Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with accommodation

Need apartment in Berlin available at short notice for month-long rental

maryrosecook — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 08:37:52 -0800

I need an apartment in Berlin (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg/Mitte) available at short notice for a month-long rental. I can't find anything on Google except expensive holiday apartments. I arrive in mid-January and can't visit Berlin in advance. Budget: €30/night or €900/month. Where should I look? Thank you.

What is the best way of finding a replacement housemate for a sharehouse in Melbourne?

severin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:11:07 -0800

I'm moving out of a two person sharehouse and need to help my ex-housemate find another housemate to replace me on the lease. What are some good sites that we could post advertisements on? The house is in Melbourne, Victoria. I'm not sure if this makes a difference, but my ex-housemate is (probably) looking for:

* Student
* Female
* 20-30 years old.
* Clean
* Quiet

Maybe there's some sites that would be good for that demographic...

Also, what are some non-Internet techniques for advertising the room? E.g., can anyone recommend any Melbourne cafe's etc (near the lower end of Sydney Rd), that have accommodation boards?

Thanks in advance

Milton Keynes Calling

Sonny Jim — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:24:16 -0800

So, I just got my dream job. It's in Milton Keynes. What now? I'll be moving to the UK at the end of this year to take up a fixed-term contract. While I'm excited, I'm also a little apprehensive about MK's ... reputation ... for being somewhat boring and car-focussed. I'm also kind of unfamiliar with the UK itself, having never lived there before.

Are there any English Mefites who could give me some good, basic advice about finding decent (but cheapish) long-term accommodation in (or preferably about) Milton Keynes? I'd probably be looking to join an existing flat or perhaps board (at least initially); where are the best places to look for listings? Is accommodation especially hard to line up if you're a non-EU citizen? Is living in London and commuting to Milton Keynes just perverse?

I don't have a car or a license, so I'll be reliant on trains and buses for getting around.

Thanks!

What's it called, you know those umm...

Kerasia — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:16:29 -0800

What is a place called when it is a one or two person self-contained 'retreat' set up for writers/artists to get away from it all to write their masterpiece/compile their exhibition pieces etc? We are looking to expand our accommodation range. We have an idea in mind at one location on our property (great views) for a studio cabin and deck. I am thinking of promoting it to writers and artists as a place they can go and create.

But in doing the preliminary market research I am stumped as to my search terms. Writers Retreat brings up places that cater to a group of writers and have support people there to help with their work. Ditto Writers Studio.

What terms could I use to search for other like places?

And, as an ancillary question, does anyone know any places that advertise themselves as such a place?

Cheapest way to conduct long-distance job: apartment lease or hotel?

media_itoku — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:39:33 -0800

Long-distance job: should I just stay at hotels, rather than leasing an apartment? I have a job (on the academic semester) that requires me to be in Baltimore three days per week during term time. Right now I'm leasing an apartment in town (work is in Catonsville), but it always grates on me having to pay rent during the summer when I'm not there, just to keep the apartment. Doing the math, it seems like it would be cheaper over the course of a year to stay in budget hotels out near BWI airports (I'm thinking of Days Inn and the like, to be safe & clean). Relative costs:

Apt: 1000 a month. Required lease to hold it, even though I'm not in town during summer/breaks.
Parking: 160 a month (I park in a garage downtown - it's a safety thing).
Cable/internet: 65 a month.
Utilities: say, 75 per month averaged out.
Total: 1300 per month, =15600 per year.

Hotel: say, 70 per night for 3 nights a week = 210 per week.
Many budget hotels offer free breakfast, parking and internet.
Here's the bonus: because it's only during the semester I'm looking at say, 32 weeks per year, plus 4 extra weeks for random stuff like meetings etc.
Total: 210x36=7560 per year.

Even allowing a couple of extra grand for unexpected costs/having to stay longer/etc it looks like I could easily save 6 or 7 grand a year. As an added bonus, I could charge the hotel stays to a cashback or rewards card (whereas I can't really do that with rent).

I've considered added stress but I'm already pretty mobile psychologically - the apartment is really just a place to sleep and prep classes/grade/etc. It doesn't seem to affect my teaching, at least if evaluations & student feedback are any indication. So, aside from the hassle of having to book ahead, am I missing anything? Or is this just a dumb idea?

Looking for super-cheap hotel in San Francisco

Susan PG — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:42:08 -0800

A friend is visiting San Francisco from Toronto just before Christmas, and looking for recommendations for somewhere super-cheap to stay. She is 55, well-travelled, assertive and not easily fazed. And, she's pretty broke. She's travelling alone and will be in SF for about a week, doing tourist stuff.

The ideal accommodation would be 1) less than $50 a night, 2) as close as possible to City Hall, 3) not insanely unsafe, and 4) reasonably clean. A sketchy neighborhood is okay, but a creepy hotel or creepy staff would not be. Threadbare and shopworn is fine. Privacy and a reasonable level of quiet is good; loud drunk neighbors would be bad.

She obviously can't afford a conventional hotel or B-and-B, and I think a hostel would drive her crazy, as would couch-surfing -- she's pretty introverted. So I'm a bit stuck. Does anyone know a school, or religious group, or condo association, that rents out rooms for cheap?

Get my dad off my couch.

Newbornstranger — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:19:37 -0800

Where can I find a nice cheap short-term furnished apartment in Toronto? My dad has recently moved back to Ontario, and is looking to find a landing pad while he gets his bearings. We're looking for a cheapish fully furnished apartment/room that he can rent on a by-month basis. Any tips on good buildings? Any sites you've used to search this sort of thing? Personal experiences? Help!

more bang for my meager buck

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:35:50 -0800

I'm going to Rome for one week in February. How can I cheap out on lodging while there? I'm traveling with my boyfriend. The trip itself is only affordable to begin with because of the awesomeness of EasyJet. We're planning on trying to couchsurf but, if that doesn't work out, do you know of any hostels/hotels/monasteries where we can stay for less than 30euros/night total cost? (if you have any other advice on enjoying oneself in Rome while not spending much money, that's welcome too!)

Birmingham UK accommodation

daveyt — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:35:20 -0800

UK Birmingham filter. Need accomodation for a band. The band I manage is rehearsing and recording in Birmingham in January 09, just for a weekend. (Specifically Rich Bitch Studios, Selly oak). We need somewhere to stay for a couple of nights and wanted something above the usual Travelodge. No problem with that sort of place but its a special occasion and I'd like something more communal. Somewhere where we can bring back our instruments for impromptu evening jams... should the mood take. Serviced apartments look ok, and there are some in the area, but we dont really want to disturb the neighbours.

Anyone have a recommendation for a house - preferably reasonably isolated - ie detached - but within distance of a town or Brum, if we want to go out (lets say no more than 30 mins from Brum? Dont mind in which direction.

I know thats quite specific, but have faith in mefi.

Where to stay in Ljubljana?

Admira — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:10:29 -0800

Hi All, I am due to go to Slovenia very soon, arriving in Ljubljana. I'm booked into a hostel but looking at online reviews the place is getting I'm quite scared. Any advice for places to stay whilst I'm there? I'm not generally scared of hostels, and have travelled through Asia, Sth America, Europe a bit. If anyone lives there or will also be there over the next week or so, speaks a bit of English and wants to have a meal/drink or two then I'm up for that as well. Thanks!

What's a good, cheap hotel in Melbourne, Australia?

No-sword — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:40:18 -0800

Looking for a cheap place to stay for a week in Melbourne, the cheapest that meets these criteria: (1) Hotel is 30 minutes or less from the CBD by public transport; (2) I can get a two-person room with its own shower; (3) I will not get stabbed or robbed there. I don't want to eat breakfast or dinner at the hotel. I don't need a gym or bar or anything like that in the hotel. Just a room with a lock, two beds (or one double bed), and a shower.

Not looking to couchsurf or anything like that; we do have friends in Melbourne but for a variety of reasons we would prefer to just pay some money for a room we can come and go from as we please, without worrying about inconveniencing someone or offending their hospitality.

Meta-answers on how to find such a hotel would be great too. I tried to Google this but found only spammy aggregator sites and super-expensive fancy hotels in the city center. I'm really trying to avoid Googling "hotel +[area]" for each individual area of Melbourne I can think of that's 30 minutes or less from the CBD...

What do you know about Frankfurt?

miles1972 — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:42:05 -0800

What do you know about Frankfurt? It seems that I will be spending some time in Frankfurt this Fall. Looks like 3 weeks or so in October. Some arts education for myself.

Looks like I'll need to go to Willy-Brandt Platz every day.

Any tips on how to find an inexpensive place to stay? Could I live near there? And currently I live in Canada.

Also, any other tips would be welcomed. How to get around, what the city is like, how is it for English speakers, all those kinds of things.

Help me have a great time. Thanks.

Flying Solo in France...

moocheen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:07:47 -0800

Can I find a secluded get away in the South of France for 1? I want to go away to decompress after a long year and, the south of france is idyllic.

I will be going alone for a period of 1 or 2 weeks at the end of October and seclusion is what I'm aiming for.

How do I find a place to stay that isn't too big or massively expensive where I can have the opportuniy to keep to myself or mingle with locals to practice my french, depending on my mood?

How to find an August sublet in Seattle?

grouse — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:09:05 -0800

I'm moving to Seattle! How can I find a sublet for August? My job starts in September, but I'm going to move there in August to get settled in and started up. I want to get a sublet before I move from the UK so that I can find a more permanent lease on the ground, looking at the places myself. Also, my new employer refuses to give me a binding contract until I have proof of my PhD which I won't be able to get for another week or so. So I'd rather not commit to a year-long contract until I have the commitment for the job.

I'll be working in the university medical center. I'm interested in living in Wallingford or Fremont, so I wanted to find a sublet there for a month to get used to the area and make apartment hunting easier. But most of the sublets available right now seem to be for July, or July and August, rather than just August. I think there are more sublets available now for the U-District in August, but August sublets in Wallingford might come available later, or as people realize they can't find a renter for July.

Unfortunately I'm going to start traveling on 12 July so I ought to have this nailed down by then. Do you think there is any point in waiting a few days to see if something in my preferred areas comes available, or should I just start looking for something anywhere today?

Recommendations for cheap hostel accomodation in Singapore

dohmer — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:29:57 -0800

I'm a single 25 year old male staying in Singapore for a couple of days in June I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for cheap places to stay? I don't know what part of Singapore I should stay in so recommendations/experiences would be welcome, I would prefer to stay in hostelish accommodation with people about my own age.

i like fun things.

negative1 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:48:10 -0800

The lady & I want to watch some whales in Victoria BC around Memorial day. We'd like to avoid cookie-cutter-corporate hotels. We want a funky mid-price (think $100/night or so) place to stay. When we travel around Washington/Oregon, we like to stay at McMenamins. Is there anything close to that in Victoria?

Help w/ lodging in Whistler, BC; Or alternate ski trip suggestion

tslugmo — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:56:25 -0800

Can you help me find cheap lodging in Whistler, BC? Or if not, suggest another destination in North America for great skiing and cheap digs? I've skied Whistler/Blackcomb and loved it, would love to take my gf there. She has a $400 flight voucher we have to use by the end of February, and I have 90,000 travel miles through my credit card, so airfare shouldn't be a problem. I could even get hotel with my miles, but the only accommodations offered for miles in Whistler happen to be suites with 5 night minimums. We're hoping to do a Friday to Monday trip, taking off only 2 days from work.

While we'd love to go to Whistler, we're open to pretty much anywhere in the US. She mentioned Wyoming, Colorado, or Utah.

Things to consider:

+ We are on a budget and a tight schedule, so not having to rent a car and drive 4 hours from the airport is a plus. Maybe a package that includes lift tickets?

+ We're also lazy, so staying within walking distance of the slope would be cool.

+ And it wouldn't hurt to be somewhere romantic, so maybe slightly better than a Super 8, and in a cute village of sorts. We could probably budget for $100/nt, maybe a little more.

+ We're adventurous, so we are fine to try "non-traditional" lodging.

+ We live in SoCal, so taking advantage of free airfare would be cool, (ie Mammoth is nice, but doesn't utilize our voucher)

Thinking of Feb 22-25 just cuz it's not V-day or President's day, so maybe availability will be better.

We're excited to be able to choose anywhere, but overwhelmed by researching all those possibilities. Hope my fellow mefites can share their wisdom! Thanks!

tslugmo

Where to live in Ottawa?

sindark — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:35:15 -0800

I've just been offered a job in Ottawa and I need to decide where to live. As of July 16th, I am going to be working in Ottawa for the Canadian federal government. Right now, I am living in Oxford, UK. As such, I am trying to get a sense of the housing possibilities from a distance.

I am looking for a single bedroom apartment in an interesting part of town (along the lines of Greenwich Village in New York or Commercial Drive in Vancouver). I want to be close to an interesting commercial area, with cafes, restaurants, theatres, and the like. Good infrastructure for cycling and public transport is a major asset. I am used to living in a university environment, so I want to live somewhere where I can socialize with other fairly young people. I am looking for a place that will cost around $1000 a month, with utilities and internet included. Lastly, I want it to be in reasonable walking or cycling range from the Les Terrasses de la Chaudière Building in Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa proper.

Where are the good areas in Ottawa/Gatineau for a single twenty-three year old male to live?

3 person room in Sitges?

knapah — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 14:21:12 -0800

Help me find a good hotel in Sitges, Spain for one week in August? I will be travelling to Sitges for a week in August (between the 16th and 23rd) with 2 friends and need to find a hotel with Triple rooms or somewhere that we can get a double/twin and a single for a reasonable price.

We're looking for something in the 3 star region. Also, feel free to recommend any good things to see or do in Sitges and the surrounding area.

Phuket, Thailand family accommodation filter

bystander — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:05:51 -0800

Phuket, Thailand family accommodation filter. My family (M, F, G6yro, B4yro, B1.5yro) have been lucky enough to score some super cheap airfares to Phuket from May 21-30. My wife and I have been to Bangkok a couple of times before for a few days, but never Phuket. We are considering staying at http://www.kamalabaygarden.com/ but are not wedded to it. There price of 3000 baht is about right, and I will probably book via an web agent like http://www.phuket.com/kamalabaygarden/rates.htm
Our priorities are beach/pool fun for kids, enough space for 5 of us and a little bit of luxury.
Possible concerns are; is going in this low season a problem? i.e will it be deserted outside Patong? Is the monsoon going to make the beaches unpleasant for a paddle?
Any feedback/tips/advice greatly received. Any "must do" or other local experience also highly regarded.

I don't wanna sleep under the sakura!

teststrip — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:17:54 -0800

I was off to Kyoto by myself to see the cherry blossoms, till a friend decided to come too. Now I've cancelled my single room accommodation and because of the mere weeks to go, we can't get a booking... I need help - google fails me! So..... a) is there anywhere else in Japan that would be good for a 2-3 day visit at that time of year (the first week of April) where we'd be able to find somewhere to stay. We've got railpasses. The rest of the time we will be in Tokyo... but we'd love to get out of the city and see some traditional beauty that Kyoto would offer.

or b) Do you know some magical way we could find a twin room to stay in Kyoto without paying 700 pounds a night?

Dōmo arigatō!

holiday sublet in Providence

Marquis — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:15:51 -0800

Finding a place to stay in Providence for two weeks in November? I will be visiting Providence, RI for two weeks in early November. I need to stay in the city centre or East Side. (This is unfortunately a requirement.) Travelocity and other aggregators are showing about $170+ per night for a hotel room!!! Given that it's well below $1,000 pcm for a 1br apartment, I'm trying to find alternatives, if they exist.

I'd be willing even to pay for a full month's rent at $1,000, for instance, as that's still much cheaper than a hotel.

I'm already trolling Craigslist for short-term sublets (and having almost zero luck), but other than that, anyone have ideas for cheap(er) accommodation? I'm surprised there's not a website for holiday-makers looking for a place to stay, or even people checking out Brown/RISD. (All the Craigslist listings for vacation sublets are for towns elsewhere in RI.)

I need privacy so hostels are out, and I don't want to rent a room in a house.

(I'm flying in from Scotland, if that's in any way relevant.)

Many thanks for any suggestions!

Cheap accoms (with strings) in central Boston please!

ClanvidHorse — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:44:43 -0800

Please help with cheapish city accommodation in Boston! I will have the pleasure of spending a week in Boston and thereafter other towns in Massachusetts during the Fall on work-related activities. Work is going to pay for the accoms, but I am hoping to wing out an additional weekend for myself and a colleague before returning to the UK and to do so the accoms will need to be reasonably priced and hopefully fairly central. So far everything we have looked at is very expensive (~$350-$500 per room per night).
Please recommend places to stay. We will be travelling with laptops and some confidential files so we would be looking for security although I dont think any of us are too bothered about it being five star luxury or anything like that.

We will be in Boston from the 13th to the 15th of October and have plenty of ideas for when we are there. We will be spending most of our time in a town called Marlborough and would appreciate any tips for things to do in the evening in or around the surrounding area.

Thanking you in advance!

Nice, inexpensive hotels in NYC?

hot soup girl — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 09:50:05 -0800

My beloved and I are headed to NYC for our honeymoon in early September, and we're looking for nice but inexpensive accomodation. Any pointers? We're looking for a double room with its own bathroom (preferably near the Village, but that's not essential). The cheaper, the better... within reason. Can anyone suggest a hotel or a good accomodation site to visit?

If it matters, we're coming from London (the Boy is English and has been to NYC a half-dozen times; I'm Aussie and have never been before). Thanks!

Things to do in Brisbane when you're [at a conference]

Sonny Jim — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 20:15:47 -0800

Does anyone have any tales of joy—or woe—concerning hotel accommodation in Brisbane? And what might I do while I'm there? I'll be heading to Brisbane next month, and, typically, have left all my accommodation planning to the last minute. Can anyone recommend some decent hotel accommodation in (or walking distance from) the CBD? (By decent, I'm thinking quiet, comfortable, and reasonably priced, although, of course, plush, amazing, and under $AUD150.00 per night would be good as well!) Is there anywhere I should really just avoid?

I'm going to be conferencing most of the time I'm there, but I'd also really appreciate any tips on restaurants, cafes, day spas, CDs, and secondhand books that anyone might have. Thanks!