ACCOMMODATION

When I travel I usually take the cheapest flight available. (This often means I have to leave within 72 hours.)

When I arrive I walk out the `departure’ doors, avoiding all the cabs and tour guides clustered around the `arrivals’ doors.

I then walk off the airport grounds and catch a city bus.  I ask the bus driver to drop me in the area where the cheap hotels are.

One might think that accommodation is not important to me.

It is.

Like any traveler I have my wants and needs.

First is price. After negotiating a price with the desk clerk (Prices are usually negotiable in any hotel, if you are talking to the person who has the power to make these decisions.) I then ask to inspect the room.

If the sink only has one tap (faucet), this room does not have hot water.

If it has two taps, I make sure that both work and determine how long it takes for the water to get hot and how hot the water will get. (I abhor cold showers.)

In one hotel, my friend and I had to show the lady how to ignite a hot water tank.  She had owned the hotel for years, never knew she could offer her guests hot water. A sign, and the room rates, went up the next day.

Another thing that is important to me is a seat on the toilet. Or even a toilet. In the orient I am at a disadvantage because many places don’t have toilets and my knees do not handle my 250+ pounds in a squat position.

Another must for me are an overhead fan, with variable speeds, that runs quietly,

Slow speed will keep mosquitoes away and the low hum will drown out the drunks on the street below.

These minus 1, and 2, star hotels can usually be found in a market area, away from heavy traffic, but close to the people, restaurants, shopping, night life, and the heart of the culture. Sometimes I luck out and it is also close to a beach.

No matter who you are, or where you travel, accommodation plays a major part of the enjoyment of your trip.

Be it a mom and pop Posada, or a five star luxury suite with balcony and catered breakfast, finding the right hotel; at the right price, in the right location, with the right amenities, may not be the center of your trip’s planning but it should d be an integral part.

I can help you with that.

As a travel consultant I can help you choose; the right means of transport, the right accommodation, and the right itinerary.

From home to home, and everything in between, visit my website or send me an E.

Lee