Do other families get frustrated at the bed situation in Europe?
 

I get so frustrated trying to find reasonable accomodations in European hotels for a family of four. What I don't understand is why room are configured with two single beds. Don't couples sleep in the same bed. Don't families have more than one child. I realize I am used to being able to get two doubles or queeens in almost every hotel in the U.S., even in NY. How do others deal with this issue?

We rent apartments.

I also typically rent apartments. You can get triples which will take care of 4 in most cases.

Most hotels I've seen don't have rooms big enough for 2 double beds...maybe the more expensive chains do..

I think Novotel features a double and a single in all their rooms, at least that is what one manager emailed to me.

We have slept in 2 joined twins for 30 years - to us, it -is- the same bed.

In general a family does have more space and better accomodations in an apartment.

When a hotel has twin rooms (i.e. 2 single beds) it almost always will also have double rooms (1 double bed). Many people travel w/ non-spouses/significant others so the 2 single bed rooms are just as necessary as double beds . . . .

And many places w/ triples/family rooms will add another bed or rollaway if the room is large enough.

The Citadines properties are really apartment type properties w/the amenities of a hotel. You may want to look at them. Although I only know about them in France, I am not certain of where they may or may not be available.

I have never done this. What is the best way to find a find apartment rentals? The Internet, travel agents? Do you find that it is reliable? At least with a hotel you have some recourse and can get reviews from a number of sources. We are considering Crete, Santorini and Rhodes at this point.

Hi ...

I haven't rented in Crete etc, but have done lots of renting in France, Italy & the UK (where I live) - have used the web extensively, Search for "apartments crete" or "villas crete" etc - then email telephone etc,

I rarely stay in a hotel when there is a group of us - much prefer a villa - of course does depend how long you are staying at the different places (1 or 2 nights, then you might have to go into a hotel).

Mark

I think the suggestion for an apartment is good. If the beds are really an issue..some people have back problems and such, then in my LIMITED experience, if you don't rent an apartment, you need to stick to the bigger, business type hotels, and not stay in the smaller boutique type or the quaint little places. It's just not common to get the two double, or queens or king rooms like we are frequently used to in the US. Also, the rooms often are small because the buildings are several hundred years old and were never built to be hotels, and of course they didn't have bathrooms etc., so they have to make room for these amenities and it takes space, and they have to get the plumbing and heating in the walls, and consequently, the rooms can often be quite small.

milliebz, look at www.slowtrav.com. That site has exhaustive information about self-catering acommodations in Europe. And it has reviews of individual units as well as agencies.

I think it best to go through an agency. They will have vetted the apartment or house and you can use a credit card. Of course, you pay extra to use an agency. A lot of people go direct to the owner via a site like www.vrbo.com. But then they want you to wire the deposit to their bank account, not a cheap operation. Plus you have little recourse if the apartment has been falsely represented.

But an apartment or villa has more space and usually at least a washing machine. Otherwise, look for hotels with quad rooms.

I too almost always rent apartments. They are usually pretty easy to find. Get on the tourism website for the places you want to visit and click on accommodations. From here you will usually be able to click on a variety of accomodation options, such as hotels, B&Bs and apartments. Choose apartments to see what is available. You could also google "vacation apartments in Crete" or something like that. This should bring up plenty of options.

Good luck!
Tracy

Depending where you are, look for a suite (may have a pull out sofa), or a newer chain hotel. They are the ones likely to have the space for 2 doubles in a room, etc. Like others have said, I also rent when in Europe. Much more space (and I don't even have any kids), so I can only imagine how small a hotel room is for a family of 4.

Some rooms are called "doubles" and some are caled "twins". Doubles have 1 double bed, twins have 2 single beds. For those travelling with a friend, the twins work well. As for family accommodations, you have to ask for Family rooms or quads. Most hotels only have a handful of those and many don't even mention them on their websites or the booking sites. I've found many rooms for 4, some were 2-roomsuites and were 1 large room with a double and 2 single beds. They did cost more than a double in the same hotel, but I was always able to find somewith within a moderate price range (anywhere from $150-300). It definitely is harder then finding a room for 2, but it doable. We've done it many times.

You can search on www.venere.com for rooms for 4 people.

Also, we've rented some apartments directly from the owner using www.vrbo.com, which stands for vacation rentals by owner. We will be staying at a 3 bedroom villa in Santorini this summer that we reserved through www.vrbo.com. We have been corresponding with the owner and he seems to be delightful and very helpful and organized.

The problem is you are trying to get a hotel room for four people by only paying for a double, that's all. Every European hotel I've been in has plenty of rooms with double beds, of course, and couples do sleep together. I've never encountered a hotel with only single (meaning "twin sized" beds).

You can get what you want, but you have to pay for it, and specify a quad, that's all, or just tell them you want a room for two adults and two kids. I've been in plenty of small, older hotels in the US without two queen or two double beds in them, especially in NY. In fact, I've never stayed in a hotel in NY or San Francisco that had two doubles or queens in the room. This is common in US motels and places like that, I agree (two doubles) but that's because they are occupying cheaper real estate.

If you look at it logically, there is little reason why a husband and wife should sleep in the same bed. It has become a custom, at least in the Western world, a custom which is preferred by most marrieds, including myself. I don't know how or why the custom developed; it might be an interesting topic for a book. However, only a few centuries ago our agrarian ancestors slept on straw on the cottage floor. Essentially, a large bed isn't really that vital for enjoyment of conjugal activities. Though sleeping in a room with my wife but in different beds would be a bit odd at first, I could get used to it. I suggest rolling with the punches. Touring all day should encourage you to sleep quite nicely.

Funny, I've had the opposite "problem" locating hotels that offer two single beds for sure. Why you need that configuration is two people who are not a couple traveling together.

Not all people traveling together are couples - and so the option of two twin beds is preferred by many.

As for rooms for 4 - most people traveling are not 4 - but 2 - so most rooms are made for 2. If you have 4 people either get 2 rooms - of if it's small kids you don;t want to leave alone - get a family room.

You are operating on the assumption that most european travelers are families of 4 - this is simply not the case. So why should hotels have many fewer rooms - at higher rates - when most people don't need so much room. There are plenty of options for 4 - if you look.

And my beau and I always got the girls their own room when we traveled together - since 1 bath and 4 people- esp when 2 are tween/teen girs - is a recipe for disaster.

We had this problem, too, but worse in our case because our son is 6'1" at 16, too big to fit comfortably in a bed with his sister or me, and my husband is 6'2", also too big for a double. We were willing to pay for a large room with 4 beds, or two adjoining rooms, but our travel agent could not find them. We did eventually find such a room at the Sidney in London, but are in two separate rooms in Paris.

We also try to rent self catering units. When we do stay in hotels or B&Bs we look for Family Rooms, not doubles as we can in the States.

Not every establishment will have them but very many do. One problem is that only a small number of rooms are large enough or allocated as family rooms or triples and they fill up early. We very rarely stay in large hotels but manage to find family rooms in all types of smaller establishments. One advantage to them is that they are sometimes pretty large by European standards and quite often they are two connecting rooms, almost like a suite.