Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 828-225-6932;
www.lazoomtours.com
;
per person $21-24)
For a hysterically historical tour
of the city, hop on the purple bus - and bring your own booze.
Sleeping
handles bookings for numerous area B&Bs, from gingerbread cottages to alpine cabins.
Sweet Peas
HOSTEL$
( 828-285-8488;
www.sweetpeashostel.com
;
23 Rankin Ave; dm/pod/r $28/35/60;
)
This spic-and-span hostel gleams with IKEA-like style, with shipshape steel bunk beds
and blond wood sleeping 'pods.' The loftlike space is very open and can be noisy (a
downstairs pub adds to the ruckus) - what you lose in privacy and quiet, you gain in
style, cleanliness, sociability and an unbeatable downtown location.
Campfire Lodgings
CAMPGROUND$$$
( 828-658-8012;
www.campfirelodgings.com
; 116 Appalachian Village Rd; tent/RV sites $38/45,
yurts from $115, cabins $160; )
All yurts should have flatscreen TVs, don't you
think? Sleep like the world's most stylish Mongolian nomad in one of these furnished
multiroom tents, on the side of a wooded hill. Cabins and tent sites are also available.
Wi-fi access at RV sites, which have stunning valley views.
Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa
RESORT$$$
$$$
( 828-252-2711;
www.groveparkinn.com
; 290 Macon Ave; r from $269; )
This
titanic arts-and-crafts-style stone lodge, which celebrates its centennial in 2013, has a
hale-and-hearty look that sets the mood for adventure. But no worries all you modern
mavens, the well-appointed rooms come with 21st-century amenities. The spa is an un-
derground grotto with stone pools and an indoor waterfall. The Nantahala Outdoor
Center (
Click here
)
just opened a 'basecamp' here, certified by Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED).
Aloft Asheville
HOTEL$$$
$$$
( 828-232-2838;
www.aloftasheville.com
; 51 Biltmore Ave; r from $242; )
At
first glance this new downtown hotel looks like the 7th ring of hipster: giant chalkboard
in the lobby, groovy young staff, a neon lounge with bright retro chairs. The only thing
missing is a wool-cap-wearing bearded guy drinking a hoppy microwbr- oh, wait, over
there. We jest. Once settled, you'll find the staff knowledgeable, the rooms spacious, and
