Suggestions on place to stay in/near Durham

[cspan37421]

My son returns to Duke Basketball Camp (again) in a fortnight. His sister and I will be staying in the area while he's at camp, then head back to TN afterwards. We're looking for a place to stay for 5 nights and I wondered if a sublet from a grad student or something might be a more affordable (and interesting) option than a hotel. I've tried Craigslist and have had little response from a half-dozen inquiries thus far. I suspect our stay may be perceived as a bit short for sublets.

Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? Would there be other online publications I could check?

Thanks,
cspan37421

[allenmurray]

I have a friend who lives in a very small place. When her parents visit they always stay here http://duketower.com/ It is only about $90 per night - each unit has a separate bedroom and living room (with a bed in the LR) and a full kitchen. There is a pool. It is in the Trinity Park section of Durham - walking distance to Brightleaf Square and only about a 5 minute drive from East Campus.

[cspan37421]

Thanks, allenmurray. I hadn't heard of that place before! Looks pretty nice, esp. the premium rooms inside.

One of the half-dozen inquiries I made got back to me late this afternoon and I may have found a house just a few minutes away - it would be inexpensive and of course without services, but more like home. Hopefully the details will work out. Thanks again, I'll keep Duke Tower in mind as a backup plan.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Thanks, allenmurray. I hadn't heard of that place before! Looks pretty nice, esp. the premium rooms inside.

One of the half-dozen inquiries I made got back to me late this afternoon and I may have found a house just a few minutes away - it would be inexpensive and of course without services, but more like home. Hopefully the details will work out. Thanks again, I'll keep Duke Tower in mind as a backup plan.
When Sue71 had her excellent adventure (#1) last winter, she stayed at the Millennium Hotel for only $45/night through Priceline - I think she "bid" on the price and they accepted it. You might call them directly and make them an offer!

[allenmurray]

Thanks, allenmurray. I hadn't heard of that place before! Looks pretty nice, esp. the premium rooms inside.

One of the half-dozen inquiries I made got back to me late this afternoon and I may have found a house just a few minutes away - it would be inexpensive and of course without services, but more like home. Hopefully the details will work out. Thanks again, I'll keep Duke Tower in mind as a backup plan.

It has an interesting history. It orignally served as housing for the diet center across the street. When that facility moved to another loction it became condo/hotels. Some folks live there year round, others use it as a Durham residence for business and let the management company rent it out the rest of the time. It is not widely known, but stays full enough that they don't need to do a lot of advertising. My understanding is that the majority of the time it gets rented for extended stys (1-2 weeks at a time).

[sue71]

When Sue71 had her excellent adventure (#1) last winter, she stayed at the Millennium Hotel for only $45/night through Priceline - I think she "bid" on the price and they accepted it. You might call them directly and make them an offer!

Yup.

Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. It's old but it was a place to lay my head that didn't scare the heck out of me for that price. Great great location if you're going to campus. Has an indoor pool. Nice bar. ;):o

[4decadedukie]

This may not meet your needs, but I suggest you consider Fuqua's R. David Thomas Center; it's located in West Campus' Fuqua complex (immediately proximate to the "751 parking lot"). The rooms/facilities are quite nice, it eliminates any "Duke parking" issues, its food service operation is excellent, the people who work there are very friendly and accommodating, and you can walk to any location on West in <10 minutes. The Thomas Center is principally used for lodging and teaching Fuqua Executive Education students and sometime for lodging part-time/weekend MBA students. During the summer, it's possible they may have under-utilized capacity. Normally the rooms are "pricey" (~$150+), however they have had a Duke alumni rate and -- like any hotel -- their charges are negotiable when they have significant unused rooms (the "textbook" high fixed cost, low variable cost situation).

[CLT Devil]

DukeTower is where I stay when I come back to visit...especially if it's for more than just one night. Pretty cool place, have their own security (it is Durham) and you have another room to hang out in other than just one bedroom....

[cspan37421]

4decadedukie (hmm, I'm not far from that! 80s, 90s, 00s, next year maybe I attain that status?), thanks for the mention of the R. David Thomas Center. I have emailed them about rates/specials, though afterwards I did notice they only offer 1 bed per room, and we need 2.

The other place I thought I had settled on is still in flux. I spoke to the person subletting it by phone and she seemed very nice; however, she has been very private about herself - neither giving her name nor the address of the place yet - apparently she's waiting to work out some paperwork with me - paperwork that still hasn't been sent. I can understand monthly renters doing that but we're just talking 5 nights. And I don't understand the anonymity - she's got my name, address, and phone. But what do I know about this stuff - I've never rented out a room.

Bottom line is, I definitely need some backup plans in place. It sounds like people like Duke Tower and that's good to hear, though it really isn't that different price or amenity wise from a hotel room. I had hoped to find some kind of graduate student sublet both to save some money and to meet some interesting people in a more residential setting.