Reservations about your reservation?

Goose
Sep 13, 2017
4 min read

I apologize for being a little late with my blog, I worked all weekend then there was the looming presence of Irma, which thankfully did not do us damage. But anywho, on to travel matters.

Today's post is all about booking your lodging for your next vacation. As I mentioned in my About Me section, I am a HUGE fan of Booking.com. I have found some insanely cheap yet amazing hotels, but I have also stayed in a few.... not so amazing hotels. However, for the most part, it has not failed me. One of the biggest reasons why I like using this site is because of the option for free cancellation. I think I really started using this options the second time I went to Europe. The first time around, I just found what I thought were the cheapest hotels in what I thought were the best areas. But after doing my RESEARCH (have I mentioned how important that is?), I found that you can find some great deals, in the best locations if you just keep your options open and keep looking. So with the free cancellation option, I like to book my hotels far ahead of time and then I keep looking around, just in case. If I find a nicer hotel, something cheaper, or closer to a landmark that I want to see, I like having that flexibility to change/cancel. Best part is, it is super easy. You will receive an email (or if you download the app, which I suggest) through which you can access your booking confirmation. There you can change, cancel, or view it. Using an iPhone, you can also add your confirmation to your Apple Wallet for easy access. There have been numerous occasions where I would book a hotel, look again a few weeks later, sometimes other prices have dropped, or other hotels become available due to cancellations, I would cancel my previous reservation and book a new one, all at no cost. It does not hurt to take a peek every once in a while because you could find something really nice.

When booking a hotel, I also like to use the map function available on Booking. Of course this is nice to see how close you are to major landmarks or monuments, should you want to be closer or steer clear. Room prices can also be seen in this view. I personally like to be close to train stations depending on the city. In other cases, I choose hotels based on where they are in reference to what I want to see. For example, we went to Switzerland in hopes of going on the "mountain coaster". I saw this video being shared on Facebook and once I saw it, I told myself I had to do it. In any case, I had to find the location of the mountain the coaster then I used the map function in Booking to find a decently priced hotel close by. Now what I did not truly realize about Switzerland was just how expensive it really was. The hotels that were about 1-5 miles away from the coaster were PRICEY, to say the least. So I expanded my search a little further out and boy did I get lucky. I found a little hotel in the heart of the Alps without intending to and I am still dreaming about that place. It is called Hotel Nest- und Bietschorn. We got two nights for $253 in August 2016. In the Swiss Alps?? That's a steal. Plus you had to see this place. It was very B&B style. There were A LOT of stairs to get to your room but they were like halfsie flights because it was so quaint. When we first checked in, the staff was working both the small restaurant and the front desk because that is how small the place was. The rooms are small as well but that is typical European fashion. But the beds were comfy, the view was spectacular, and the food..... oh my goodness the food. That next morning, I could literally smell the fresh baked bread all the way up in my room (we were on the fifth floor). The breakfast was included with the price. There was a HUGE spread of fresh baked bread, fruits, local jams and honeys, deli meats, cheese, fresh pressed coffee, you name it. After we got our strengths up from the smorgasbord, we went hiking through the Alps about 10K and took a gondola further up the mountain to find a little pub. Also had lunch in a neighboring town where there was the best tomatensuppe (tomato soup) of my life. And for dinner, we ate the hotel's restaurant which is a proud recipient of a Michelin Star. Anyway, I cannot rave enough about that little gem of a hotel tucked away in the mountains. Here are some pictures to show you, but they will never do it justice. Ta-ta for now meine lieben.

Goose, out.

PS: Four national languages in Switzerland- German, French, Italian, and Romansh.

Booking.com code for rewards https://booking.com/s/52c3e3cb