Travel Diaries: #GlitterInEurope | Accommodations
TIP: For many of the websites I visited, the currency was in Euros (duh!). Always have the Converter app open (if you have an iPhone like I do) or simply google the exchange rates to get an idea of what you'll actually be spending. Also, it is always best to pay in the local currency, in my case, Euros, since your bank will give you a better rate than the business (ex: Ryanair would have charged me 1 EUR = 1.52 CAD had I chosen to pay in CAD currency, when the real exchange rate was 1 EUR = 1.42 CAD according to Google and the Converter app).
ACCOMMODATIONS
I used Expedia to book accommodations in Paris and Dublin for S and I. After shopping around on various travel websites, Expedia had the cheapest rates for the hotels we were interested in.
Brussels, Belgium
I will very luckily be staying with S at her apartment in Brussels for free, save for some meals out, and help with cooking and cleaning. I have also elected to pay for our trip to Paris (train tickets + accommodations) as well as our flights to Dublin as a thank you to her for letting me stay with her, and for travelling with me.
Paris, France
We are staying very close to the Eiffel Tower (within view of "La Dame de fer" and a 10-minute walking distance from it), in/near the 7e arrondissement. It will take us about 30 minutes to get to our hotel on the metro from the Paris Nord train station. We paid a total of $330.98 CAD for a 2-night stay, booked and paid for through Expedia on the website.
Dublin, Ireland
We are staying in the City Centre, within walking distance to Temple Bar as well as various pick-up points for different bus tours. We paid a total of $360.65 CAD for a 2-night stay, also booked and paid for on Expedia.
Some parameters that we kept in mind were convenience of location as well as amenities. We had to ask ourselves:
- Is it close enough to walk to the pick-up point (we like our beauty sleep) for the Cliffs of Moher tour which begins at 6:50 am? Our max walking-distance limit was 15 minutes.
- Does it have air conditioning and free wifi?
- Are the prices reasonable for the quality of hotel?
- What are the reviews and the rating? We were looking for at least a 3-star hotel, and rating of least 4.0 out of 5.0 by Expedia users and guests.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Again, luckily, we will be staying with a relative that S has in Amsterdam who has a few properties in the city. He may be offering for us to stay there for free, but of course, we don't expect that, and would offer compensation of some sort if he did. However, he often rents out his properties as vacation rentals, and we are only waiting on confirmation of available dates from him before we can figure anything else out about this trip.
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