Hotel accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City is plentiful and priced to suit any budget.  Visitors can usually find a room upon arrival.  If booking once there, guests can check out the location and the room, then, if it is satisfactory, negotiate a price. 

Many hotel rooms include breakfast, so if you prefer to dine out, price conscious tourists might like to negotiate an even larger discount.  Unless you really like the first room, ask to see more rooms as many hotels have a variety of sizes, configurations and noise levels.

If your stay, however, falls upon a date of one of Vietnam’s public holidays, especially TET, then pre-booking is definitely recommended.  If staying at any of the nearby popular beach resorts such as Vung Tau, on a weekend or during a public holiday, book well in advance.

Those wanting to save money should head for the areas around Pham Ngu Lao (the backpacker district) or Ben Thanh Market, whereas people seeking more comfort will be happier around Dong Khoi Street.  All three areas are close to many of the key tourist attractions.

Travelodge, the budget hotel chain, who are normally known for their cheap city accommodation are looking to expand their reach to the countryside. The company has announced plans to open 37 new hotels that will this time be in the countryside, as they focus on expanding into areas near the UK’s 15 national parks.

Currently Travelodge have 475 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain and they are now looking to invest £135million to expand into the countryside, to cater for people looking for affordable accommodation in the countryside. They also are looking at increasing the number of hotels to 1,100 hotels and 100,000 rooms by 2025. Plus as part of this new development drive the company is undertaking, Travelodge has recently exchanged contracts on a hotel in Glossop in the Peak District.

The company which launched in the UK in 1985 are looking to secure sites in locations near to national beauty spots such as Aviemore in the Cairngorms, Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, Grasmere in the Lake District and Minehead in Exmoor.

According to Chief executive Guy Parsons many more Britons are holidaying in the UK now rather than abroad in a bid to reduce costs in this difficult climate, he said: “Traditionally, Britons have opted for a coastal or city break but as more Britons explore the UK they are rediscovering new holiday hotspots and, as a result, we have seen a significant surge in rural breaks.”

The company have seen an increase in visitors to the small number of rural hotels they currently have, these include: Barnstaple in Exmoor, Porthmadog in Snowdonia, Cockermouth in the Lake District and Scarborough in the North Yorkshire Moors.

The company’s new hotels will vary in size depending on location and will be anything from 30 bedrooms to over 100 bedrooms and it’s expected that the expiation will create more than 500 jobs across the UK.

There are quite a few places where you fashion has been mixed with accommodation, such as the Armani Hotel in Dubai, Versace Hotel in Australia and the Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh. Now highstreet fashion too is getting in the mix, and there could be some fashion competition for the Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh, now that Topshop plan to join force with budget hotel chain Travelodge.

A deal has been struck with the retail giant, Arcadia Group to open a hotel that will incorporate a branch of Topshop on the ground floor. Travelodge has announced plans to open a new hotel on Princess Street in Edinburgh and the joint venture with the Acadia Group will see a Topshop situated in the ground floor on the Capitals famous shopping street.

The Travelodge will have 96 and will be companies 13th in the city including one that is currently under construction on Queen Street another on of Edinburgh’s prime shopping streets.  Both of the new hotels are scheduled to open in the summer of 2012, with the creation of at least 40 jobs.

According to Travelodge they have agreed a 35 year lease with Arcadia Group Ltd, which represents a £10m investment. Travelodge’s other hotel on Queen Street which has 85 bedrooms, is being funded by Standard Life Investments and is being built in a vacant office block owned by Standard Life’s UK Property Fund.

The hotel on Princess Street is a Category B listed building and was Scotland’s very first steel frame building. So there is a lot of history there.

Guy Parsons, Travelodge chief executive, said: “Growth in Edinburgh has been one of our major priorities. We have committed around £60m to new hotels in the city in the last few years. The demand for low cost, good quality accommodation in Edinburgh is a growing market and we are still looking to further invest in Scotland’s capital. Arcadia forward funding our new hotel in one of the most prestigious locations in Edinburgh just demonstrates how flexible the Travelodge development model is.”

The new hotel is great news for fashionistas, who will barley have to get out of their beds to go shopping in their favourite highstreet store. Plus it’s a great idea for those staying in the city and find themselves without the right outfit to wear on a night out in Edinburgh. If they are staying in the hotel you will be able to go and get a new frock whilst you’re getting ready, all without leaving the hotel.

However it all could prove too much of a temptation for some and you could find that your cheap room at the Travelodge comes with a heft hidden cost……. Clothes!

Upon arriving at your holiday destination, often the immediate desire once you have located your apartment is to get your swimsuit on and enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool or in the sea.

However, before you indulge yourself in your new holiday environment you would do well to complete a contents check of your apartment. The allure of the sea and glorious sun may be great, but it remains important to remember that you agreed on a price for your holiday based on a selection of criteria and you need to confirm that these requirements have been satisfied.

You will need to ensure that the apartment allocated to you comfortably sleeps the correct number of people and that clean linen has been provided for each sleeping area.

If you are partaking of a self-catering holiday your apartment should be equipped with a kettle, saucepans, cutlery, plates, bowls and glasses.  You should expect such items to be clean and adequate for regular use, but not necessarily of a high quality unless your apartment grade is classified as excellent.

Once your check is complete, any abnormalities must be reported immediately otherwise your tour operator will believe that everything was to your satisfaction. The earlier you report any issues, the sooner you can anticipate them being resolved.

You will then have the opportunity to relax and enjoy your holiday safe in the knowledge that you have received the holiday accommodation you agreed to pay for.

When people go on holiday they have different criteria and considerations affecting their choice of accommodation. The two main options for accommodation are hotels and private rental apartments or villas.

A villa is a furnished property that the individual holidaymaker and their group can rent for a set number of days whilst a hotel rents to lots of people for as many nights as they want. A villa can offer more flexibility for the holidaymaker in terms of location, a hotel will probably only be in a busy part of a city or town whilst a villa could be anywhere from a rustic mountain hideaway to an apartment on the beach.

When looking at value for money, a rented villa will almost always be cheaper for a large group of people than the equivalent time spent in a hotel as well as offering much more space.

A rented villa will offer much more privacy than a hotel and the holidaymaker won’t have to put up with visits from housekeeping staff or noisy neighbours in nearby hotel rooms.

A resort hotel offers a range of services from shops, restaurants to a help desks and room service whilst a rented villa will give the holidaymaker all the comforts of home plus possibly a swimming pool and hot tub but if a problem arises, they may have to wait a little longer to get it sorted out. Restaurants and room service offer food whenever the holidaymaker wants, but restaurants can get very busy. In a rented villa, the holidaymaker can eat what they want, when they want.

If you and your friends fancy something different for your New Years eve celebrations this year, why not have a look at renting a an English country cottage to get away from it all as a big group. There are many holiday cottages to rent that can sleep a large group so it’s great for a get together. Renting at this time of year can be expensive however if there is a large number of you then the cost can be reduced for each person.  Not only with accommodations, but also you can divide food and travel.

There are plenty of places to choose from, you can look at staying in an Eco lodge in Yorkshire hidden away in peace and quiet, a Jurassic Coast cottage with exceptional views, or a traditional whitewashed cottage tucked away in Scotland. There are hundreds of options available, so you should be able to find something that can suit your group. You can also choose whether you want to celebrate with all your friends in the cottage or go out and experience the local area where you are staying.

If you fancy on getting away for New Years then you should look at booking now before places get booked, Christmas and New Years can be very busy so don’t delay if you have your eye on a holiday rental.

Austria is a country of astounding contrast, with a landscape that swoops from the snow-topped peaks of the Alps down into the recesses of the Danube Valley.  Known for its clean mountain air and clear lakes, Austria provides the perfect backdrop for a wide variety of activities, from hiking among the hills to strolling through amazing museums and taking in buildings of great historical significance.

Salzburg Austria is a historic city encircled by mountains and straddling the river Salzach.  Its cobbled streets lead to sophisticated squares, allowing the visitor to immerse themselves in the beauty of the surrounding baroque architecture.  The birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg is also rich in musical culture, with the Salzburg Festival being considered one of the world’s most important musical festivals.

But music, gorgeous architecture and breath-taking scenery isn’t all Salzburg has to offer.  The city puts on approximately 4,000 different cultural events every year, with something on offer all year around.  This includes hiking and open-air concerts in summer and winter’s winter sports and Christmas markets.

When visiting Salzburg, there are some sites that you shouldn’t miss.  These include the Salzburger Dom cathedral, St. Peter’s monastery, Salzburg Castle, Mozart Square and Mozart’s birthplace, and Salzburg’s busiest alley – the Getreidegasse.

Also in our list of things to do are: enjoy a Monk brewed beer in the Müllner Bräu beer garden; eat a mozartkugel from the Konditorei Fürst, and be sure to take to the hills – after all, these hills are alive with the Sound of Music!

Scarborough

Yorkshire also offers a great deal of places to stay for a holiday, not only does it feature historical towns such as Harrogate and York but also traditional seaside resorts such as Scarborough and Whitby. Scarborough is perfect for a holiday or short break, with plenty of attractions for old and young, it’s also ideally placed to enjoy the surrounding area, the famous North Yorkshire Moors.

Scarborough South Bay

Picture courtesy of Identity Photogr@phy

If you stay in one of many holiday cottages in Scarborough, its famous grand hotel or one of many family run B&B’s you will find that you won’t be short of things to see and do. Scarborough is situated on the magnificent Yorkshire coastline and is also the largest holiday resort in Yorkshire. You will find not one but two safe sandy beaches, the North Bay Beach and the South Bay beach as well as a whole promenade of amusements and arcades, new and traditional, landscaped parks and water parks. There are also plenty of cafes and local restaurants serving up fresh locally caught seafood.

Scarborough harbour

Picture courtesy of MaryCB

Scarborough is made up of the North Bay and South Bay, the South Bay has plenty of amusements, shops, bars and restaurants to keep you busy, however if you are looking for something more sedate then you should take an open top bus to the North Bay. Here you will find the beautifully restored Peasholm Park which is a Japanese themed garden, it also has a mock maritime battle (based on the Battle of the River Plate) re-enacted on the boating lake with large model boats and fireworks throughout the summer holiday season. The North Bay also has The North Bay Railway is a miniature railway which runs from the park to the Sea Life Centre at Scalby Mills as well as a water park.

Peasholm Park, Scarborough

Picture courtesy of Eileen Ann

If you’re staying in Scarborough for your holiday then you should also make sure you visit some of the other great coastal towns in Yorkshire including: Whitby, Filey, and Robin Hoods Bay as well as exploring the vast North Yorkshire Moors.

Hole of Horcum, North York Moors

Picture courtsey of tallpomlin

With the plethora of online hotel booking sites available, selecting a hotel room has become a lot more personal.  Not only can you target your search based on different parameters, but you can also read what past guests have to say about their stay.  While this may seem straightforward, it is important to read these reviews with a careful eye. 

Usually, reviewers will give a general rating, which are averaged to give an overall rating.  This is probably the most accurate indicator of the quality of the hotel, unless there are very few reviewers. The reason?  Very complimentary or negative reviews may not be a truthful reflection of the average experience. 

Hotel staff can inflate ratings by posing as a hypothetical guest and writing a rave review.  If the comments are vague and could have been copied from the hotel’s website, this is a clue that perhaps it is a false review.

More common are the scathing reviews that cause legitimate alarm.  However, reading these reviews carefully may reveal more about the reviewer than the hotel in question.  The reviewer may have overestimated what to expect of a two-star hotel and complain about the room size or amenities.  Crowds and noise would not be surprising in a hotel in the centre of a busy city, yet cranky reviewers may give a bad score for it.

If many reviewers praise or condemn a hotel, then the reviews can come in handy for alerting you about what to expect, both good and bad.

Harrogate

As the biggest county in England there is plenty of places to visit Yorkshire, one of which is the Victorian Spa town of Harrogate. Situated right next to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Harrogate is in the prime location for enjoying all this area has to offer and there is a great range of hotels and holiday cottages in Harrogate, making it the perfect place to base yourself.

Royal Pump Room, Harrogate

Picture courtesy of Tim Green aka atoach

Harrogate itself is steeped in history, it became known as ‘The English Spa’ in the Georgian era after its waters which contain iron, sulphur and common salt were first discovered in the sixteenth century and used as a popular health treatment, bringing the wealthy but sickly visitors who contributed significantly to the wealth of the town, helping be the tourist destination it is today. You can explore this famous spa history at the Royal Pump Room Museum and even taste the strongest sulphur water in Europe!

Royal Horticultural Society Garden Harlow Carr

Picture courtesy of Robbo-Man

For many visitors to Harrogate it offers a cosmopolitan charm, with small streets and quaint mews that offer marvellous shopping, including many great high street stores and designer boutiques, distinctive cafés, and fine restaurants like the World famous Betty’s Cafe and plenty of green open spaces including The Stray, the Valley Gardens and Royal Horticultural Society Garden Harlow Carr. If you want to enjoy a relaxing break then you should check out the steam and hot rooms of the preserved Turkish Spa Baths which were built in 1897 and restored in 2004.

The Stray

Picture courtesy of jillyspoon

The great thing about staying in this part of Yorkshire is that there is so much to see and do in the surrounding area Harrogate has great links to the City of Leeds which is described as the London of the North and the Viking city of York which has the plenty of great tourist attractions. Also with the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors nearby, you won’t be short of activities for the whole family to enjoy.