My husband and I are in our forties and have no kids. We earn a reasonable amount of money. He takes one huge dive trip on a live-aboard every year to the tune of $5000. I take several smaller trips to visit family around the country. Then we take one 2 week vacation to Europe together and many long weekends. Accomodations are important to both of us. I adore Frette linen, immaculate rooms, non-smoking when I ask for non-smoking, a very resourceful concierge, and good lighting. We spend $180 - $325 per night. The concession? I only use miles to pay for our plane tickets and have to be very conscious of it all year long. We pay for EVERYTHING on a card with miles. I have yet to pay for a plane ticket to Europe and we go 1st class round trip. Yes, I could spend less and fly coach. But that is not my idea of a vacation. I guess the older you get the more creature comforts you want.

Thanks Soledad..any similar recommendations in Barcelona?

The Hotel Continental on the Ramblas in Barcelona was great. Extremely good location (right near the airport bus), good breakfast and coffee, biscuits and fruit available all day. But it was I think 99 Euros for a balcony room, non-balcony rooms are cheaper. They've got a good web site.<BR>Doug

People who think that a hotel is no more than a flop are entitled to their opinion, but it wears thin after a certain age. Trips cease being leave the hotel in the morning and come back late at night. Hotels become a place where you spend some time, enjoy amenities you might not have at home and are treated well. They are a major part of the trip. <BR><BR>Going cheap is also risky. A couple bad experiences can ruin a trip. Staying at better places is buying some insurance. There's no guarentees, of coursce, but all in all things work better. Further, it's a lot easier to find a nice place if you spend money. The cheaper you go, the more research you need to do to find places that will be OK. If you have time, fine. Otherwise, it's hardly cost effective.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>

Going nice is risky too, you might get to like it! :-)<BR><BR>Sheny, we flew on points first class last year, and I was sure it was going to spoil me. Wow, what a great experience! One of the highlights of the trip. Of course it depends on the carrier, and it was before Air Canada cut back on everything.<BR><BR>But this year we flew a charter coach. We had a child behind us both ways. It was not so bad. It is all in your attitude.<BR><BR>As many other people have indicated, we all should use our budgets the way that makes us the most happy.<BR><BR>Thanks to those who have made me feel like I am not alone. Congrats to those who can affort the luxury.

Personally I'm a 2-3 star type myself (but even among that there are gorgeous 3 stars and stinky 3 stars, often same price and blocks apart.<BR><BR>I often travel solo and am female. So commenting on one particular aspects of the comments above... I DO spend a lot of time in my hotel room so like to feel good about it. It has nothing to do with my age (I'm 48) but is about comfort and relaxation, since often I might spend the evening with a nice bottle of wine, take out meal, and good novel.<BR><BR>I'm doing my first "toilet down the hall" in Amsterdam next week, so will report back to all (I'm sure you'll be fascinated) if I survive ;-)

Hey, be CAREFUL with that toilet down the hall thing! People have been know to use them and never come back. :)

I just spent 3 weeks in Australia (Tasmania, SA and Central Coast) and lived well, slept well on 4000.00 for 2 including airfare, hotels,car rental, meals and presents. Beat that!

I disagree that it necessarily takes more time to find decent cheap lodging. With resources like this site and a lot of others out there, I can usually find what I need in a budget category as quickly as anything else, and can fairly quickly get enough information to make a somewhat educated decision. Of course, what counts as budget varies from person to person, but also most significantly from place to place. I recently had to pay what is for me the unheard-of sum of $90 for a hotel in NYC! I also do not agree that there is a much higher risk at the lower end than in the middle (obviously, there is a greater risk than at the high end), and should the experience prove unsatisfactory, I'm out $50 as opposed to $200. Then again, I tend to structure all my travelling around being a tightwad in some areas, with off-season travel, cheaper destinations, economical transport, cheap eats, etc. This does not mean I don't indulge in the occasional great meal or other expensive activity, but I'm not at the point where a fancy hotel is a worthwhile investment. Quiet and comfortable enough for me to get a good night's sleep, and well-located to what I want to see, is all I ask for. Naturally, this means I can travel more often than otherwise. At any rate, it's good to get ideas for all ranges of travel on this board. <BR><BR><BR>

canuck,<BR>In Barcelona hotels with a.c., an absolute necessity for me in summer, go for a higher price tag.<BR>1 place right under 100 euros comes to mind:<BR><BR>Hotel Gran Via, great location on the Gran Via, near Plaza Catalunya (84 euros and up). Seems to be a Forum favorite.<BR><BR>A budget to moderate standby, the 2 star Meson Castilla, nearby, now charges 110 euros for a double, but including VAT and cont. brk.<BR>www.karenbrown.com<BR><BR><BR>

topping<BR>