I'm not sure of the best way to book a hotel in Europe. I need hotels in both Istanbul and Athens on both ends of a cruise. The ones booked by the cruise line are very expensive. I have looked at Travelocity and Expedia, but I don't know if I can trust them to have everything right. How do some of you do this?

I look at guidebooks, www.tripadvisors.com, and other sources (depends on where I'm going). Then I google to find the hotel's web site and contact them directly. If they don't have a web site, I fax them or call.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say you cannot trust a booking engine to "get it right"...what does that mean?

I agree with Mimar in looking at Tripadvisor.com (and reading the reviews VERY carefully as there is plenty of bias built in to them) but I also try to make a decision as to the location WITHIN a city before I book a hotel.

How would you book a hotel anywhere else?

You decide what part of town, you decide how much you want to spend, you look for a hotel that meets your criteria -- and you book it (either through the hotel itself or through one of those booking sites like you mention) . . . .

we normally decide on our city(of course, 1stly 1st) then budget. Then we will start to read review by checking tripadvisor, booking.com, hotel.com, lonelyplanet forum. We get infor for 2 resources and above, then we decide where to stay

I'm not trying to sound stupid. I have just never booked directly with a hotel in Europe before. In the past it has been done by a travel agent, airline or through a tour company. In the U.S. I usually call them on the phone, but I am not sure how well they speak English in Turkey and Greece. I find the prices are much better with Travelocity and Expedia than on the hotel's own websites, but I have heard a few horror stories about people booking through those sites.

Also, check out venere.com. What I like about them is you don't pay 'til after your stay and the cancellation policy is good. You can also google the hotel you're interested in and purchase directly from their website (be sure to know about cancellation policy).

I research the city and first off use a map to decide the part of town I want to stay in. Then read on Trip Advisor and here on Fodor's about hotels in that area. I may use Expedia as a reference, but then I email, fax, or call the hotel and book directly with their front desk. I feel like I have more control over the situation using that method.

There's no "best way". During my recent trip to Italy, I booked directly through the hotel for one, Venere.com for two, hotels.com for one, activehotels.com for one and Pricline for one.

Just depends on the hotel and the price.