Where to stay in Helen, Georgia

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Researching the best place to stay in a city can be overwhelming to say the least. I researched the best place to stay in Helen, Georgia before a recent trip and was not sure if I was staying in the best place or not. I will say with all honesty, that the Holiday Inn Express and Suites is the BEST place to stay in Helen, Georgia. I loved staying here!

The best place to stay in Helen, Georgia is the recently opened Holiday Inn Express & Suites. It is also within walking distance to downtown Helen, but is also next to the delicious Hansel & Gretel candy store. As soon as we checked in, I was greeted with a warm welcome and a beautiful lobby. I was quickly given my room keys and made my way to the room. The hotel just smelled of newness! Kind of like that new car smell, but this was the magnificent smell of a clean hotel.

Our room had everything we needed and was so very clean. We had a large bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub, stand up shower, and Bath & Body Works soaps. There was even a note to let us know if we had forgotten a razor, toothbrush, etc to notify the front desk.

The balcony overlooked the parking lot, but you could still hear and see the river that went behind the hotel. This would be a great place to have breakfast if it had been warm enough.

I loved the painted ceiling over the pool, as well as the natural light from the windows.

After a great night’s sleep, we went to the lobby for breakfast the next morning. We were the first ones there so I had plenty of time to decide what I wanted to eat. I chose the egg whites only omelet with peppers and onions, as well as the biscuit and gravy. After adding a little pepper to spice up the gravy, I had to restrain myself to go back for seconds!

My husband was pretty impressed with the food quality and choices here. We have stayed in MANY hotels in our travels and I will honestly say this hotel has one of the best breakfasts around. Despite us sitting the farthest away from the tv, we could still clearly see it while eating breakfast.

Grab some chocolate covered strawberries from the candy store next door before relaxing in the Jacuzzi tub.

For a fun photo op, have someone take your picture with you behind the fire in the lobby to make it look like your face is on fire.

Another hotel in the area that caught my attention was the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson. It is located within walking distance to downtown Helen. The room was clean, gave that home-y feeling, and we loved the fireplace. However, the breakfast made me wish I had just skipped it altogether. The food looked delicious, but I was upset for the waste of calories. Also, the bathtub was full of water from the leaking faucet, the Wi-Fi was slower than Christmas, and there was no Hallmark channel (really?!). Is it a bad place to stay? Definitely not. But, the Country Inn & Suites wasn’t the best place I stayed in while in Helen.

The Castle Inn was definitely on my radar because it is in the center of the action. While I did not stay here (the ratings were not as high as other hotels), I passed by it several times thinking it would be nice for its location. Plus, the Troll Tavern is located onsite and it is right on the river. There was a lot of construction going on around it, though. The hotel appeared to be older than my other options.

In summary, if you are looking for the best place to stay in Helen, I would choose the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. While it is a little farther down from all the action (still very much walkable along the sidewalk), it is a new hotel that is clean with a delicious breakfast and helpful, kind staff. I will not hesitate to stay in this hotel on my next trip to Helen as I know it is the best!