So here’s my first of many detailed posts. It’s a long one (2,000+ words) and I’m sorry about that, but if you’re going to be traveling in Europe or would like to travel there, this blog will prepare you as well as any words can.
One more thing before I get into the meat of this I want to remind you that I own and operate a company that organizes and runs escorted tours of Europe called Great Explorations Tours. The following is a few things that are a result of my business orientation:
1. I will be abiding by the rule that if I don’t have something nice to say, I’m not going to mention the hotels name. It’s simply because I have to deal with hotels...a lot of hotels, and I don’t want them to think that I’m taking shots. That’s just the way it is.
2. You will see plugs for my website (www.GreatExplorationsTours.com) as well as mentions of some of the hotels we stay at (the good ones anyway).
3. For now, I will be limiting my advice to the places that Great Explorations Tours runs tours of. The tours for this summer are Ireland, Italy, and France (Paris and environs) so those will be mentioned the most. Upcoming tours include Scotland, Germany (the Bavarian region), Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the French Riviera, and England (London and environs). If you have specific questions about somewhere else I will be happy to answer them.
4. This blog is an extension of my company site. My goal is to help all travelers, but I am specifically catering to those who are traveling, or are considering traveling, on my tours. I try to make it not seem like a 5,000 word sales pitch and I apologize for the small parts that do.
Now that we’re past that, let’s get to the hotels. The way I look at it, there are five levels of hotels in Europe:
- Hostels – this is where you stay when you are really trying to do Europe on the cheap. They are usually pretty nice for the money but they’re very basic and usually skew very young. There’s nothing wrong with staying in a hostel, but when you’re only paying 6 Euro for a room you know what to expect so I’m not going to add anything else.
- Cheap Hotels – The worst option. They’re more expensive than hostels, but equal or worse in quality. Now, I am not talking about the great deals that you can find on nice hotels, but the places that charge so little because they’re unclean or just plain awful. The places I mean by Cheap Hotels are the ones you find that are ¼ the price of all the other hotels in the neighborhood and seem too good to be true (they are). You’re better off spending a little more on a better place or going cheap and using a clean hostel.
- Bed and Breakfasts – This is a great option for independent travelers. These are very small places (usually only a few rooms) run by a family. B&Bs are very prevalent in the UK and Ireland and are quaint, cheap options.
- Luxury Hotels – This is where we would all stay if money was no object. These include the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton’s as well as castle hotels and manor houses. The rooms are spacious and fabulously appointed, the service is spectacular, and the food is first-class. Unfortunately most people cannot afford such places, but they don’t want to risk the cheap route either, so that leaves us with...
- Everything Else – What a nice specific category, huh? How do we separate the thousands and thousands of hotels that all look and sound the same? That’s why I’m here, read on.
The first rule of European hotels is that you don’t talk about...oops, wrong rule. The first rule is that you’re not looking at American hotels. I know that sounds kind of dumb, but it’s something that a lot of people have trouble with. As Americans we’re used to a few automatics when we’re staying at a hotel. Those include big rooms, queen or king size beds, carpeted floors, and bathrooms. Believe it or not, Europeans don’t consider any of those automatic inclusions. In fact in many, if not most, European hotels you will be hard-pressed to find anything but small, tile-floored, small-bedded rooms.
I know I’m not exactly selling the European hotel right now, but it’s really not that bad. The hotels in Europe tend to be charming, well run, and clean. Sure they’re a little tight, but that brings us to rule number two:
How much time are you spending in your hotel room anyway? That’s not really phrased as a rule, but it’s a valid question. My first question when people complain about the size of their room is; why do you need it to be bigger? Most people have trouble answering that question with any response other than; I just do. If you’re the type that just wants to get away and sit in a nice hotel room watching TV, then maybe you’re wasting money flying all the way to Europe. If you’re going to Europe, you should be out seeing and experiencing things, not sitting in a hotel room. Personally, when I walk into my room that means that I’m ready for sleep (that’s why I love WiFi, because I can even do my work from the hotel bar).
What you’ll find in a European Hotel
- Bathrooms – if you’ve booked an en-suite room, you will find a bathroom, also called a washroom or water closet (W/C), in there. Now what exactly will be in the bathroom is a different story. Don’t worry; there will be at least a toilet, sink, and shower. That may be it though.
Europeans are very used to making the most of small spaces and their bathrooms are no different. On the smallest end of the scale you’ll have a shower that consists of a drain in the corner, a removable showerhead on the wall, and a shower curtain. Personally I don’t mind these because it’s not confining. Of course the downside is that the floor can get pretty wet.
A little better will be a small walk-in shower which keeps water in, but can be awkward depending on the size of the person (and I’m not a particularly small person). At the large end of the scale is a full bathtub that also has a removable showerhead. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what to do with those because the showerhead is only about 1 foot above the tub. You can stand in them, but they are easy to fall in (ask my wife about concussing herself in Germany sometime), so I usually kneel.
As you can see, none of these options are perfect, but it has never been an issue with me and there are usually funny moments (non-concussion related). Of course, I have also stayed in hotels with full American-style bathrooms, but I wouldn’t need to prepare you for those, so go in expecting tiny and be pleasantly surprised.
- Beds – Beds in a European hotel are as advertised, no more, no less. In the US, hotels typically have either one king size bed or two queen/full size beds. In Europe, there are several different types and they’re categorized by how many they sleep.
Single Room – contains one single/twin bed...that’s it.
Twin Room – contains two single/twin beds, sleeps two.
Double Room – contains one double/full size bed, sleeps two. Preferable two that are comfortable with each other.
Triple Room – contains one double and one single bed. Not all hotels have these.
Quad/Family Room – contains two double beds or more. These are very rare.
You can’t go into a European hotel expecting to squeeze extra people in there unless they like sleeping on the floor (and there’s not always a lot of floor space either).
- Amenities – by this I mean a few other things that we’ve come to assume are in every hotel, things such as air conditioning, television, and coffee makers. While most European hotels have these, it is not a given. Air conditioning is common now, but if you’re traveling in the summer you should check. Television is almost a given, but I’ve stayed in hotels without and while I don’t spend a lot of time in the room, it’s still nice to have something to do while you’re getting ready in the morning. Coffee makers are almost never found...sorry, they just don’t do coffee like we do. They see drinking coffee (or tea) as drinking a beer, it’s a social thing, not something to do in a room by yourself.
- Elevator – There’s good news and bad news with this one. Good news: Most European hotels are very old and therefore only about 5-6 stories maximum. Bad news: They are very old and may not have an elevator. Good news: Many have retro-fitted elevators into their plans. Bad news: Those elevators are usually big enough for either you or you luggage, not both.
One more note while I’m here: The way floors are read in Europe is a little different. What we consider the 1st floor, they consider the ground floor, with the 1st floor being the one above it. Therefore if you have a room on the 3rd floor, it is actually what you would normally think of as the 4th.
- Location – For me this is what makes or breaks a hotel. If you’re only spending a few nights in a particular place, do you really want to waste time in taxis, on the subway, or on a bus traveling to and from the city center? With very few exceptions, cities in Europe are very centralized. This is owed to their history of being founded prior to the widespread availability of reliable transportation. Because of that centralization, European cities are best traveled on foot, which is why we love walking tours at Great Explorations Tours.
Obviously, if walking is the best way to see an area, it is logical that you would want to be within walking range of the sights. [SALES PITCH ALERT] With a lot of escorted tours, they house you in hotels that are outside of the city as a money-saving move. At Great Explorations Tours, we do our best to put you right in the center of the action, which allows you to explore at your convenience [END OF PITCH].
When you are able to comfortably walk to sights, that allows you to avoid crowds (by going earlier or later), eat in better restaurants (because of the wider variety of options), and experience more of the city life of another country. After all, you’re there to experience that country, not that country’s hotel.
Okay, one more sales pitch. Here are the three upcoming tours we are running along with the hotels we are staying in. These are some good locations.
Ireland – www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/ireland.htm
Dublin – Temple Bar Hotel and Arlington Hotel Temple Bar – We stay 2 nights in Dublin (the first and last) and due to a scheduling conflict, we stay in 2 different hotels. The two hotels are about 2 blocks away from each other, both in the Temple Bar area, which is the heart of the remodeled Dublin with a lot of restaurant and pub options. Temple Bar is only about 1 block from Trinity College, 3 blocks to St. Stephen’s Green, and 3 blocks to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Killarney – Scott’s Hotel – “Downtown” Killarney is about 6 square blocks, but that means there are not a lot of hotels there either. Luckily Scott’s is one of them.
Galway – Galway Bay Hotel – This is the only hotel on this tour (and most of our tours) that isn’t downtown. It is in a beautiful location along Galway Bay and its boardwalk (where there’s still plenty to do). We figured everyone would enjoy the scenery.
Bunratty – Bunratty Castle Hotel – Basically the only reason the tour stops in Bunratty is because of its wonderful castle and medieval dinner. This hotel is literally across the street from the castle (and Durty Nelly’s pub) and next to the shopping area called the Blarney Woolen Mills.
Italy - www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/italy.htm
Rome – Cesari Hotel – We spend 3 nights in Rome (the first and last two), which is a little more spread out due to its major status in ancient times. This hotel couldn’t be any better located. It’s 1 ½ blocks from the Pantheon, 2 blocks from the Trevi Fountain, 2 ½ blocks from Piazza Navona, an easy walk to the Spanish Steps, and a longer (but do-able) walk to the Roman Forum and Coliseum.
Venice – Hotel Abazzia – At first glance this hotel looks like a bit of a distance from the main tourist spot in Venice (Piazza San Marco...the one with all the pigeons). On closer inspection, it is only about a 10 minute leisurely walk because Venice itself is so small. This hotel is in Venice proper meaning that you won’t have to worry about traffic...except of the boat variety.
Florence – Hotel de Lanzi – Florence is one of the easiest cities in Europe to see on foot. All of the major tourist attractions are within about 10 minutes walk of each other with the massive Church di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) being the main focal point. This hotel is located within a stones throw of the Duomo (literally...you could hit it with a rock...but don’t). Specifically it’s about ½ block from the basilica.
Paris - www.GreatExplorationsTours.com/paris.htm
Paris – Hotel Mansart – Paris, like Rome, is a little bit spread out due to its long history. For our four nights in Paris (first and last three) we’ll be staying right in its heart. This hotel is along the Place Vendome, 1 block from the Jardin (gardens) des Tuileries, 2 blocks from the Louvre, and an easy walk to the Musee d’Orsay, Champs-Elysees, or Notre Dame.
Honfleur – Hotel Cheval Blanc – Honfleur is a small Normandy fishing village with a very picturesque harbor that has inspired many artists (Claude Monet being the most famous). Our hotel here is right on the harbor.
Reims – Hotel de la Paix – Reims is the largest city in the Champagne region and is known for its fantastic gothic cathedral and its miles of underground caves used to mature the region’s namesake bubbly. This hotel is in the city center, an easy walk to the cathedral.
Price – If you look at that list above and think, ‘he’s right, I want a clean, well located hotel that’s en-suite,’ what should you expect to pay? If you’re flexible with some of the other things (number of rooms, size of rooms, size of bathroom), you can usually find a room for under $200 per night. You’re right, that is a lot and it depends on where you’re looking. Obviously big cities like London, Paris and Rome are closer to that $200 mark where smaller cities and towns are much lower. I’ve gotten a room in London for $200, a room in Dublin for $160, a room in Munich for $130, and a room in a smaller village in France for $90, all in walking distance to the sights.
The trick to finding well priced rooms is that there is no trick. You just have to set aside some time to look for them. With the internet bringing hotel info right to your computer, you only have to look around to find hotel deals and reviews. Of course if you don’t have the time or the will to plan your whole vacation you can travel with me and Great Explorations Tours (www.GreatExplorationsTours.com). Thanks again for reading and feel free to fire away with the questions and comments.
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