Overnight in Hilton Zurich

What can you say about autumn season? Typical weather in our place is cold, very cold and sometimes freezing cold. Any complain about that. It is also getting dark at around 5:00pm. We have to accept this fact especially if we are living in a land where this weather is typical. No matter what we are still here to savour and enjoy life!

That is one of the reason why I am sharing a bit about our trip to Zurich, Switzerland last year. It was almost a year now since we had a trip to this city. It was a great one because for less money we stayed in one of the good hotels there. I cannot complain because that trip cost only around 159.00 Euros including a room in Hilton Zurich, bus trip (back and forth from Regensburg, Germany) and sightseeing in Strasbourg and Zurich as well. Breakfast in Hilton hotel was also included.

We were able to visit two cities in two European countries, that was amazing.

our room in Hilton Zurich. not really that big but enough for an overnight sleep. somebody's smiling out there! lol!

the entrance to the hotel..This was taken during our trip last December 2010.

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Best Hostels in Europe in HostelBookers Awards for Excellence 2011

HostelBookers has revealed the winning European properties in its "Awards for Excellence" 2011, which is now in its second year.

To be eligible for an award, properties needed to receive the highest customer rating for a category. The only exception was the “Most Popular” category, which was based on the total number of bookings made in 2010.

131 properties have been recognized for their outstanding contribution to the budget accommodation industry within 11 categories, including: Top Three properties in each continent, Best Atmosphere, Best Value, Best Location, Cleanliness, Best New Hostel, Most Improved, Best Hostel with Wheelchair Access, Group Recognition, Most Popular and Best Eco-Friendly.

‘Top Three Properties in Europe’ include hostels in Riga, Rome and Lisbon.

Backpacking in Eastern Europe has become a rite of passage for budget travellers so tourists will be glad to find an award-winning hostel in Latvia. In the heart of Riga’s old town centre the Naughty Squirrel Backpackers (97.3%) is stag-party free and staff organise plenty of hostel activities.

The Squirrel Backpackers Playroom Area

With a rating of 97.1% La Controra Hostel is housed in an 18th century building and offers travellers a stylish place to stay in Rome. It is located a few minutes from the metro and Termini station is also just a short walk from the hostel which makes it very convenient for exploring the rest of the city.

La Controra Hostel Rome, Bathroom

Lisboa Central Hostel (98.2%) is a family-run property and is located close to Avenida da Liberdade, all the main sights and some great Lisbon nightlife. Offering both dorm and private en-suite rooms this hostel is the perfect place for any type of traveller including students, backpackers, families or couples.

Lisboa Central Hostel Twin Room

The Damrak Inn

Winners of the ‘Most Improved’ award had seen the greatest improvement in their customer ratings from 2009 to 2010 and include Amsterdam hostel The Damrak Inn. Meanwhile Plus Berlin won the ‘Best New Hostel’ award.

Plus Berlin

David Smith, COO at HostelBookers, states: “Once again we are incredibly proud to have launched the Awards for Excellence 2011. It showcases the quality of the budget accommodation industry and gives recognition to the exceptional properties out there. Guest feedback and ratings offer travellers an invaluable insight into our properties and also helped us to establish the winners”.

Full details of the winning properties are available on http://www.hostelbookers.com/2011-top-hostels/

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Finding Cheap Hotels Online

There are things we need to consider when traveling. First of all is our budget and this includes searching for cheap Hotel Deals, affordable flights or cheap train tickets. The best thing to do is to plan ahead for your vacation. I already had a lot of experience about this and it truly works. Spending an affordable vacation at this modern era is very possible through the help of computers and internet.

For example if you are looking for cheap hotels online, there are a lot of travel sites which will help you find the cheapest and affordable hotels to stay during your trip. One of these is Booking Channels. You can easily and conveniently search the list of most hotels in any countries around the world in their site. Whether you want to find an advance search or browse by city name or hotel name, their site is very easy to navigate. They also provide the descriptions and information of all of the hotels in their list.

Wherever cities and whatever types of accommodation you are looking for, Booking Channels offer the most available and cheap hotel deals online. The website is also free of use and prices include tax and fees to enable unbiased comparison.

What are you waiting for now? If you are planning for a vacation, plan your travel ahead and for sure you will get the cheapest one that fits to your pocket and budget. Thanks also to the help of computers and internet where we can plan our travel and vacation conveniently.

The image here was taken in Frankfurt, Germany. This building is the European Bank located in this city. I am happy that my friend was able to find a cheap hotel in this city during their five days stay. l I am also very thankful that I had the chance to travel and see interesting places around the globe.

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Five Typically ‘British’ Hotels You Can Stay In

When you travel to London or any area in England, you'll want to stay in a typically British hotel to really get the feel for British life, instead of a basic chain hotel. England is well known for its bed and breakfasts, which are usually small, cosy houses that only serve a handful of guests and offer them a home cooked breakfast.

There are also other hotels in England that have more of a traditionally British feel to them. Hotel pr experts recommend the best hotels you can stay in to really get a taste of British culture:

1) Marygreen Manor

Located in Brentwood, just outside of London, Marygreen Manor offers the vacation experience of a lifetime. It's a 4 star hotel dating all the way back to the Tudor period, as you may be able to tell from the architecture of the building. Although they have been around since the 16th century, you don't have to worry about not having all of the modern conveniences and luxuries. The rooms are quite comfortable and all of them have air conditioning and high speed internet access. In addition, Marygreen Manor has a garden and conservatory, where you can go for a stroll or enjoy some tea. They also have the Tudors Restaurant, for a delicious bite to eat.

2) Lainston House

This lovely 17th century house is right near Winchester, and only about an hour from London. In addition to great accommodations and high quality service, Lainston House is known for their food. They have hard working chefs that use all local produce and food items, and make everything from scratch.

3) Taplow House Hotel

At the Taplow House you'll find an absolutely stunning building, as well as tons of beautiful gardens and grounds. It is located near both London and Windsor, so you'll find plenty to do there. Berry's Restaurant is located inside the hotel for some great food, and well known restaurants and pubs are also abundant in the area.

4) The Macdonald Randolph Hotel

Visitors to Oxford will be amazed at luxurious accommodations they can find at the Randolph. They have great rooms, delicious food, and even a spa. It is also located right in the heart of Oxford, so you can simply walk out of your hotel and into the attractions of city life. And don't forget to go to their infamous afternoon tea.

5) Pelham Street Bed and Breakfast

This beautiful hotel was built in 1823 and is located in the South Kensington area of London, so there are many attractions and things to do right nearby, within walking distance. It has three rooms, giving the place a very intimate feel, and you also receive a free organic home cooked breakfast with your room.

Photo by:Jonathan

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Looking For Cheap Hotels in Paris, France

What a tiring day I had today. Despite of that I am still giving you a quick update before I sign-off tonight. I guess we are visiting Paris, France this time. Have you been there? If not just try to look at the image I posted here wherein you can see the Eiffel Tower in my background. I am just done browsing about cheap flights to Paris. I was already there last year but I will be visiting it again this coming August with a friend from the United States.

I received an email from my friend telling me that we still have to book a hotel in somewhere in Paris center. She told me that she is quite busy the past days. That is also the reason why I need to help her search a hotel for us to stay. I am also thinking if last minute accommodation is cheaper as booking earlier. That is also the reason why I stumbled at Lastminute.com.au awhile ago because I was browsing over the internet for cheap hotels in Paris. I found the site quite easy to navigate compared to the German ones I visited the past days.

I guess that is all for tonight. If you are also looking for last minute flights, feel free to visit this site. For sure you will find good deals in there. I want to tell my friend that I found a hotel in Paris for only AUD61.00 per night in this site. That is quite cheap for only around 42.00 Euros per night. I can't wait for August to come because it will be again another great adventure in Europe.

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Looking for a Place to Stay During Your Vacation

Me and my friend have been looking for a place to stay during our incoming Europe adventure this coming summer. We have been searching for cheap flights, hotels and bus trips because we will be visiting a lot of European cities this time. I wish I can stay in one of the luxury phuket hotels in my next vacation but we will be touring Europe again this summer. Don't you know that looking for a place to stay when spending your vacation can sometimes be very difficult especially if you are considering your finances. But sometimes you can also treat yourselves especially if you are working too hard and wish to have a quite luxurious holiday.

This is a special post this time because I am featuring a luxury hotel in Phuket, Thailand. This is one of the places that I wish to visit in this country. That is also the reason why I just browsed Avista, a resort and spa in Kata, Phuket. As I entered a date sometime in October 2010 , I found out that the rates are quite reasonable. Imagine for only 3,500 THB which is around 87.00 Euros per night anytime in October of this year. That is quite cheap! I was even browsing a bed and breakfast room in Rome and I found some that cost from 70.00 to 100.00 Euros per night and the rooms are very small and without a lot of facilities.

With the luxury rooms that they have in Avista, for sure it is a cozy place to stay. The rooms are also huge and very relaxing because each has its own private balcony. Restaurants, pool bar, spa, gym, swimming pool and more are only some of their facilities. I guess this is quite a nice place to stay for a luxurious vacation. I wish to visit it one day. Don't forget to browse the places of interest which they are also providing if you want to have some sightseeing in Phuket. The picture here is my favorite room in Avista.

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