit of child-proofing we had to do was to hide the telephone in the night-table between the two beds.) The bathroom was plenty big, although the sink is actually in the bathroom. There was soap, shampoo and lotion available, and a sign advised that if you'd forgotten anything at home, simply come up to the front desk for a complimentary replacement.
The pool area was nice. Pool towels were out and available, free of charge. The pool itself was not huge, but a nice size for the kids to play in. The tiles around the pool did get very slippery when wet, so it was hard to make sure my son didn't go running and end up getting hurt. There was a jacuzzi which held 4 people and is simply a backyard jacuzzi that was planted in a corner of the pool area. Next to the pool is a small exercise room. It has what appeared to be three or four pieces of equipment and a television.
In the morning when we woke up, I found a complimentary USA Today hanging on our door. I took that up with us to the lobby for our breakfast. For a complimentary meal, it was a very nice selection. To drink, there was hot coffee, tea, cocoa and a selection of juices. To eat, there were muffins, bagels, donuts, toast, toaster waffles, toaster french toast, cereal, yogurt, and hard-boiled eggs.
We sat down in the sitting area where there was a large-screen television and watched how the blizzard was pounding the northeast. It was a very pleasant morning, and it was nice to interact with other guests.
I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again, and I would highly recommend it to anyone else. Taking into account that I saved at least $20 by not having to eat breakfast out, it made the rates an even better deal!
Other sites to see in New Hampshire:
Attitash Bear Peak Ski Resort ~ Bretton Woods Ski Resort ~ Canobie Lake Park ~ Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort ~ Franconia Notch State Park ~ Kancamagus Highway ~ King Pine Ski Resort ~ Loon Mountain Ski Resort ~ Madison Boulder Natural Area ~ Mount Washington Cog Railway ~ North Conway, NH ~ Polar Express Event ~ Shawnee Peak, Bridgeton ME ~ Six Gun City ~ Story Land ~ Whale's Tale Waterpark ~ White Lake State Park ~ White Mountain National Forest ~ Wildcat Mountain
Some places to stay in New Hampshire:
Attitash Mountain Village - Bartlett NH ~ Comfort Inn & Suites - North Conway NH ~ Yankee Clipper Motel
Other places to eat in New Hampshire:
Bea's Cafe, Conway NH ~ Cafe Noche, Conway NH ~ Decades Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, North Conway NH ~ Harts Turkey Farm, Meredith NH ~ May Kelly's Cottage, North Conway NH ~ Merlino's Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Moat Mountain Smokehouse, North Conway NH ~ Muddy Moose, North Conway NH ~ Peach's Restauran, North Conway NH ~ Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub, Glen NH ~ Yankee Smokehouse, West Ossipee NH
Books about the area:
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide ~ 50 Hikes in the White Mountains
© 2003 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2078
Trusted by: 687 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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