Right downtown, the
Dancing Bear Inn (171 Baker St., 250/352-7573 or 877/352-7573, www.dancingbearinn.com [1], dorms $25, $50–56 s or d) offers clean and comfortable accommodations at a very reasonable price. It features a cozy lounge area with a TV, reading material, information on local attractions and restaurants, and a cupboard full of board games. Other facilities include Internet access, kitchen, laundry, and lockers. The dorm-style rooms are spacious, with a maximum of six beds in each. A few doubles and a single room are also available.
The 1898 Hume Hotel (422 Vernon St., 250/352-5331 or 877/568-0888, www.humehotel.com [2], $99–139 s, $109–149 d) is a city landmark. It provides attractive, recently refurbished rooms, some with lake views. Rates include breakfast in the downstairs restaurant.
Down on the lakefront, Prestige Lakeside Resort (701 Lakeside Dr., 250/352-7222, www.prestigeinn.com [3], $189 s or d) features a spa facility, fitness center, swimming pool, private marina, restaurants, and lakeside rooms.
The best local camping is at lakeside Kokanee Creek Provincial Park [4] (20 km/12.5 mi northeast of Nelson on Hwy. 3A, 250/825-4421, $24). Although the large park offers more than 100 sites, it’s often full; the beautiful location makes this one of the Kootenays’ most popular campgrounds. If the park is full, continue eight kilometers (five miles) farther northeast to Balfour, where you’ll find two commercial campgrounds.
Links:
[1] http://www.dancingbearinn.com
[2] http://www.humehotel.com
[3] http://www.prestigeinn.com
[4] http://www.moon.com/destinations/british-columbia/southern-interior/nelson/new-denver-nelson/kokanee-creek-provincial-park