Mini Travel Guides

When visiting Ronda in Andalucia, Spain, there are a number of hotel options in the town. Many of them are quite expensive but give you fantastic views overlooking the gorge. However, the best places to stay don’t always have the best views.

When staying in Ronda, one of the best and most affordable places in town is the Baraka B&B.  Located just a couple of minutes from the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), it’s in a quiet part of town.  Even though it’s centrally located with easy access to all of the sights, it’s away from all of the noise on the streets.

The Baraka B&B has 3 rooms for rent in a home that is welcoming, inviting, and a home away from home.  Each room contains a double bed and a bathroom and great space to spread out and relax.  In high season , the rooms cost 77 euros for the two smaller ones and 92 euros for the suite.  Along with your room, a wonderful breakfast is served each morning as part of your stay.  And while Baraka is comfortable, beautiful, spacious, and quiet, it’s not even the best part of your stay.

Anahid is your host and will make your stay in Ronda one of the most memorable and enjoyable of any you could have in Spain.  Meeting Anahid feels like you are re-connecting with an old friend.  Staying at the Baraka B&B just doesn’t mean a room to stay but a tour of her home and helpful advice from a local.

Anahid was born in the Middle East but has spent years living in Europe.  Her English is outstanding as she has also spent time working in the US as well.  Even if you don’t normally eat breakfast, take the time to sit down and eat at the Baraka B&B.  Not only is the food a great way to start your day but you get to talk intimately with Anahid.  While seeing the sights in Ronda is what people come to do, we spent 2 hours chatting with her about her life, local recommendations, and travel and it was one of my best experiences in all of Spain.

Get a tour of her home.  Learn about her life in Spain and other places.  Talk politics and travel.  Getting to know Anahid is the best part of your stay at Baraka B&B.  If meeting locals and connecting with others is an important part of your travel experiences, there is no better person to meet than Anahid.

Many people have had wonderful things to say about the Baraka B&B.  Whether it’s the rooms, breakfast, peace and quiet, or the location, it’s an ideal place for couples, a family (rooms can accommodate up to four people), or friends who need a comfortable and affordable place to stay.  At the end of your visit, you will enjoy your stay and remember Anahid as one of the highlights of your visit to Ronda.

A home away from home in Ronda, Spain – the Baraka Bed and Breakfast

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I stayed at the Seven Hotel Paris for one night in November 2010 during my easyJet 15 Hour Blogger Challenge. The hotel is located in the 5th arrondissement, close to the Latin Quarter. It’s a design boutique hotel. I must say my first impression was that it felt like an upmarket massage parlour with the strong scents and velvety chairs and curtains.

Seven Hotel Paris lobby

I loved my Levitation Room. The bed seemed to be suspended from the wall with no visible means of support anywhere else.  It was one of the most comfortable beds in which I’ve ever slept.  Combined with double glazing which shut out all exterior noise and a thermostatic control which took effect quickly to reach a pleasant overnight temperature, I had a wonderful sleep.

My room at Seven Hotel Paris

The sink and shower are in a transparent compartment with the toilet in a separate walled cubicle. The double sized shower had a central rain shower head and another two shower jets which could either be hand held or attached to the wall. The aromatherapy toiletries were lovely. There was a coffee machine in the room but no instructions on how to use it. The room was on the small side with no chairs or working space, so it seemed better suited to a leisure break.

I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a decent wifi signal in my room in the evening and had to go down to the lobby to get connected, as I’d have preferred to stay in my room. However, early the following morning I was able to get a good wifi signal, perhaps because no-one else was online at that time?

My room at Seven Hotel Paris

My room had fibre optics variable lighting. You get various effects such as stars at night in the sky painted ceiling.

Overall I really enjoyed my short stay, sleeping much better than I normally do in hotels.  All the staff were really helpful and accommodating. If you’re looking for somewhere zany and funky to stay in the French capital, the Seven Hotel Paris is a great option. The main negatives for me were the poor wifi signal in my room and a 17 Euro per person charge for continental breakfast (which  as far as I could see consisted of croissant, pain au chocolat, fruit and coffee). With room starting at 161 Euro a night, I think that breakfast should be included in the rate.

You can see all my photos and videos of the Seven Hotel Paris on Flickr.

You can look for the best rates at the Seven Hotel Paris on the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

Review of Seven Hotel Paris

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I stayed at the Copenhagen Island Hotel for three nights in early November 2010, arranged by TBEX, when I attended the TBEX Europe bloggers event, where I gave my “So You Wannbe a Travel Blogger:  Keeping It Real” talk.

The hotel was designed by Danish architect Kim Utzon, son of Jorn who was responsible for the Sydney Opera  House. It is located either a 20 minute walk from Central Station or a five minute walk from Suburban Line rail station.  There’s a shopping centre next to the hotel.  As soon as you enter the hotel you get an impression of modernity, light and space.

Copenhagen Island Hotel lobby

I was fortunate to be allocated a room at the back of the hotel with a balcony and a waterfront view.

My room was very stylish but a little on the small side with very little wardrobe space.  The hotel advertised free wifi throughout but I was unable to pick up a decent signal anywhere in my room. However when I mentioned this at reception they told me that they were aware of the problem and a wired connection was available in the room. One evening I had problems getting online even with the wired connection, so I phoned reception to check if there was a problem. A charming member of staff came up to my room to try to assist. I did use the wifi in the lobby and the signal there was excellent.

My room at the Copenhagen Island Hotel

I managed to sit out on the balcony a couple of times, albeit it wearing my jacket, to admire the view.

View from the balcony of my room at Copenhagen Island Hotel

The buffet breakfast was very good with a selection of cooked breakfast, cold meats, cheeses, fresh bread, fruit juices and Danish pastries.

The sloping restaurant frontage at the Copenhagen Island Hotel

I think that the Copenhagen Island Hotel is in a lovely location, with attractive rooms in a beautiful building and with very warm and helpful staff.  It makes a good base for a Copenhagen city break, as long as you don’t mind not being right in the city centre and don’t have much luggage.

Review of Copenhagen Island Hotel

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We stayed at the Ca’l Bisbe Hotel in Soller for the first three nights of our inntravel Mallorca walking holiday.  Although I had asked for explicit directions on how to reach the hotel’s car park, which lies a good 300 metres from the hotel itself, we still couldn’t find the car park due to a very unclear one way system and ended up parking the car in the street and wheeling our cases along very uneven pavements to the Ca’l Bisbe. As it turned out, the official car park was actually further from the hotel than the street where we parked.  However, the hotel is located a five minute walk from the main square in Soller, in a converted bishop’s residence.

The exterior of the Ca’l Bisbe Hotel

The lobby area of the Ca’l Bisbe was very attractive. There was free wifi in the lobby with a very good signal.

Lobby of Ca’l Bisbe Hotel

Our room was a good size with a high ceiling with wooden beams. The room was furnished in a simple, traditional style. Unfortunately what looked like a large double bed was in fact two single beds pushed together but made up with single bed linen, once the top bedspread was removed.  There was a small hole which looked like a cigarette burn on the top cover of one of the beds. The single beds were pretty uncomfortable.

Our room at Ca’l Bisbe

There were two liquid soap/shower gel dispensers in the bathroom, one near the sink and one by the bath.  On our first night there was only a small amount left in the sink dispenser, the other was empty. These were not refilled until our third day.  The towels were past their best with fraying at the edges.

The best feature of the room was a the balcony which had wonderful views over the pool and the surrounding mountains.

View from the balcony of our room at Ca’l Bisbe

The pool area was very attractive.

Breakfast at the Ca’l Bisbe was good, with a selection of yoghurts, cereal, smoked salmon, cold meats, cheese, scrambled eggs and bacon.  We had dinner one night and it was rather disappointing, my soup starter and the fish main course were lukewarm and my pineapple dessert, consisting only of pieces of fruit on skewers, tasted as though it had been made up of tinned pineapple.

Ca’l Bisbe restuarant ready to serve dinner

We did have a bad experience with a rather surly member of staff over a misunderstanding about our packed lunch. It wouldn’t have even been so bad if the picnic had been decent but it consisted of one small baguette with a slice of cheese (nothing else), one apple and a 330ml bottle of water per person. However, one of the receptionists went out of her way to help us with directions and even offered a late checkout on our day of departure.

The Ca’l Bisbe does have some very good points, being in a beautiful, historic building, a lovely pool area, balconies with scenic views and free wifi. In my opinion, the Ca’l Bisbe has the potential to be a great hotel, if they buy some decent new double beds and linen,  keep on top of room supplies, improve the quality of picnics and dinner and impress upon all staff the need to be polite with guests. It’s probably better not to have a car when staying at the Ca’l Bisbe, as the hotel lies off a one way street, making it hard to work out how to get there, even to drop off and pick up your luggage and the hotel’s car park isn’t very conveniently located.

Review of Ca’l Bisbe Hotel, Soller, Mallorca

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We stayed at the Ca’s Curial agroturismo finca in Soller, Mallorca for 3 nights during our inntravel Mallorca walking holiday.  The finca is situated in a citrus grove, around a 10 minute walk from the village centre. There’s ample parking in the shade.

We had a double room on the ground floor. The room was very spacious, characterful and comfortable.  Every room/suite at Ca’s Curial is differently decorated.

Our room at Ca’s Curial

Ca’s Curial is run by a family and they obviously take great pride in offering guests a wonderful stay.

Our room had a beamed ceiling. It even had a kettle, so we could make a cup of tea to drink out in the patio.

Our room at Ca’s Curial

Ca’s Curial has free wifi and there was a good signal in our room but unfortunately there was no signal in our patio.

Private patio off our room at Ca’s Curial

The pool area is beautiful with views to the mountains which surround Soller.

Breakfast was good with a selection of fruit juice, fresh fruit, cold meats, cheeses, yoghurts, eggs and rolls. We had dinner one evening by candlelight and the food was very good. There was a set menu with no choice.  Our three courses were Cream of Asparagus Soup, Sea Perch and Apple Tatin.

The only negative we experienced during our stay was ants in our bathroom but as soon as we told the owners we were given spray which sorted the problem.  It’s quite a common to have ants on the ground floor in warm climates.

I’d highly recommend Ca’s Curial as a base for a single centre inntravel walking holiday in Soller, Mallorca.

Review of Ca’s Curial, Soller, Mallorca

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Vathi is the capital of the Greek island of Samos, just 1 ½ hour ferry ride from the Turkish coastal town of Kusadasi. Samos is one of my favorite Greek islands to be visited either as a day trip from Turkey or on its own.

If you wish to stay over night in order to explore more of the island’s many historical site like the Heraion, Pythagorion, the Ephalinos tunnel or the Potami waterfalls, a good choice is the – aptly named – Hotel Samos.

Ceramic pipes in the Ephalinos Tunnel

For one it’s easy to find and perfectly located just across the road from the ferry terminal. At Euros 50 per night for a single room including breakfast and free WiFi, it’s reasonably priced and offers great value for money. The rooms are spacious and the bathroom’s standard is close to 5 stars with goodie basket, (working) hairdryer and good water pressure. The hotel has a lovely roof top swimming pool and bar where you can have a variety of freshly squeezed fruit juices or any other drinks you fancy as well as snacks.

Hotel Samos in Vathi

There is a restaurant downstairs, indoors as well as on the terrace. The Greek salad is particularly appetizing and you can sit and watch the waterfront and the world go by. Everybody at reception is very friendly and helpful and will assist you with insider tips and excursions.

Greek salad in the restaurant at the Hotel Samos

If you have only time to visit Vathi, walk along the waterfront towards Lion Square, passing b many, many cafes, restaurants and shops. These shops are mostly selling souvenirs and beach items, therefore, turn left on Lion Square, walk straight up, then turn right and you find a narrow street lined with some of the best boutiques I have ever seen, offering chic fashion at very low prices as well as really nice tiles, ceramic, paintings, sofa throws etc. In short, souvenirs of the better kind which also make nice gifts.

Vathi's waterfront at sunset

Follow the same road to the end, turn left and you come to the Archaeological Museum. It consists of two buildings opposite each other and you start on the left. This museum is an  ‘ohhhh’ experience and the treasures inside are quite unexpected. Enormous korus statues from the holy road of the Heraion loom in the semi darkness and never fail to impress by their sheer size and nearly immaculate state.

Statue on Vathi's archaeological museum

Cross over to the other building and enjoy more exhibits reflecting Samos’ long history.

Opposite is a great example of an orthodox church with icons outside and fabulous chandeliers inside. Samos is also famous for wine and you shouldn’t fail  to visit the wine museum although you may want to take a taxi  because it’s about 4 miles out of town.

A good, and much cheaper way, to get around the island is the use of local buses. Continue to walk straight along the waterfront and you will see a few white and green buses parked. That’s the central bus station. You buy your ticket in the café, sit down and have a drink and wait until the waiter tells you that your bus has arrived and leads to  it.  The buses take the ‘scenic route’ which means that you get an island tour for all of Euros 3 before reaching your destination. You need time because the schedules are  somewhat flexible but you also get to enjoy conversations with the locals. There are buses to all major towns of the island, but learn to read the names in Greek.

Where to stay and what to do in Vathi, Samos

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Here are my recommendations for some of the best Istanbul hotels, whether you’re looking for a budget option or something really special.  I searched for a double room for two nights 20 – 22 October 2010.  All the accommodation received an average of at least 75% in mainly verified (i.e. guests actually stayed there) guest ratings.

Istanbul budget hotels

The Tulip guesthouse is located in Istanbul’s historical Sultanahmet district, near the campus of Istanbul university. It’s also within walking distance of all major sites. The guesthouse offers free high speed internet access and has a roof terrace. The price for a room with private bathroom was £50 including breakfast   There’s also the budget option of a bunk in an 8 bedded dorm with shared bathroom facilities for £12 a night. It receives an average of 86% from 10 guest reviews.

The Hotel Antique is also located in the Sultanahmet district within walking distance of St Sofia and the Blue Mosque. The price was £33 for a basic ensuite room or £41 for a room with TV and air conditioning, including breakfast.  It receives an average of  78% from 80 guest reviews.

Blue Mosque Istanbul

My personal favorite, a hotel in which I’ve stayed, is the Muhlis Bey Hotel in Sultanahmed, situated directly opposite the Four Seasons. From the roof terrace where breakfast is served, you can nearly touch the Blue Mosque. The rooms are small but very modern and so are the bathrooms. The price was £60  including breakfast.  It receives an average of 80% from 14 guest reviews.

Bedroom of the Muhlis Bey Hotel

Istanbul mid range hotels

A brand new hotel with rooms furnished in a mixture of Ottoman and Byzantine styles but at the same time equipped with all modern amenities like free wi-fi internet is the Harmony Hotel, located in Sultanahmed. Rooms with balcony overlook the Sea of Marmaris and all major sites are within walking distance. The price was £58 for a basement room or £72 for a standard double room including breakfast. It receives an average of 82% from 32 guest reviews.

A notch up is the W Hotel in Dolmabahce Caddesi near Dolmabace Palace. It offers a lot of luxury and a wonderful location in Istanbul’s fashionable Besiktas district. You can reach Sultanahmed either by taxi or by Metro and tramway. A double room with many amenities costs £187 including American buffet breakfast. It receives an average guest rating of 90% from 141 reviews.

Dolmabahce Palace

Istanbul Luxury Hotels

All my recommendations for luxury accommodation in Istanbul are hotels in which I’ve stayed.

The luxury Four Seasons Sultanahmed is located in a historical building which was once a prison and is close to Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque. Apart from all amenities in the spacious rooms, the hotel offers special event nights every week, from wine tastings to performances of the whirling dervishes. The lowest price for my date search was £573 but this was for a room with a separate living area and a view of the old city.  A standard double generally costs around £350. The hotel receives an average guest rating of 92% from 157 (unverified) reviews .

Performance of the whirling dervishes

Ciragan Palace Hotel is the ultimate luxury hotel in Istanbul. Again, it’s a historical building which once was a Sultan’s Palace with a modern annex but in keeping with the style. Located in Besiktas directly on the Bosporus the hotel features a spa, several restaurants and an infinity swimming pool. The price was £374 for the simplest double with park view but without breakfast . It receives an average guest rating of 96%.

Garden of the Ciragan Palace Hotel

Do you have any tips for the best places to stay in Istanbul?

Ten of the best places to stay in Istanbul for all budgets

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An hour from Palermo, sits Castel De Tusa. Along the coast (a tiny walk from the train station) is Atelier Sul Mare, the most wonderful hotel I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying in and it has to be one of the best hotels in Sicily. I’m still sad that I ever had to leave. If they’d had wi-fi, I might had just moved in.

This Art Hotel is a little gem in a perfect landscape. The hotel is an art gallery of the very best kind, meaning that your hotel room is a piece of art in itself. And you can’t fail to be impressed by the fact your bathroom has a shower like a carwash, or that you’ve got a giant sculpture in your room. Or the door opens like a drawbridge (that was my favourite). There’s even a room that’s based on a camera shutter, with a balcony all around the outside. It’s utterly wonderful.

You pick the room you’d like to stay in on your first night, and then the next day? You move. And the next, and the next. This stops someone renting out one of the art rooms for their entire stay, and gives you an entirely different experience each night. Of course, you can’t guarantee that every single room will be free (getting an early start will help that), but all of the rooms have something special about them.

Then there’s the restaurant. Overlooking the bay, I literally sat there for hours. Mostly because the beer was cheap and my boyfriend’s flight had been delayed, but honestly, I don’t think I’d have moved anywhere. Warm, peaceful, and utterly beautiful. Why would I want to go anywhere else? That said, unless you’ve hired a car (it was with said boyfriend), you can’t really go anywhere. There’s a very small strip of restaurants, but you either need to hop on the train or drive around.

And you should drive around, because there are about 20 sculptures dotted around the local area as well. You’ll need a few hours and a map to find them all, but it’s a lovely drive and you’ll see some stunning countryside. Make sure you pop into the gallery in the hotel too. Or, find yourself ‘borrowing’ on of their arty plates when your boy sneaks breakfast into the hotel room. Ahem.

The downsides to the hotel? Well, there might be a little beach, but it isn’t sandy. Which is a shame. But it’s yours. And so tiny you’ll probably only have to share with three other people. I learnt to swim in that sea, I didn’t really care about sand. And the hotel is pretty old, so it’s rough around the edges. One of the hotel rooms needed some serious work doing to it. And don’t, whatever you do, go for dinner at the restaurant right at the end of the bay. Not if you want your evening ruined by bad service and awful food. Luckily the service and food and the hotel is excellent.

And as prices for an art room tend to come it less than €100 (and much less if you go off peak), I can forgive them their downfalls. I adore it here. I want to stay in every single room. This is a really special hotel and I don’t think I could take another trip to Sicily without coming back to the Atelier Sul Mare . In fact, I might just go and check out the flight prices to Palermo now.

Atelier Sul Mare, Sicily’s Art Hotel

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Here is my personal opinion on the “Travelodge versus Premier Inn, which is better?” debate.  I made my evaluation by looking at four criteria; price, room quality and amenities, customer service and location.

Travelodge Edinburgh Central

Background

In December 2007 I wrote a post entitled “Which is the best UK budget hotel chain?” where I came to the conclusion that Travelodge was tops for me, mainly based on their availability of cheap rooms.  Now that I’ve finally stayed in four Premier Inns (albeit it being on a complimentary basis during my Summer 2010 Scotland Blog Tour), I thought it was time for a comparison between Travelodge and Premier Inn.

Premier Inn Elgin

Price

I’ve managed to book many really cheap Travelodge rooms, from as little as £9 a night in their promotions.  However I’ve noticed that it’s getting harder to find the really cheap rooms in the Travelodge sales, the £9 rooms often sell out within a couple of days and it can be hard to actually book the cheap rooms as the site keeps crashing.  But there is generally some availability of £19 and £29 Saver rooms midweek in low season. I observed that Premier Inn now advertise rooms from £29 a night, so I have looked at their site several times in the last year but haven’t been able to find any £29 rooms at locations and/or dates that were suitable to me.

I’ve always found the lowest prices for Travelodge and Premier Inn to be available on their own sites, as opposed to on hotel price comparison sites.  However, unless you can find a Travelodge or Premier Inn room at £29 or less, don’t assume that either will offer the lowest available price for your destination and dates.  I’ve found some fantastic prices at other chain and independent hotels using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

I’d have to say that in my experience,  Travelodge wins on the low price front.

Room Quality and Amenities

Premier Inn  promotes itself as a superior budget brand with the tagline “Everything’s premier but the price” but what do they mean by premier?  From the point of view of extras not found in Travelodges, premier means a bathmat, a hairdryer, a soap dispenser at the sink, a gel/shampoo dispenser by the bath and telephones in some rooms of some hotels.  Nothing earth-shattering so far then. As I never use a hair dryer and take my own toiletries with me and have a mobile phone, it’s only the bathmat that is useful to me. I have to say that the beds in the Premier Inns were all very comfy.   Whereas some of the Travelodge beds weren’t great and to make matters worse some like Edinburgh Cameron Toll have plastic mattress covers which makes pleasant sleep virtually impossible.  Premier Inn rooms seem to be larger than some of Travelodge rooms, especially when in newer Travelodges the double rooms can be pretty small and seem to be becoming very utilitarian.

Both brands make hefty charges for wifi access. Travelodge’s charges are £5 per hour or £10 for 24 hours, Premier Inn is £5 per hour or £12 for 24 hours.  I have an 02 mobile broadband contract, which allows up 3GB of data, for £15 a month.  This is much better value than paying these sorts of prices for hotel wifi and I get a decent signal in most parts of the UK.

However, there is a major problem with consistency of room quality with both brands.   I’ve stayed at some older Travelodges in need of a refurb such as Travelodge Stirling which had a mouldy bathroom ceiling but I had a fab room at Travelodge Harrogate.  In my limited experience, there was also a great variation between some Premier Inns, with Premier Inn Elgin not living up to the premier tagline in terms of room quality but Premier Inn Stirling having newly refurbished rooms.  The brands really have to ensure that all rooms meet a minimum standard as one sub-standard hotel or even room can tarnish the whole brand in the customer’s eye.

Premier Inn offer a “Good night’s sleep guaranteed or your money back” whereby if you’re not entirely satisfied with your stay, you can ask for a full refund.  I’d be interested to hear if anyone has been able to claim this refund.

Premier Inn is the winner for quality of rooms, considering the generally high spec, the larger size of most rooms and the Good Night Guarantee.

Location

The Travelodge site states that they operate 380 hotels in the UK.  The Premier Inn site says 580 hotels in the UK and Ireland, I couldn’t find a figure just for the UK.  Desired location depends, to a large extent, on the purpose of the stay and the individual guest’s preferences e.g. if you just want a convenient location near a major route for an overnight stay, or are planning a cheap city break.

Travelodge Edinburgh West End

I stayed at Travelodge Falkirk which practically sits on the motorway, luckily I was able to change to a room at the other side of the hotel a bit further away from the traffic.  Travelodge Edinburgh West End sits in a fairly quiet location, next to the Water of Leith, a 15 minute walk from Princes Street, and offers free parking.  Premier Inn Aberdeen Central West is in a handy location just off the Aberdeen ring road with plenty of free parking, but then it’s a trail into the city centre for the nightlife.  Premier Inn Dundee Central is located right on the Tay Estuary, so you can even have a river view if get a room on that side of the hotel. There’s free parking, it’s just across from the railway station and a few minutes walk to Dundee attractions, shopping, restaurants and nightlife.

Premier Inn Dundee on the Tay Estuary

Now, you’d think you could judge a hotel location by a quick look at a map.  Well not always, it depends on the exact position of the hotel.  Travelodge Edinburgh Learmonth is set back off the main road in a terrace, but the rooms at the front of the hotel have beautiful large original windows which let in a lot of traffic noise.   The Premier Inn Aberdeen Central West is just off a very busy dual carriageway, but because it’s set back from the road and has decent double glazing I didn’t hear any traffic noise.

I’d advise you to look at the exact hotel location on a Google satellite map.  Of course there will still be differences between individual rooms with regard to views and noise.  If you can check in early, you have the best opportunity to ask for a room at your preferred side of the hotel.

I can’t come to a conclusion with regard to the better UK budget hotel chain for location.  Although Premier Inn do have more hotels, I can’t judge if they are in better locations than Travelodge. I think that’ll depend on which hotels exist in your destination, the type of stay and your personal preferences.

Customer Service

Overall I’ve found Travelodge staff to be pretty friendly and helpful.  However, I would say that Premier Inn staff seem to be more focused on the guest and on delivering good customer service.  I received a warm welcome and was told about the Good Night Guarantee at check in at each Premier Inn.  Whereas check in at some Travelodges has been pretty perfunctory.

In my opinion, Premier Inn offer better customer service than Travelodge.

My Conclusion

So it looks like Premier Inn comes tops as it’s the winner on two counts, room quality and amenities plus customer service, with Travelodge being better for low prices, and no firm conclusion on location. In many ways it’s realistic to expect lower Travelodge prices to equate to lower quality of rooms.  I’m actually beginning to wonder if Travelodge and Premier Inn are direct competitors.  I see Travelodge rooms becoming smaller and more basic in the newer lodges and in refurbs e.g rooms only having a shower as opposed to a bath with shower, window blinds instead of curtains, less desk space and plain white walls with no pictures. Whereas Premier Inn seem to be concentrating on positioning themselves as a superior budget brand.

To a large extent, which UK budget hotel brand brand is better depends on the individual hotel, the location, the price (which partly depends on how far in advance you book and/or if you book during a promotion) and the customer’s requirements and expectations.

Your Feedback

I’ve asked for feedback from other Travelodge and Premier Inn guests on Twitter and Facebook.  You can also leave your opinions on the Travelodge versus Premier Inn debate as a blog comment and/or take part in the poll below.

@Eurapart commented on the TwtPoll that “Premier Inn pip Travelodge, for locations, service and amenities.”

@markkcurtis replied to my tweeting asking if anyone had successfully claimed under the Premier Inn Good Night Guarantee.  He received a refund after he voiced his dissatisfaction with a room at Premier Inn Luton.

Lynda Hamilton via Facebook “I’ve experienced similar (variations between the 2 brands) but Premier Inn has been better by far – even though I was pretty disappointed the last time. My last experience in Travelodge was a room stinking of smoke… and dog! There were dog hairs everywhere and …it really wasn’t that clean. The first time I stayed at Premier Inn, I ended up getting the room for free because my daughter’s bed was infested by ants that were coming through a crack in the wall. Other than that, it was great. However, the last time there, I found the room smelly and, again, not very clean. There was even something cream and sticky all over the door. I dread to think what that was. Staff at Premier were very friendly though and went out of their way to help – even bringing us drinks to our room.

Travelodge vs Premier Inn: Which UK budget hotel chain is better?

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I stayed at the Premier Inn Stirling for one night in August 2010 on the final night of my Summer 2010 Scotland Blog Tour, on a complimentary basis.  The hotel is located on the outskirts of Stirling, just down from the services roundabout where you can join the motorway to Edinburgh or Glasgow.  There’s a Brewer’s Fayre restaurant next door where we ate on the 2 main courses for £9 offer last year.  It’s a couple of miles into the city centre if you want to find a choice of restaurants.

The receptionist who checked me in was super friendly.  There were baskets with tea bags, standard and decaf coffees sachets and milk on the reception desk.  I’ve already commented that Premier Inn are a bit mean with the in-room tea, coffee and milk supplies, only giving you two sachets of regular coffee, four milks and two teabags. Therefore it’s a good idea to stock up when you check in, to save you having to come back down to reception later when you run out or milk of fancy a decaf coffee.

My room was on the first floor at the side of the hotel with a lovely view towards Stirling and the distant mountains.

The view from my room at Premier Inn Stirling

The room had obviously been recently refurbished and was looking very good with a spacious desk and a separate small shelf for tea and coffee making attached to the wardrobe. I though it was practical to have the kettle away from the desk, to give more desk space and in case of spillages on mobile phones or laptops. My only niggle with the room was the double glazing which wasn’t effective in blocking the exterior noise from the nearby road.  The window did look quite old, so I reckon that new double glazing could probably mean no road noise at all. In saying this, I have to admit that it’s very quiet traffic wise where I live, so I am easily disturbed by the whoozing of passing traffic.

The breakfast buffet table in Stirling was constantly replenished with plenty of yoghurts, cereals, fresh fruit salad, milk and the water in the flasks was hotel enough to make a decent pot of tea. There were even freshly baked croissants and there was still plenty left on the buffet when I left at 9.10.  Staff were going around the tables asking guests if they wanted anything else from the kitchen.  Breakfast isn’t included in the room price, it costs £7.75 for a full breakfast and £5.25 for a continental breakfast but kids under 16 eat free when accompanied by an adult.

I stayed at four Premier Inns on my Scotland Blog Tour and Stirling was the best overall in terms of the standard of my room, the breakfast and the super staff.  I’d rate this as one of the best budget hotels in Stirling, especially if you can find a room for £29 with the Premier Offers.

Review of Premier Inn Stirling

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