oshkin

Hi there! If you're still around, I wonder if you can tell me: did you bid the day you posted (a day or two before your stay), or earlier? I only ask because I'm looking for a similar room this coming June and curious about the best time to bid. Thanks for any help you can offer!

They appear to have changed their areas. This was listed as just Monterey, and the map covered Seaside as well. Carmel is separated out now. Amenities listed: Complimentary breakfast, high-speed internet, pool, business center, fitness. Looks like a great hotel! Used your HOTWIRE link to book it. Thanks for the help identifying it beforehand!

Bid on Priceline using your links for a 3* in Bellevue, Bothell (because it didn't have any 3*s) for $45 first, got rejected. Included Downtown-Pike Place and increased bid to $56 and got the 4* Hilton Bellevue, which looks great. It'll come to just under $72 with taxes. Really good deal since the hotels seem pricier for this weekend for some reason. Thanks for the bidding help!

Got it via Hotwire, the Bellevue Sheraton, listed as a 3.5-star hotel, for $65 plus taxes. Amenities listed were: non-smoking, fitness center, restaurant, business center, and high-speed internet. Hope it's nice! Thanks for helping me figure it out. Your list identified either this hotel or the Hilton Bellevue, which I was kind of hoping for instead, but that's alright.... Thanks!

Started our bid for one room at $55 and kept adding zones without 4* hotels until $62 was accepted. We booked a little less than two weeks in advance, and maybe could've gotten a slightly better deal, but really liked the room and the hotel. We were supposed to be in a smaller room with a queen, but we were put in a slightly bigger one with a king when I asked--although on the non-view side. Nice place. Thanks for the help! Booked via your PRICELINE links.

This was very strange. I was researching a holiday in Whistler, BC the first week of Feb. I looked up rooms plus car rentals for that period, and it showed me a 3* hotel deal (with the hotel names and descriptions listed) starting at a total of $582 including taxes, fees, AND RENTAL CAR. To see if I could get it cheaper without the car, I looked on hotwire under just "hotel," and saw what I'm almost positive is the exact same hotel going for $865 for that period!! That's without the car and without knowing what I'm getting! So naturally, my devious mind wondered if I could book the more expensive one and get double the difference back, which would make the whole thing cost only $299, unless I'm doing the math wrong. But will Hotwire give you double the difference on their own offerings? And do they give you double the diff not including taxes? Any help would be appreciated. I hope I'm not repeating anyone's question.

I got a room at the Crowne Plaza for US$65 for one night on Friday, 12/8. It came out to about $82 with tax, though the valet parking was a whopping $27/night with in and out privileges (which we didn't use, since it's so hard to park in the city!). Very nice hotel, though our room wasn't the best--no fridge and a bit of blood on the shower curtain. We didn't ask to change it, though, and they might have been accommodating. In general, the hotel is great--much attention to detail, great decor, and nice facilities. If it had a pool or a spa, it would probably be more on the 4* level.

does anyone know which one this is? i didn't see it in any other posts. hotwire is listing a 4* near LAX for 8/5 through 8/7 of this year. it's described as a customer favorite, and the amenities are as follows: Airport Shuttle, Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, self-service Laundry Facilities (no pool, as you may have noticed, which means it's none of the others listed in this forum). i am also wondering if i could get this (or something comparable) for even less if i bid on this general area. many thanks!

I live in the SB area, so I thought I'd give you a few tips. First off, it definitely IS a tourist destination, which is why the hotels are so expensive. Memorial Day is the start of the biggest tourist season we have, so you will have a lot of trouble getting a deal. The Bacara (where the wedding is being held) is really far north. As a previous poster said, your best bet is to stay in Goleta, which is the closest city. I would not advise staying in Carpinteria unless you have a rental car--it's 9 miles south of the city of SB, which is itself perhaps 10 miles south of the Bacara. It would take you a half hour in the best traffic to drive that far, and a cab would be about $55 each way. Not a good idea. Santa Ynez or Solvang would be a bad idea too. The quickest route to and from those areas and the southern part of the county has been repeatedly washed out by rains this year, so it could take you hours to get to and from there. At the best of times, it would be a half hour drive or more. I think the Motel 6 is a good bet, but go for it right away. It will fill up quickly. The good news is that the S.B. airport is very small and very easy to deal with, so if you're flying in and out of there, you will be close to Goleta and the Bacara, and you will have a very relaxing travel experience.