This post is Sponsored by Easy to Book, this week's sponsor on 'Serge the Concierge'.
When i was introduced to Easy to Book, an online hotel reservation service, I was pleased to note that they offered ample choices, many in Europe, some of them in cities that we already covered in our Saturday feature, 10 Do's and Don'ts.
If you wanted to try the 10 Do's and Dont's in Amsterdam by Bailey, Citizen of the World your options on Easy to Book run from the $50 something a night Quentin Arrive opposite Amsterdam's Central Station to the $230 a night NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky on Dam Square, an historic landmark opened in 1865.
Ready to explore the London scene following Pub Quizzes, Curries, Corsets guide of Ms Marmite Lover, Easy to Book shares 929 options for the city. I remember London as an expensive place to stay so I was glad to see the Central Park Hotel near Bayswater starting at $89 a night. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are within walking distance.
Each city includes a 'Point of Interest' section: event spaces to museums to train stations, shopping and more.
Each hotel page comes with a map of the surrounding area, some local to do's, customer reviews, photos and some videos of the hotel from lobby to rooms.
The Easy to Book site does not waste its time on Flash effects. It focuses on practical information the traveler needs to make a decision based on location, budget and dates.
Besides Amsterdam and London, their popular destinations include Barcelona, Milan, Paris, New York, Rome, Prague.
Even though more European options are offered, Easy to Book listings of 49.000 plus hotels worldwide include North and South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand).
Not surprisingly Los Angeles, the most recent installment in our 10 Do's and Don'ts series, is one of the U.S destinations. Surfers and beach lovers alike should be pleased with Shade Hotel on Manhattan Beach, starts at $295 per night.
I am not sure why some of the city pages displayed different currencies than U.S dollar at first. In the case of Los Angeles, prices on general listing were in Sweden's Krona. Separate hotel pages showed prices in dollars.
With a possible trip to Bordeaux for Vinexpo in June, I decided to use that city to test both offerings and prices.
I was able to spot right away an extended stay location not far from the event, RésidHotel Galerie Tatry, listed at $72 and up per night.
Thanks to Easy to Book fact sheet I noticed that Breakfast, Local Tax, Internet Access and Final Cleaning are not included in the price. A refundable €300,00 deposit is required upon check-in. All these elements made me reconsider my choice.
Amongst the 68 possibilities offered for Bordeaux, I noted that breakfast will cost you anywhere from 7 to 14 euros, wireless access is not included and can cost you a few dollars per hour.
My best bet seemed to be Teneo Suites on Cours Barbey situated in the center of Bordeaux but within minutes of the main train station which should offer service to Palais des Congres where Vinexpo takes place, prices start at $78. That is until I started reading all the negative reviews on other sites.
Closer to Vinexpo, I found Kyriad Bordeaux which finally hits the right spots, 5 minute walk from event, clean, from $94 a night (Breakfast is only 6.50 Euros, not sure about the internet access).
Unfortunately it is all booked on the dates of event (June 18 to 23). Easy to Book gave me the option of checking all hotels available on these dates and came back with only one for $1158 for the whole stay. Not quite what I am looking for, pricewise.
All in all searching various cities and properties was a breeze.
Note that Easy to Book is available in 9 languages and does not charge a booking fee.
Thanks again Easy to Book for being our sponsor of the week.