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discount UK lodging strategies?


LoneStar
By LoneStar,
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I was able to get my family a crazy UK airfare, so it looks like we'll be vacationing there next summer (I will try to resist buying one of those even zanier "1 pound" flights from UK to the Continent on Ryanair or EaztJet!). I haven't been to England in 5 years, so I'm a little rusty on my discount hotel strategies. I know priceline has some coverage, but I vaguely recall running across other UK-based sites that offer deeply discounted lodging prices. I am particularly interested in any discounts I could get in non-urban areas (like b&b's), because I figure priceline will likely work for me in the major cities.

Can anyone steer me in the right direction? I recall some of the UK travel sites are quite interesting. Thanks.

BTW, I've already found some great car rental deals on the US-based travel agency websites (Orbitz, Travelocity"]Travelocity) -- like 119 pounds for a week in a full size automatic. Enterprise has even opened up a bunch of UK locations which are even cheaper (if you can deal with their more limited hours). Alas, I still need to figure out the hotel game. :)

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Lonestar,

Where do you intend visiting in the UK?

How many rooms will you need?

What standard of accommodation are you looking for?

Which month will you be in UK?

Laterooms.com used to be very good but I don't find myself using it quite so often. They have a variety of accommodation throughout the UK. Expedia and Lastminute.com often are good in UK as well. Hotwire has started in UK too but is pretty limited, mostly cities.

There are few more regional hotel groups but once I know where you intend visiting I will be able to help further.

Last year while in USA I noticed that Hilton did family specials which meant that the second room was half price and Hyatt had a better rate for 2nd room in some locations too.

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One site that seems to have some discount options is http://www.smoothhound.co.uk .

I'd also consider hostels for the rural UK, given some are set in castles or other intriguing buildings, and you could get a family room with full facilities plus access to a kitchen and laundry. I notice the site also mentions "mansions, lodges, and cottages for exclusive hire".

http://www.yha.org.uk/

Maybe even campsites if you could get a bungalow.

That's certainly cheaper than I would have expected for a car rental.

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Priceline is a no-brainer for London.

I used it as well in Bath, with smaller savings (about 15%) and better ones in Bristol. I couldn't get anything in Birmingham.

Blueskies mentioned the booking engines I would suggest, but I found the best prices for Birmingham at Octopustravel.com - try them as well.

I'll be there next June as well. Have fun!

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Wow. Thanks for all the tips so quickly! A lot of the sites I'm vaguely familiar with (like I quickly purused them while searching for a deal on the Continent sometime in the last couple of years). As far as destinations go, we're landing at Manchester and have almost 2 weeks, so pretty much anything's fair game. I think we will not do London. If we head south at all, it would be for a few days in the Cotswolds. I suspect we'll hit the Lake District, and we might do a bit of Scotland or northern Wales.

Like most American tourists in the UK, we're suckers for atmosphere and "old stuff." Not terribly interested in staying much time in modern motels or conventional 3 star hotels. With the possible exception of Edinburgh, we'll probably stick mostly to tranquil spots. That's why I'm particularly keen to learn of any scheme (as the Brits would say :) ), to save money at b&b's or other holiday accomodations. Priceline is probably of pretty limited utility to us for this trip. Since we're travelling with kids, I know that the best values will probably be where we don't have to pay too much extra for the little ones.

As I said, I'd appreciate any wisdom my fellow betterbidders can provide.

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LoneStar -

By word of mouth, people have recommended the Lake District to me. It's on my list, but I've never been.

I was in Conwy in Northern Wales briefly and would love to return, and I'd also recommend Yorkshire, which I visited for a few days now going on. . .oh my heavens. Close to 20 years ago. Time flies.

If you pick Yorkshire, please go to Rievaulx Abbey and Rievaulx Terrace. It was the most memorable outing we made on that trip, jumping over the fence of the Abbey at sunset as the cows could be heard returning home in the distance. A herding puppy wandered in and followed us throughout our visit as night fell.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/...conProperty.377 - for the Abbey

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/...errace_temples/ - for the Terrace.

They are contiguous but seperate properties.

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Been to the Lake District once -- like it. Not sure I liked it as much as the Cotswolds or mid/northern Wales, but I liked it. Everyone's taste is a bit different, of course.

Having looked at the prices, I do think I will go the "self-catering" route, instead of a b&b, for the majority of our stay. If you have a family (as opposed to just 2 people), it looks significantly cheaper. Self-catering generally requires a week. I think we will pick the Cotswolds, as I think its "heart of England" location is the best place to spend a week, especially with kids. Great local charm AND great attractions. I still like the recommendations from that Sawday site I linked. I've had good luck with his picks in the past, as he seems to share my taste in esthetics, people and value-for-money.

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BTW, skyeurope right now has roundtrip fares from the UK to Vienna and Eastern Europe for 18 pounds roundtrip -- including the taxes. It's hard, but I'm resisting the urge to add a central or eastern european leg to my trip. I did that last summer, so it's time to see merry old England. :)

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  • 3 months later...

Thanks to Blindman for that www.HotelsComparison.com site.

I found a rate for Express by Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport for 67.50 Euros. It was through LateRooms.com and I had to phone the UK to book it. It wasn't a currency mistake, I don't think, as the LateRooms web site specifically listed the equivalent in pounds (47.32). This is a cancellable rate, and the cheapest available on the Holiday Inn web site was 66.75 pounds prepaid.

This hotel has a covered walkway to the airport. So it's very convenient for early flights, to say the least.

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