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Selecting the Right Accommodation

May 11, 2009

There’s one thing I’ve been meaning to ask you. How do you decide what accommodation to choose?

What contributing factors determine whether you stay at the best luxury hotels on your trips, or make an effort to find the most affordable places in town?

Are you into bed and breakfasts, guest houses and hostels, or would you prefer design hotels, boutique hotels and luxury all the way? Or both?

To me, it’s all about what I want out of a trip. I like variety. And while I can’t deny that I enjoy luxury hotels, I wouldn’t want to stay in them all the time. To see things from a different perspective and get the most out of life, diversity is a necessity.

When staying in a five-star hotel, the hotel is a travel experience in itself. More than a place to sleep. That’s not always the case. Every time I’ve stayed in a hostel dorm room (like the one pictured to the left), my focus was on the destination, meeting other travelers and saving money. Who I traveled with mattered more than where I stayed. Other times I felt that comfort, great service and deluxe amenities were more important.

Choosing the best accommodation all comes down to my reasons for visiting a certain destination. Business or pleasure? Weekend get-away, stop-over, or a longer stay? If I want some me-time, or having people around 24/7. At the same time I (have learned to) take into account my budget and what I can afford, personal tips in articles and blog posts and suggestions from other travelers.

What are your main ways for finding the right place to stay?

Photo of the Week: Friends

May 11, 2009

Friends are family.

Golfing at Vilshärad Golf Course

May 9, 2009

I wouldn’t mind staying at the world’s best golf course hotels, but I would probably need to catch up on my (non-existent) golfing skills before doing so.

Golf enthusiasts can enjoy their sport almost all over the world: in, among others, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Scandinavia. If you are looking for a golf holiday in Sweden I can recommend Vilshärad Golf Course, Halmstad’s only seaside course, on the Swedish west coast.

Located by the sea a few kilometers north of Tylösand, Vilshärad Golf Course is Sweden’s first pay and play course and welcomes pros as well as complete beginners. You don’t need a green card to play, you can practice at their driving range before playing for real and you can rent any equipment you may need. The course has 12 holes, all pars 3. One round, a few kilometers, takes approximately 1.5 hours.

I first played here about ten years ago with my parents and sister. After practicing swing techniques and measuring how far we could hit with specific clubs at the driving range, we followed our instructor to the teeing ground. In the beginning I was averse to the whole thing but after I made a birdie, a hole played in one stroke under par, at my third hole, I got pretty hooked. As long as I managed to stay away from hazards in form of lakes and bunkers. And the magnificent view over the sea makes for a nice distraction.

Vilshärad Golf Course Location:

If you’re into golf I can also suggest Halmstad Golf Club in Tylösand, one of Sweden’s most popular golf courses. During several years, the club’s 18-hole north course has been ranked as one of the best in Europe. Getting there is easy. Just follow the road signs to ‘Tylösand’ and ‘Golf Course’ from Halmstad.

New Season of Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends

May 8, 2009

The new season of Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends will air on Saturday at 10 pm E/P on the Travel Channel.

First up is Philadelphia:

Sam’s heading to the City of Brotherly Love on a mission to keep costs down but the fun-factor high as ever. Whether it’s getting a heavyweight boxing lesson from a husband and wife team, taking a nocturnal tour of the world’s first penitentiary (hopefully sans the ghost of Al Capone) or smashing glass for a continuing arts project, Sam’s sparing no expense when it comes to pure enjoyment.

At 10.30 pm, Sam continues to Minnesota:

Bye-bye 5-star hotels, celebrity chefs and spa treatments, because this weekend Sam’s heading out of her comfort zone and into the great white north. With temperatures of minus 10 degrees in the frozen wilds of Minnesota, Sam will be pushed to her limit in an extreme weekend of dog sledding and out-of-this-world ice camping.

Sam will be traversing forests and frozen lakes in the beautiful Kawishiwi wilderness; learning to drive her own dog sled, setting up camp under the stars, plunging into icy water and falling asleep to the howls of huskies. There are no heated toilet seats or hot showers out here, just the great outdoors! After 48 hours just who will be the victor, Sam or the wild?

Don’t forget to watch episode highlights and the top 5 things to do in every destination. Find more information about the show at Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends.