Accommodations

The lodgings we list are the cream of the crop in each price category. We always list the facilities that are available, but we don't specify whether they cost extra; when pricing accommodations, always ask what's included and what costs extra.

Apartment and House Rentals

At shoreline resorts, as well as Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland, real estate agents generally handle apartment, condo, and town-house rentals. For rentals in Deep Creek Lake, contact Railey Mountain Lake Vacations or Coldwell Banker. Call Atkinson Realty for Virginia Beach and Bud Church Coldwell Banker for Ocean City. Seashore homes usually rent by the week.

Online Booking Resources

Atkinson Realty. 757/428–4441. www.atkinsonrealty.com.

Bud Church Coldwell Banker. 800/851–7326. www.coldwellbankerbudchurch.com.

Coldwell Banker. 301/387–6187. www.deepcreekrealty.com.

Hideaways International. 603/430–4433 or 800/843–4433. www.hideaways.com.

Interhome. 954/791–8282 or 800/882–6864. www.interhome.us.

Railey Mountain Lake Vacations. 800/544–2425. realty.railey.com.

Vacation Home Rentals Worldwide. 201/767–9393 or 800/633–3284. www.vhrww.com.

Villas International. 415/499–9490 or 800/221–2260. www.villasintl.com.

Bed and Breakfasts

Houses in this region make it a natural area for bed-and-breakfast accommodations. The majority of B&Bs in Virginia and Maryland are Victorian structures with fewer than 10 rental units; a full or a Continental breakfast is typically included in the lodging rate, and rooms rarely have their own TV. Most rooms, however, have private bathrooms.

Reservation Services

Bed & Breakfast.com also sends out an online newsletter. 512/322–2710 or 800/462–2632. www.bedandbreakfast.com.

Bed & Breakfast Accommodations Ltd. of Washington, DC. 877/893–3233. www.bedandbreakfastdc.com.

Bed & Breakfast Association of Maryland. 301/432–5079. www.marylandbb.com.

Bed & Breakfast Inns Online. 310/280–4363 or 800/215–7365. www.bbonline.com.

BnB Finder.com. 888/469–6663. www.bnbfinder.com.

Maryland Office of Tourism. 410/767–3400 or 866/639–3526. www.visitmaryland.org.

Virginia Tourism Corporation. 804/786–2051 or 800/847–4882. www.virginia.org.

Camping

Camping is popular in the Shenandoah and Blue Ridge mountains—particularly on the Appalachian Trail, which crosses Virginia and Maryland—and at state forests and parks in western Maryland. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources sells trail guides online. You can reserve sites at Virginia state parks online or by phone.

Assateague Island State Park in Maryland, the Assateague Island National Seashore (in Maryland and Virginia), and the state park at Cape Henry in Virginia are popular campgrounds. State-maintained sites include primitive and full-service sites (with showers, bathrooms, and hookups). Private campgrounds offer more amenities.

There are 30 free National Park Service campsites along the C&O Canal towpath in Maryland with water, chemical toilets, and grills. At some sites, however, the water might not be potable. Bike camping is a very practical way to travel the towpath, and five drive-in campsites rent for $10. For large groups, two additional drive-in campsites are available for $20 a night.

Information

C&O National Historical Park. www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/camping.htm.

Go Camping America. www.gocampingamerica.com.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. 410/260–8367. www.dnr.state.md.us.

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. 804/786–1712. www.dcr.virginia.gov.

Hostels

With few exceptions, hostels in Virginia and Maryland are near popular outdoor spots or resort communities. In Maryland, the HI-Harpers Ferry is near the Appalachian Trail in Knoxville, across the Potomac River from Harpers Ferry. Virginia's Bears Den Lodge is near the Appalachian Trail in Bluemont, HI-Galax is near the Blue Ridge Parkway, and HI-Angie's Guest Cottage is in Virginia Beach.

Information

Bears Den Lodge. 540/554–8708. www.bearsdencenter.org.

HI-Angie's Guest Cottage Hostel. 757/491–1830. www.angiescottage.com.

HI-Galax. 276/236–4962.

HI-Harpers Ferry. 310/834–7652. www.harpersferryhostel.org.

Hostelling International–USA. 301/495–1240. www.hiusa.org.

Con or Concierge?

Good hotel concierges are invaluable—for arranging transportation, getting reservations at the hottest restaurant, and scoring tickets for a sold-out show or entrée to an exclusive nightclub. They're in the know and well connected. That said, sometimes you have to take their advice with a grain of salt.

It's not uncommon for restaurants to ply concierges with free food and drink in exchange for steering diners their way. Indeed, European concierges often receive referral fees. Hotel chains usually have guidelines about what their concierges can accept. The best concierges, however, are above reproach. This is particularly true of those who belong to the prestigious international society of Les Clefs d'Or.

What can you expect of a concierge? At a typical tourist-class hotel you can expect him or her to give you the basics: to show you something on a map, make a standard restaurant reservation (particularly if you don't speak the language), or help you book a tour or airport transportation. In Asia, concierges perform the vital service of writing out the name or address of your destination for you to give to a cab driver.

Savvy concierges at the finest hotels and resorts can arrange for just about any good or service imaginable—and do so quickly. You should compensate them appropriately. A $10 tip is enough to show appreciation for a table at a hot restaurant. But the reward should really be much greater for tickets to that U2 concert that's been sold out for months or for those last-minute sixth-row-center seats for The Lion King.

Hotels

The large hotels of Baltimore, Richmond, Norfolk, D.C., and the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., are in competitive markets for business travelers: standards and prices are high. The beach and mountain resorts in the region are among the oldest and largest in the country, and on the expensive side. Accommodations at beach resorts in Maryland and Virginia can be difficult to find during summer holiday weekends—be sure to make reservations. Off-season, rates often go down in both metropolitan areas and resorts.

All hotels listed have a private bath unless otherwise noted.