In planning our trip to France next May, we decided we%26#39;d like to have the flexibility to book as we go so as to not feel confined to a strict timeline. I%26#39;ve heard this many times, as has everyone on this board, but I%26#39;ve not tried it and I%26#39;m not sure how it works (to the full potential).
Here%26#39;s my question: If I find a nice town and a place to stay, but I don%26#39;t know how long I want to stay there in town, what do I tell the host/hostess? Am I obligated to leave the next day if I didn%26#39;t specify that I%26#39;d want to stay more than one night?
Again, I%26#39;ve heard this travel %26quot;game plan%26quot; hundreds of times, but does that mean that if, for example, I drive into Caen from Cherbourg, I have to make an assumption about the time I%26#39;ll spend there before I%26#39;ve really spent much time in the area?
I hope I%26#39;m making my question clear.
Thank you-
|||
you are not %26quot;obligated%26quot; to leave the next day if they still have the room(or another room) available and you are willing to pay whatever rate they charge.
|||
The key to successfully executing this strategy is to travel %26quot;off season%26quot;. My definition of off season is September through May (though hotels in Paris are not easy to find in September because of the convention business). I should not recommend you try to travel without reservations during the months of June, July, or (and particularly) August although Paris usually has plenty of rooms in August. It is rare for a US city to completely sell out of hotel rooms just because it%26#39;s summer but it happens often in France, avoid unpleasant surprises during this time.
I personally think May is the best time to travel; the weather is pleasant, hotels generally have availability, and restaurants are very accommodating. The only downside is that the French have numerous holidays during this month with corresponding business closures. I%26#39;d do a quick check to see if holidays might conflict with your plans.
|||
I guess we%26#39;ll be cutting it close as we%26#39;ll be there the last week of May (and onto Belgium in June). It looks like Pentecost Sunday and Whit Monday will fall that week. What should I anticpate based on that?
Additionally, we won%26#39;t be in Paris at all and I believe will try to avoid larger towns and cities. So, based on what Sarastro has written, this sounds feasible, as long as we%26#39;re flexible. I just don%26#39;t want to unpack and repack each morning...I%26#39;ve done that before it gets old very quickly.
|||
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; It looks like Pentecost Sunday and Whit Monday will fall that week. What should I anticpate based on that? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
Pentecost is a major spring holiday in France and also happens to coincide next year with the UK spring Bank Holiday weekend. The problem is not just that many businesses will be closed but, more importantly that droves of weekenders will descend on all of northern France, particularly Normandy, from both Paris and the UK.
I think I would want to have accommodation pre-booked for that weekend. The problem is not so much in the larger towns and cities like Caen. These are not so popular as weekend destinations but in the places you will probably wan to stay like Honfleur and Bayeux I think you will have difficulty finding a room at short notice. Many of the charming little villages have only one small hotel (if any) and these too will fill up quickly if they are not already booked solid some time ahead of the holiday.
|||
I agree with Irish Rover in total, another factor is the D day visitation between mid May to mid June to furthur squeeze you.
I am traveling the same area in end of May and had a bit of a problem finding good hotel in the Bayeux area ... and this was 3 months ago !!!!.
It is fun to think you can bop around at a whim but to do that it will cost you $$$ in Most cases you will be charged the highest prevailing rate... and discounts wont exist sd the folks who reserved months in advance have sucked them up.
Off season, in the winter you stand a better chance but with the sheer volume of increase in travel world wide the %26quot; off season%26quot; is getting less and less
|||
Well then, between the Pentecost holiday, and the US Memorial day activities, I%26#39;ll go ahead book at least the Friday to Monday nights%26#39; stays. Thanks for the advice.
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 9:16 am, August 18, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment