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Reasonably priced hotel in a quiet residential area a little out of town, but easy to get to and within 20 minutes or so via trolleybus (no 74) or metro (the fab line 1 from Mexicoi Utca). It's also only 10 minutes from the city park, and the Szechenyi baths, via public transport (you could walk it in 20-30, but it's a bit bleak to be honest).
Staff are friendly and helpful. They can organise a taxi transfer to/from airport terminals for 5600 HUF each way. (Though a rail link is due to be opened in 2007, according to the Budapest Sun. That's to the city, not to the hotel I guess).
They put us in one of the attic rooms on our first night, which is kind of claustrophobic as it has a skylight you can't see out of without balancing in a frankly reckless fashion on two stools upon the bed (and I'm 6ft tall), but shifted us to a much better room the next morning.
65 euro/room per night, 60 if paid in cash.
Pándorfalu u. 15;
tel/fax: 01 252 0470;
email: panzio@goldhotel.hu
www.goldhotel.hu
A good, reasonably priced (£60) hotel, with good breakfasts, and rooms that sleep 4 in comfort.
It's quite close to the Cite d'Europe and the Channel Tunnel terminal, but not too hard to find from the Ferry terminal.
The hotel is part of the Accor group, and is one of three hotels in a little block with secure parking at the back (the others were Ibis and Etap, both cheaper).
Nice reception area, complete with mountain bikes to borrow (and a Smart Car at the back for you as well - don't know if there's a charge for these but got the feeling not).
Access to room is by a chip card. The rooms are LARGE, certainly compared to the Holiday Inn Express or Travel Lodge. As we walked in, there was a loo on the left, a table and 2 chairs (both on wheels, likewise the TV). Large sofa which turns into a single bed, and a pull out one from under the double bed so the room comfortably sleeps four.
There's a fridge, small sink and microwave in the room, and then we discovered there was a room divider that one can pull across to separate the (very big) double bed from the rest of the room - thus ensuring a little privacy from children should you have them. One caveat - the divider is quite thin - almost japanese in style.
Next to the double bed there's shelving (with a small safe box), and entrance to the bathroom (with a bath and separate shower, hairdryer, as well as a wash basin).
I felt that one could spend a whole holiday in one of these, even cooking a little in the microwave. There were no real glasses or cups/plates or the like, so if you want to feed little ones, bring your own. There were a couple of plasic glasses and paper cups along with tea and coffee. There are both smoking and non-smoking rooms.
Food. Don't know what dinner is like - there were 'meal packs' in the large fridge by reception. Breakfast. Croissants and coffee are free of charge, I understand, but you can also buy a 'breakfast box' for about E6 - well worth it when you eat it - very nice fruit, quality honey and jam, a large portion of very tasty butter (I like expensive butter), a plastic container of ham (don't know what that was like - we're veggies), a kiwi fruit and some President cheese - again a big portion. Help yourself to rolls and decent criossants.
Highly recommended.
Place de Cantorbery
62231 COQUELLES
FRANCE
Tel :(+33)3/21195000
Fax :(+33)3/21195005
E-mail : H3335@accor.com
www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/gb/sui/3335/fiche_hotel.shtml
Wandering with a canoe in the Paradise Bay is very relaxing. The waters of the bay is turqoise blue and it gets narrower as you head inside. It becomes like a canyon with walls of green, and is a perfect combination with the blue sea.
www.atamihotel.com
Cennet Koyu Golturkbuku Bodrum Mugla Turkey
+90 252 3577417
nearest airport: Bodrum-Milas airport, airport code: BJV
We found 'Apartment Blue' in Heydukova Street through this company. Our booking was processed quickly and courteously and everything was as described.
The apartment was newly renovated, spotless and well equipped, in a quiet and safe, if somewhat unprepossessing, area just 5 minutes walk from the historic centre of this lovely city, once the capital of the Hungarian Empire.
Well worth visiting before it gets spoilt by lager louts (I hope it won't be).
I have just spent two glorious nights at the Jardins Secrets. I have visited Nîmes on a number of occasions and this has to be the best hotel in the city.
Entrance is through a discreet gate, which you are given a code for, into a well-tended beautiful garden. There is a small pool, which is surrounded by candle-lit lanterns in the evening.
The weather wasn’t great on our visit but this would be a fantastic place to have a drink in the summer.
The building itself is equally beautiful. On the ground floor there are a series of rooms. You can choose to have breakfast in any of the rooms, which are lavishly furnished. There are beautiful bowls of roses and candelabra everywhere adding to the romantic ambience.
This used to be the main family house of the owners so there are nice personal touches everywhere.
The bedroom we had, of which there are only four, was incredible, very stylish with an amazing ensuite bathroom.
Attention to detail in this place is incredible. We arrived back from shopping to find chocolate cake and fresh strawberries waiting for us and they even provided us with English newspapers at breakfast.
Annabelle, her husband and Stephanie couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful without being overbearing.
Breakfast is extra and is typically French. They don’t have a restaurant as such but you can have either fruits-de-mere or a cheese plate, both with wine and desert. We opted for the cheese plate on the last night and were presented with a fantastic assortment of cheeses and a great bottle of wine.
I could go on. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to be in the middle of the city but wants the feeling of a romantic country hideaway.
3 rue Gaston Maruejols 30000 Nîmes;
tell : 04 66 84 82 64
www.jardinssecrets.net/
Hostel af Chapman must be one of the few hostels that is actually a sailing vessel. It's located right in the centre of Stockholm, has recently been refurbished and is extremely reasonably priced in an expensive city.
Västra Brobänken, Skeppsholmen, on Skeppsholmen;
tel: 08 463 22 66;
www.stfchapman.com
Södermalm is the place to go in Stockholm for nightlife, bars and restaurants and the place to see some live music.
Columbus Hotell Tjarhovsgatan 11 is in an historic building 5 minutes walk from Medborgaplatsen T-bana has reasonably priced economic single, double and triple rooms in a 3rd floor annexe which used to be part of a youth hostel in the building as well as more expensive rooms on 1st and 2nd floors for a special treat. Traditional Swedish breakfast is included. Friendly staff, informal atmosphere (www.columbus.se/eng/info.htm)
Pelikan is a traditional Swedish ale-house and restaurant serving home-cooked Swedish specialities. A lot of atmosphere in this historic bar - made even nicer since the smoking ban which came into force last year.(www.pelikan.se/)
Check out Sodrafot cabaret (www.sodrafot.se/). They have a special series of cabaret events coming up on Thursdays in September and October (Teaterhuset Skarpnäcksgårdsväg Hus 10) featuring a band called Lill-Britt-Siv (www.lillbrittsiv.com) and other local cabaret artists. Check out their other events.
We couldn't get on board here as it's really popular, but it comes highly recommended. It's a hostel on board a beautiful old sailing ship right in the middle of the city. Book well in advance if you want to get a room.
Flaggmansvägen 8, Skeppsholmen, Stockholm
www.wcities.com/en/record/,127140/98/record.html
Skeppsholmen is a tiny island best reached by crossing Skeppsholmsbron, a bridge from the Blasieholmen district (where the Nationalmuseum is, which might be worth a visit - check what exhibitions are on). Skeppsholmen is good for a pleasant stroll, and to see the exhibits at the Moderna Museet, which is the Tate Modern of Stockholm. Skeppsholmen also is home to af Chapman, Sweden's most famous youth hostel, a huge ship that, with its masts rigged, is a famous Stockholm landmark.
I've just come back from an (all too) brief stay at this hotel in Taormina, Sicily. It's nestled on the side of Monte Tauro so all the rooms have balconies with spectacular views along the coastline. The room was very luxurious, with flooring made from volcanic rock from mount Etna!
I booked through Perfect Places - www.perfectplacesoline.co.uk or 08703 331771 and flew to Catania from Gatwick with BA.
Just got back from an (all too) brief stay in this slightly larger than boutique hotel in Taorminain Sicily. It's perched on the side of Monte Tauro so all rooms have balconies with spectacular views across the coast. The room was very luxurious, with floors made from volcanic rock from Mount Etna!
I booked through Perfect Places - www.perfectplacesonline.co.uk or 08703 331771 and flew into Catania from Gatwick with BA.
This is a hotel in Barcelona with a great location and a friendly staff. My room had a balcony, was clean, and I had a good time there.
Family run hotel 4-star opposite the Vatican Museum entrance. Good base - walk from here and get the metro back in the evening.
Free, cheerful help to find accommodation within your budget. The multilingual staff will ring likely places for you to make sure there is a vacancy and are especially good at finding cheap rooms in the old city.
Next to the railway station
The Cocker is a recently opened boutique hotel in San Telmo. It is located on Av. Juan de Garai between Defensa and Bolivar, one block from Parque Lezama (and the wonderful Bar Britanico - as seen in The Motorcycle Diaries!) It's perfectly placed for trips to the local antiques market in Plaza Dorego (2 blocks) and is truly in the heart of all that historic San Telmo has to offer (parilla, tango, bars, cafes). The hotel itself is beautiful - restored from a complete wreck by its two proprietors over the course of 18 months. It's stylish and modern but sensitive to the building's original character. We stayed in a room with a private roof terrace ($80 per night) which proved a fantastic place to spend a soothing evening drinking a Quilmes (or two!) listening to the heartbeat of city life. Aidan and Ian (the owners) were extremely helpful, arranging transport for us - even a trip to Uruguay! The name (in case you were wondering) stems from Rocco - their pet cocker spaniel.
458 Av. Juan de Garai, San Telmo
www.thecocker.com
A real gem of a hotel with diamond staff too. Beautifully finished rooms offer an inviting and intimate experience. It's incredible value: a boutique hotel yet budget price.
15 rue le grimaldi, nice
www.le-grimaldi.com/uk/navigation.htm
Last August my partner and I stayed at Piccola Perla, a charming one-bedroomed apartment in St. Antonin, located roughly midway between St Mark's Square and Arsenale.
It was quiet, tastefully decorated and it was great to come back in the evening after a long day's sightseeing and put our feet up in the little courtyard, together with a drink of Prosecco. Being on a budget, some evenings we cooked our own meals, so it was good to be a couple of bridges away from one of only two supermarkets I have come across in Venice.
Recommended as a romantic getaway for a couple or an inexpensive spot for a small family (there was a sofabed in the living room).
www.ourveniceapartment.com - Tel. (UK) 01242 243693. Nearest Vaporetto: San Zaccaria.
Athome are an agency renting apartments throughout Barcelona, and I recommend them for their friendly, professional approach. That, and the fact that they located the perfect apartment for us, just off Plaça Reial but with the bedrooms not facing the street.
We were delighted to be able to sleep comfortably without the usual noises waking us early, as has happened in every other place we've stayed in Barcelona (regular visitors!).
Gien is a small village on the tip of a penisular.The Hotel Provencal in Giens has the most wonderful views looking out towards the Iles de Hyeres.
The hotel has a private beach complemented with a seawater swimming pool you could say it’s shabby chic.
The food complements the fantastic views. It’s got restaurants to cater for all ages and tastes, easy access to the main town and not far from Toulon or follow the coast road to the expensive part of the south of France.
This is a real hidden gem.
You can fly to the local airport Toulon-Hyeres, it's a fifteen minute taxi ride to the airport.
Small, reasonably priced and clean 1-star hotel (but deserves 2) in a very central location between the seaside and the railway station - and great value for money.
Recommended by lots of major guide books.
Kevin, the friendly British owner, has a blog with tips on visiting the Riviera on his website, which makes for an interesting read.
22 Rue de Russie, 06000 Nice. www.nicenotredame.com, info@nicenotredame.com
Tel: 0033 (0)4 93 88 70 44
fax: 0033 (0)4 93 82 20 38.
Five minutes' walk from the train station and 10 from the seaside; just off the main shopping street (Avenue Jean Médecin).
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