How to find the perfect hotel on Booking? How to book family accommodation? What tips to avoid unpleasant surprises?
I will try to recap how we go about when looking for accommodation. First by identifying their needs, then by selecting the "ideal accommodation" in particular by decoding the descriptions of the accommodations. Finally, by giving you some tips for finding kid-friendly accommodation.
There are different types of travel accommodation. Mainly hotels, guesthouses, youth hostels and Airbnb.
Each accommodation has its own characteristics and it is important to target your expectations .
This is the most widespread accommodation offer. From the most intimate with a few rooms to a large resort with several hundred rooms. Independent or part of hotel chains, the stars or the reputation of certain chains can help you in your choice. If the welcome will be the same, the level of comfort or the services offered will not be identical between an Ibis Styles hotel and a Shangri-La. Some hotel chains are to be classified separately, such as Mama Shelter or CitizenM which, in my opinion, offer innovative accommodation and offers.
These are more intimate accommodations, with fewer bedrooms. Indeed the host welcomes you to his home. Either in his own house or on his land where he will have built a few bungalows. Very often breakfast is included in the price. However, there is not always a restaurant for lunch and dinner. In terms of services, the hosts in general always give good advice and will be able to help you organize your excursions.
Previously the favorite accommodation of backpackers (backpackers) they are no longer reserved for them. Increasingly popular with travelers for their value for money. Like our hostel in Mérida with swimming pool. And for the friendly atmosphere (like that of Chengdu in China which offers cooking workshops or manual workshops). We have slept several times in youth hostels, whether in private dormitories or in family rooms! Please note that some youth hostels do not accept children, this should be checked when making your reservation.
Originally created for accommodation between individuals, this booking platform now has a very extensive offer. I think it is ideal if you are looking for an atypical accommodation. Like our boathouse in Ayutthaya or our house lost in the middle of the Joshua Tree desert in the USA. Or to rent accommodation to several families, which can be cheaper than 2 or 3 hotel rooms.
It is increasingly rare to come across your Airbnb host and often you will find a box with a code to retrieve your keys (or hidden under a bicycle saddle like us in Copenhagen a few years ago). However, you can find a logbook with all the recommendations of your host and exchange with him by messaging.
This is why it is difficult to recommend accommodation (as much as it is difficult to advise travel). Everyone has their level of comfort and requirements. For our part, we are very very flexible. We had the chance to sleep in very luxury hotels like Shangri-La's in New Delhi, which offers the craziest breakfast buffet we've ever seen. Or in hotels with very basic comfort but with the most magical awakening:the cry of howler monkeys in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica at Essence Arenal facing the volcano of the same name.
I place these 2 hotels on the same level with respect to my image of "luxury" despite their big difference in standing because they both offer different accommodation experiences!
The most important thing is to identify your needs and read between the lines to properly identify the housing offer.
We mainly use Booking for our accommodation searches and for ease of booking. Sometimes Airbnb. But above all, whether on Booking, Airbnb, Agoda or another online booking platform, we do in-depth and cross-research to choose our accommodation while traveling.
In general, I start by going to the Booking platform and then I proceed with the following steps:
I e select my search area (either a city or a region). I can use the map to visualize the location of the hotel and even quickly locate nearby hotels with their ratings and prices.
I can't enter my travel dates . Car if I find a great accommodation but it is not available on Booking, this does not necessarily mean that the accommodation no longer offers rooms . Contact the hotel directly, sometimes there are rooms available.
I enter the number of travelers that I voluntarily limit to 2 adults. If I find a hotel that I really like at the end of my search, I contact it directly or via the Booking form. And I see with the hotel to study the possibility of adding an extra bed for the children (and thus avoid having to book 2 rooms).
I filter the hotels by checking hotels with a rating higher than 8 , my budget per night and the facilities that seem essential to me for my stay:swimming pool, sea view, air conditioning...
I sort the offers by checking the box "most positive comments" rather than checking "5 to 1 stars". The number of stars is not in my opinion a guarantee of quality. On the other hand, customer experiences yes, as long as you know how to read between the lines.
I then look at the number of experiences and the associated comments. This is where you need to know how to decode . I start by sorting the comments from the most recent to the oldest.
Then I find out the information that will be useful to me according to my expectations (example:very good location, isolated hotel, swimming pool, free airport shuttle…).
And above all I know how to decode subjective information that does not concern me . For example:no hair dryer, bathroom door that doesn't close properly, staff who don't speak English, only one towel per person, random wifi in room 4...
In general, at this stage, I have a dozen or a few dozen filtered hotels left. I am now relying on the photos that I observe carefully and a lot by feeling to choose my hotel. I do not hesitate to complete my research by looking at the reviews of the selected hotel on Tripadvisor, Agoda, Google…
I base myself on a concrete case, of which I noted the comments on Booking, of a Guesthouse where we spent 2 nights.
Hotel Putra'Lebah in Amed (Bali), we had a bungalow facing the sea with a large bed, an extrabed, a large bathroom with shower and bathtub open to the outside. Clean accommodation, for 35 euros per night, breakfast included (toast or pancake, fruit juice, fruit plate and hot drink). 379 comments. Current rating on Booking:9/10.
The positive comments highlight the exceptional location facing the sea and the friendliness of the staff , which we can confirm.
Negative comments can be classified into 3 categories. Those that are due to errors of interpretation of people who have booked rooms with a garden view and who expected to have a sea view. However, there are 2 categories of rooms offered with very different prices:garden view and sea view.
Then those whose negative comments are due to casting errors . Indeed, a hotel at 35 euros per night cannot offer the same services as a luxury hotel. Example of negative comments:"limited breakfast offer" or "only one unique soap dispenser for body and hair."
And finally last category, negative comments related to epiphenomena as "stay disturbed by the earthquake". Hard to blame the hosts…
The choice of accommodation is crucial when traveling, especially when traveling with children. We have some tips for finding affordable kids-friendly accommodation.
Our main advice is to take a room with direct access to the outside . Whether it's the beach, swimming pool or garden, it is preferable that the children can leave the accommodation alone to play, otherwise the trip will be painful for their parents. When you are staying on the 17th floor of the most beautiful hotel in town but your oldest wants to play in the garden and your youngest wants to swim in the pool on the 34th, when you haven't taken your shower yet, you run the risk of quickly regretting the small hotel which offers garden and swimming pool in front of your bungalow!
If you find a nice hotel but it doesn't have a family room or it's out of budget, don't hesitate to contact the hotel to negotiate the price of an extra-bed (extra bed) for children. At 9 and 6, the girls still manage to sleep together in a single bed. Often the parental beds are king-size it is also possible to squeeze 3 in.
We do not systematically take the breakfast option in hotels. It is often included in the price of guesthouses but extra in hotels. At 5 euros for breakfast multiplied by 4, it quickly becomes expensive, especially since children do not always have big appetites. You can negotiate the price of the breakfasts on the spot or do your shopping in the local supermarkets:soluble coffee, milk briquette, cereals, bread rolls, fruit... You won't get very expensive! Provided you choose the location of your hotel well and this is my next advice.
Choose the right location for your hotel Knowingly. An isolated hotel will generally offer you more peace and quiet, however if you want to have lunch or dinner outside you will need to provide a means of transport.
Come on, for the road, last example of casting error :still in Amed, a small authentic village, preserved, with plenty of warungs (restaurants) nearby, a real nugget in Bali. The Guesthouse in question overlooks the beach, facing the Agoung volcano, we also tested it ourselves for 3 nights.
Have a good trip!!!!
