Hey, y’all!
Jack and I spent much of last week on a much-needed break from work, school, and life in general, to head up to Northern Minnesota near the North Shore. Jack and I loved the hotel we stayed at last year, so we decided to stay there again this year! The hotel we stayed at was the Quality Inn and Suites in Virginia, Minnesota. Somehow, we even ended up in the exact same room as the year prior – I will be claiming that as our room now.
I found Quality Inn and Suites last year when I was searching for a budget-friendly option in Duluth. I wasn’t finding exactly what I was looking for, so I expanded my search to surrounding city areas. I am SO glad that I expanded that search and landed on this hotel, as it is now a go-to place to stay for a road trip up north. Below I broke down pricing, location, and amenities, as well as provided the website for you to book your summer trip!
Hotel Overview
Pricing:
A room with 1 King bed ran at a rate of approximately $110 a night when I booked the reservation. This was only about $10 more per night than last year, and with recent inflation, this pricing difference seemed very reasonable to me. Also, most hotels that are closer to either Duluth or Lake Superior were listed at roughly $180-$200 a night.
If you’re looking for vacation dates that will be the least expensive, I analyzed the upcoming prices for July and August and mapped out a few date groupings that are less expensive than the typical for this hotel. I would recommend staying from July 17-21, July 24-28, August 1-4, and August 7-11.
Location:
Quality Inn and Suites is located in Virginia, Minnesota. It is roughly a three hour drive from the Twin Cities/Suburb areas. It is placed in an convenient location to be able to explore multiple areas of Northern Minnesota, without having to have significant drive time. The areas that can be visited while traveling for around/under an hour from the hotel include Tower/Lake Vermillion, Ely, Duluth, Two Harbors, and Silver Bay.
Beyond convenience to visiting other cities, Virginia itself has much to offer! There were multiple restaurants within short walking or driving distance (The Sawmill is a MUST). The hotel is also located on a main street with many small shops and boutiques. Within these shops is Minnesota’s oldest candy store, only a couple minute walk from the hotel. There were also two lakes within a few blocks of the hotel. Virginia Lake has a nice look out, as well as a stunning Veterans Memorial sculpture. The second lake, Silver Lake, did disappoint in that swimming was not allowed and the beach was a bit rundown. However, it still made the perfect area to relax, watch a sunset, or enjoy dinner on a bench overlooking the water. Also, if you need to pick up some groceries, sunscreen, or a forgotten toothbrush, there is a nearby Target and SuperOne Foods within a few minutes of the hotel location.
Amenities:
This hotel offered a lot of great amenities for the price point. The hotel provided a few different food and beverage opportunities. Upon arriving, Jack and I were each given a snack bag. The snack bag included a mini water bottle, as well as a few salty and sweet snacks. These were great to take with in the car when we were headed on our adventures for the day. There was also free contiental breakfast. The breakfast was to-go, which made it super simple to eat and get ready in the mornings. The lobby also had hot coffee and tea available 24/7.
Quality Inn also has a great pool area. Jack and I took advantage of it more last year than this year, but it definitely added to the experience. There is a pool, hot tub and sauna available to use from 9am-10pm. Because this hotel is not located in a main North Shore tourist city, there is also a good chance that you can have the whole area all to yourself for hours at a time!
Quality Inn and Suites in Virginia is a perfect place to stay on your summer trips to Northern Minnesota. The hotel is currently still featured in the lock screen of my phone, as Jack and I took our favorite picture together there last year, and recreated the photo again this year!
With Love, Marin