Places to Sleep

[one_half]Let’s talk about where to lay your head while traveling.

Here’s what you need to know about me. I’m a Taurus and us Taurus folks like our comfort and we like our luxury. So, I do have a predisposition to stay in nice places. This does not mean I stay in the highest priced hotels and resorts around. Nope, but I do finagle my lodging.

The lodging for my main vacations is focused around the timeshares or vacation plans I own. I like to travel. I like comfort. I like luxury and I’m willing to pay for it… to an extent. I’ll take more about timeshares later and give you a review of those I’ve been a guest. Some experiences have been good and others not so good. I’ll give you my personal experience and opinion.

Yes, I do stay at budget hotels. When I’m on a car trip and am staying somewhere for just a night or two, I’ll go for the Motel 6, Holiday Inn Express or whatever happens to be at that location. Some locations have a limited number of options. I check out the reviews on-line and see what folks are saying. When you do this, be sure and get an overall feel for the place… and note the date. Things change and sometimes, well, everyone has a bad day… or week.

There are two basic problems with budget hotels. One is the small scratchy towels and the other is the chlorine laden sheets. To make up for these deficiencies, I often bring a towel and some sheets.[/one_half] [one_half_last]It depends upon how much room I have. When I’m traveling by automobile, bringing these are no problem. When by plane, those get left behind.

Finding Motels

The internet is my friend. That’s the first place I go to find a place to stay. I toggle back and forth between something like Travelocity and the site for the actual hotel. Sometimes the deal is better through Travelocity and sometimes not. One big disadvantage to some of these travel sites is they have what is called “Good Buys.” If you know for sure you’re staying there, it is a good buy. If your schedule is fluid, avoid them. You can’t change them once you have them. Sometimes you can get just as good a deal with the option of canceling by calling the hotel direct.

Luxury Resorts

When I stay someone where for any length of time, I like to stay at a resort. These are where my timeshares come in. I have one in Hawaii where I go every other year. That’s a Marriott and is a nice two-bedroom on the water. The other is through Diamond Resorts and this one is points. I use the points to stay in Sedona, one of my favorite places. I kick back, enjoy, and have a kitchen to fix meals.

As I make my way through the Southwest, I’ll tell you more about my hotel, motel and resort experiences.[/one_half_last]