Have you ever showed up at a hotel and been disappointed? Or maybe you thought you scored a great deal only to find out that the amenities you wanted to use are under refurbishment. You might be the victim of poor research. Of course, there are times when these things happen even to the best researcher. The pool area you are so looking forward to had it’s pump break the day you arrived. Or maybe a storm came through and damaged the play area you knew the kids would love. But often, our disappointment can be lessened if we had only done a little research.
Things to consider:
Do you want to be in the city center next to everything?
Are you willing to spend more to be in the center of all the adventure?
Do you have a limited budget and just need a place to lay down at night?
Are you planning to spend a lot of time in your lodging?
Do you have a large family or travel party that you need to accommodate?
Do you have any special needs such as limited mobility or allergies you need to accommodate?
Here are some of my best tips to help you not be disappointed in your choice of lodging.
1. Location Matters
I once was on a road trip and thought I’d booked a reliable chain hotel on a good deal. I was happy that we would have a nice place to sleep for the night before continuing to our destination. When we got there, I learned that the reason I got a good deal is that it was located next to a dirt track and they ran races on Friday nights in the summer. If I had spent a little time reading some reviews, I would have learned this fact and not be disappointed upon arrival.
If you are visiting a city, being close to a Metro or subway station may be exactly what you are looking for. Not only can it save you time, but it might save you money on transpiration costs. At Disney World, being on-site allows you easy access to all the activity. If you need a mid-day break, your hotel room is only a short ride away. Being in the middle of the action is also a great way to immerse yourself in the magic of the trip.
On the flip side, being a little farther from the city center means that you can rest peacefully at night because it’s quieter. Or maybe it means your whole travel party can stay together. Not to mention it could save you money not only per night, but on food costs.
Either way, read those reviews. Be sure to check the dates on the reviews, check not only the most recent but also ones for the same season you are looking to travel in. That’s where you learn about ongoing construction nearby or a Red Tide that appears each summer or that Friday night dirt track race.
2. Budget Matters
No one likes to think about budgets when planning a trip. But the reality is that if you don’t think about the budget, it could ruin your trip or you home life later. When planning a trip, it’s best to save up and pay for the trip in cash. That way your trip doesn’t follow you home in the form or debt that you’ll be paying interest on.
When it comes to lodging, the cheapest option might not always be the best. Let’s consider a traditional Disney trip. The cheapest lodging is always off-site. If you are a large family, this might still be the best option. (It is for my family.) But with that cheaper off-site lodging comes other expenses. We now need a car to go to and from the parks. We need fuel for that car. We also need to pay for parking each day we are at a park. For us, the math still works out better due to the size of our travel party and the ability to cook in off-site lodging. But maybe you only plan to spend a few hours a night sleeping in your room and you only need one room. Staying at a Disney resort might be the better use of your money. Especially when you factor in things like transportation costs and a free dining plan.
3. Space Matters
There was a time when traveled with 3 kids, 2 of which were teenagers and the 3rd was a young child. As everyone knows, teens operate on a whole separate time schedule. What worked best for us during that season was to book a place that had at least 2 rooms. We’ve stayed in one bedroom suites so that the teens had the living room to do their thing. We’ve rented “Camping in Town” cabins in a few cities in Europe which allowed us to do some basic cooking as well as have a separate sleeping area. We’ve rented 2 bedroom apartments through some of those rental sites. We’ve even rented whole houses for our once again growing family. But we’ve also brought an air mattress or two and rented just a basic hotel room when we just need a place to sleep for a few hours.
Each adventure will call for different types of lodging. In more recent years, my husband has wanted to start traveling to see all the National Parks. Because we have a child with food allergies, we try try to find a space that allows us to do some basic cooking to accommodate her needs as finding safe restaurants to eat at is difficult in some of the remote locations. Yet when it’s just my husband and I, we will often enjoy just a basic hotel room where we have the luxury of maid service everyday.
4. Special Needs
Maybe you are like me and have someone who has a special need that you have to consider. When traveling with aging grandparents, we have to consider mobility issues. While that 4 bedroom house on the beach looks like a blast for the younger members in our family, those steps are too much of a challenge for our older family members. Here’s where those descriptions, reviews and pictures will really help. It is possible to find a beach house with an elevator to allow all members of your traveling party access to the whole house.
We also have a child with a long list of allergies. So I am forever researching things like: is this place pet friendly (she’s allergic to dogs), does it have carpet (dust allergies are a concern), is it newly renovated (helps with mold allergies). She also has food allergies, so having a space to cook takes out so much of the stress of finding safe foods.
Ultimately, each trip is what you make of it. Sometimes you won’t have much choice when it comes to lodging. But most of the time, planning ahead will allow you time to make sure you have the best lodging for all of the people you are traveling with.