Lodging advice for London, Paris, & Amsterdam
 

I am leaving in two weeks for London, off to Paris then to Amsterdam. I am traveling with my two children and two of their friends. With everything that is going on right now would a person be wiser to try and find places to stay when in these cities when we arrive. At that time a person might be able to negotiate better prices or should a person book in advance? Any suggestions on lodging at these locations? I would like to keep my budget fairly low, but yet not live in misery somewhere. This is my first time to Europe.

I would advise getting and comparing rates beforehand. Do you really want to arrive, trek around with 4 kids/teenagers and luggage trying ot find rates? Besides wasting your vauable time, you may choose an area or hotel which is not utimately where you want to stay.<BR><BR>Rather do it from the comfort of your own home and many websites are a click away.You'll be able to compare prices, amenities, features and locations more rationally.

You sound like someone who is comfortable with &quot;flying by the seat of his pants&quot;, which I admire, but cannot do myself. Not having reservations will cause you to eat up time looking for a suitable place, especially with so many people and their varying opinions. However, some of the best travel stories come from these type of experiences, and so....a compromise. First of all, make reservations for your first and last nights in advance, so you don't have extra worries at those crucial times. Then, do some pre-screening (search this board, or copy pages from a guidebook) and make a list of 5-10 hotels in the geographic areas and price ranges you need. <BR>Several cities, including Amsterdam, have tourist booths with last-minute hotel rooms available to book. You do pay a small service fee. If you have your checklist, you can use these and easily steer clear of the disasters.

I recommend taking a look at www.activehotels.com or www.webscapades.com<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

wow, I think you are brave if you are considering arriving in a major city with 4 kids and winging it about finding a place to stay.<BR>As others have said, why waste any precious time, especially when arriving very tired, in trying to find a deal for a hotel? You will end up in a line at the tourist information desk at the airports or train stations, and you will have to take what they say is available for a group of 5. There might be some great deals at the last minute, but you have other people to make comfortable. If you save 10 or even 20 euro one night, you could end up spending much more another night because you have to take what you can get.<BR><BR>I don't think it's worth the time or trouble, especially when you have other logistics to think about.<BR><BR>londontown.com can give you lots of hotel suggestions, by neighborhood.<BR>Or, let people here know what you had in mind for a budget for your hotels, and people may be able to suggest specific hotels. YOu should also say what amenities you had in mind:<BR>private bathroom? shared hallway bathroom ok?