Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Under $50
Madison's
HI Madison Hostel
(141 S. Butler St., 608/441-0144,
www.hiusa.org/madison
,
$23.50 members, $27 nonmembers), a year-round facility, is central, progressive, and very
wellrun.Six-beddormsandone-tothree-personroomsbookoutinsummer,sotrytomake
reservations.
$50-100
Here's something no one else seems to know about: stay at the you're-gonna-go-there-
anyway
UW Memorial Union
(800 Langdon St., 608/262-1583,
www.union.wisc.edu/
guestrooms
,
$80-110). Perfectly comfortable rooms with a couple of double beds; higher-
end rooms have lake views.
$100-150
Youmayluckoutandgetadecentviewatthe
Best Western Inn on the Park
(22S.Carroll
St., 608/257-8811,
www.innonthepark.net
, $150), which sits opposite the magnificent Cap-
itol. The hotel is nothing flashy, but it's in a prime spot.
A spiffy boutique hotel with European flair just off the State Street corridor is the
Cam-
pus Inn
(601 Langdon St., 608/257-4391,
www.thecampusinn.com
,
from $150). It's very
distinctive. More than one traveler has raved about the service.
Over $150
The towering (for the Mad City, anyway)
Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's
Club
(1W.DaytonSt.,608/257-6000,
www.concoursehotel.com
,
$170)certainlycanboast
someofthemostreputablediningandon-the-sceneoptionsintown.Equallyuptosnuffand
with killer views (in some rooms) is the
Hilton Madison
(9 E. Wilson St., 608/255-5100,
http://www.hiltonmadison.com
,
$175), adjacent to the Monona Terrace.
Madison finally got a chic boutique hotel in
HotelRED
(1501 Monroe St., 608/
819-8228,
www.hotelred.com
,
$175), near the Camp Randall football stadium. This means
lots of concrete and glass, minimalist design, and for cynics, an attempt to mimic trendy
European or New York City boutique hotels. However, it comes off as fresh and appealing.
Recommendedwithouthesitationisthe
M
Mansion Hill Inn
(424N.PinckneySt.,608/
255-3999,
www.mansionhillinn.com
,
from $200), an opulent 1858 Romanesque revival on
the National Register of Historic Places. Set snugly along a quiet residential street close to
downtown, this ornate piece of Victoriana features a distinctive gabled roof and wrought-
