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View Full Version : Sundays at the Doyle, Pa.



mammabear
04-29-2003, 17:39
ATTN. Hikers 2003
Hey, I am looking for places to post info about the Doyle Hotel...Duncannon Pa. The BAR area of the hotel is closed on Sundays, but you can still rent a room. My address( right next to the Doyle), and a back up number is on the door of the hotel. I will try to keep an eye out for you. I am usually ghosting about the hotel on Sundays, anyhow. Feel free to contact me, if you know you will be in Duncannon on a Sunday.

mammabear

Blue Jay
04-30-2003, 07:52
The Doyle is my favorite stop on the entire AT, and that's saying a lot.

Mala
04-30-2003, 22:08
As long as Baltimore doesn't find any more dead bodies.

mammabear
05-01-2003, 05:55
dead from shock, cause the place has finally been cleaned for the first time in like 20 years!

Papa Bear
06-01-2003, 13:40
Well respected by hikers. The new owners have cleaned it up significantly. They serve a mean hikers size beer at the bar, and a "small" serving of fries was too much for two of us.

We didn't stay overnight but lots of thru-hikers did. The place to stay in Duncannon.

The efforts by the new owners to make this place nice deserves our patronage.

Pb

mammabear
06-01-2003, 16:31
Thank you Pb... What you just said means more to me than you will ever know!!! :)

mammabear

chomp
06-02-2003, 13:08
A bunch of the Billville contingent stayed here last October en route to the Gathering. The place looks FANTASTIC and the Chili Size was, well, almost unfinishable. (almost - never did really lose that hiker stomach).

Anyway, there was a crew of us partying and staying there and the treatment we got was excellent - The second floor bar is georgous! Im looking forward to my next trip there, which with any luck will be this summer.

-chomp

Papa Bear
06-02-2003, 13:40
Anyway, there was a crew of us partying and staying there and the treatment we got was excellent - The second floor bar is georgous! Im looking forward to my next trip there, which with any luck will be this summer.

-chomp
Second Floor Bar? Shucks, no one told me there was a second floor bar! ;)

Pb

mammabear
06-02-2003, 14:53
I remember you guys partying here in October...the mini- gathering, before the gathering in WV. You were a great group! Welcome here anytime. As many rooms as you rented that night, I was surprised and delighted that you all left the place so clean in the morning. Thank you!

mammabear

veteran
06-12-2003, 08:38
http://www.doylehotel.com
(of course)

jbwood5
05-22-2004, 17:51
I stayed at the Doyle on 4/19/04 where I started another northbound section hike this year. The new owners, Pat and Vickey are working hard to to upgrade and clean this place up. I stayed in one of the rooms that has a new bed and it was the difference between night and day compared to my stay in 2003. I also returned to the Doyle for a final stay on Thursday 5/20/04 (I had a car stored in town). Much to my surprise, Vickey announced that all the hiker rooms NOW HAVE NEW BEDS!!!. She has been busy painting a few rooms, as well.

They had to raise the rates slightly, but a single only cost $17.50.
If you have not stayed here, you are missing out on a trail experience. The food in the bar is great. The beer is cheap, the entertainment singer/guitar player (Sue?) is good and her daughter, the bar tender, even sang one for us. All the people are very hiker friendly.

So what can you expect in addition to the above?
A pretty clean room with clean sheets, a clean towel and washcloth. Usually a small bar of soap. The bathroom is a shared facility with a shower stall. Some rooms now have ceiling fans. The floors are wood plank with some indoor/outdoor carpet to cut the noise. The old hotel was built in the early 1900s and much of the "old look" is still present. There is a nice big 2nd story porch (no sleeping out there allowed due to previous problems and abuse).

On the down side, if you are a light sleeper, don't plan on getting much. Trains go by periodically and some rooms face out over the main st. (Market St.). You will hear traffic. Doors open and close rather loudly and the floors creak. Smoke can sometimes be annoying as it rises up from the bar below. The windows are still a serious hazzard, but Vickey is slowly working to get them replaced. They are the original wavy glass in the wood frames with all the counter weight ropes long rotted away. If a window is not carefully suported after raising it, it will crash down, and the pane is liable to break and fall out. The shower water temperature can vary from cold to very hot in an instant when someone flushes a toilet, so get ready to move quickly :D . I really didn't have much of a problem with that on my last day there.

The restaurant has now started opening for breakfast at 7:00 AM.

If you need a shuttle and Vickey is available, she will try to accomodate you. She picked me up at the bus/train station in Harrisburg at the conclusion of my section hike this year.

The old Doyle has received a lot of bad comments from hikers over the years, but under new ownership, things are changing for the better. These folks are really serious about making your stay a pleasant trail experience that won't bust your bank account.

Just John
Duncannon to Great Barrington, MA
4/20 to 5/19/04

Additional Edit: They now take credit cards, plus I forgot to mention that they have a DSL Internet terminal, available for a small per minute fee and only before the entertainment starts in the late evening.

Jack Tarlin
05-23-2004, 11:27
No need to add much here....the Doyle is a great, great place, and the new owners are wonderful folks, and great friends to hikers.

Anyone passing thru town who misses the Doyle misses out on one of the best places on the Trail.

Jester2000
05-23-2004, 16:11
Hate to just be piling on the praise, but for the record. . .

The folks at the Doyle have been wonderful hosts to me since (and including) my hike in 2000. The current owners are doing a great job of striking a balance between providing for the hikers and their local patrons.

We have had two Billville events there and they have been nothing less that gracious and accomodating. And even though my mom won't stay there, I encourage everyone else to drop in and spend a night if you happen to be in the area (hiking or not). They are wonderful people, and the hotel gets better every time I'm there.

chomp
05-24-2004, 08:25
Yup - the Doyle is great, and has gotten better everytime that I have been back there. If you are hungry, make sure to ask for the Chili Size. If you are thirsty, well, there is no better place to be. Looking forward to going back there for a night in October.

Lone Wolf
05-24-2004, 08:33
1986 was my first year there. $7.56 for a room, .50 cent drafts and damn good chicken-corn soup.