Hotel recommendation near shopping

I%26#39;m a mum from UK bringing my daughter to a boarding school end August for early Sept registration. We are flying into Newark, but I don%26#39;t want to drive, if possible. I need to book a hotel in Princeton where there is good public transport to shopping malls, so that I can get her fixed up with bedding, towels etc. I don%26#39;t want designer stuff, as she%26#39;ll be throwing it all away at the end of the year, before she comes back to the UK. I don%26#39;t mind getting taxis now and again, but I don%26#39;t want to spend a fortune in travel expenses.

Hotel recommendation near shopping

Getting from EWR to Princeton is easy using NJ Transit train.

Unfortunately, public transportation is spotty once you are in Princeton.

I would suggest contacting the boarding school for suggestions.

Hotel recommendation near shopping

As Broadwaynyc mentioned, the public transport situation once you get to Princeton is not ideal, but it might be workable if you plan carefully. Here are some options:

1. Stay at the Princeton Hyatt Regency or Hyatt Place. Both offer free shuttle service within 5 miles, which is enough to get you to a large number of stores (please call to confirm that this service still exists and operates during the hours/days when you%26#39;ll need it; I%26#39;m relying on their websites). Hyatt Place is probably cheaper, and there are several restaurants within walking distance (also some shopping -- but probably not the sort of places you%26#39;ll need for your daughter). The Hyatt Regency is nice, but it%26#39;s in a large office park that is deserted outside of normal business hours.

2. If you want something more basic, try the Comfort Inn Lawrenceville, located adjacent to Quakerbridge Mall, where you%26#39;ll find the local branches of Macy%26#39;s, Sears and J C Penney. In addition, you can use the New Jersey Transit buses (routes 600 and 605) to get from the mall to the Nassau Park shopping center, where you%26#39;ll find two large discount stores, Walmart and Target, which will probably have much of what you need. Rooms at the Comfort Inn tend to be small, but I%26#39;ve had relatives stay there and they found it acceptable.

3. The NJ Transit buses also stop near some of the other hotels along Route 1, such as the Marriott Residence Inn (the Carnegie Center location, not the Princeton location -- which, despite the name, is farther from Princeton)and the Palmer Inn (a Clarion Hotel).

4. The bus would also allow you to stay at the Nassau Inn, which is in the heart of Princeton (across from the Princeton University campus). The 605 NJ Transit bus stops near here. It%26#39;s a charming neighborhood -- many smaller stores and restaurants within walking distance -- but doesn%26#39;t offer the sort of shopping you need on this trip.

By the time you finish your shopping, I imagine you will have a large amount of merchandise to transport to your daughter%26#39;s school. For that trip, you might want to splurge on a taxi, but a bus might be feasible depending on the exact location (and how much stuff you%26#39;re carrying).

As Broadwaynyc said, you can take the NJ Transit train from Newark Airport to the Princeton Junction station (use the Northeast Corridor route). For info on the train and the various buses I%26#39;ve mentioned, see the NJ Transit website (njtransit.com).

Thank you. The information you have given is very helpful.