Please HELP! Need to find clean and friendly B&B's!
May 4th, 2009, 02:35 PM
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Please HELP! Need to find clean and friendly B&B's!
My husband and I are about to celebrate our 20th anniversary!!!! I am from Florida and he is from England,we met while he was in Florida sorting out his parents estate.We married 10 weeks later.Due to financial reasons, we have never been able to visit England or meet his remaining family. I would like to arrange a trip back home. I have been on many websites and rented Rick Steves Europe video and I'm still lost ! I would like to find a clean, friendly and reasonably priced placed to stay. I would appreciate any help that I could get with the following questions.
We are looking @ possibly 3 weeks.
1) His family is scattered through England, France and The Isle of Man. What is the most affordable way to get around?
2) Would B&B's be cheaper than hotels?
3) The airfares seem to be cheaper in May, ( & early June ) would the same apply for accommodations?
4) How many days should I plan to stay in each location to see all that we should see and what are the main sights to see that are not tourist traps? (London & surrounding areas & Paris)
5) Rail pass / Buses vs car rental?
6) Should Scotland be on the itinerary?
7) Should I look for an apartment around London and travel out each day?
8) Should I book accommodations ahead of time or would I get better rates as walk in?
9) Looking for accomadtions in London, Isle of Man, Paris (possibly Scotland)
If May is the better time to travel I only have about a week to make these arrangements so if anyone could help me, I would be eternally grateful.
We are looking @ possibly 3 weeks.
1) His family is scattered through England, France and The Isle of Man. What is the most affordable way to get around?
2) Would B&B's be cheaper than hotels?
3) The airfares seem to be cheaper in May, ( & early June ) would the same apply for accommodations?
4) How many days should I plan to stay in each location to see all that we should see and what are the main sights to see that are not tourist traps? (London & surrounding areas & Paris)
5) Rail pass / Buses vs car rental?
6) Should Scotland be on the itinerary?
7) Should I look for an apartment around London and travel out each day?
8) Should I book accommodations ahead of time or would I get better rates as walk in?
9) Looking for accomadtions in London, Isle of Man, Paris (possibly Scotland)
If May is the better time to travel I only have about a week to make these arrangements so if anyone could help me, I would be eternally grateful.
May 4th, 2009, 02:57 PM
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"1) His family is scattered through England, France and The Isle of Man. What is the most affordable way to get around?"
In the U.K. - probably bus (or train) but the fastest way is by car
"2) Would B&B's be cheaper than hotels?"
Generally - yes
"3) The airfares seem to be cheaper in May, ( & early June ) would the same apply for accommodations?"
Yes - accomodations are also cheaper in Sept. July and August are the most expensive
"4) How many days should I plan to stay in each location to see all that we should see and what are the main sights to see that are not tourist traps? (London & surrounding areas & Paris)"
London - at very LEAST 3-4 days
Paris - at least 3 days
Ask about what to see in a separate post - the list WILL be lengthy and it also depends on your personal tastes - so you have to let us know what you like - e.g history, art, scenery, whatever. For example if you love museums and loathe art galleries - let us know.
"5) Rail pass / Buses vs car rental?"
As I mentioned above. BUT you REALLY don't want a car in London or Paris - rely on public transit there.
"6) Should Scotland be on the itinerary?"
IF you have at least 3 weeks, you could make a brief trip there - maybe a couple of days in Edinburgh but I doubt that you would have enough time to do the Highlands (greater distances)
"7) Should I look for an apartment around London and travel out each day?"
That depends on what you mean - if you mean for 1 week - yes that could work but for your whole trip - no - because some of the places you might what to visit are likely too far for day-trips.
"8) Should I book accommodations ahead of time or would I get better rates as walk in?"
Not likely that you will get better rates as a walk-in
"9) Looking for accomadtions in London, Isle of Man, Paris (possibly Scotland)"
I have not been to London or Paris recently - so I cannot help you there. I will try to find the web page of the B&B I stayed at in Edinburgh (pleasant location on the Firth of Forth and quite decently priced and very helpful owners)
In the U.K. - probably bus (or train) but the fastest way is by car
"2) Would B&B's be cheaper than hotels?"
Generally - yes
"3) The airfares seem to be cheaper in May, ( & early June ) would the same apply for accommodations?"
Yes - accomodations are also cheaper in Sept. July and August are the most expensive
"4) How many days should I plan to stay in each location to see all that we should see and what are the main sights to see that are not tourist traps? (London & surrounding areas & Paris)"
London - at very LEAST 3-4 days
Paris - at least 3 days
Ask about what to see in a separate post - the list WILL be lengthy and it also depends on your personal tastes - so you have to let us know what you like - e.g history, art, scenery, whatever. For example if you love museums and loathe art galleries - let us know.
"5) Rail pass / Buses vs car rental?"
As I mentioned above. BUT you REALLY don't want a car in London or Paris - rely on public transit there.
"6) Should Scotland be on the itinerary?"
IF you have at least 3 weeks, you could make a brief trip there - maybe a couple of days in Edinburgh but I doubt that you would have enough time to do the Highlands (greater distances)
"7) Should I look for an apartment around London and travel out each day?"
That depends on what you mean - if you mean for 1 week - yes that could work but for your whole trip - no - because some of the places you might what to visit are likely too far for day-trips.
"8) Should I book accommodations ahead of time or would I get better rates as walk in?"
Not likely that you will get better rates as a walk-in
"9) Looking for accomadtions in London, Isle of Man, Paris (possibly Scotland)"
I have not been to London or Paris recently - so I cannot help you there. I will try to find the web page of the B&B I stayed at in Edinburgh (pleasant location on the Firth of Forth and quite decently priced and very helpful owners)
May 4th, 2009, 02:58 PM
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The B&B In Edinburgh web page is:
http://www.joppaturrets.com/
http://www.joppaturrets.com/
May 4th, 2009, 06:52 PM
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For London, checkout Londontown.com--you can search by type of accommodation and by neighborhood, and then an interactive map shows you all the places and their nightly rates. We recently got a very good rate for a hotel in London, and then later booked another one for our kids.
May 5th, 2009, 06:56 AM
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London pass - take a look at what it covers and see what all interests you on the list. Also think about whether you'll have enough time in London to see everything you want to. For me, it would not be worth it, but for some it probably is.
Travelcard - well, that depends. How long do you plan to be in London?
If you haven't formed an itinerary yet, you should do that first and then think about details like travelcards.
I think either May or June would be fine to travel. The weather has a decent chance of being good, but the British kids are still in school, so families aren't on holiday yet.
Travelcard - well, that depends. How long do you plan to be in London?
If you haven't formed an itinerary yet, you should do that first and then think about details like travelcards.
I think either May or June would be fine to travel. The weather has a decent chance of being good, but the British kids are still in school, so families aren't on holiday yet.
May 5th, 2009, 08:15 AM
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For B&Bs in France, try these sites:
http://www.france-voyage.com/
http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/bed_breakfasts
The first site is probably more user friendly while the second one appears to offer more choices if you have a car; a lot of the B&Bs are in the countryside. The equivalent of a two star will usually offer an en suite bathroom. I quality can vary, but they have all been very clean in my experience.
For a car rental (two different cars for two different countries in your case) try Autoeurope, Kemwel or Enonocmy Car Rentals.
http://www.france-voyage.com/
http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/bed_breakfasts
The first site is probably more user friendly while the second one appears to offer more choices if you have a car; a lot of the B&Bs are in the countryside. The equivalent of a two star will usually offer an en suite bathroom. I quality can vary, but they have all been very clean in my experience.
For a car rental (two different cars for two different countries in your case) try Autoeurope, Kemwel or Enonocmy Car Rentals.
May 5th, 2009, 09:04 AM
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I'm not familiar with B&B pricing, but for France, hotel rates are not cheaper in May and June compared to most other times of year. They are often cheapest at the end of July or August (at least in Paris, resort areas differ, of course). So whatever semiramis said is the opposite of French cities -- hotel rooms are the most expensive in September/October (and Christmas/NY holiday week or so), not least. And they are cheapest in August.
I went to London in August a few years ago, and hotel rates were not the highest, I got a good deal then, also. The reason is that there are very few business travelers in these large cities in August, so hotels have more vacancies.
I went to London in August a few years ago, and hotel rates were not the highest, I got a good deal then, also. The reason is that there are very few business travelers in these large cities in August, so hotels have more vacancies.
May 5th, 2009, 10:42 AM
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This web site http://www.france-voyage.com/ gives a price differential between high and low season, and in some cases June is still low season and in other it is high season. In still other cases, there is no price differential. I guess it depends on the owner of the B&B.
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