Just came back from a weekend getaway to Saratoga Springs -- about 2+ hours drive from where we live. We arrived in the late afternoon on Saturday and headed straight for dinner at Haweli. Wonderful Indian food!!! After dinner, we connected up with friends at the Ben & Jerry's Scoopshop and did some walking through downtown. The scene was crazy, but civilized. We were there on the first big racing weekend, so downtown was teeming with humanity... it seemed like every block there was another band/artist performing live music... and the architecture is sooo lovely. Our friend walked us through some of the sites of Congress Park -- so beautiful, clean and well-manicured! When we finally called it a night, we checked in to the EconoLodge in Schenectady, about 20 minutes away. We'd booked our trip at the last minute and there were no available rooms in Saratoga Springs -- unless we wanted to pay $300+ for one night -- so we ended up spending only $66 on the room and added a little extra driving to our trip. No biggie. The hotel was kinda in the middle of nowhere and Schenectady's downtown just looks bombed out... construction sites everywhere... empty storefronts... etc. We were a little nervous, at first, but the parking lot for the hotel was packed, so we felt a little better. The room was super-simple -- no frills, whatsoever -- but extremely clean, which is always my big issue (can't sleep if the place feels icky-dirty -- ugh!), which was also a relief. And, for $66, It was a bargain... thank god it was clean! Next morning we made an appointment for mineral baths later in the day and met up with our friends for brunch at the Olde Bryan Inn -- YUM! Cool, historic building with stone, wood beams, etc... beautiful -- and the food was great, too! After, we cruised the town and ogled the lovely and well-kept Victorian homes. Then, we headed out to Ballston Spa -- a neighboring town, about 10 minutes away -- where we hit the Medbery Inn and Spa for our mineral bath, which is what the area is also famous for. Beautiful, charming, lovely place where we got a 2-person tub and took a soak for half an hour. They plied us with lemonade... fruit juices... fresh fruit and the most wonderful, private tub for 2, in our own room. All for $30! Ahhh... relaxing. We ended the day by hitting the Saratoga State Park for a concert at SPAC, which may be a simple venue, but makes you feel like you're in the middle of the woods, surrounded by beautiful tall trees. All in all, a fun and relaxing weekend -- can't wait to go back!

Hotel shows its age. Pleasant, but barefoot desk help. Noisy, marginally safe part of town from appearances and nightime activity. I have just about gotten to the point that I will skip the Econolodges in the future. You can't count on the quality and the brand/price ratio is not buying you anything anymore it seems,