Do I need reservations?
Sam
in mid-May 2003. Can I get by without reservations for hotels? I want to
keep my itinerary pretty open, and give myself a lot of flexibility.
Thoughts?
S
Margaret Mikulska
in Germany and Switzerland. At least I never do, it would ruin my trip
to know that I have to be at a particular place on a particular day.
(Unless I'm going to a conference, which is a different thing
altogether.) My experience is that if you have a car, you don't need to
book accommodation in Europe. You just drive until you see a hotel or
motel you like. (It's a bit more difficult in some large cities,
though: I had some problems with finding a place to stay in Vienna and
in Munich, for instance. If booking a day in advance is OK with you,
I'd recommend it in some places.) Just don't wait until it's late in
the evening.
-Margaret
--
mikulska at silvertone dot princeton dot edu
Douglas W. Hoyt
Excellent advice!
Mark Fagan
knowing if i'll have problems finding a place where i want it, rather than
what ever i can get. In France I've found it hard to get accomodations in
September/October, even in quite small places. I suggest having your first
night booked ahead (who wants to hotel shop while you're jetlagged?) and
then have them book ahead to your next destination. You can always choose
not to stay, or to leave early, though you are generally obligated to pay
for the first night at least, unless there is something wrong with the room.
This works for me, because I like to move to a place and then explore out
from it for a while, before moving on.
If you do want to be more adventurous, make sure you find your lodgings
before 3pm at the latest, because they can go fast after that.
"Sam" <samuel.sho...@shoes.townisp.com> wrote in message
news:uovjv3o...@corp.supernews.com...
Mike
season June-Aug, I found it is still very easy to find a hotel in these
places you are going, you just pay around 15% more than the regular season.
Chris Raistrick
<uovjv3o...@corp.supernews.com>:
You can normally find hotels on arrival. I've done it many times but
on the odd occasion where you have to spend 2 hours looking for one,
it's a pain and a waste of time and effort that's at a premium
considering that you're on holiday.
You also end up paying the rack rate. Depending on the type of hotel,
that can mean missing out on better rates.
If your happy to search and pay a bit more, then it's not normally a
problem to "walk in" and book. The most important piece of advice is
to check the town's calendar beforehand. You may find that a certain
town is booked out.
Post more of your itinerary nearer the time. Several people here can
tell you if a particular town is busy in a certain week.
--
Cheers,
Chris
Tim Challenger
"Chris Raistrick" <Chris.r...@blueyonderDOTco.uk> schrieb im
Newsbeitrag news:k970pus0ej89836on...@4ax.com...
You're unlikely to find that the hotels are full in May, but you may have a
bit of trouble finding some that are actually open (low season). Still, I
ride a motorbike round the Alps every year and have only ever twice booked a
place in advance (when I knew I'd be ariving very late). It can occasionally
be hard to find a place to stay - but tends to be the exception rather than
the rule.
Tim.
wessie
news:uovjv3o...@corp.supernews.com:
Tourist offices in Germany are very helpful - they charge a small fee which
is then deducted from your hotel bill.
I found hotels cheaper when compared to what I am used to in the UK.
--
wes...@ukrm.newt
BMW R1150GS
Tim Challenger
which
> is then deducted from your hotel bill.
>
> I found hotels cheaper when compared to what I am used to in the UK.
Absolutely. The UK has horrible hotel prices in comparison.
Don't forget the B&B places in german-speaking places. They can be as good,
if not nicer than a lot of hotels, and cheaper.
Tim.
Arwel Parry
Tim Challenger <timothyN.c...@SPapk.AMat> writes
Mind you, it's not just UK hotels that can have frightening rates
advertised. I'm attending an event at the Royal Marine Hotel (3*) in Dun
Laoghaire, Ireland, next month so I decided to check how much a room in
the same hotel would cost. Looking at the hotel's own website, they
advertise a twin bedded room at EUR 215 a night bed and breakfast, plus
EUR 35 for single occupancy. Too expensive for me, so instead I tried my
usual Gulliver booking service (www.gulliver.ie) looking for rooms in
"dublin county south" and guess what came up? A single-occupancy twin
bedded room at the Royal Marine for EUR 115 a night - admittedly without
breakfast, but I think I can find one for less than EUR 100! I don't
mind paying Gulliver EUR 4 when they're saving me that much money.
--
Arwel Parry
http://www.cartref.demon.co.uk/
pleasancefamily
In May - v easy to just walk in and get a room except in very big cities
if there's a big conference going on. But it's true you might do better
to book ahead through internet/ phone - not to be sure of room but to
get better room rates (save 30-50% on front desk rate).
--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com
grey
Sounds OK, but don't try that in high season!
---------------------------
A truly cool book:
The World Is Already Yours
Conscious living in the real world
www.alreadyyours.com (sample chapter, etc...)
Dave Smith
I have been to Europe three times. On the second trip, four of our party of
five wanted to remain flexible, but one was not comfortable with travelling
without reservations. We relented a little and allowed him to reserve rooms
in advance at a few destinations. They turned out to be the worst choices.
The hotel he booked for our last four nights (in Paris) was totally
unacceptable. The place he booked in Garmische-Partenkirchen was acceptable,
but we moved down the street after our first night because we found a much
nicer place that was just a few dollars per night more.
There are just a few things to be aware of. The first is to be aware of
special events. If there is something special going on it is going to be a
little harder to find a decent room. Watch the pricing seasons. In high
tourist season, rooms will be harder to find and will cost significantly more.
You also need to consider the size of your group. We never had any trouble
finding one room, but it was a little trickier in some places when we needed
three rooms.
Margaret Mikulska
And if you drive in German-speaking countries you can get wonderful
accomodation in the countryside or in small towns - family-owned places:
clean, pleasant, inexpensive, good food, nice service, and often very
nicely located (next to a forest with a babbling brook ... no kidding).
-Margaret
"Douglas W. Hoyt" wrote:
>
> -Margaret
>
> Excellent advice!
Chris Raistrick
<3d90286e$0$25042$91ce...@newsreader01.highway.telekom.at>:
>"Chris Raistrick" <Chris.r...@blueyonderDOTco.uk> schrieb im
>Newsbeitrag news:k970pus0ej89836on...@4ax.com...
>> Post more of your itinerary nearer the time. Several people here can
>> tell you if a particular town is busy in a certain week.
>
>You're unlikely to find that the hotels are full in May,
Doesn't that depend on which city it is?
I've been stuck for a hotel, in Germany and in May.
>but you may have a
>bit of trouble finding some that are actually open (low season).
Cities don't usually have low seasons.
>Still, I
>ride a motorbike round the Alps every year and have only ever twice booked a
>place in advance (when I knew I'd be ariving very late). It can occasionally
>be hard to find a place to stay - but tends to be the exception rather than
>the rule.
It does, yes. It can be a bigger exception if you know when peak
periods are going to be.
--
Cheers,
Chris
Chris Raistrick
<5D1HbVAm...@cartref.demon.co.uk>:
>Mind you, it's not just UK hotels that can have frightening rates
>advertised. I'm attending an event at the Royal Marine Hotel (3*) in Dun
>Laoghaire, Ireland, next month so I decided to check how much a room in
>the same hotel would cost. Looking at the hotel's own website, they
>advertise a twin bedded room at EUR 215 a night bed and breakfast, plus
>EUR 35 for single occupancy. Too expensive for me, so instead I tried my
>usual Gulliver booking service (www.gulliver.ie) looking for rooms in
>"dublin county south" and guess what came up? A single-occupancy twin
>bedded room at the Royal Marine for EUR 115 a night - admittedly without
>breakfast, but I think I can find one for less than EUR 100! I don't
>mind paying Gulliver EUR 4 when they're saving me that much money.
They aren't though.
Booking over the net is saving you a packet.
The hotel you mention has rooms from 95 EUR in october on
www.utell.com.
That's the sort of hotel I mean where booking on arrival doesn't make
sense.
--
Cheers,
Chris
Miguel Cruz
> Cities don't usually have low seasons.
Try New York in August...
miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
New mini photo-feature: Life in DC: http://travel.u.nu/dc/
vmkng2
whether to go straight, turn left or right at each intersection? If you
cannot make a good decision where you want to go during many hours of
preparation before the trip, you would not be able to make a good decision
on the road.
Personally, I like to make reservations. Partly for convenience, partly for
being disciplined and organized, partly because it is really nice feeling
"to be expected" when I arrive somewhere far away from home.
Even if you do not make reservations, you still need a list of possible
places to stay, the
locations, directions, price.
Never go on a trip unprepared.
"Sam" <samuel.sho...@shoes.townisp.com> wrote in message
news:uovjv3o...@corp.supernews.com...
Organizer
hotel booking is the very last thing I would book. First decide on WHAT TO
SEE and WHICH PLACES TO VISIT and then - if you still got some time and
energy - you may look into hotel accommodation. Speaking of the off-peak
month of MAY and the countries of GERMANY, AUSTRIA and SWITZERLAND, almost
every village has at least a Gasthaus or hotel with a few rooms, generally
at reasonable prices (I would suggest between ? 20 and 40 per night and
person incl. breakfast). When driving, it would be a pity to pass a nice
small hotel, just because you already reserved an impersonal hotel in
Stuttgart. Salzburg or Geneva. This sort of preparation is simply going too
far for the trip you want to make.
Cheers,
Richard H.
Geneva, Switz.
"vmkng2" <vm...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
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Barbara Vaughan
vmkng2 wrote:
>
> What do you mean by "flexibility" and "keeping itinerary open"? Deciding
> whether to go straight, turn left or right at each intersection? If you
> cannot make a good decision where you want to go during many hours of
> preparation before the trip, you would not be able to make a good decision
> on the road.
When I say I want to keep my itinerary open, I mean that I want the
freedom to decide to spend an extra day in some place I really like or
to skip some other place because I don't feel like driving that day.
> Personally, I like to make reservations. Partly for convenience, partly for
> being disciplined and organized, partly because it is really nice feeling
> "to be expected" when I arrive somewhere far away from home.
I don't really get any nice warm feelings from being organized, and as
for being disciplined, that was something I suffered in junior high
school.
Barbara
Adrian Sims
<bvau...@opr.princeton.edu> wrote:
>When I say I want to keep my itinerary open, I mean that I want the
>freedom to decide to spend an extra day in some place I really like or
>to skip some other place because I don't feel like driving that day.
Quite right - who wants to stay in a place he/she finds boring just
because of a hotel reservation.
>> Personally, I like to make reservations. Partly for convenience, partly for
>> being disciplined and organized, partly because it is really nice feeling
>> "to be expected" when I arrive somewhere far away from home.
Personally I hate making reservations and only do so for short trips
when it's essential to stay "in the city" like for a business trip. I
travelled all the way from Murmansk to Vladivostok without even one
reservation spending 7 weeks in Russia. Somehow it's more exciting not
to know where you are going to stay :-)
>I don't really get any nice warm feelings from being organized, and as
>for being disciplined, that was something I suffered in junior high
>school.
My kind of traveller :-)
A.
lora...@ozconnect.net
on our trip we have reserved accommodation only in places where a
problem is obvious - LA and Madrid because it's the first night off
the plane in each case, Granada at Easter, Riviera to relax for a
week, London and Paris in June and July; possibly Rome. For the
remaining four months we have only planned which country to be in,
without any bookings. However, I have planned flights, cars, trains
and ferries in minute detail.
My method is simple. If we find a spot we like, stay a while; if it's
only interesting for a short time, move on. Sometimes we'll move on
because there is "so much to see, so little time" but this system let
me enjoy seeing my own country (by caravan and motor-home or RV) and
I'm sure it will work just as well overseas.
I accept the risk that I may spend the occasional night driving around
searching for accommodation - or even booking (heaven forbid) a hotel
with more than two stars - but I can live with that.
I hate spending money on sleeping that would be better spent on
living:-)
Cheers - Alan
Rita
>I hate spending money on sleeping that would be better spent on
>living:-)
>
>Cheers - Alan
Agreed. I'd rather eat well and sleep simple. Travel
for a longer time and spend less on a bed.
Steltzjr
reservations in advance?
Who wants to spent time driving or walking from one hotel to another looking
for an empty room?
Corsica - a year ago - September - we didn't make reservations in the town of
Corte because a guide book said that there were plenty of hotels. Guess what?
There was no hotel in that town with rooms available the day we got there. Two
hours wasted looking! And then driving to a nearby town to find a hotel that
would take us.
As far as reserving at an impersonal hotel, visits to the Michelin web site or
to the Logis site for France, visits to web sites put up by small but lovely
inns and hotels will assure you that you aren't reserving at a large,
impersonal chain.
Todd J Martin
city. This
keeps flexibility but keeps you from wandering around from hotel to
hotel. I was in Italy for two weeks in October and only had
reservations for the first two nights. By calling ahead, you have the
peace of mind that you have a place to sleep when you arrive. Of
course, this requires you to have a decent guidebook with hotel listings.
Ulf Kutzner
>
> If you know where you want to go and what you want to see, why not make
> reservations in advance?
>
> Who wants to spent time driving or walking from one hotel to another looking
> for an empty room?
>
> Corsica - a year ago - September - we didn't make reservations in the town of
> Corte because a guide book said that there were plenty of hotels.
Is September high season?
> Guess what?
> There was no hotel in that town with rooms available the day we got there. Two
> hours wasted looking! And then driving to a nearby town to find a hotel that
> would take us.
You would need internet or phone reservation. Internet is not that eays
while moving in a train or car but allows easy availability checks for
connected hotels.
Some discount you can find in the internet are not available for walk-on
clients.
Regards, ULF
Ulf Kutzner
>
> vmkng2 wrote:
> >
> > What do you mean by "flexibility" and "keeping itinerary open"? Deciding
> > whether to go straight, turn left or right at each intersection? If you
> > cannot make a good decision where you want to go during many hours of
> > preparation before the trip, you would not be able to make a good decision
> > on the road.
>
> When I say I want to keep my itinerary open, I mean that I want the
> freedom to decide to spend an extra day in some place I really like or
> to skip some other place because I don't feel like driving that day.
Some reservations allow cancellation by the customer until a given time.
Regards, ULF
Kara
>Who wants to spent time driving or
>walking from one hotel to another
>looking for an empty room?
If you need order and such (not that there's anything wrong with that),
you should make reservations, and plan your trip to the hilt.
On the other hand, I have never gone wrong by stepping off the train and
asking at the nearest tobacco/book shop, etc, about good accommodations.
In the US, you might be steered toward more ''premium'' stays, but
that's just the American way of saying, "Hey, I get a free meal if I
send you there."
-k-
Steltzjr
We didn't think so but it turns out that September is a very busy season for
that's the time when everyone comes to Corsica to hike in the mountains. So,
Corte was full.