I have stayed at The Colony before, but only for one night (no complaints here).

Looking at Google maps (again), it looks like there are about 4 hotels in the general area of Yale / Yale hospital, and 2 hotels a few miles away....

Does anyone have any recommendations for a hotel in the New Haven area to stay in for approximately one week?

Thanks.

David

in guilford we stayed at the comfort inn was really close to the doctors office.
chuck

Yeah, I stayed at the hotel next to that Comfort Inn when I had my visit to that particular office as well.

Right now, there is probably a 98% chance that I will be having surgery at the Yale hospital in a couple of months.

Last time I went to the New Haven office, I flew into New Haven and stayed at The Colony, which was fine (when I was in Guilford, I flew to Hartford and drove down).

This time, more than likely, I imagine that my parents will probably be there as well, since I will be in New Haven for (probably) a week.

Although the Courtyard by Marriott seems to be more oriented towards business travelers (and certainly isn't cheap), it does look like it has "2 queen bed guest room", which makes me wonder if it is two beds in one room, or two beds in one room that is slightly separated (?).

If it is the latter, that would allow my parents and I to stay in the same room, but give all of us a bit of privacy.

I figured that I should start my preparations now, instead of waiting a couple of months and scrambling to figure out what the hell I need to do http://adrsupport.org/groupee_common.../icon_wink.gif

david
i heard the study changed from comparring activ-l to prodisc. and now it means activ-l to charite
your ok with that?
chuck

I have heard that as well, and no, I am not ok with that.

I am going to submit to my insurance company for 1 level Prodisc and either pay out of pocket for the rest, or be denied, and pay out of pocket for the entire procedure.

David

david
i surely hope you get insurance approval i had run out of time for fighting with blue crap.
best wishes
chuck

Thanks.

To be honest, I am not really going to put up a fight. I am done waiting. If I am approved; then so be it.

If I am not approved, then I just end up spending more $.

Either way, I am pushing through with the surgery starting mid-October.

David

David,
I'm from the New Haven area and would be happy to help you in researching hotels. There are a bunch of great restaurants in the downtown area as well. There is a Fairfield Inn which isn't too far from the hospital and it's right off rt 95, by the Long Wharf exit. It might be a little cheaper than Courtyard Marriott. The New Haven hotel as well as the Omni are pricey.I believe there is a Hampton Inn a few exits south. There are several Days Inns but both are a few miles outside of New Haven.

Ann,

Thanks for your offer. I am thinking that staying in the downtown area might make more sense, since there are more things 'to do' closer than outside of town (from what I saw last time).

To be honest, I don't mind spending a bit more $ for a hotel room for the week(ish), such as the Courtyard, since I will be spending a fair amount of money for the surgery anyway.

My logic is that I might as well have a nice place to stay in during the CT winter (I am guessing November / December / January time-frame), since I am guessing that I will be spending a fair amount of time in-doors during my New Haven "visit".

I am thinking I will give the Courtyard Marriott a call and see what the "2 queen bed guest room" is like. I think it runs around $130ish a night, which certainly isn't cheap, but if the available amenities are worth it, then so be it (especially if it is $130ish / night for 3 people, with basically two separate bedrooms).

What are your thoughts?

Thanks.

David

David, just be careful of where you stay. Yes I would rather drive a bit versus staying in New Haven. Some areas are not very safe. I don't know whether you were renting a car for the week of not. If so, I would definetly stay outside of the city. Just my opinion.

Judy

Really? I stayed one night at the Colony, and that seemed fine. Is it specific areas of the city, or just in general?

(Edit: I imagine that my parents will probably rent/bring a car, so that won't be a limiting factor)

David

David,
Judy is right, there are some parts of the city that aren't too safe. While the Courtyard Marriott has all the amenities, it isn't in the greatest area.If you walk in one direction, you will get to downtown NH and the Yale campus. If you walk the other direction, well.... I wouldn't do that at night. The Colony is same, near downtown, near shaky area. The shaky area is called the Hill neighborhood and there have been several drive by shootings this summer. A 13 year old girl was shot & killed several months ago and a week later a 14 year old boy was hot & killed. I've certainly had no problems driving in those areas during the day.

Oops the boy was SHOT not hot.

Understood. Based on those comments (and looking at a map), I am guessing you might suggest hotels a bit away from downtown, such as:

--Residence Inn (SE New Haven)
--Fairfield Inn (SE New Haven) *** Looks like a good choice, based on location and your suggestions.
--Days Inn (NE New Haven, other side of 91)

...and perhaps (although perhaps not, since they are definitely in downtown New Haven)...

--New Haven Hotel
--Omni New Haven Hotel

Thoughts?

Thanks.

David

David just last night there were to separate shootings (different areas of the city) killing 2.

Judy

The Omni Hotel I think would be pricey. It's the nicest hotel in New Haven and definately downtown as is the New Haven Hotel, not sure about New Haven Hotel's prices. There are lots of restaurants in walking distance as well as a movie theater.(Criterion)Both are closer to the hospital (not walking, tho). It's a ten minute drive to hosp., but so is Fairfield Inn. Downtown can be noisy, sirens... It would be nice if Yale NH Hosp had a deal for patients at area hotels. They do that in Germany...
If you were to have to pay for the surgery, do you have any idea what they would charge? Have you thought about Germany? If you have to pay, Chuck, Judy, & I can all say very positive things about getting the surgery overseas by Dr B.

Ann

If my insurance will cover 1 level Prodisc (+one level off-label), then my estimate is that it will probably cost around $12k.

If my insurance won't cover 1 level Prodisc, then Dr Y. has estimated around $50k. More than likely, my parents will probably offer to cover the costs, and I know as I fact that they would choose CT over Germany, even with approximately +$10k difference in costs.

Based on what I have seen and heard so far, I am leaning towards the Fairfield Inn at the moment.

David

50k is very low for here.
remeber the girl that was on the today show her's was 68,800 without doctor fees and she was a single level
chuck

Agreed. This is what Dr. Y has told myself and a separate patient that need the exact same procedure.

I haven't seen an invoice / detailed quote that would give me a bit more comfort, but I can't really ask for one until I am sure exactly how much I will be paying out of pocket. Dr Y. has told me on several occasions that ADR surgery @Yale is close to the surgery cost of Dr. B. I wonder if this is all-inclusive, or if this is exlcuding any costs of any kind, to be honest....

Once mid-October comes around, I can schedule the surgery and ask for the pre-auth/pre-denial from my insurance company, and move forward from there. I am really tired of "living" my life the way I am, and I really don't care anymore how much it costs. My hope is that Dr. Y is correct in that my total costs will be < $60k. If not, then I will probably suck it up and move forward anyway.

David

Keep us posted...I'm getting ready to make an appt with Dr Yue to see whats what with my L5-S1 herniation.

Absolutely! I have every intention of pushing through with Dr. Y.

I hope that his estimate is accurate, but I won't find out for about a month and a half (hell, my insurance company could have a bad day and actually approve me for one level Prodisc)

David

Hi David, exciting times. Were you referring to the Fairfield Inn in Farifield Ct? My thoughts are that is a little bit of a nasty drive and probably as costly as the "truck driver" room in Downtown New Haven. I could come up with lots of ideas like the Hampton INN in Meriden Ct or the new one that replaced the Days Inn on Main St. Meriden, Ct. From Meriden, I- 91 is a straight shot even for a hospital bed.

There is a Holiday Inn in North Haven CT on Washington Ave. They have great single dances there on some weekends. Ok, it is inexpensive, the food is ok and you'll LYAO. That is almost a walk to Howard Ave. New Haven. Again a straight shot down I-91 to exit one. Ten minutes. Bill

David:
We stayed at the Omni on Church Street last October--a bit pricier (but divided 3 ways, not bad). Postcard-views of the campus from the room.
Having been a student in the early 70's, I agree that you need to be careful walking around at night, especially the Hill neighborhood--but I doubt if you will be going there at night and if you have a car to drive to restaurants in other areas at night, you shouldn't have a problem.

Fairfield INN: Ooops. There is a Fairfield Inn at this address:

400 Sargent Dr, New Haven, CT

but when I did a google search, I mistakenly brought up this:

100 Miles Dr
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492

(obviously, not the same)

Soo.....

I am beginning to think that a hotel just outside of town might be a good idea, especially since I know that a car will be available.

From what I can see, the following look like some reasonable options that are not far from New Haven:

--Best Western in West Haven

--Holiday INN in North Haven (thanks, JL)

Omni: I will keep that in mind, thanks.

David
--

David,
you can find the Fairfield Inn in New Haven by going to www.marriott.com, it's a part of the Marriott chain. If you go outside of New Haven, Meriden is a few miles north, North Haven is closer, prob a 15-20 minute drive to the hosp. Traffic can get bogged down where I91 merges with I95. Dummies made 5 lanes to a one lane ramp to merge onto I95 South & one lane to merge to I95 North. If you stay in West Haven you'd only have a backup Friday afternoon & Saturday AM with traffic heading North & East for the weekend. No highway driving if you stay at Fairfield Inn. No, I don't have an investment in Fairfield Inn, just giving you info....

Ann

some excellent advice. I do like the location of the Courtyard Marriott, that is certain.

Thanks.

David