you can get a hotel- motel for 150 easy in lake george,about a 20-25 minute drive to from the spa

Back in the 80's, used to stay at my pal's broken down cabins in Bolton Landing on the cheap. Those were the days!

Last year, stayed in a motel off Exit 18 in Queensbury for $110 a night. Found a great pizza joint, too - Angelina's.

Ocala Mike
We stay at the same place as you, Was $100 last year, we are paying $110
this year. 4 exits up from track exit. Very clean. They give a small breakfast, toast juice cereal bagel coffee, Not bad!

I'm a local, but suggest for the full experience bite the bullet and get a hotel in town or get one in Lake George and enjoy the Lake for a day or two. Do not recommend staying in Clifton Park, Glens Falls or especially not Albany. Just not the same. In fact, way worse.

ALBANY!!!! What a great way to destroy your Saratoga experience.


Albany is what you are getting away from - not a place to stay in conjunction with your Saratoga trip. YUK!!!

I realize many folks do, for economic reasons, BUT if I'm not in position to stay "upstate" in the general Saratoga area, I'm not going.

I actually found a place in a town called Round Lake for right at $100 a night.
(Chamber Lane Motel) Quiet and off of the beaten path.

Accommodating, but certainly not luxurious.
Fifteen minutes from the track, with plenty of eateries coming and going.
I recommend the Malta Diner for moderately priced good food.

Motels!!!! Yuck!!!

Another establishment that strives during the Saratoga Meet....
On any other night , those rooms go for $29....
Wouldn't be caught in one of those.....(also the wife might turn into Michael Myers and do a job on me)

Mike

If you're old, married and go to Saratoga regularly so that it is not a unique experience, there's nothing wrong with Albany. I'd rather stay in the hotel and handicap the Sunday card than go out. The racing is the focal point, but nothing wrong with some fun to go along with it, that is, if you are not old and married.

weather changing
 

Sunday looks rough with t-storms. Hopefully it goes back to no rain as the forecast changes daily. Im looking into decent BnB’s near the track or
i just might shell out 400 for a hotel in TOGA.

I've been going to Saratoga since 2003, every August with the exception of '09 and '17. I get older every year and I'm pretty grateful for this, as most of us. I'm not married, or getting married. I'm also not looking for anyone to pay for my hotel, my meals, my drinks, or bankroll my wagering.

The greatest thing? Many friends there who love racing, who love handicapping and know there's fun at every stage of life. Maybe you're already there, maybe not. However, your view is quite limited.

Well those of us that live in Albany enjoy our Saratoga experience just fine. We actually make that huge 40 minute trek up the Northway all the time. Sometimes we even go out to dinner in Saratoga after the track before making the exhausting trip home.

For someone looking at the last minute Albany isn't a bad option. Easy ride up and back. If you don't want to hang around Saratoga after the races there are plenty of good restaurants to chose from. Most of your day will be spent at the track anyway.

Pricing appears to be pretty reasonable in all of the Albany hotels right now.

I like your post!

Yep. Malta diner is a good choice for cheap eats.

Allan

Check out the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls - they just completed a major renovation of the rooms, and it's the same distance as Albany (and the downtown area is nicer, imo).

For those looking to spend a fortune, the Adelphi Hotel on Broadway in Saratoga is really nice now -- I guess $40 mm in renovations will do that.

Sorry, the post was actually a poor attempt at self-deprecation and a bad joke, but there is probably a little truth in it, as I am more interested in handicapping and hearing talk about the horses, racing, and seeing the horses up close than a meal and drinking downtown after the races, and it was meant as a reply to the poster who said that if he couldn't stay in Saratoga he wouldn't go. And who isn't grateful to get older?

My wife and I have been going down from Boston pretty much every weekend except for one or two during the meet, since 2000. We've sat in the same area, and have made friends with the regular people around us, mainly through my wife, who would talk to people around us. We attended the Breeders Cup last year with friends we met years ago at Saratoga, and had a great time, and have gone to parties with at people's houses who live in the area.

We go down Friday night after work, and back Sunday after the races; by the time Travers weekend rolls around it usually is kind of a haul, so a quiet meal and hotel room in Albany on a Saturday night is OK with us.

I like this post a whole lot better...we have much in common! ;)