Hampton Beach Hotels

We are planning a vacation to Hampton Beach in Aug and I am looking for a hotel recommendation. I will be traveling with my husband and 2 children (ages 9 %26amp; 2) I was looking for a hotel on the beach, with a pool, and an efficiency set-up. Any suggestions???

Hampton Beach Hotels

Chris,

If you click on Hampton Hotels, top left on your screen, you will get alot of info, photo%26#39;s, pricing and reviews on various places. Are you looking at a specific price range? Does the hotel need to have various amenities or would a motel be ok with you?

Hampton Beach Hotels

A motel would be fine. We are looking for inexpensive, but still clean, nice and hopefully within walking distance of some activities. We have never vacationed here before, but I heard there was mini golf, an arcade and a playgroud to help keep my 8 year old busy.

Does anyone have information regading the Aegean Motel? Good or Bad? It is not listed in the top 35..is this a sign that I should stay away?

Chris,

On page three look under a post by ';VeronicaNYC99'; named ';Motels in Hampton Beach';

There is info on various places to stay including the Aegean motel. Hope this will help.

I can tell you that there%26#39;s new owners and it%26#39;s NOT what it used to be if that helps you. It%26#39;s one of the better convenient motels directly across the street from the beach %26amp; the ';Lady'; statue. I really like that end of the beach better, so that way you%26#39;re lucking out with your kids. The boardwalk is easy to get to from there and besides that, your kids will really like Mrs. Mitchell%26#39;s gift shop and you%26#39;ll be walking right by it to get to your motel if you do stay there! Go in there and have them check out the crabs in the cage, that%26#39;s where we always have to go with the little ones, they love it! You just have to walk to the corner for the cross walk %26amp; a few yards down is the Aegean from there. It%26#39;s extremely convenient that way. Only a few doors down from the Ashworth By The Sea Motel. I didn%26#39;t see any write up on the Aegean here on TA at all. I did have a cousin stay there for a couple of summers a week at a time and they never had any issues with it at all AND it was the other owners at the time! I wrote about it here a few years ago and some one wrote back from NY that it was disgusting there, BUT like I said, that was when it was the other owners before. It%26#39;s definitely different now and the property looks in better shape too trust me! You can view the rooms on their site if that helps. It looks like a few of them were renovated, or I should say cleaned up from the way they were before! It looks like they got rid of that yucky dark (gross) paneling they used to use in the 60%26#39;s, LOL!

One thing about it is they have refrigerators in the room etc...so that will be ideal that way. You should find Market Basket in Seabrook to shop though! The little grocery stores at the beach are wicked high due to the summer prices. So remember that, if you get off at Exit 1 in Seabrook along Rte 1 you%26#39;ll see the Market Basket, that%26#39;s where you want to get your groceries, you%26#39;ll like their prices MUCH better.

Have a great time!

Another one I wanted to make sure you knew about is that a ton of families we know love love love the Main Sail on Ashworth Avenue. There%26#39;s reviews on TA right here about it. The only thing about it is that it%26#39;s a block in back of Ocean Blvd. That%26#39;s actually the only thing about it that you might not like. It definitely has a good reputation for not putting up with loud parties and all that though, so that%26#39;s a huge plus! It%26#39;s well run %26amp; they won%26#39;t tolerate party animals, which is a good thing for families %26amp; the little ones. It%26#39;s very very clean there and when you read the reviews on it, you can make your decision with it. I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s cheaper than the Aegean but it%26#39;s got a great reputation all around in other ways. It%26#39;s not exactly on the beach, but it%26#39;s near it at least, within walking distance. Remember though, the Aegean is right right there, directly across the street from the ocean where the Main Sail is down in back on Ashworth Avenue a block down from the ocean.

Thanks for all the great responses. What about the Pelham Resort? This is the one we are currently leaning towards. It seems to have good reviews, listed as #7, it is centrally located, and it has an outdoor pool. I got a little nervous with the Aegean when it was not listed and there was only one comment made in the forum.

another question....What is the casino water slide? Is it just one slide? is there more to it? a pool?

That%26#39;s the Casino Cascade Water slide. It%26#39;s one of those winding slides that goes in to a pool at the bottom, it%26#39;s not a huge pool per say, it%26#39;s just part of the slide where you land when you come out, it%26#39;s long at the end for the glide you%26#39;re doing as you come off the slide. The kids love this water slide, I remember taking my nieces there when they were small on it. I even went on it with them, it was fun! There%26#39;s always people on it, they obviously do a good business with it. One thing about it that we really liked is that they have life guards. I thought it was pretty reasonable what they charged for it too. Water Country is up in Portsmouth along Rte 1 and it%26#39;s a lot more for the day. This Water slide was great for a couple of hours after the beach or before it, you just have to check to see how crowded it is when you%26#39;re there, that%26#39;s all, it%26#39;s right near the beach any way, so it%26#39;s convenient.

There%26#39;s a picture of it on this site, scroll down to see it:

www.hamptonbeach.org/water-activities.cfm

The Pelham Resort is in a good location, it%26#39;s right near the Casino, along the boardwalk up front on Ocean Blvd where you want to be. The reviews on it aren%26#39;t bad at all. I guess they got new owners in the last few years and it%26#39;s not what it used to be, so that%26#39;s a good sign %26amp; it shows with the reviews. You%26#39;d be south of the Casino, but still near everything.

Which hotels allow you to leave your car for extended vac...

Leaving for San Francisco in November, want to leave the car at a hotel, if there are any that do that. If not, does anyone know how much the weekly parking rate is at the airport?

Which hotels allow you to leave your car for extended vac...

Long term lots at MHT are $10 per night. Most, if not all, the hotels at the airport offer long term parking. If you are an overnight guest some of them will shuttle you over and allow you to park for freee, or at least we did that a few years ago. There are some new hotels, and a couple have changed hands, so I don%26#39;t recall which one we stayed at. I am pretty sure you will find Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield, Inn, one of the Marriott suite hotels (not residence) and several others. I would contact them directly for their policy.

Which hotels allow you to leave your car for extended vac...

It%26#39;s been a couple of years since we did it, but we had a great park-and-fly experience with the Hampton Inn in Bedford, NH -- just across the river from the Manchester Airport. If they still have that option, they%26#39;re very handy to the airport, have nice rooms and a friendly staff.

As I recall, they do require you to stay with them at least one night to take advantage of their park-and-fly....but, at least when we did it, they even provided free shuttle service to the airport before our flight and picked us up when we got back. But it%26#39;s been just long enough that I%26#39;d asked, rather than assume, those services are still available.

A Google search of Hampton Inns should get you their phone number and contact information...

Highlander Inn by the Manchester airport has a park and fly and airport shuttle. Parking is less than the airport parking

www.highlanderinn.com

Hi Hoovedo,

(and a Fellow Canuck I see)

I ended up here totally by accident... one of the great things I like about Trip Advisor is sometimes surfing brings you the most amazing places. In this case I believe I have some info you might be particularly interested in.

I was looking at the HOTEL Reviews Section (click on the HOTELS button on the left side of this screen) I was checking to see what had happened since I posted a Review in August. Turns out that the Hotel I stayed at (which was very nice) has helped a recent traveller with their transportation needs to and from the airport, all the while keeping their car for them. And their Review said it was for about 30 days. Might be exactly what you are looking for.

The hotel is Comfort Inn Airport (today ranked as # 4 out of 18 Hotels) and their average nightly price is under $ 100.

In addition to contacting the hotel, you might want to check out the PROFILE for the poster who wrote the REVIEW and if they are a regularly active poster, you could send them a Private Message for more info on their experience.

Hope this is helpful,

Cheers!

Wine-4-2

The Highlander Inn Airport Parking is minutes from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Parking is $8.00 per day and the shuttle service to the Airport is free. If you stay over night at the Highlander Inn your parking fee is $5.00 per day for the first 7 days and only $8.00 per day after that. 603.625.8853- Direct Line or 1.800.548.9248 You can reserve a parking spot at www.Highlanderairportparking.com

Is this possible or rediculous

Lyn and I would really appreciate your help on this leg of our New England trip. On Saturday 3rd October 2009 we plan to drive from Boston to Bar Harbor. We aim to leave about 9:00am and we would hope to arrive at Bar Harbor about 18:00pm.

We were hoping to make a few stops along the way and were thinking of having a look around Salem, Kittery and Portland.

The tentative route that I was looking at is:-

Boston – Salem - via Rt 107 – 15 miles – about a half an hour

Salem to New Hampshire Turnpike – via I95 – 33 miles – about 40 minutes

New Hampshire Turnpike to Ashworth by the Sea – via RT 107 – 8 miles – about 10 minutes

Ashworth by the Sea to Wallis Sands – via Ocean Boulevard – 10 miles - about 25 minutes

Wallis sands to Kittery – via HWY 1 over Draw Bridge – 7 miles – 20 minutes

Kittery to Portland – via I95 – 55 miles - about 1 hour

Portland to Bar Harbor – via US Rt 1 – 170 miles – 3 hours 20 minutes

Total Mileage – 311 miles – 6.25 hours. This potentially could give us 3 hours for mooching around Salem, Kittery and Portland

I realise that I am not going the direct route but I just thought it would be nice to try and drive along Ocean Boulevard and US Rt 1 right next to the ocean. However, over 6 hours in the car may be too much even for us.

Your opinions on this route would be very much appreciated

Regards

Ray

Is this possible or rediculous

SomersetBoy-

A large chunk of this trip is really in ME rather than NH, and I like to schedule stuff during our trips but holy cow partner you are right down the the minute.

With NH only having about 50 miles of shoreline and the absolutey beauty of the ME seacoast, you may want to concentrate your ';visit'; along US Route 1. Which by the way is a beautiful ride almost anywhere along the its route down the Atlantic seaboard. I have seen alot of seacoast with 24 years of Naval service behind me now, but absolutely nothing compares to the ME coast line or the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia - My humble opinion, and I am married to a Nova Scotian, so a bias is present.

Portsmouth is not listed on your places to stop, and should be considered if you can fit it into the ';schedule.'; I am picking on you a bit here, you are suppose to be visiting and relaxing too, correct?

I fear that if you have never been through this region, your going to see many things from the windsheild and never get to stop and smell the roses. Do you and Lyn have a prefrence for things to see and do?

Travel Well!

Tazman

Is this possible or rediculous

Hi Tazman

I hear what you are saying - we have built in days to smell the roses honestly - you are not the first to have mentioned this. Its just that this is one of our longest trips and I want to make it as enjoyable as possible.

I%26#39;m not really that precise about the planning - I know it sounds as though I%26#39;m planning a military operation - its not really like that - I%26#39;m just trying to get a feel of what is realistic and also have one or two places to visit up my sleeve when Lyn has had enough of sitting in the passenger seat and runs out of her own ideas (not likely I have to say).

Honestly we have a great time - it sounds worse than it is.

Thanks for you input - much appreciated.........Uhmmm Nova Scotia - Lyn where%26#39;s our map gone? lol

Take care

Ray

I would leave Salem and stick to the interstate I95 until you reach Maine. Once in Maine get off in Kittery and take Rte 1 through York, Ogunquit Kennebunkport, Portland up to Freeport.

If shopping is what you are looking for I find Freeport a lot nicer than Kittery. The only thing I like in Kittery is the Trading Post. Freeport is more walker friendly whereas Kittery is more like driving shopping plaza to shopping plaza. They have a lot of the same outlets in Freeport plus it%26#39;s home to LL Bean. It could take you hours just to look through there.

If at anytime you have had enough and you just want to get to Bar Harbor you should be able to hop right back onto the interstate 95.

I don%26#39;t really think that 3 hours will be enough time to take in everything. I%26#39;d stop off for one night somewhere. Maybe book a place around Freeport then you%26#39;d be able to see southern Maine before you head north. It really is a beautiful area. I don%26#39;t get the impression that you want to see everything but you shouldn%26#39;t be so rushed that you don%26#39;t get to eat a nice lunch or stop at some cute little shops. That would be more relaxing.

Whatever you decide will be great. Enjoy your trip to New England.

Oh btw I loved your comment about the map...that was funny.

My avatar is from the lighthouse in Portland Maine. Check it out if you get a chance.

Thank you so much for your comments - am I glad I asked you first - I think I was about to make a big mistake.

I think I was expecting something like highway 1 along the California coast where you can see the Pacific all the way.

Ok big revision - as Lyn nearly strangled me last night because I said that I think we should skip Salem - what I think we%26#39;ll now do is leave Boston earlier say 8:00am - spend the morning in Salem and then get on the I95 and drive well into Maine and cut across to Belfast for the run in to Bar Harbor.

We%26#39;ll either have lunch in Salem or stop somewhere nice along the way.

That seems to make more sense - we will miss all of those quaint Maine coastal towns but I supposed we will get our fill at Bar Harbor

Many thanks

Ray

That sounds like a good plan. I have traveled the Pacific coast hwy and our Rte 1 isn%26#39;t like that. You do get water views but nothing like California. You could easily skip all those small Maine towns and get your fill as you get closer to your destination.

SB

I really am fascinated that everyone from the UK wants to visit Salem. I would be interested if you could tell me if Salem has a great ad campaign or if there are other reasons. Having grown up just outside Boston and still visiting quite often, I will visit Rockport, Gloucester and drive up thru Ipswich and Essex but I have never spent any time in Salem.

I guess it is not as big a deal to skip these towns as you will be visiting other great harbor towns like BH. Have a great trip.

I have to agree that Salem is wayyy overrated as a vacation destination. Be prepared for lots of traffic getting into and out of Salem , if you really must go there. If I were going to visit someplace on the northshore it would be Newburyport and Plum Island, right off 95, easy access, quaint little town.

NH has only 18 miles of shoreline. Skip Ashworth by the sea. Hampton is way overrated as well. That said, however, Ocean Blvd is breathtaking and the Beach Plum has the best ice cream!

Enkopy your trop..and if you can fit Portland , maine in, that is a nice city to visit.

Just so you know the scenic drive part where you%26#39;re thinking of going along Ocean Boulevard straight up to Kittery, Maine is WELL worth it, trust me. New Hampshire%26#39;s coastline is only 17 miles long, it%26#39;s breathtaking %26amp; believe it or not, some parts of it were on a TV commercial and people thought it was Newport, Rhode Island, but it wasn%26#39;t, it was Rye Beach, NH. Where you%26#39;re starting it near the Ashworth By The Sea Hotel is basically at the beginning of this scenic, panoramic ocean drive with the gorgeous coastal vistas along the rocky coast of Rye Beach %26amp; New Castle, you need to definitely do this, it%26#39;s incredible to start there for Maine, we do it all the time, it%26#39;s awesome.

As you drive from that point up the coast (north route 1-A) you%26#39;re going to see some stunning estates along the coast. You%26#39;ll head toward Rye Beach then New Castle where you%26#39;ll have to follow this road around the rotary (roundabout) which is just after the Odiorne State Park a ways; following it around to the right where you%26#39;ll see the signs for the Marriott%26#39;s Wentworth By The Sea Resort, GO there if you can for a cup of tea on their veranda, it%26#39;ll be worth it for you. It%26#39;s truly beautiful up thru New Castle. You really won%26#39;t regret this part of the drive at all. You can get to Kittery, Maine from there very easily and head right up to Bar Harbor from that point on as you can pick up the Maine Turnpike from this point on, it%26#39;s right there.

Absolutely check out Portland too on the way up. It%26#39;s that Portland Headlight (their lighthouse) that you have to see while driving through there %26amp; their beautiful park surrounding it, it%26#39;s great!

Just my two cents again...

Oops, 18 miles of New Hampshire coastline NOT 17, my typo mistake. The part where you start it is actually a few miles up from where it starts, but it%26#39;s the better part of it. You won%26#39;t have to start at the beginning of it, just keep heading north to really see the panoramic beauty of it. It%26#39;ll be well worth it for you to see this!

When I went to Pebble Beach, CA. %26amp; saw their coastline, yes it was quite a sight, with an amazing, incredible coastline, I loved seeing it all out there. Yet, I thought our estates along the NH coast were MUCH more stately %26amp; completely more exquisite compared to theres on the left coast. NH%26#39;s are more like Newport, Rhode Islands believe it or not. I%26#39;m sure that there%26#39;s were worth a huge fortune in California, but there%26#39;s just something about the older New England architecture that stands out more. You%26#39;ll see what I mean when you do this scenic drive along NH%26#39;s short coast.

makeup help

Anyone know any popular flea market in New Hampshire?

I been to a couple flea markets but they all sell old junk antiques.

Anyone know any good flea markets in New Hampshire that sells Handbags, scarfs and wallets?

Anyone know any popular flea market in New Hampshire?

WCheng3000,

There%26#39;s several flea markets in the state of New Hampshire. The one that I some day want to check out is the one in Derry, NH! I guess it%26#39;s GREAT for handbags, scarves %26amp; wallets, so remember that! Here%26#39;s a list I found online of the various ones in the state that you could check out, I put the Derry, NH one first for you and by the way it%26#39;s open May to October, so you%26#39;ll have to put it on your A-list for the Spring unfortunately:

Grandview Flea Market

2 Island Pond Road

Derry, NH

(603) 432-2326

Saturdays and Sundays, seasonal

Operates 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekends. From I-93, take exit 4 for Route 102 East to Route 28 South. Flea market is located at the junction of Route 28 and 28 Bypass.

Londonderry Gardens Flea Market

Route 102

Londonderry, NH

(603) 883-4196 or (603) 880-9935

Saturdays and Sundays, seasonal

Operates 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with about 200 dealers outdoors April through October.

Hollis Country Store %26amp; Flea Market

436 Silver Lake Road/Route 122

Hollis , NH

( 603) 465-7813

Sundays, seasonal

Open through mid-November. Parking is $2.

Lakes Region Flea Market

Route 11

Gilford, NH

(603) 524-2441

Sundays

Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. From I-93 North, take exit 20, make a left on Route 3 and follow to Route 11 East. The flea market is about 20 minutes east on Route 11.

Pee Wee%26#39;s Flea Market %26amp; Antique Mall

64 Pleasant Street

Claremont, NH

(603) 542-9331

Daily

Indoor flea market open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in downtown Claremont.

Walpole Antique %26amp; Flea Market

Route 12

Walpole, NH

(603) 756-4314 or (603) 756-0936

Saturdays, seasonal

T his market opens at 6 a.m. and has a variety of goods. Runs May through October.

West Lebanon Flea Market

Route 12A

West Lebanon, NH

(603) 298-7712

Sundays, year-round

Open Sundays all year, weather permitting, from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Located in the Colonial Plaza off I-89.

Anyone know any popular flea market in New Hampshire?

Grand View Flea Market in Derry New Hampshire sells a lot of Handbags but not much else.

Does anyone know if they have opened up this year yet?

Hi, I%26#39;m Jae and I%26#39;m a vendor at the Derry Flea Market. Just want to clear up some confusion. I think a lot of people get the impression that it%26#39;s nothing but handbags because they don%26#39;t see the whole market. Vendors are actually located in three spots: outdoors, the front room and the back room. I think that a lot of people see only the outdoor vendors, and maybe the front of the front room, and most of them sell imitation designer handbags and so forth. Most of the rest of us are in the back room, or the back of the front room. There are some antiques and yard-sale type booths, and also a variety of new things like tools, jewelry, women%26#39;s clothing and even salsa. Hope this helps!

Hi Jae,

I%26#39;m a vendor headed up the Grandview for the first time this Saturday. Have any info, advice or tips for me? I%26#39;m going blind, I%26#39;ve never been there before. Thanks! K

Inn Recommendations For Southern Vermont /Southern New Hamp

Next November we will be driving from Albany, New York to Boston, MA. We would like to break up the trip with a night%26#39;s stay in either sounthern Vermont or southern New Hampshire. A nice inn would probably be our preference...any suggestions? Thanks.

Inn Recommendations For Southern Vermont /Southern New Hamp

Try www.nhlodging.org. There are some very nice ones around Keene and Swanzey in southwest New Hampshire. The Inn of the Tartan Fox is in Swanzey and Carriage Barn is in downtown Keene, both different, but very nice.

Inn Recommendations For Southern Vermont /Southern New Hamp

Southern New Hampshire is a beautiful and sometimes overlooked area with many villages and attractions. Here%26#39;s another web that will give you info on the area.

www.monadnocktravel.com

Both websites listed above are excellent references but I would also add www.southwestnh.com as a great resource.

The two largest towns in Southern NH are Keene (which is a college town) and Peterborough (the play ';Our Town'; by Thornton Wilder was based on it). Both towns will also have excellent dining options.

New England in the Fall

Hi - we%26#39;re going to become leaf peepers between 5-22 October 2009 and are trying to decide on an itinerary. I%26#39;m posting this on all the forums of the states we will probably be traveling through.

We%26#39;ve booked our flights and just about decided on the accommodation for our first night in Boston.

What we are thinking of at the moment is:

Night 1 in Boston, picking the hire car up the next morning and having a leisurely trip along the coast taking in Salem and Portsmouth on our way up to kennebunkport for the next night.

Next day up to Portland and on along to Jackson for 2 nights, then

2 nights in Stowe,

2 in Bennington,

2 nights in Litchfield,

2 in Newport followed by

2 nights in Yarmouth and finishing off with

2 nights and 3 days in Boston before flying back home.

we%26#39;d really appreciate any advice of whether we%26#39;re choosing the right places to stay at to get the best from our trip or if we would be better going by different places, or even if we are being over ambitious!! We prefer to stay in small B%26amp;Bs in small towns (but with plenty to see and good choices of restaurants)

Any comments appreciated - cheers

New England in the Fall

I hope you have your reservations made if you are leaf peeping, especially during the first 2 weeks of your trip. I am assuming you mean Salem, MA. Great choices the first day. I love Jackson. Consider the Ellis River Inn (or something like that for your stay. You certainly have an ambitious itinerary, but you are certainly going to see it all. Try DeMillo%26#39;s restaurant in Portland for a treat - it is a ship. I love Portland, also - so good choices there. I think you have some great choices and I hope you have a ton of fun. Make sure you try Maine lobster. There are some great B%26amp;B%26#39;s in all those places. Good luck, and have fun.

New England in the Fall

Let us know if you have a preference in accomodations

or if we can help with any other information.

Please take all comments with a grain of salt.

Every visitor from the UK want to visit Salem. I do not understand why as I never visited when I lived in Ma for the first 20 years of my life. But some people really enjoy it so that is just a matter of personal choice. I suggest Rockport and Gloucester instead although they are a little out of way on Cape Ann- there is no high speed direct route to the NH coast but the drive along rt 133 back to rt 95 is very scenic.

While Bennington gets alot of attention, I think that if you stayed a little south in Williamstown you will get a better feel for the Berkshires. Unfortunately, you are going to be driving by so many great towns in all the states you are visiting and I hope that you leave yourself time to ';smell the roses'; and not just see flashes of color as you pass by.

I am not familiar with Litchfield ( I am assuming CT)

but the NW corner of CT is quite lovely, I hear.

Newport is often a daytrip for visitors although you certainly can spend a couple of days there.

Not much leaf peeping in Yarmouth as the Cape flora/fauna is very different from other areas.

You will already have visited a number of seaside villages so this may be a bit redundant for you. You could spread those days back into NH and VT ( I vote for NH) or use the time in Boston from where you can still visit the Cape by ferry to Provincetown. Cape Cod is very quiet in the fall and the seasonal places are getting ready to close up for the winter.

You will just have to decide if your trip is going to be appetizers everywhere or more full course meals. Either way, if it is how you like to travel, then you will have great time.

I think a two week trip is awesome...you should have a great time. It is nice not to be rushed and October 5-22 is prime leaf peeping time!

Litchfield County is pretty but if my math is correct then they will be getting to CT around October 13-14 which will be on the early side of fall foliage for that area (we are just starting to peak in Peterborough around that time and we are definitely ahead of CT).

I would probably skip CT and either extend my stay in the Northern parts by a day or two and drive straight from Bennington to Newport (perhaps Hanover/Norwich area or the White Mountains) or replace Litchfield completely by looping into the Monadnock Region of Southwest NH from Bennington and then heading south to Newport from there.

As for booking now which others have suggested...I would strongly agree but your choices are not drastically limited yet...I know plenty of very nice places that have availability for October

Which airport?

Taking a fall trip to New England in early October. We fly out of Atlanta. Which airport or airports are better to fly in and out of? We will be visiting Maine, NH and Vermont and possibly Mass. Thanks!

Which airport?

It depends on where your itinerary will take you. Obviously Boston is a major airport that will have plenty of flights from Atlanta and the ability to make connections if need be. But Manchester, NH or Burlington, VT or Portland, ME might be more convenient if you%26#39;re then going to rent a car and drive to your various destinations. Plus, they are all smaller airports and aren%26#39;t as hectic as Boston. We live in NH and book from Manchester whenever possible.

Which airport?

Have been checking your post about an itinerary....which airport will serve you best probably depends on how you put together the rest of your trip....

Best bets are probably going to be Manchester, NH; Portland, ME or Boston... If you%26#39;re going to go to NH first, then Maine, probably Manchester makes the most sense....gets you started on your vacation sooner and isn%26#39;t that far from southern Maine when you%26#39;re done. Southwest Airlines serves Manchester and sometimes has rates better than elsewhere.

If you%26#39;re starting in Maine, or even northern New Hampshire, Portland may be a great choice. It%26#39;s easy to get into and out of traffic-wise, gets you started down the Maine coast very quickly, and is only an hour or so from the White Mountains section of New Hampshire. Last time we flew, about a year and a half ago, Delta offered non-stop flights between Atlanta and Portland.

Unless you%26#39;re really planning on spending some time there, I%26#39;d avoid Boston. It%26#39;s much bigger than either of the other two airports, traffic into and out of the airport is far worse, and you%26#39;re at least an hour and a half from southern Maine or southern New Hampshire.... On the other hand, they do offer the most flights to Atlanta and may or may not have the best price.

I%26#39;d strongly recommend Manchester or Portland, depending on your final itinerary.

Thanks for the great info. We can drive an hour and a half and fly Southwest out of Birmingham but it is only about thirty minutes from the Atlanta airport. I will look into Manchester and Portland. Atlanta is a big enough nightmare and if Boston is any thing like Atlanta I%26#39;d rather stay away from that airport.

Hi Cece..definately Manchester or Portland. That said, I have noticed that the last few flights I have taken have been cheaper out of Boston than Manchester . I live in NH and prefer Manchester . That said, Southwest is great because in the long run, they don%26#39;t have baggage fees and cost wise, it ends up being less.

You might also consider Bradley Airport just outside of Hartford Ct. We live in the southwest corner of NH and it is a very easy drive down Rt 91. We like this airport because it is easy to get to, not as congested as Boston.

Manchester is the best central port of call and by far easiest to get around. AVOID Boston! It%26#39;s a mess and worse than Hartsfield.

Manchester airport is very easy to fly in and out of, if your flight gets in late there is also a terrific hotel right next to the airport called the Highlander Inn, they offer free shuttle service to and from the airport and they are very reasonably priced. They are super close to the airport but you never hear the planes! Check out their webisite

www.highlanderinn.com