Saratoga ?'s

[Gander]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

check Marriott's Fairfield Inn in Ballston Spa. There's a Dunkin Donut's next store and easy on/off highway to track in about 15mins. Not fancy but certainly clean etc.

Nice spot, but well above $200 a night now. I think they get you in the neigborhood of $270-300 a night.

[Linny]

There are hotel chains all along the highway between Albany and Saratoga. (It's pretty much suburbia, chain restaurants, chain hotels etc.) There is plenty for the new bride to do. At the track there is great people watching and if she likes to dress up, she will have fun with that. There is great shopping in town at smaller stores and some chains and just north of Saratoga is a strip of more classic suburban big box stores.
There is alot of history here and if she like that stuff I recommend stopping at Lyrical Ballad Bookstore and getting a book with a self guided tour of notable places.
There are great restaurants (though crowded and somewhat less fabulous during the racing meet) in and around town. If you want to go out for a "nice" meal be sure to make a reservation.
If you and the bride are into nightlife, there is more than enough of that, though one night you should get to bed early and wake with the roosters and go out to see the horses train as the sun comes up. (If you are significantly younger than I, you might stay up all night and then go to the works, it's what I did and I survived.)
The Museum of Racing is accross the street from the track and most of Saratoga is "walking distance" as the town is fairly small. If you are at a hotel off the highway you will need a car, get one near the airport. Getting around is easy. One highway (RT-87, locally called the Northway, even if you are southbound) runs between Albany and Saratoga. Hotels are all near exits and since it's pretty residential there are conveniences like CVS, liquor stores and groceries all over the place.