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I agree that Comfort Inn-level hotels was a surprise at that price point, unless the OP needed more than one room. London is the only place where that makes sense, $200 a night being the going rate for what would be unacceptable cr*p almost anywhere else.
You missed the point, but that's OK. Either one is going to be over $200 a night for an acceptable room, regardless of season.
Maybe if you want to be smack by les Champs in Paris, but if you go into outer arrondissements, you can find a nice room in a pleasant quieter neighborhood withing a block to a metro station for decidedly less than that, even in high season.
Maybe if you want to be smack by les Champs in Paris, but if you go into outer arrondissements, you can find a nice room in a pleasant quieter neighborhood withing a block to a metro station for decidedly less than that, even in high season.
It's in the 12th Arrondissiment, right across the street from a metro stop. It's not a fancy or glamorous neighborhood but a very traditional old fashioned Parisian neighborhood with local shops and restaurants and a fantastic bakery directly across the street. 15 minutes by metro to Notre Dame. We paid around 120 euros for a double room in peak season (around $160 at the time) and as you can see from the photos on the website, the room was lovely. Our prior hotel had been in the Latin Quarter, and we much preferred this neighborhood. I would consider the hotel a substantial step up from Comfort Inn.
I checked the hotel's website and for one night in on an April Friday they have rooms ranging from 75 euros to 140 euros.
If you wanted something even more basic you can easily find cheaper accommodation.
It's in the 12th Arrondissiment, right across the street from a metro stop. It's not a fancy or glamorous neighborhood but a very traditional old fashioned Parisian neighborhood with local shops and restaurants and a fantastic bakery directly across the street. 15 minutes by metro to Notre Dame. We paid around 120 euros for a double room in peak season (around $160 at the time) and as you can see from the photos on the website, the room was lovely. Our prior hotel had been in the Latin Quarter, and we much preferred this neighborhood. I would consider the hotel a substantial step up from Comfort Inn.
I checked the hotel's website and for one night in on an April Friday they have rooms ranging from 75 euros to 140 euros.
If you wanted something even more basic you can easily find cheaper accommodation.
Was it en suite? That is a non-negotiable item for me. Utterly and completely non-negotiable. If I can't have a private bathroom including a toilet, sink, and shower or shower/tub combo, it's not happening. I wouldn't consider any hotel without all the rooms being en suite as "nice," regardless of how much they try to dress it up.
Standard two twin beds or one queen bed, desk, cube fridge, full bathroom with tub & individual tolietries provided by the hotel. (ie. not the dread soap/shampoo dispenser European three stars seem to prefer) Towels are nothing special but ample. Once a day housekeeping service that leaves you feeling like the room is really clean. Operational windows and CH&A controlled by guest at room level. Room has the feel of being refurnished in past five years. Room is not huge, but you can open up your suitcase somewhere other than the bed.
Go a little bit from the Seine, and that kind of place is not hard to find for 125 euros or less even for peak June weekends. There are Mercures like that all over the city.
A couple I know just returned from their first trip to Europe visiting France and Italy. After talking about how great of time they had, the conversation turned to how much money they spent. They insisted they traveled moderately and did not splurge at all, but the total cost for the ten day trip was about $10,000.
$3000 for Airfare ($1500 a piece)
$2500 for Hotel ($250 a night average at Comfort Inn quality spots)
$2000 for Food (An average of $30 for breakfast and lunch and $70 for dinner per person for ten days)
$1000 tours and attractions
$1500 for trains and buses and inter Europe (Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome)
TOTAL $10,000
Is this a logical number for a nice trip to Europe for a couple?
Some of this could be true. But I think that your friends were exaggerating a little.
1) Airfare seems a bit steep even for peak travel. I'd pay $1500 for airfare if I were booking the air tickets one week before travel.
2) Hotels deals can be found with a bit of research. In some cities you may pay around $250 per night. But not all cities are going to be that expensive. Unless they stayed only in cities like Paris and Venice, I dont see how you can spend $250 every night on hotels. For example, good hotels (better than Comfort Inn) in Rome can be booked for around $100.
3) re: Food. If you eat out every night it is possible to run up a tab that high. But most hotels in Italy (and France?) give you free breakfast. And is it really possible to have dinner at restaurants every night?
4) Tours and attractions. $1000 is possible if you take a few of those guided tours that charge a lot of money.
5) $1500 for trains and buses seems a bit too steep. Many of the trains have budget fares if you book 1-2 months in advance.
Some of this could be true. But I think that your friends were exaggerating a little.
1) Airfare seems a bit steep even for peak travel. I'd pay $1500 for airfare if I were booking the air tickets one week before travel.
2) Hotels deals can be found with a bit of research. In some cities you may pay around $250 per night. But not all cities are going to be that expensive. Unless they stayed only in cities like Paris and Venice, I dont see how you can spend $250 every night on hotels. For example, good hotels (better than Comfort Inn) in Rome can be booked for around $100.
3) re: Food. If you eat out every night it is possible to run up a tab that high. But most hotels in Italy (and France?) give you free breakfast. And is it really possible to have dinner at restaurants every night?
4) Tours and attractions. $1000 is possible if you take a few of those guided tours that charge a lot of money.
5) $1500 for trains and buses seems a bit too steep. Many of the trains have budget fares if you book 1-2 months in advance.
It really depends on where you are flying from. If your only choice is a terminal airport 200 miles from any sort of a larger regional airport, you are going to have to spend $200-400 extra in airfare per person just to get to the gateway. Not everyone lives near a hub or even a larger regional airport. (by the way, I spent $1200 per ticket in taxes and security fees alone to London next month from the east coast of the US)
Not everyone has the time or even wants to do research. You will be hard pressed to find a nice hotel in Rome in peak season for $100. More like $200 unless you want to be well outside of walking distance to major sites. When traveling, time is money, and I wouldn't want to spend an hour each day "commuting" to save $50. There are many other reasons people choose certain hotels, including loyalty point accumulation, non-smoking guarantees, and the availability of US king sized beds. We visited Athens during all the problems in 2012, and purposely booked the Hilton rather than the Grande Bretagne to be further away from problem areas and because we knew the Greeks didn't have an issue with the Americans and would be far less likely to "attack" the Hilton.
If you don't rent a flat with cooking facilities, I'm not sure how you can avoid eating out every night, unless you wish to eat PB&J sandwiches in your hotel room...
I have a two week trip to London coming up, and will spend $800 or more on admissions to various museums and cultural/historic sites. No tours, just basic admissions.
As far as "local" and regional transportation, I can see that type of spend. You need to get from the airport to the hotel, then the hotel to the sites you are visiting each day, then the train between cities. The Leonardo Express from FCO to Termini is $16 per person, and then you'd need to transfer to a bus or metro or cab. It will cost $40 for two just to get to your hotel before you visit a single museum or cafe. Some people don't want to book train tickets that far in advance, as they are waiting on the availability of something they really want to see or do.
One other thing to note--in many cities people want to see a cultural performance. An opera in Italy, West End theater show in London, etc. While you can sometimes take the chances on something you'd like to see being available as "last minute half price tickets" it is a chance you take, and if there's something you really want to see, you need to book those tickets in advance--and expect to spend $150+ to do so.
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