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This is the second in a series about European travel. For transport options to and around Europe, see this post.
(This is an aside that only fellow grammar-lovers will appreciate. In writing this, I have trouble with pronoun consistency—when making reservations, it’s “I,” but it’s our family (or members of our family) traveling, so sometimes it’s “we.” This article in general will stick with “I” but know that I’m talking about family travel, not solo travel).
I am definitely in the minority, but I am NOT a fan of Airbnb. I’ve used it several times, and they were all pretty horrible experiences.
That isn’t the chief reason that I don’t use Airbnb. I know a lot of other people who’ve use and enjoy Airbnb rentals, but it’s really not my “style.” So the moral of this story is to know yourself and what you like, and then stick with that for your travel.
Airbnb issues
I’m not trying to convert anyone to not use Airbnb, but I will say that I prefer the protection and security offered by staying at hotel. NY Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber has written on this extensively, here, here, and here, among other places.
(Let me share an aside by saying that I’m not opposed to renting out a home! Our family does rent private homes, when our extended family meets for a family reunion vacation every year at the beach. But we rent through one of the many local real estate firms that offer the service).
So, now that we’ve gotten Airbnb out of the way, let’s consider other options. I am a big fan of Rick Steves, and before trips we’ve either purchased his books or borrowed them from the library.
But I don’t really love his theory on staying places—he prefers local, very small hotels and B&B type places.
Where we stay instead
In the US, I really like to stick with chains that we know, not just for points but because we know what to expect.
Here’s what I mean: if you book a Hampton Inn or an Embassy Suites, you know what to expect, generally. If it’s a newer Hampton Inn, it could be pretty nice, and if it’s older it could be a little tired, but there is a basic level and quality that can be expected. Also, you know what the breakfast is, and how to plan accordingly.
So despite it being more conventional than the typical European traveler, who might like to stay in interesting little pension, I really want comfortable, inexpensive, and no-surprises accommodations.
You may or may not be that way. If you are not, that’s fine. But if you are, you may find my experience & strategy helpful.
Staying in Paris
In Paris, we stayed at an Ibis Hotel. This is part of the Accor chain, which also includes Sofitel and Novotel. Ibis is Accor’s moderately-priced properties.
After some research on where to stay, I ended up reserving a room at the Hotel Ibis Eiffel Tower. There are quite a few Ibis hotels in and around Paris, but this seemed the best situated for our travels.
We did not add breakfast onto our room rate, since we knew we could have a delicious breakfast out and about. And it turned out our neighborhood cafe ended up having the most delicious croissants and other pastries at Merci Jerome. (There are several locations around Paris).
Would I stay there again? I think I would. It wasn’t the newest property, but it was clean and comfortable. We were very convenient to the Metro, and walking distance from a number of places. It was a safe neighborhood and we felt at home. There was a laundromat nearby for when I needed to do laundry.
Staying in the UK
In the U.K., I knew exactly where I wanted to stay, if not necessarily the exact location: Premier Inn.
As I often tell people when I mention where we stayed, Premier Inn is like the UK version of a Hampton Inn or an Embassy Suites hotel. It’s consistent, reliable, and everywhere. I’ve stayed at about half a dozen Premier Inns, and they’ve all been great
Premier Inn has many locations all around London, which is where we wanted to base, and throughout the UK, Scotland, and Ireland. The last time we stayed in London, we stayed at the Premier Inn London Holborn. It was very convenient and a newer property, which always helps.
This most recent time, we stayed at the Premier Inn Earls Court, and we will definitely stay there next time we go. That’s because it had a lot of everything we needed within a few blocks: the Tube, a very nice laudromat, a lovely Marks & Spencer Food Hall (more on that in a post on eating). We could also walk a lot of places, including the V&A Museum, one of our favorites.
Premier Inn does offer a breakfast, but it’s for an additional charge. We did because it’s such a hearty offering and I love full English breakfasts. Breakfast added on around $12/person/day to the room. More on that in the “eating” post.
Why I Heart Premier Inn
The cost for Premier Inns varies a lot, due to when you’re traveling, but it offers a great benefit in that if you book far ahead, you can save tons of money.
So, for instance, I put in several dates a number of months out. I chose three times that US families might travel to the UK: Thanksgiving week, Christmas week, and a typical spring break.
The prices for a 2-person room started at low as 40 GBP per night for the room—that’s just a little over $50 at current rates. That is astounding to me (and makes me want to advocate for a trip to London soon for our family!)
I don’t know how you could do that in a US city of the same size. Imagine getting a nice hotel room in a very nice location in NYC or Chicago for $50/night, as long as you booked several months in advance.
Downsides to hotel stays
Nothing is perfect, of course. The chief downsides of staying at a hotel or hotel chain (instead of an apartment) in Europe are:
*no kitchen to store or prepare food. This is a downside. When our entire family traveled to London in 2010, AirbnB did not exist, and we used an apartment rental service called The Apartment Service. (http://www.apartmentservice.com/).
I loved our London apartment so much! We had a washer/dryer, two bathrooms, heated towel racks in the bathrooms, and more. Our kids were a lot younger and it made a lot of sense to be all in one place. And we enjoyed getting to prepare and store perishable food. I might consider using the service again if we were there for an extended time, but for a short visit the Premier Inn makes the most sense.
*in Europe, rooms are smaller, and usually only fit a maximum of three people. (So, for instance, when our family of five traveled, we got two rooms at a Premier Inn).
*there’s usually not a whole lot of “character.” But when traveling abroad, you’re already experiencing the culture and the character of this different country. Having a reliable, expected place to stay is 100 percent worth it for me.
Other options for staying:
Religious Guest Houses
When our family traveled to Italy last year, we stayed in a chain hotel in Rome (long story/no breakfast/lovely accomodations).
But when we traveled to Assisi, we stayed in a convent guest house. It was lovely, for a lot of reasons, and I would do that again.
Friends of ours gifted us this book before our Italy travels, and it had a lot of great information about staying in convents.
Now it’s your turn. If you’ve traveled internationally, where do you stay? You won’t convince me to use Airbnb again, but if you do, what are the benefits for you?
I’ve only stayed in hostels and some pensions in Spain because it was so affordable. Did you ever consider hostels with private rooms? I suppose they usually don’t have private bath. Looking forward to future trips in nicer accommodations! Thanks for Premier Inn tip. Airbnb does not appeal to me.
I stayed in hostels back in the 1980s when in college. They were definitely bare-bones back then. But some of the newer brands look pretty decent, and some even have semi-private or private rooms. I would consider it for sure, especially the private rooms in hostels.
Also, in Italy last November we stayed in a convent in Assisi, and that was “kind of” hostel-like, in the sense of fairly spartan accomodations. We did have two private rooms, (one for parents, one for kids), each with its own bathroom. But the draw for us was staying in an interesting guesthouse of a convent, and it was lovely.