Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lodging

Towns to use as a home base in Scotland?

asnowballschance — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:56:18 -0800

My family will be spending 10 days road tripping through Scotland in May. There will be four adults (myself, my husband, and my retired parents), and one 18 month old toddler. What towns will work best as bases for exploring surrounding areas? We'd like to see a bit of everything (castles, highlands, whiskey distilleries, etc). I put together a very ambitious itinerary that has us sleeping in a new town every night. Yikes yikes yikes.

We'd much rather be able to spend a few nights in the same place. We'd like to see Edinburgh, the Highlands, the Isle of Syke, and the Glencoe area. We'd planned on spending our last two nights at a resort on the Isle of Arran, but we're flexible if someone has a better idea (seriously? a resort? someone has *got* to have a better idea).

Will Inverness make an OK base for all of the highlands and the Isle of Skye? Or is it too far away from some points? Is there a smaller or more central town that would be better? Should we consider splitting up that part of the trip? Fort William seems to be very central as well, but everyone I've spoken with has been "meh" about the food and surrounding area. Does it make an OK base, while we explore other areas? Do you have suggestions for B&Bs in those areas?

We are SO excited about this trip, but I'd really like to find a way to slow the pace down a little bit.

Tag along questions: What are your favorite parks and picnic spots? Outdoor markets? Tourist-y type things that won't require my toddler being quiet for longer than a few minutes at a time?

One night stay in Provincetown in July: possible?

rebekah — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:32:13 -0800

Planning a bike trip to Provincetown over the week of July 4. Hoping to stay in Provincetown on the night of July 6, then take the ferry back to Boston on July 7. Problem: every hotel/B&B we've found so far requires at least a two night minimum stay. Is there any place that doesn't? We're open to hotels, B&Bs, hostels, private apartments/houses, motels, cabins, yurts, etc. We're planning to camp along the way and are hoping to spend the last night of our trip in somewhat nicer accommodations, but as a last resort, we're willing to camp again (Dunes Edge looks the most promising here, but if you have other recommendations, please share!).

Lodging recommendations for Cabo San Lucas/San José del Cabo?

subajestad — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:32:01 -0800

The four of us (2 parents, a 12, and a 7 year old) will be there at the end of June for a week. We’re looking for a place that is clean, not crazy expensive, right on the beach (or certainly not more than a few hundred yards). It’d be nice if it has an oven and a fridge, but if not we’d definitely need it to have an on-site restaurant. We’d like a beach that is “gentle” enough that the young’uns need not worry about being swept out to sea, and prefer to stay away from the big box hotels, but are really open to any good suggestion. Gracias mil por sus sugerencias.

How to find short but not too short term accommodations in Iowa City?

eviemath — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 17:49:31 -0800

I'll be in Iowa City from March 25 to the end of April. I'll need a place to stay for a month and a week. Do you all have craigslist out there? If not, what are the best resources for finding lodging for this duration at something more like rental rates than hotel rates? Thanks!

Throw 'em in the pool

msalt — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 10:44:49 -0800

Looking for a decent motel around San Francisco/Santa Cruz with a heated pool and lots of teens/preteens hanging out (I have 12 and 15 year old daughters). Also good: inexpensive, no bed bugs, wifi. But the pool and other kids are really all they care about.

Where should I stay in Colombia?

deern the headlice — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:29:12 -0800

I'd like to use AirBNB to stay in Colombia on vacation. Medellin vs Bogota? Favorite neighborhoods? I have heard a lot of great things about Colombia and I have a free month I'd like to commit to visiting someplace I've never been.

I'm a guy in my 30s, I like bars and music and restaurants and interesting little haunts. I would not have a car so I would like to be in the center of things, in neighborhoods where interesting things are happening.

Anyone have a preference of cities and/or neighborhoods down there? Any other advice for someone who's never been?

Lodging near UW in Seattle

anaphoric — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 22:17:10 -0800

Please suggest a place to stay in Seattle near the University of Washington. More details follow. My significant other (female, mid 20s) is headed to Seattle to visit a lab at the University of Washington in about two weeks. She will be there for four days from Sunday night through Thursday. It would be incredibly helpful if anyone local could suggest a place for her to stay, be it a hotel, something like you'd find on www.homeaway.com, a hostel, etc. Ideally, the location would be walking distance from campus (Guthrie Hall in particular). Her budget it up to about $200/night, but less expensive is better. Safety is important as she'll be walking around. Shared bathrooms are dispreferred (ruling out most hostels, I realize). Thanks in advance!

sleeping near the fishes.

vrakatar — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:31:14 -0800

Looking for an affordable, funky inn or B and B in Monterey so we can hit the aquarium first thing the next morning. My GF and I will be vacationing in California this year, renting a car in the bay area and heading south. We are looking for a spot to bed down in Monterey so we can hit the aquarium early. We don't need the cheapest option, but if we can find a bargain at a groovy place, we'd be very happy. Haunted would be a plus. We love this place in the Catskills.

Nome for Dummies

AnOrigamiLife — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:08:12 -0800

[Alaska filter] We are heading to Nome, Alaska for six nights in mid August. We need your suggestions for everything to make our week great. We already live in Alaska, just never been to Nome. We know about bears and moose. We are outdoorsy and adventuresome. We like hiking and kayaking, eating, meeting people, hearing music, walking beaches, exploring ruins/junk, views and animals (birds are great, but we're not so much into birding for the sake of birding).

Fine with getting dirty, but prefer to stay someplace that isn't. At minimum we strive for clean lodging with a very comfortable queen bed, hot shower, a modicum of privacy and use of kitchen facilities. We're open to staying far afield for a couple of nights if a remote community has lodging. Apart from that, what should we do and see? Avoid? Where's the best place to find a car? Favorite hikes? Decent food in places that aren't smoky? Web sites with info?

We don't care about bars unless there's great music inside, tho we may venture into one for an afternoon beer and local color. Besides, it's summer in Alaska; who wants to be inside? (in case of rain, where should we go?). Of note: Due to recent injury, camping and/or carrying a big backpack are probably out, though we're not ruling out such things at this time.

So far we've heard or learned, or just think that:
1) we should go to some hot spring that requires advance permit;
2) an excursion to Solomon for a couple of nights might be fun;
3) a float down a river might be great fun if we can figure out gear and transportation and such;
4) berry picking may be great;
5) we should see the musk ox.

Money is an issue inasmuch as a brief web review of our lodging + car options alone will run about $250/day. And we expect food to be expensive. Those factors edge out much in the way of spending on extras.

Appreciate advice or leads!

Things to do/places to stay in Louisville, KY?

stoneandstar — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:19:15 -0800

Really, really psyched to be going to the Forecastle Festival this year in Louisville, KY. Where should we sleep at night? And what shouldn't we miss in Louisville? My boyfriend and I are (hopefully) going to Forecastle Festival this year, July 13-15. We're pumped, but also broke, and I'm trying to find the best lodging accommodations that won't break the bank. The festival website has a short list of hotel recs, but are there any hostel-style gems in the area (or even just inexpensive hotels where you've had a pleasant experience)? We considered camping at the KOA but that seems like a no-go. Google has provided the option of sleeping in a woman's garage for $10 and some chores, yet somehow...

We've also never been to Louisville, so we're kind of interested in inexpensive, potentially quirky/historical landmarks and must-sees during the times we're not at the Waterfront. The boyfriend is interested in the wistful and storied history of the Louisville Slugger, but otherwise we have nothing specific on the agenda. Anything that delights you about Louisville would be a great addition to our list. Thanks everyone!

[Oh, and I'm currently making a mix CD to persuade him it's gonna be great, so if you're familiar with the festival/bands playing this year and have any song recs, feel free to throw those in too. =)]

Two of us are spending a week in Italy soon -- Rome, Florence, Venice. Help us find some cool places to stay!

chasing — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 15:28:57 -0800

Two of us are spending a week in Italy soon -- Rome, Florence, Venice. Help us find some cool places to stay! I know there are traditional hotels all over the place, but are there any options we might not be considering that are both relatively inexpensive *and* interesting? (Quirky also okay.)

Proximity to cools stuff is a definite plus, and we don't need to be bargain-basement. But, y'know. Rather not *waste* money. Hostels have crossed our minds, but we're not all all interested in sharing a room or bunk or whatever with folks we don't know.

Anyway: I'm trying to see if there's anything we're overlooking as we do our planning.

Oh: And it's for two of us -- a couple.

Thanks!

Where should I stay near White Plains, NY

Twicketface — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:31:14 -0800

I'm traveling to New York and looking for hotel recommendations. My boss and I are traveling to White Plains, NY in two weeks and she's charged me with finding a hotel. We're flying into LaGuardia airport (arriving around 2:30pm) and driving a rental to White Plains. Open to staying anywhere between, in nothing lower than a 3 star hotel (3.5 or 4 would be preferred).

I've never been to this part of the country, so looking for recommendations for a good place to stay that might have some cool things to explore when we arrive (we'll only be there the one night).

Thanks in advance!

Where can I take my mom for a fun, relaxing weekend where we can eat, drink (wine!), and be merry?

lovableiago — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:56:19 -0800

Northern California wineries and B&B's in either 1) Amador/El Dorado wine country or 2) Napa/Sonoma (that won't break the bank)? My mom has been having a rough go of it lately, so I would like to really treat her for Mother's Day this year. She loves wine (old-vine zins, specifically) so I'd like to take her wine-tasting (likely the weekend AFTER Mother's Day), and stay the night in a B&B or some charming, small hotel (to make it more of a 'getaway'). Fortunately we are in the Sacramento area, giving us several options within a few hours' drive. Please help me plan something marvelous for my dear mama!

The first choice would be the Amador/El Dorado area simply because it is more affordable and a little closer. I'm considering Renwood or Story but the lodging options seem kind of limited in the Plymouth area. I am trying to avoid a Super 8-type place--looking for something with a little character.

Napa/Sonoma is second choice but I am open to it. I've only been wine-tasting there once and otherwise I wouldn't even know where to start.

I did take a look at this recent question but it wasn't too much help because the asker was looking for romantic places (this is my mom we're talking about so that's not a priority!) and most of the responses suggested Mendocino and Big Sur/Monterey/Carmel and those are just too far away.

So I am looking for 1) cool wineries (preferably old vine) within a couple of hours' drive from Sacramento, 2) affordable lodging for what would likely be a Saturday night in mid-to-late-May, and 3) dining suggestions would be great too--cost is not so much a concern here.

As always I feel like I am probably forgetting something, so let me know if you need more details. Thanks everyone!

A place to safely and legally f*** in Austin

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:29:26 -0800

Looking for hourly hotels and similar places for discreet trysts in Austin, Texas. Don't judge me!

We're looking for a reasonably safe, private and legal place to have sex. No cars or bushes, please. A little skeevy is okay. On tv, I see these hourly places - but sadly, Austin isn't NYC.

A super cheap nightly hotel would work too, but we don't want to pay very much. Besides, they're all booked for Sxsw this week.

Please help a family of four with an outdoorsy but non-camping trip to the Grand Tetons and Salt Lake City!

chr1sb0y — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:46:59 -0800

Our family of four (Mom, Dad, 2 boys ages 8 & 12) wants to enjoy Yellowstone Park, the Grand Tetons, and possibly shoot down to the Salt Lake City area for about a week in late July 2012. We love the outdoors, but can't bring camping gear. Will we be able to find spontaneous lodging in cheap hotels or cabins for under $100 per night - or do we need to book everything waaay in advance? We would also love some suggestions for what's beautiful and to see/do/hike between Jackson Hole and Salt Lake City. I haven't been to this entire area since I was 12, but I LOVED it.

Oh yeah - and do we need to bump up our price range for tolerable/clean lodgings?

Is Cheap(er) Lodging in Oslo, Norway Possible?

larthegreat — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:38:32 -0800

Oslo Lodging Query! Myself and 3 friends will be traveling around Iceland and Norway in April 2012. We're all seasoned travelers, but we've been taken aback by how expensive Oslo is. Emails to Hostels have gone unanswered, and given we're planning early, and not going during peak tourist season, we didn't expect to see $300+ rooms in 2-3 star hotels.

In Iceland we'll be renting an apartment, and staying with friends in Bergen, but we're only in Oslo for 2 nights, so getting an apartment doesn't seem viable.

Is there some sort of secret hotel/hostel that prices around $200 a night? Dorms in hostels look like they start at $58 per person!!! or if the hostels are cheaper, then they aren't open until May. We're in our late 20's, and would prefer to not deal with Hostel Dorms (we're cool with getting a 4-person dorm to ourselves), but if that's what we need to do, that's what we'll do.

So Mefites, What are my options for affordable lodging in Oslo in Late April?

previous questions deal with cheap activities, we just need cheaper lodging! we were planning on spending our $$ on good food and weird muesums.

Looking for good/cheap hotels in Amsterdam and Barcelona

I-baLL — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:47:35 -0800

I will be traveling to Amsterdam and Barcelona at the end of November/early December. Can anybody recommend me any good and cheap hotels? All I require is a clean room with a large clean bed and a private bathroom. Internet access is preferred.

(I found similar hotel threads for Amsterdam on AskMe but they're over a year old.)

What town should we stay in on the Big Island?

ms_rasclark — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:47:31 -0800

We'll be spending spring break on the big island. Our group is two families - 4 adults, 4 teenaged kids. I've found a couple posts with lots of great suggestions of places to visit on the island but need suggestions of where to stay. We'd prefer to rent a house or condo and plan to stay in one place the entire week, though we'll take day trips. It needs to be easy walking distance from a beach for swimming and snorkeling and have at least a few places we can walk to for meals and exploring. We prefer small town charm to sprawling resort complexes. Suggestions, please!

Where To Spend The Night

mmmbacon — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:27:49 -0800

What's A Good Stopping Point Between Kansas City And Big Bend National State Park? My husband and I are planning a summer camping trip to Big Bend, and we'd like to break up the drive by spending the night somewhere along the way. Where should we stay? Do you know a fun place?

We'd like to stop about halfway, but we're flexible. Budget is an issue, so we'd love recommendations for campgrounds as well as hotels.

Here is our planned route. Thanks so much for your help!

Gay Perry.

jph — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:36:01 -0800

Where should I stay during Gay Pride in Paris? - I'm not interested in spending a lot of money to stay in Paris for the weekend. (~$150 USD/night)
- I don't plan to spend much time in my hotel room at all, and I'm adventurous and not too picky. Therefore, it need not be a masterpiece of hospitality. (But I hope to declare a bit of wine and cheese at customs - not bedbugs, thanks.)
- Will just be gallivanting with no particularly set schedule. (Check in on Friday June 24, check out on Monday June 27.)
- Young, able-bodied, solo traveler with enough French to get by.

Lodging in Reykjavik, Iceland

Man with Lantern — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 12:49:32 -0800

Icelandlodgingfilter: My wife an I will be in Iceland for a week in late May and are looking for lodging. We're out of the demographic for loud noises and partying but like to get a feel of places that we visit. I've seen questions on what to do in Iceland but nothing current for what I'm looking for. A combination of private facilities, good reviews, fairly quiet, and walking distance to the center of Reykjavik. Any recent experience would be helpful - or any mefites that run a place that might be attractive to a crowd that's not looking for a party.

Middle of Where? Vermont

eatcake — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:32:06 -0800

Where can I/should I stay overnight in Middlebury VT? I'm going to a performance at Middlebury College this Wednesday 4/13 and I need to stay overnight. It's a 4 hour drive back to my house so I'd rather not be on the road late at night.

Not sure what lodging is like in the area so any recommendations? Hotels, inns etc...

Thank you.

Liability & legal reasons for collecting guest contact information

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:43:17 -0800

Looking for references or citations regarding legal requirements (or due diligence) for lodging facilities, hotels, or guest houses to obtain the contact information of their guests. I work at a university lab which has a guest house affiliated with it. The guest house is a minor feature of the infrastructure, donated many years ago by a private citizen and there isn't really a formal process in place for managing reservations. Guests are charged per night for their stay. The current office person who takes the reservations typically does so based on a quick phone call or email from the guest, just recording their name and dates of their stay on a grid in Excel. This creates problems, as you can imagine: We often need to know where these guests are from or need to contact them before their stay to discuss room changes or what-have-you, but we do not have their contact info. Our dept. just had a meeting to improve this process, including a new mock-up of a simple database we could start using to collect guests' data (full name, phone, email, address, who they work for) at the time the guest calls us. Long story short... office person blew a gasket and basically refused to change the process, saying this would add too much extra work and "what would we need that info for anyway?". Office person was yelling, so supervisor backed down to keep the peace. So the reservation process will basically be left the same.

I think this is incredibly irresponsible and must surely put us at a liability risk. Hotels take guest contact info -- they need all that data for each person responsible for a room. So I'm wondering if we can convince the office person from a liability standpoint (or at least provide incentive for management to be more firm about this). YANML, YANAL, yadda yadda, but what resources are available that would spell this out? Any simple guides or legal data points we can refer to online? I've tried looking around in here but couldn't find anything specific.

Note: I am not looking for comments along the lines of "well, office person will just need to suck it up & do it anyway." That's not very helpful -- We know they need to "move with the cheese." I'm looking for specific legal or business reasons to take guest contact information. This is in Wisconsin. Thanks so much for any suggestions.

Woodstock Info

mbx — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:01:54 -0800

Attending Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble outside of Woodstock, NY in April on a Saturday night with a group of eight and looking for recommendations on nice places in the area to stay for the night, eat before the show and have a drink after (+/- 11pm). I've never been to Woodstock and would appreciate any and all suggestions. Thank you.

Again with the going to Japan thing...? Yeesh.

dubitable — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:53:01 -0800

Where should I stay in Tokyo for 2+ months? Any possible alternatives to gaijin houses, or which/where are the best ones? Hi folks. I'm going to be in Japan, for the most part Tokyo, from about March 20th of this year to early June. I'm pretty much assuming I'm going to be staying in a place like Sakura House, but I figured I would ask you all what you think before dropping the cash on the deposit. I've seen armage's old question, and this one, and this one too. My desires are close to what armage's were (would like no curfew, no roommates—single apt., furnished, no key money), but I don't have any specific location requirements and I can afford probably somewhere in the area of ¥100000 (although around ¥80000 would be ideal). I also need consistent, dependable Internet access as I will be doing some remote work while I am there.

Here are my specific questions:

Are there any alternatives to the so-called gaijin houses for the period I'm talking about? I'm assuming not, but figured I'd ask.

Assuming I'm staying in a guest house, what is the best agency, in your opinion? Does it depend on the specific building where you stay? Reading the gaijinpot message boards suggests they are all stinking hellholes run by corrupt assholes, which I have a hard time believing, but I'd love to get a sense of what to actually expect.

Where would you suggest to live, where I can get a decent, modest place to stay but also not be too far—that is, a 15-20 minute train-ride*—from a node on the Yamanote line? I am fond of Ikebukuro and Takadanobaba, and one of my friends is pushing me to stay near her around Nippori (or Asakusa or Akihabara...the last one I'm not super psyched about), but I don't really care where it is in the end if it answers my other needs. *To be clear: I mean a 15-20 minute ride to get to a station on the Yamanote line.

I don't want to be surrounded by other foreigners, one of my main goals while I'm there is to practice my Japanese, which is pretty solidly intermediate (probably a little worse than JLPT 2 range at this point, which I'm pretty sure I barely failed this year). I assume this won't be a problem though since it's probably twice as expensive to stay in a place like Roppongi. Being surrounded by nothing but Japanese is fine, it's ideal, and the best way to improve is to be forced to do so...

Quiet-ish is fine, although another thing I'd like to do is see some live music on a consistent basis while I'm there. This is "icing" though, see #3 and #4 for my main desires regarding location.

I want to take probably a 1-2 week trip to Kansai (depends on how this lodging works out though), so, I guess factor that in...don't care exactly when I do that though.

I think that's it...any extra information you think would be relevant would be great. Thank you all for your help, much appreciated!