Scorp

Hmmm, I was focusing on Hotwire before. I see that Priceline has both a 1* and 2* property listed. I would guess the 2* is the Hotel Molokai, but have no idea about the 1*. I wouldn't even consider the 1*. And you should read the reviews of the Hotel Molokai at TripAdvisor, they are all over the place. I would say if you want quiet, go for the condo and if you want to be part of the island night life, go for the Hotel. But again, read the reviews of several of the condo properties, so you get a sense of what kind of propery is most likely. If you are interested, I can highly recommend a small cottage to rent right on the ocean, but I think they have a 3 night minimum. It was a fabulous spot, but a bit of a drive from town, stores, etc.

I would guess that the hotel is the Hotel Molokai and the condo is the Castle Villas, but haven't been to Molokai in a few years. The Hotel Molokai is near Kaunakakai (the 'main' town on the island) and the Villas are on the west side, near Maunaloa historic town. Both are fairly nice properties, but nothing spectacular. We had dinner and drinks a couple of times at the Hotel Molokai and really liked the feel of the place and the people we met. It has a bit of a kitschy Polynesian theme to it, yet we liked it! Didn't see the room interiors except as glances through windows or doors, but it looked nice enough. The villas are on the golf course (which was only half-way re-opened when we were there) and near a wonderful huge long beach. But it is a pretty quiet area. I don't know what kind of amenities they would have - don't expect a restaurant and/or lounge on site. The buildings looked nice enough, but we didn't actually go inside. In either case, the Hotwire price doesn't exactly look like a great deal because both Orbitz and Expedia list prices about $5 to $10 more. You might get a better deal through Priceline, what are your dates? Molokai is a very beautiful island with some incredible scenery, but it is nothing like the other islands. I loved it, but I know some people find it boring.

I don't disagree with you on this. thereuare, can you let us know why you thought it might be the Hilton at the 3* level in the previous post? I would guess the Days Inn would rate lower - as a 2 or 2.5* but thereuare might know of exceptions? Expedia rates the one at Patriot's Point as a 2*. Some BW properties can be rated as 3* (they seem to vary a lot in terms of quality and amenities), but that BW at Patriot's Point is rated as a 2 star by Orbitz and Expedia

See this thread. Best guess was either the Holiday Inn Mt. Pleasant or the Hilton, I believe.

I believe the Sutton Place Hotel also matches those amenities (checking vacation packages for the same dates). When you change the request from 1 room to 2, it may switch from one hotel to the other, because of availability...??? What number of people did you enter for either one?

I am pretty sure the answer to this is yes, as it is similar to a question I asked, also! :)

The answer to this is clear if you read the hotel details on the Hotwire results screen, and especially if you click on "View complete amenity list and description" for the hotel you are interested in.

The 4* for Priceline may well be the Airport Fairmont. It is the only 4* that Expedia shows for that area and it is IN the airport, basically. The reviews on TripAdvisor are mostly glowing, but the direct rates are high - around $235 US and up for your dates. If it follows the pattern of some of the other Fairmont hotels (Empress, for example), it will likely have a high Priceline rate. My guess is that it would be over $100 (maybe up to $150) to win it on Priceline, but that is just a guess. But if you are in Vancouver for four or five days, why are you staying out at the airport, anyway? Why not stay downtown, where the 4* choices are quite good and the winning bid would probably be $60 to $75 or so (but haven't checked rates for your dates, so I may be wrong on this estimate).

Is it also a "Best Value"? It could be the Holiday Inn Mt. Pleasant (the one on Johnnie Dodds Blvd) which is near Patriot's Point and only 1 mile from golf. I think all the amenities match.

We purchased this through Hotwire. This is a resort property with personality. There are only 50 rooms in total and the staff works hard to make you feel special. All rooms are spacious, ours was 800 square feet or so. You enter the Lodge through a gate where you give your name and they pass it on to the Lodge staff, so by your arrival, someone is ready to meet your car and greet you by name, help you with your bags and take you straight to your room. No standing around in the lobby waiting to check-in! The entrance area has a grand-scale fireplace and common areas and dining areas have large windows to show off the views. The common areas are simply beautiful, as are the grounds, the mountain views and the two golf courses on site. If you are a golfer, the pro shop is right in the Lodge (with complimentary club storage). When you are ready to go golfing or use the practice facilities, they will often have your cart and clubs ready for you as you walk out the door. The golf is not cheap, but the service and facilities and the course maintenance are all excellent. There are also tennis courts and an Olympic-size swimming pool. There are no real spa services. Most guest rooms are on the upper or second floor. We had an eastern exposure and had a view of the entrance courtyard. We also had a tree right in front of our balcony which was home to the most amazing Great Horned Owl. It was fascinating to watch him in the tree or flying off at dusk. Rooms on the back side have a beautiful view of the mountains. Our room had a kitchenette with small fridge and stove. We had an oversized tiled walk-in shower in the bath along with a clawfoot tub. The king bed and sitting area (including a sofa bed) had a vaulted ceiling which made the room seem even larger. There is a daily resort fee of $20, which is annoying, but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would be delighted to visit again. There are a few small signs of age here and there, but this is a true quality property in a beautiful area of Tucson. It is close to Loews and staff with shuttle you over and back, if you wish to dine there.

This is a nice property and a solid choice for a stay in Tucson East. It

Tried bidding this one for $39 also when the hotel rate was $79 and it was rejected, with no counter offer, so may be rates are higher now, with the warmer weather. May try SLC instead.

This was a same day bid done very quickly on an Internet cafe with a line-up for the computers, so I didn't do as much research as I normally would! Bid $75 for a 3* and then went to $60 for a 2*, which was accepted. Yuma has grown a lot in the last couple of years, and Marriott now has a Summerfield Suites as well. Hilton is building a Hampton Inn also, and I suspect this town is going to get better and better for bidding.... We phoned the hotel and were given a best rate of $99, so $60 through Priceline made us happy. Some properties in town were sold out! The Fairfield Inn is a very nice property, about 5 years old, with a complimentary breakfast and a very pleasant green decor. Our King-bed room was spacious with a small sofa bed and coffee table, fridge, microwave, easy chair with footrest, and window that opened. We had the window open and some kids at the pool became quite loud, and later some adults did some partying past the pool closing time (10 pm). We were really tired after a long day of driving and finally complained (as did some other guests) and it was finally shut down, so if you want quiet, you might request to be on the other side from the pool. The property is on a fairly quiet street. A Cracker Barrel is right next door, and a Penny's Diner is about a half block away.

Well, you can add me to the ranks! I was very underwhelmed by Amsterdam and when I spent a week in the Netherlands a few years back, I ended up getting out of the city altogether and stayed in Utrecht. It has the central train station for the region, so trains to Amsterdam (or to other regions) are fast and frequent, if you do want to spend some days in the bigger city (which is only about 40 km or 25 miles). You would probably find it as easy or easier to take the train from Utrecht to Amsterdam as you would from Schipol to Amsterdam. Also, Utrecht is a lovely little city with lots of medieval architecture, tons of shopping, and a goodly number of cafes and restaurants along its canal system. I never regretted for a minute staying there instead of in the bigger city. It's a great place to walk around, lots of museums and galleries, very friendly people. And I got a great deal on a hotel there, with a big breakfast included. I can't remember the hotel name, though.... :) You can check the tourism web site, at http://www.12utrecht.nl Don't know if that will appeal or not, and I don't know if there is PL bidding there.

I've stayed at this property and I actually quite liked it. I think I had a room in the tower which does NOT have the main check-in area. I liked the room, the bed was angled toward the patio doors and the water view. I'm pretty sure I had decent room service for dinner (was just there for one night, work-related). I think people are unhappy with this hotel when they really want to be downtown or right in the Gaslamp District. This Sheraton is a little way from town, right by the airport, so you either need a car or cab or you have to go out of your way to catch a bus (either a good walk or the shuttle to the airport). I also stayed at the Westin Horton Plaza right by the Gaslamp District and while that location was much more convenient for going for strolls, I actual liked the Sheraton better as a hotel. I suspect the hotel has quite a range of room styles and views, some with more airport noise than others. Be very pleasant at check-in and let them know if you are sensitive to noise, if you would really like a higher room with view, etc.

Under the circumstances, I think you got a very good deal! I hope you have a great stay - but let us know how it went by writing a brief review when you get back! And if you used SavingsBarn, I know the board appreciates the support!

I checked a couple of the different locations, but the coupon still says "Good only at participating continental US stores' so looks like they linked the same coupon to each location.

That's so cute! Unfortunately, No ice cream for Hawaii or Alaska or Canada!

I suspect you might have to bid between $150 and $160 to win on Priceline. Prices look quite high for your dates. Easy Click Travel has an Off the Record 3* for $159, which I think might be the Fairfield Inn by Marriott. The hotel's direct rate is $199. But I think you might still be able to get a Resort property on Priceline by upping your bid to your limit.

Hmmm, it looks like Priceline has merged the SJ Airport and San Jose Downtown zones, which makes bidding for a downtown hotel much more difficult. I don't think the airport has a 4 * property, though, so that might be a strategy to keep in mind. Or check Hotwire. Assuming you wanted to stay in the downtown area.... :)

What are your dates and length of stay? Is your conference at the Convention Center? What kinds of things are you interested in outside of the conference you are attending? Personally, I always really liked staying in one of the downtown hotels when I was in SJ, but depends on your interests. I hated being stuck out at the airport hotels if I was in town for more than a day or two and found communities like Milpitas and Campbell were OK, but not very interesting. Santa Clara varied a lot. I especially liked the Fairmont Hotel, but the Hyatt Ste. Claire is kind of a neat heritage property (can have small rooms, though) and the downtown Hilton and Marriott are also nice. There are a few other downtown hotels that are probably quite nice as well. I used to feel very comfortable walking around the downtown area (but not on the far side of the Arena). If you stay downtown, you can walk from your hotel to your conference (most likely) and to restaurants. (I kind of liked Gordon Biersch as a casual place to go.) Transit is pretty good and if you wanted to spend a day in San Francisco, you can get there by rail and forget the parking nightmare in SF, but if you wanted to view Carmel and Monterey or visit Santa Cruz, you would probably want a car. There are also some nice vineyards around the Santa Clara Valley. And of course, if you like golf... ! There's a huge flea market in SJ, and a decent art museum. I really enjoyed a visit to the Tech Museum as well.

Does it also show High-speed Internet Access? I see a 3* for $76 for March 2 with the following amenities: Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Laundry Facilities (self-service) I think it might be the Holiday Inn Charleston Riverview.

Don't know if these dates would ever work for you or not, but just saw this: It's at Travelzoo.

I don't have any definite dates in mind, just interested in visiting that area. But I would definitely post here, if I went ahead. What are your dates? I see a 3.5 * for $76 for May 16-20. I think it is the weekend rates that are high, can you go midweek? These are the amenities for the 3.5*: Near Beach, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, Business Center I think this matches up pretty well to the Hilton, don't you? Expedia and hilton.com both list all of these features, although on the Hilton website, they list a coin laundry as well. If I was going to try Priceline, I would guess I'd be close around $60 or $65 for the same dates.