| Finding the right place to stay can be the difference | | | | small local hotel with a friendly staff that will learn |
| between a fantasy vacation and a travelling | | | | your name and get to know you, as well as |
| nightmare. Going to bed and waking up in a pleasant | | | | introduce you to some of the area's best kept |
| setting can change your whole perception of your | | | | secrets, you'll be glad you took the extra time. Most |
| day and everything around you. When spending a | | | | of these hotels' rooms will be as nice, if not nicer, |
| vacation in a different country, many larger hotels will | | | | than anything at the larger hotels, many featuring |
| be the easiest to find and make reservations with, | | | | antique furniture and housed in historic buildings rich in |
| particularly in popular tourist destinations like Paris or | | | | local culture. If the hotel does not offer its own dining |
| Rome. | | | | options, the managers will be more than happy to |
| These hotels can be nice enough, but they are often | | | | direct you to some of their favorite establishments, |
| crowded with other tourists from all over the world | | | | well off the beaten path. |
| and the service can be very impersonal and | | | | The internet will make your search much easier, as |
| mechanical, neither feature really being ideal for a | | | | there are many specialized websites designed to help |
| traveller wishing to soak up the local flavour. What's | | | | you find smaller lodging options. A quick search using |
| more, they also tend to be a little more expensive | | | | the country or city you will be travelling to and |
| than smaller local hotels since they base most of their | | | | something like "guesthouse," "inn," or "bed and |
| business on tourists with no knowledge of the local | | | | breakfast" will immediately yield many results, most |
| housing options. | | | | of which will also have links to other databases. Again |
| The best option then, is to spend some time before | | | | thanks to the aid of the internet, many of the hotels |
| you make your trip and explore the different | | | | and owners have websites of their own which |
| accommodations available in your chosen vacation | | | | feature pictures of their available rooms and other |
| spot. | | | | details about their amenities and locations. Many now |
| Stay away from the big places attached to tour | | | | allow you to book online as well, either by email or |
| groups and travel packages and try to find your | | | | through an online form, making taking advantage of |
| area's top secret hotels. When you find yourself at a | | | | these wonderful lodgings easier than ever. |