This Canuck has decided to attempt the impossible and prepare for a spring IM in the Canadian winter.
Coming down to Texas for Ironman race week (~April 23-28 ish).
Usually I travel to races in my sprinter so I got a bit of a reality check looking at hotel prices in the area.
Does anyone have any suggestions / experience with accommodation for that race?
Airbnb options? Areas of town to avoid? Or maye someone has a couch to crash on? I don’t need much and am a non smoker
Any other tips and trick around this race? First time for me that far south.
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott (usually the “host” hotel) and The Westin at The Woodlands are hands down the most convenient hotels. They won’t be cheap during race week though. They are both fairly nice 4-star hotels. The Westin is nicer, IMO.
The Hyatt Centric would be the next closest. Maybe a little over 1/2 mile to finish area.
After that you’re looking at hotels north of the mall that are “walkable” at a mile or so away. That mile is going to blow ass though after the race. Also keeping in mind you’ll need to walk the 2/3rds mile back to transition to get your stuff. So you could be looking at 1.5 miles or more of walking post race. I did it one year and it wasn’t pleasant.
Other than that you’re looking at needing a car. Cheaper options will be heading back towards Houston but that I-45 corridor between Houston and Spring isn’t nice at all. Not the worst part of Houston but it’s still shitty.
Or you could head north towards Conroe. Nicer area than Spring or North Houston.
If I were you I’d spend the $$$ and stay in The Woodlands. There are grocery stores and a hundred restaurants all within walking distance if you stay at the Marriot, Westin, or Hyatt Centric. The Woodlands itself is very nice. One of the more upscale 'burbs of Houston.
I don’t think you’ll find any VRBO or Airbnb options in The Woodlands. I think they have very strict covenants and rules against short term rentals.
I have stayed a little north of The Woodlands in Conroe right along the highway. Holiday Inn I think and another place I forget but they had suites. While staying within walking distance is generally my preference, you can get cheaper in Conroe and it’s plenty nice enough and driving in and parking was far easier than I expected. There are tons of parking garages right by everything. After the race is less fun but given the logistics of the race you are always going to wind up walking somewhere, since the swim start is not near transition, and neither is the finish line. So whether you are staying right in town or not you have to walk back to transition after you are finished to get all your stuff. As a New Englander who trained through winter for this race I feel your pain. But in some ways I find training for these things in winter almost easier than in summer, as there tends to be less going on in winter so spending a whole lot of time on the trainer maybe wasn’t the worst way to spend the time, especially on days when there were blizzards. In general though for this particular race I wouldn’t worry too much if you need to find a place to stay that’s a bit of a drive as parking wasn’t a big deal. I’d probably stay out of Houston though just because I think there would be more traffic in that direction than if you stay north. I also know once I did a VRBO or airbnb that was a room/bathroom in someone’s house that was in town pretty close to the race. That was back in 2016 though so I don’t remember what it was and someone upthread said maybe that’s not allowed there anymore? Maybe worth a search though just in case.
