When I was on my parents' dime as a kid, I got to see what nice hotels are like. And, duh, who doesn't like high-thread-count sheets and gleaming, marble-clad bathrooms? However, I've learned that my love for travel outweighs my desire to stay in rooms arranged by interior design pros.
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to save money in order to be able to travel anywhere in the worldand I've put those thoughts into practice in a number of countries. Even budget travelers have different standards of what qualifies as a "good deal," and that designation is certainly dependent on where you're going. To some people my standards are extremely low (I almost universally refuse to spend $90 to 100 per night unless I have no other choice); to others, I might look like I'm expecting too much (I strongly dislike most hostels). Nevertheless, my attitude about where I stay has saved money, allowing for extra time in my destination, extra souvenirs and upgrades on other necessities.
Here are the things I suggest you look for in budget accommodations, at the minimum:
1. Security. Yes, I've written in the past that "safety" is something of an illusion, but I still want to play it smart. A street-facing room with rickety window locks in a decent part of town? No way. A hotel located in a less touristy part of town, but right next to the police station? That sounds like a better bet to me. I like to see an entry with controlled access to the guest room areas and good, solid locks on the doors and windows.
2. Cleanliness. I've unwittingly climbed into a bed infested with ants before (at a major U.S. hotel chain ... and not a low-end one) and I really don't want to repeat that experience. I don't care if the sheets match, as long as they are laundered; I can ignore pink, floral tile if it has clean grout; the odd flying insect isn't going to freak me out, but a rodent will. And let me tell you, once you've seen or spent the night in a gross room, you'll know what you do and don't want.
3. Reasonable proximity to attractions. Hotels are real estate, so the old "location, location, location" trope applies. Goodness yes, staying on a lush, central square is lovely, but a 10 minute walk is going to save you oodles of cash. However, if you're staying so far out that, at the end of every day, you would rather sleep in the gutteror worse, take a cabthan walk back, you've gone too far. Of course, in cities like Paris, where you have access to an ingenious, cheap public transportation system, this is slightly less applicable, but still, it'd be a pain to be out at the airport if you want to spend your time in the central arrondissements.
Of course, I love it all the more when I can find a hotel that is budget friendly and prettyand places like that do exist, however few and far between they are (I'll let you know about a few of those in the future). But when it comes down to it, I'm not pickyI don't travel because I like the insides of hotel rooms, I travel to see what's outside the hotel doors.
For more info: Check guidebooks and travel Web sites for great information on the pros and cons of various hotels. To find the most reliable budget travel guides, read more in the Minneapolis Budget Travel Examiner series, Getting the best guide book: Part I, II and III.
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