Holiday Accommodation

[Julie-Ann]

Do you find it hard to get holiday accommodation as lovely as your own home?
Talking with 2 of our members yesterday started me thinking of this. Rachel planning her trip to New Zealand was struggling to find suitable accommodation in places. And then La Belle (who I am visiting today) commented on how she finds her new home to be like living in a resort. Which it is, it's such a beautiful home.
When I am looking for holiday accommodation I have a list of requirements that I struggle to find. It must have beautiful decor, traditional or contemporary doesn't matter as long as it is lovely. It must have internet preferably wireless because we are a family of computer junkies. And a location close to shops and cafes, just like home.
Sometimes I think it is nicer to stay in the comfort of our lovely little home instead.
Do you have the same problem finding accommodation as nice as your own home?
What do you look for in holiday accommodation that you have at home?

This is one of the beautiful places we stayed in this year. There are more pictures on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Home-Decorating-Renovating-Forum/171503533066)

[rachel]

That photo looks beautiful, Julie-Ann - where was that? :)

I am happy to completely rough it (I've camped sans tents, carrying everything in packs on my back).

We recently travelled to some very remote parts of the world (had a 4 bedroom serviced villa for $25aud/night!) and I have no expectations at all of such places. A place to rest my head is all that's required, bonus if it happens to be clean!

However when we travel in cities/holiday areas it is a whole other ball game.

My husband has a morbid fear of shower curtains. This is a big one. We don't stay in rooms with shower curtains. The room must have individually controlled air conditioning, somewhere to sit other than on the bed and separate bath and shower. I don't like over-involved B&B hosts and I can't handle being forced to make friends at breakfast before I've had my coffee :P I prefer a luxury lodge or serviced apartment with invisible yet personalised service.

My expectations do also rise with the price of the hotel room. At about $200/night I expect something clean and relatively modern. At $400 there better be a view or a special feature. If it's more than that I expect super-wow factor.

We've been lucky enough to stay in some truly beautiful hotels in truly beautiful places. Happy to provide recommendations for places that meet my rather crazy standards.

[Julie-Ann]

Hi Rachel
I'm glad I'm not the only fussy one, although I can put up with shower curtains. Has your husband been watching the Psycho movie too much:D?

The B&B is in L'Isle-sur-la-sorgue in Provence France. We were one of the last guests as the property was sold to a rich millionaire as his holiday home. He bought it with all the furniture and artifacts to stay. It was one of the few B&B's we have stayed in as I am not a chatty person in the morning either. But the owner left us alone in the mornings.

[Lanne]

I was thinking I was alone. I feel really materalistic but i also think it is silly to pay $150 - 300 a night for something less than you have everyday.

We recently stayed in a 4 1/2 star hotel. It was a business trip that I took the boys too and they enjoyed the pool. I missed our ducted air, full foxtel, IQ, comfy sofa, coffee table, oven, cooking items, freezer, walk in pantry, clean kettle, patio furniture, bedlinen and shower. Made me wonder why I bothered?

This Christmas we decided to be at home and enjoy all the lovely things we have worked so hard for. We skip the family, the rush and the travel and the packing and the unpacking and the forgetting and the extra shopping and expense.

Instead I sent lovely presents and warm wishes, called and texted people on Christmas day. Had a nice breakfast with Mum before popping her on a plane to my sister and .... nothing.

3 lovely days of nothing... with ducted air, comfy chair and full foxtel package. A fraction of the money we saved has meant really lush treats/nice cafe's for lunch and some videos etc.
Bliss.

[Milena]

I don't feel so strange now wanting to stay in good accommodation. I believe you get what you pay for so staying somewhere that costs $300 a night I expect to be different than somewhere that is a $100 a night. So when we book accommodation we definitely take into account what we can afford. But our choice is normally to pay more to make sure we are going to get something that is comfortable.
When we book somewhere in a main capital city I look for somewhere that has a good view if possible, internet access, airconditionig and modern decor. In a small country town I don't normally expect to get all that but at least something that's clean and comfortable.
I also use the accommodation websites to look for their photos of their rooms and be able to compare the different options. Next I look on the Tripadvisor website and look for reviews that people have written about that particular accommodation. I like to do lots of research before I make decisions.
Friends have made comments before that you are only going stay somewhere to sleep so it doesn't matter how good it is or not. But it does make a big difference to me because where you stay is all part of the experience of travel.
I think it doesn't matter if you want to rough it or want to stay somewhere in a higher class as long as where you stay helps you get the best out of experience of travelling.

[Julie-Ann]

Lanne your house sounds so relaxing - how much do you charge per night:D.

Milena I am a huge fan of Tripadvisor and have found great accommodation through it. That's how we found that B&B in France. I love that you can see the pictures that others take and you know what the place really looks like, not what it looked like when first built. Now I can find places almost as lovely as home.Actually Tripadvisor was what got me hooked on forums:)

[rachel]

I'm the same with flights too. I don't hesitate to price up a whole lot of options and in many cases business class is better value.

For example, when we were in remote Java last year, getting out of a van after a 7 hour drive and being able to head straight towards the business class lounge was a dream.

We were able to save a night's accommodation in Java (the cheaper flights weren't fully flexible and relying on road transport to get us to the airport on time was risky) and had the advantage of waltzing in to the lounge in our stinky clothes, being handed giant fluffy white towels by the lounge attendants and then standing under a rain shower for wayy too long, changing into clean clothes, having a free meal and champagne in the lounge, then sit in relative comfort for the flight. It was certainly worth it. Likewise the lie-flat seats on the way back from KL made for a comfortable flight!

As a bonus, frequently travelling business class has meant when we do fly economy qantas allocate us the exit rows and will block out any other seats next to us. :)

[Angela]

Very interesting thread! I'm loving reading everyone's opinions. It's funny you should bring this up Julie-Ann, because this week my husband and I were sitting on our patio thinking how much we've made our place to feel like we're on holiday (well the outside anyway!). We made time to have 'happy hour' by lounging around on our outdoor furniture which overlooks our beautiful pool and spa. I was saying "this is how I felt at that place we stayed at at Byron Bay, only difference is instead of looking at rolling planes with a few cows scattered here and there, I'm looking at our garden and pool". We stayed at a fabulous home at Byron Bay (http://www.byronplantation.com.au/index.php/pictures) and it was very clean, beautifully decorated and had all the mod-cons. Difference is of course that when I'm away I'm not tempted to 'do stuff' around the house, I spend time just lying around doing nothing. I believe if you're going to get away on holiday then it had better be a 'step-up' from home otherwise why bother. Our list of musts include things like a big TV, DVD player, swimming pool, spa (bath or outdoor), nice sofas to relax on and a clean kitchen. It has to be a place where the kids can play while my husband and I relax. I love it when we go somewhere and besides the usual stuff they also have a variety of books, DVDs and magazines.

Now the outside of our house feels like I'm on holidays and the kitchen is newly renovated, I just need to make the house feel more like I'm on holiday. Not sure how to do that (open to suggestions!) but I'm going to go around each room and declutter then see what little touches I can add to make each room more comfortable. I don't even know if my explanation makes much sense, LOL, but I want that feeling of 'ease' in each room.

Julie-Ann, that photo is stunning! I figured it was in France as soon as I saw it.

[Angela]

Forgot to add: Rachel, I love your comments about a 'B&B'... thanks for the laugh. Re: shower curtains, is it because they move so much and 'stick' to you while you shower? (or your husband in this case) I really hate that about shower curtains.

[Freogirl]

We have just returned from a week's holiday and I loved reading everyone's idea of the perfect holiday accommodation. We have just stayed at our own holiday house, which might be the perfect answer for all those who want to stay somewhere as good as their homes. Even though our holiday house is not on a par with our house, it does allow you to decorate it in the style that you personally like. If on holiday in other places, I actually care way more about the location. I don't actually enjoy staying with our 3 kids/teens anywhere too nice as I worry about potential damage and prefer just to chill out. I also have enough problems finding places that sleep 5 and don't charge a ridiculous amount but am happy to pay up to $300-$350 and nearly always end up with something fairly nice but seldom flash!