Scorp

While this hotel is not right in the downtown core, it is still quite convenient. You will be within walking distance of Stamp's Landing, which is where the AquaBus and other waterferries can be caught. They will take you across the water to Yaletown, Granville Island or several downtown locations. And they are fun to ride. (BTW, Monk McQueen's is a great restaurant, right at Stamp's Landing.) Also, the hotel has two or three city transit buses (#15, for example) which can be caught within a couple of blocks and will get you to the downtown core within 5 to 10 minutes. They run frequently and into the early morning hours. You might want to get some FareSaver tickets or a Pass. Even if you had won a hotel downtown, you might find it a long walk to some other parts of downtown. I still think you will enjoy your stay! Please let us know how it goes. (You might want to try for a higher floor, because I think the views could be quite nice.)

They do have some 'last minute specials' for Tucson as well. Some of the deals look pretty good to me, but I guess it depends on your course preferences. :)

Depends where and when you wish to play, I think. There is a site called teetimesamerica.com which has some 'last minute specials' which can be booked on their websites. They also sell some discount cards - I know we bought one for Hawaii from them and it definitely saved us some money.

You'll enjoy the Marriott - it's a great location, with great staff, and almost brand new! Have a great trip!

I'm really impressed that Hotwire did this, also! It's the right move! Even though, as WillTravel says, it's not necessarily an awful place to stay, the truth is that it really needs someone to bring the whole place up to a consistent level, not just some of the rooms. Did HW give you a refund? Thanks so much for letting us know how this turned out!

It might be changing, I believe the Coho (to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula) is starting to take advance reservations for cars. Check the FAQ at their Web site. During the summer, Washington State Ferries also runs between Sidney (north of Victoria) and Anacortes, WA. They accept reservations on this route, see their Web site. I hope you have a great trip!

Dahammer, I have to say ... with your great attitude and exuberant personality, I can't believe you ever get a bad room!!!

Hey, betsybug, I think you got a great deal here. The rates at that property (and in that area) have been pretty high (although the Internet only rates seem to fluctuate a bit), but you definitely got a good deal. Hope you have a great stay, let us know how it goes!

Wow, this is a great deal. The Sheraton NY has a best rate of $269 (Internet only rate of $259) for your dates and things seem pretty busy right now! I think you made a great choice! I have seen the Internet only rate drop to $199 a night for some dates, but you are still way ahead of that game!!!!

I think aldo makes an excellent suggestion, and since you don't have a lot of time between now and your travel dates, it makes sense to follow that kind of suggestion, if you want to get this settled. You will have an excellent chance to get a decent property at an inexpensive rate, and in one of your first choice locations. Why not try that first and then we can help you if it doesn't work out? After all, it is everything you said you wanted, how do we know it won't work for you, if you won't even try the strategy?

Just wondering how you are doing with this one. :) What are your preferences for your stay in Victoria? Location? Price? There are some nice 4* properties that might come up around $100 or $110. Let us know if you want some help/advice. Is this a two night stay?

By the way, the San Diego County Fair is on from June 10 to July 4, at Del Mar Fairgrounds. This may make the Del Mar zone harder to bid. I included rates for the Courtyard Old Town to make sure there was availability at all and to see how high the current direct rate was. I'm not sure you'll be able to match your friend's bid... I don't suppose you have any flexibility on your dates, do you? If you could go a couple of days later and avoid the weekend, you might find the deals a lot easier to find.

OK, as a starting point, I checked all 18 Hotwire zones for the San Diego area. Only two properties met your cost criteria - a 2* for $47 in Oceanside (Coastal) with Kitchenette, Laundry Facilities (self-service) and a 2.5 * for $56 in Chula Vista-San Ysidro with Complimentary Breakfast, Pool and Laundry Facilities (self-service). Oceanside is really some miles north of San Diego and Chula Vista-San Ysidro extends right down to the Mexican border, so these are not central locations! :) You could try Priceline for your first choice areas up to $60 for a 3*, maybe $50 for a 2.5* and dropping to $40 for a 2*. You might also want to include Mission Valley in your list - it's a fairly easy area to get around from and has a wide selection of hotels. Doing some quick browsing, it looks like San Diego is quite busy for your dates and prices look higher this year than last year (but that's a quick estimate on my part). I really don't know how successful you will be. Why not try bidding your first choice zones on Priceline up to your max and let us know how it goes? Then, we could add some other zones in, if necessary, and/or start to look at the Hotwire properties. (Personally, I would not be thrilled with the Hotwire choices... but we could revisit that later, if necessary.) If you are willing to consider Oceanside, that is a separate zone on Priceline and could be bid separately from any of the above. thereuare, please feel free to add some thoughts!

I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the Westin. It's a fave of mine, having stayed there at least four times. I really like their rooms and the overall hotel ambience. Let us know how your trip goes!

leo_zephyr was just commenting that a friend had a successful bid for $45 for the Courtyard Old Town back in May. :) :o thereuare is very busy these days! :) Give me a little bit of time and I will see if I can give you a hand on this one, leo_zephyr.

It's a good location in the centre of downtown Victoria, but the hotel is old and that is both its charm and its weakness. The renovated rooms can be quite nice, you might want to ask for one. Don't be afraid to ask to see another room if you don't like the first one they give you. I think they are pretty nice people if you ask nicely... Some of the rooms and some of the common areas (e.g. hallways) should be redecorated/renovated. There might be street noise or nightclub noise from some rooms, if you want a quiet room, you should ask for that, but you might get a very limited view. It could be a charming hotel, they just need to keep on with their updates. They often include breakfast and/or dinner with their room rates - ask about that. Also, I believe they charge for parking. For one night, it may not be a bad place. It is central and it sounds like it is only for one night, is that right? Let us know how it goes.

OK, I am confused. You state your dates are June 23-27, that is a 4-night stay, right? You also say 3 days, so I am not sure how many nights you want the hotel for.... I am not sure you would be successful in the zones you mention for under $60 for 2.5* and above. What quality level do you wish? Are you willing to drop down to 2*? I think you are willing to consider other areas if your first choices don't work out, is that right? I see the rate for the Courtyard Old Town is $159. I am sure thereuare can help with more detailed bidding strategies.

I think you did very well for your dates! There is a brief review here and you can check TripAdvisor reviews, also. I think higher floors have generally better views, and you could ask about water views. You might ask for a corner room or a room with a balcony, also. Depends what is most important to you. If you wanted to watch the fireworks on the 30th from your room, a room with a balcony facing English Bay would be nice. Can you post a review when you complete your stay?

I'm so pleased that worked out for you! I know you will have a great time in Vancouver!

It really is a beautiful time to visit Vancouver and there will be varied events on all over the greater Vancouver area. Even if you end up paying $100 to $110/night, you are still paying only about 1/2 of the going rate!!! Let us know how it goes....

I checked Hotwire and they are showing $125 to $155 for the 4* + hotels for those dates. I suspect you would have to bid at least $100 (and maybe $110) to win a PL bid for a 4* hotel for your dates. If you wanted to wait, you could keep bidding at a lower level, but it is a fairly busy time of year so I don't know if or when you might be successful at a lower bid amount. thereuare may have some suggestions, as well.

The Travelocity rate is probably the Internet Only rate in US. ($140 US = $175 Cdn). Their best available rate jumps to $279 Cdn or $222 US for a cancellable booking. And the Marriott is showing $249 Cdn or about $200 US.

Well, Festival Vancouver (Classical/Jazz/World Music) is on from Aug 1 - 14, the HSBC Celebration of Light fireworks competition is on Aug 3. And August 1 is a statutory holiday for many Canadians, so it's a popular long weekend to visit Vancouver. And there are a couple of Alaska cruise ships leaving on the 3rd, so some people will be overnighting in the city the night of the 2nd. Have you checked hotel rates at any of the downtown hotels? I would guess they are fairly high. Can you let us know some of the rates?

Do you mean Mission Valley? Mission Bay is oceanside (and is a separate zone), I believe. If you are interested in the Mission Valley/Hotel Circle area, a starting point is to check the Hotwire prices. And Hotwire will let you specify 2 adults + 2 children. A quick check showed these: 2* $95 Restaurant, Pool, Golf, Tennis 2.5* $110 Restaurant, Comp Breakfast, Pool, Fitness, Laundry (SS) 3.5* $146 A/P Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi Speed Internet, Business, Laundry (SS) If you break your dates into two stays, the rate can vary a bit as well. For example, the 2* drops to $83 for just the dates 7/8 - 7/12. So you can try some different combinations to find a better overall price. The SeaWorld/Mission Bay/Shelter Island zone had slightly higher prices at each quality level. If you wanted to bid on Priceline, you would probably pay less than the Hotwire rates, but can't be guaranteed of getting a room to accommodate more than 2 people. Checking current rates for some of the possible Priceline 3* hotels in the Mission Valley area, I see Holiday Inn $129, Doubletree $170(Net Direct) or $189, Sheraton $170 (Internet Only) or $179, Marriott $199 The Handlery hotel has come up before, but its booking engine was down when I tried to check it.

That sounds like a great deal! Can you let us know how things go?