compare rates with last minute accommodation sites

I'm a great believer of online hotel booking. These days, planning a vacation is convenient and made easier with most travel sites going online. Unlike those days, you need to go through the travel agent and accept whatever was presented before you. Now, you can pick and choose from the vast of travel resources out there in the web.



A friend of mine was visiting London couple of months ago and was asking me about which sites to go to for London accommodation. I pointed her to a few reliable ones that were known for good hotel deals and quality service. In fact, I always like to check my hotel rates with a span of online hotel booking sites, including the last minute accommodation sites for our vacation. Do you know that last minute accommodation sites like ratestogo dot com provide attractive deals if you are booking close to your travel dates? If this is the first time you are hearing about them, do check out the site and their cheap hotel deals. I booked a few of our accommodations from ratestogo dot com during our first New Zealand trip in 2004.

Remember to bookmark it for your next vacation.

a glance at australia vacations

sunset at fremantle harbour

Some of my friends think that Clayton is a fortunate boy. He took his first plane trip when he was barely one year old and last year, we took him to Perth. Australia remains a country that is very close to my heart as I did my postgraduate in Curtin Uni for a year and a half.

My favourite past time was to have a takeaway lunch with my research books in South Perth, along the famous Swan River. On sunny days, I would take the bus to Cottesloe for a nice cup of coffee and on weekends, Fremantle markets was my favourite. The wildflower festival that takes place every year in Kings Park is worth a visit if you love exotic and wildflowers. It will be nice if I can revisit Perth during the International Arts Festival. For some reason, I'm always out of the country during the feb/march period.



As I'm writing this post, I'm missing Perth again. Alot of people have lots of misconceptions of this lovely city. They say it's boring, slow, too quiet... but hey, it's a great place to live! Unlike Sydney which has a lot more people, designer boutiques and definitely busier, Perth is less busy and should I say - peaceful - lol. I do like Sydney too. We did the Bridge Climb few years ago when we were visiting a couple of our friends. The Opera House and Sydney Harbour were my favourite landmarks. I only wished we had more time exploring New South Wales.

I haven't been to Adelaide and I should when we migrate to down under in a few years' time. Well, if you are visiting any of these lovely cities, hotels in Perth are categorized in various classes, depending on your budget and personal style. We prefer to stay in the serviced apartments as it's nice to have a kitchen where we can prepare light meals. Eating all three meals in Australia can be costly for a family of three :)

Travel sites like Cheaperthanhotels offers good deals for hotels in Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania, Melbourne accommodation and all other suburbs and states. You can search for a hotel in Margaret River or a bed and breakfast in Victoria at the site, it is easy to navigate with the powerful search tools on the site.

attractive hotel deals in South Africa

When Tracy came back from South Africa few months ago, she had so much to tell us. She had taken lots of lovely photos of her trip, visiting the national parks, spending quality time with her close friends and enjoying fine taste of South African wines. I was told that driving in South Africa is rather safe as the roads are well paved and the transport infrastructure is well established. Like most countries, all motorists need to possess a valid driving license and they are not talked on the cell phone while on the road. Common sense and extra care should be observed to avoid any unnecessary mishaps or accidents.

South Africa remains a popular spot for international tourists and hotels in Johannesburg are in abundance. For budget travelers, the two and three star hotels are available around ZAR600 and most holiday makers would probably choose to stay near the city for easy accessibility. Hotels in Cape Town are just as easy to find and there are last minute and all years specials available at CheaperThanHotels. The online hotel booking site is easy to navigate and all the nightly rates of each hotel is displayed on the destination page. Whether you are searching for hotels in Sandton or other South Africa cities, you would have no difficulties finding a hotel that fit your budget.

a peek at barcelona and madrid

There are various types of travelers - budget, leisure, casual and luxury ones. Before you plan for your travel itinerary, it's important to determine your budget and decide how much you would spend for your vacation. For instance, a train journey from Barcelona to Madrid may cost lesser than flying but imagine the 5.5 hours - 9 hours train journey. It's alright if you can afford the time but if you have only few days to spare, then flying will be the best option. Besides, with low cost airlines being the talk among leisure travelers, it can be less costly than you think. Air Europa flies daily from Barcelona to Madrid and it only takes 1 hour 15 minutes,. tickets may cost between 94 euros to 320 euros return, depending on flight time and schedule. It is normal to pay more during peak seasons too.

When it comes to choosing a hotels in Barcelona or hotels in Madrid, the options are limitless at Cheaper than hotels. If you are a backpacker looking for hotels en Barcelona, a hostel in Barcelona is available at 19 euros and for those who can spare a little luxury, a night at Arts Ritz Carlton is yours at 372 euros :)

For Hotels en Madrid, a 2-star Francisco I Hotel near Old Quarter may cost around 90 euros! And for another 10 more euros, you can choose to stay in the 5 star AC Monte Real Hotel at a residential area. So location plays a big part when it comes to hotel rates. Cheaper than Hotels provides hotel accommodations from 1-star rating to 5-star ratings, featuring all year round specials or last minute rates. Look out for daily specials for every destination. You can also find an overview and useful information for every hotel you are searching for. Bookmark it for your next travel to Spain!

Travelling bug is itching again

I've always been 'big' on online hotel bookings all these years. And I got really busy with accommodation searches during our New Zealand trip in 2004, as we were travelling for 28 days - the longest ever since becoming parents!

Usually, I will conduct my search in Google for my desired destination before checking out the details for each accommodation. Planning a vacation online is so much easier and convenient. Every search is via the click of the mouse and you get your results almost instantly which allows comparison and evaluation.

I'm already doing my search for our family vacation though it is still months away. Believe it or not, I get the thrill out of viewing accommodations and reading about what these hotels and vacation homes have to offer... it gets me all geared up for my holiday!!

Even my non internet-savvy brother is talking about booking online for his upcoming family trip to Hong Kong. And of course, I have the pleasure to evaluate and compare hotels for him. Besides, I am familiar with Hong Kong and its surrounds. Not that he's mentioning about Hong Kong, I'm feeling the 'itch' to visit this buzzing city again.

Hotel Reservations is one good site to check for hotel or vacation accommodations. The rates are competitive and the discounts are attractive for selected hotels. All you need to do is to key in your travel dates and desired destination and you can a glance of all the suggested hotels with their special rates nightly, hotel information and even a location map.

You can practically find a hotel, motel, resort or vacation in any part of the world at Hotel Reservations. There are also vacation packages if you are not the 'free and easy' sort of traveller. So if you still have not tried making an online hotel booking, try it now.

Online hotel booking in Europe

I would love to go on a Europe tour when Clayton is a little bigger. My friend, Janet has been bugging on about visiting her in London and I have heard enough buzz on the shopping scene in Spain, the gourmet food in Italy, the beauty of Paris and the charm of France.

I guess it doesn't hurt to do my research early and excite myself with the attractions and beauty of European sceneries, musuems, architecture and cities. If you are travelling to Europe earlier than me, let Eurobookings.com be your guide and reference. Apparently, the online booking site does not charge any reservation or cancellation fee, neither do you have to pay your hotel bookings in advance.

Search from more than 30,000 hotels in 1,000 locations - you will bound to find something that suits your budget and preference. You can learn more about the cities by browsing through the hotel guide pages, which offer information on food, attractions and events.

Bookmark it for your next Europe holiday.

An all-inclusive vacation idea

Here is another all-inclusive online vacation booking site that caters to everyone. The unique all-inclusive packages is all that you ever need for a relaxing, fun-filled, hassle-free and enjoyable vacation. There are packages for families, couples, honeymooners or resorts that cater to adults only.

I really like the idea of not having to worry about how much I should set aside for food, drinks, rooms and activities. With an all-inclusive deal, I can stay in a nice family vacation resort. I can imagine the idyllic waters and sandy white beaches at one of these top destinations - Jamaica, Dominican or one of Carribean islands. This sure sounds like a dream vacation for anyone!

Vacation accommodation

My friend, Tracy had booked her ticket to South Africa for her vacation in May. I can sense that she is all excited about visiting Cape Town and most of all, meeting up with her good friends who are residing there. While South Africa is one of the places I would love to visit, my heart is still for Hawaii and its lovely beaches.

It many sound cliche to say I love to stroll along Waikiki beach and sip margaritas under the swaying coconut trees while enjoying the lovely, golden sunset. But this is exactly what I'm looking forward to do! I captured the most beautiful sunset photo more than 10 years ago when I first trod upon this beautiful island and I couldn't erase out of my memory.

With online hotel bookings these days, searching for a nice accommodation near Waikiki beach is going to be a cup of tea. Actually, I prefer vacation rentals more ever since becoming a parent myself. There is more space for Clayton and I like the home-away-from-home feeling. We did that during our 28 days of travel in New Zealand and never regretted since.

I enjoy the fun of selecting accommodations. In New Zealand, the bed and breakfast industry is huge and most of the properties are well-maintained with friendly hosts. This is a great way to meet the locals.

And again, if I can get a nice holiday apartment overlooking the idyllic beach, that would be most ideal! I just have to make sure it fits well into our budget.

I have checked out Hotel Reservations and it looks like a great site for bookings of hotels, motels, resorts or vacation rentals. There is a wide selection of accommodations to choose from, no matter where you are travelling to. To pick something you like and appropriate, you need to identify the features you prefer and consider your travelling budget. And I do believe Hotel Reservations rates would be competitive to some other online sites too.

I am putting a bookmark on this online booking website for our next family vacation. And it's happening soon. How exciting!