Choosing our accommodations - where to lay our weary heads at night - was a series of big decisions. I'm willing to sacrifice a lot in the name of the Budget, like private bathrooms and no AC. But I have to insist that I sleep in a room with my husband, not a dorm full of girls in bunk beds. This limited our budget options when it came to hostels. I can't imagine having to make these kind of decisions 10 or even five years ago, before the proliferation of information on the web. But by consulting our good friend Rick Steves' books, searching eurotrip,checking a few other guidebooks,and following everything up online, we finally found decent places to stay in every city. Not everything fell within our budget - London is the most expensive, but the cheaper places like Inverness and Gimmewald balance it out. (Side rant- We didn't get Gimmewald as cheaply as we originally planned. We booked two beds in an 8 person room at a bed and breakfast months and months ahead of time. When I emailed in January to reconfirm, I was informed that there were no accommodations for us after all, for they had booked a large group. )
London - Leinster Inn
Convenience: B It's about a 6 or
7 minute walk to the nearest tube station, Bayswater
Comfort: F This was my first
experience with a hostel - but having lived in college dorms, I thought it
wouldn't be a big deal. However, when we checked in, our rooms had not
been cleaned and there were dirty sheets on the beds (bunk beds) from the
last person. The top bunk was broken, so I *slept* on the floor. The first
night, the fire alarm went off around 3 am. This was after we had been
awake for about 36 hours and were desperately tired. A staff worked
unlocked our door and barged in over my protests, demanding to know if we
were smoking. This was going on all up and down the hall. Evidently the
alarm goes off every time someone smokes. Which is regularly, because it
went off 2 or 3 more times that night. And it is LOUD.
There are other things that bothered
me that may not faze an experienced hosteller, like loud people all night
slamming doors, talking loudly in hallways, a shower with only 2 temps,
ice and scalding, no sink for handwashing, and no toilet paper in the
bathrooms. But for anyone going on their first trip, definitely stay away
from Astor's Leinster Inn!
Price: F We prepaid the
first night on our credit card, at the rate of 36 pounds per
night. I budgeted for that much for the next three nights as well.
When we went to pay on the first morning, she looked at me with a blank
face and asked for 42 pounds per night. I was
dumbfounded, just couldn't believe it. On my fax confirmation ,which was
of course thousands of miles away at home, I had the price in
writing. Complaining did no good, but I made sure that I
warned everyone on the Eurotrip boards about it. We really had no choice,
we didn't want to lug our packs around searching for something else. So we
paid it.
Atmosphere: F Let's see. Rice Krispies
and warm milk for breakfast. Dirty room, rude staff, 3rd (therefore 4th)
floor with no elevator, nasty carpet ducktaped at the seams on every step.
Hideous homemade paintings on every wall, no ventilation in bathrooms,
most without a sink or even toilet paper.
York
-
The Avenue Guest
House
Convenience: C Long walk from the train station, especially
carrying your bag! Although walking along the river is lovely, so it's a C
instead of a D.
Comfort: B Small room, but clean, and decorated fairly nicely for the price. Double bed, TV, sink and mirror. 2 bathrooms down the hall, one with a bath tub, one with shower. On a quiet tree lined street across from a school.
Price: B 32 pounds included breakfast. As far from town as it is, it could have been a little less, I thought.
Atmosphere: B It's on a
pretty street, but nothing spectacular about the room. Very nice
dining room however, with an elegant breakfast setting (by my Kentucky
bred standards anyway).
Inverness
(Drumnadrochit) - LochNess BackPackers
Convenience: C- From Inverness
it's extremely inconvenient. Busses run only every 2-3 hours and they're
expensive. Then it's a 10-15 minute walk from the bus stop. But it's a
beautiful walk through mist shrouded mountains, and down the most quaint
little dirt road.
Comfort: C+ Small room with a double bed. Window shade wouldn't close, and the sun rises before 4am. No sink in the room, 2 bathrooms downstairs with a difficult hot water system. Very friendly and helpful staff though. Extra blankets in a chest in the hallway.
Price: B - I think it was about $40 for the two of us, plus $4 or $5 for both of our breakfasts, self serve, wash your own dishes.
Atmosphere: B Small room that's entirely pink! Walls, shade, bedclothes, lamp - everything! Cozy living room with fireplace - we needed the warmth! They did our laundry for 3 pounds 50 pence. The owner was extremely nice and helpful. The house is situated on a wonderful little road full of cottages, glorious Scotland scenery all around. The hairy coos down the road are not to be missed. Walking distance (although a long walk in the rain) from Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. If it were anywhere but Scotland, it would've been a C.
Edinburgh - Millfield Guest House
Convenience:
B+ About a 10 minute bus ride from the city centre.
Comfort: A By far, the nicest place we stayed. Beautifully decorated home, with large comfortable rooms. Run by the very hospitable and entertaining Mrs. ? A full size and twin size bed in the room, sink and mirror, large bathroom down the hall. Tea facilities and supplies in the room. Lovely furniture, and garden view. Very nice lounge with comfortable seats, plenty of books and a warm fire.
Price: B- About $60 a night, included breakfast. Over our budget, but definitely worth it. ( Cash only! )
Atmosphere: A+ The only place we stayed where we spent any amount of time just hanging out. The lounge was so inviting, the conversation with our hostess so entertaining that we skipped the pub scene on the second night, and spent in in the lounge room. Her front yard was a riot of flowers and greenery. The breakfast was tasty, and oh-so-civilized, the server in an apron, our hostess most obliging, and more food than anyone can reasonably eat so soon after awakening :-)
<<<<< N O T E ..... we returned in December 03 we liked it so much here.... >>>
Paris
- Hotel du Champ de Mars
Convenience: A 5 minute walk to Metro, 10 minute walk to Eiffel Tower.
Comfort: B The room itself was quite comfortable, with our own private bath, but the chilly attitude of the staff decreased our comfort level. Full sized bed, table and chairs, housekeeping service, TV and phone in the room. Hairdryer in the bathroom.
Price: A 440 francs per night was a steal, compared to London.
Atmosphere: B- If it weren't for the condescending haughty staff, the location and charming room would have been worth an A. We had a view of the Eiffel Tower, especially nice at night. Our room overlooked a sidewalk cafe, which provided us with music. It was decorated nicely, and stayed cool in spite of no air conditioning. The neighborhood was full of mouthwatering patisseries, fromagerries, not to mention fruit, produce, seafood vendors, and much more. However, we were not made to feel welcome in the slightest- rather, we felt as though we were an inconvenience to them. I learned after arriving back home that my mom had emailed the hotel with a request for my wedding anniversary. She asked them to send wine and flowers to our room, and charge it to her credit card. They didn't even deign to respond.
Gimmelwald
- Esther’s
Guest-House
Convenience:A There's nowhere in
Gimmelwald that isn't convenient - everything is in the
village!
Comfort: B- Small room, slanted ceiling that I
knocked my head on repeatedly. No sink in the room. 2 bathrooms
downstairs, everyone uses the same towels. "King" size bed (2 twins pushed
together) with cushy comfy down blankets and a skylight to look out at the
stars.
Price: B- 70 Swiss francs per night
seemed a little pricey for the accommodations.
Atmosphere:A
What can I say, it's in the heart of the awe inspiring Swiss Alps! I think
even sleeping in straw up the road would rate an A in this part of the
world! Nothing like going to sleep at night with NO noise. No traffic, no
sirens, nothing but the waterfalls and the distant tinkling of cowbells.
Wake up, hop up on the bed, and gaze out the window at the spectacular
sight of sunrise in the mountains.
Cinque Terre - Affittacamere Vesigna
Edi
Convenience: B+ It was in the village - there's really
not anywhere that's not. But it was up a big hill, and quite a walk from
the train station.
Comfort: B- No Air conditioning, but a
king size bed, private bathroom, TV, and kitchenette.
Price: B
90,000 lire per night
Atmosphere: C+ Not much to say. It's not cozy or
charming, but not a dump either. The walls were cracked, there's a church
right outside the window that rings 90 bells every morning
at 7 am, construction going on right below us all day, so no siesta!
Nice view of the village and the vineyards though.
Rome 
- Hotel Des
Artistes
Convenience:
B+ 5 minutes to the nearest metro, 15
minutes walk to Termini.
Comfort: C-/A The first few nights we stayed
in a non air conditioned room and I was miserable. It was a nice room with
a safe and a sink, phone and TV, but I couldn't sleep it was so hot. Also,
one day the bathroom was locked all day and night, with no-one in it and
it took 2 calls to the desk to get it opened. For our last night, we
managed to switch to a room with AC, and that was niiiiiice!
Price: B- We paid $59-70+. Our stay
coincided with the change from High to mid season, and then we switched to
an air-conditioned room. Rome is expensive, so the price wasn't too bad
for a private room.
Atmosphere: B - The neighborhood certainly wasn't
anything special, but the rooms were nice, and there was a bar/reading room/internet lounge where you could get inexpensive
drinks and coffee.