BEst time to book?
 

Since tomorrow is November, I am thinking that we might want to start booking our accomodations for our England/Ireland trip next June/July. Is it too early?

Our rough itinerary:

London-5 nights, including one day trip to Oxford-do not want to spend more than $175 per night on a hotel, preferably less.

Cotswolds-3 nights-overhwhelmed with where to base ourselves!

Ireland (before the wedding) 3.5 days
Cliffs, Aran Islands, Dingle

Ireland (wedding) 3.5 days
Kilarney area (accomadations will be provided for us)

Day before we leave-drive back toward Dublin and find hotel near airport--maybe stop at Glendalogh (sp?)

Should we book all accomodations now or wait for some? Any advice would be most helpful!

I don't know about everyone else, but if you have a particular place in mind then I say it's never too early to book! I just booked the hotel for our September 2005 trip to Paris because I knew where I wanted to stay.

As for London hotels, have you considered trying Priceline? We received the Millennium Mayfair for $90 USD per night. I consulted biddingfortravel.com before placing my bid and was almost 100% sure what hotel I was going to get based on recent winning bids (4*, Mayfair district). But, I also researched the other possibilities just to make sure I wouldn't be disappointed with any of them. I bid about 4 months before our trip. Asked for a king bed on the top floor at check-in, which they gladly accomodated, no mention of priceline.

Alg,

Is Mayfair a good district?
I seem to remember mkingdom recommending it on some other thread. I know nothing of London, but if it is like Paris, then I suppose as long as we are near a tube stop we will be able to go to most attractions.

I have never tried Priceline, but I know people who have had great success with the service. Thanks for the advice!

If you want to give Priceline a try, read both biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com they can help you sort it all out. Be advised that biddingfortravel.com won't have a "discussion" with you, they are all business. Betterbidding.com will do a little more hand holding and offers a friendlier tone. Both sites can help you achieve a successful bid.

Mayfair is a very good district.

We thought Mayfair was a great area to stay in...we could walk to several attractions and were located between two tube stops for those places that were too far to walk. In addition, there is some good window shopping and lovely side streets to just wander around. The neighborhoods in London have a different feel than those in Paris, but the city is great in it's own right. One note, we found a handful of good restaurants on Swallow Lane, a short walk from our hotel.

I will be in Ireland in July as well, and I have already booked three of the 6 B&B's that we know we want. I have made inquiries into others and have been told that the dates were not available due to wedding parties taking up the whole house.

If you know where your going to be, I'd book now. Bear in mind that some of the B&B's won't take a reservation until after the first of the year, but most will.