BEST WESTERN Princeton Manor Inn and Suites, Monmouth Junction

Right on US1, every room in this classic american motel has a separate entrance from the parking lot. (That's good and bad. If the weather is aweful, these separate entrances can make it tough to get to the lobby to comfortably check out or grab some free coffee. But given that your car can be 8 feet away from your room's door, this set up can be great for people who are having a hard time walking, using crutches, etc.) The staff generally seemed very friendly and helpful but service isn't the hallmark of a motel in this class. (The late night staff was less communicative than the morning staff.) This place has cheap, clean, useful rooms with comfortable beds, clean bathrooms, a coffee machine in the room, a workable TV and -- in some of the rooms -- free WiFi access to the internet (the rooms in the far back of the motel were out of range of the wireless network). We were surprised when we found the place had an exercise room -- even more surprised to find it had reasonable (good) equipment that worked! Treadmill, elliptical trainer, cardio-bike and weight lifting equipment are what I remember. (Check out the hotel's feature list for other goodies. These are the ones we were *impressed* by.) Breakfast was free -- but, as you would expect in a motel of this class, sparse. If you want more, there's a Friendly's Restaurant and a Super Stop and Shop less than a mile north (not quite sure of the distance on that but it wasn't far in the car) where you can either get it served to you or pick up the pieces and fix something special for yourself. There's a small fridge and microwave in the each room. If you're adventuresome and into running, biking, hiking or strolling, exit the hotel south, the first right onto Raymond road (less than 0.2 miles down), a left on Rt 27 (about 1.0 to 1.2 miles from the motel) and proceed a total of about 2.1 miles from the motel and you'll find yourself at the towpath of the D&R canal, a truly beautiful place to commune with nature while running/walking/biking or pushing a stroller...(make a left as soon as you cross the canal and proceed along the towpath until you decide it's time to turn around).