A cheap hotel need not be a nasty hotel, though some of them are.  One expects clean bed linen and a well presented room as the very minimum.  This is not always the case, though.  Pictures on the internet for hotels, hostels and guesthouses can often be dated or even deliberately misleading.

This photo of Generator Hostel London is courtesy of TripAdvisor

An experience I would not want to repeat, that I had at a hostel in London, will help us to illustrate the pitfalls.  To be honest, in retrospect there were clues available.  The Generator hostel’s web site has only one picture.  It appeared to have been taken at night.  Also the cheap plastic garden-furniture should probably have been a warning to us.

Advertising photos of accommodation that are taken at night (even if there is fancy neon lighting) can mean that the area is dodgy or that there are things you would see in harsh light of day that might otherwise put you off.

My sister and I arrived just before 8pm to find that our beds had been given away.  (Reports at Tripadvisor indicate that this was not an isolated instance.)  While we arrived later than planned because of a delayed connection, that is not what one expects from an establishment that claims to be a 24 hour operation.

The lighting was poor at night, though security was tight for getting into the hostel.  On arrival we had to present our booking confirmation to the doorman before we could enter.  However, the impact of this was spoiled by the very unconvincing-looking appearance of the doorman.

After they found other beds for us, we discovered that we were now in a mixed dormitory and not ‘all females’ as had been strictly specified on the booking.  There was a very strange smell in the corridors and people walking around in various states of undress between the bathrooms and dormitories.

Our booking included a free cocktail.  That turned out to be a either a fruit juice with vodka or a Coke with vodka.  Apparently, if you put vodka in it, anything can become a cocktail.

Breakfast was what one could expect for the bargain price (currently starting at £15 a night): bread that had to be toasted before it was palatable, orange-flavoured mixer drink and watered-down, seemingly World War II army-surplus coffee.

The beds aren’t made up daily, only once the guest checks out.  If you have a long stay there then the linen is changed once a week.

The undoubted low point was having a young Australian backpacker who overdosed after having her drink spiked, allegedly (according to her companions) in the hostel’s own bar.  The drama and commotion surrounding this, which happened at 2 in the morning, was enough to traumatise the most hardened intrepid traveller.  It need hardly be stated that it was also not good for one’s beauty-sleep.  Fortunately, she survived, which wasn’t a certain thing until the medics arrived and pumped her stomach – right there in the room.

This photo of Generator Hostel London is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Lessons

When you find a hostel or budget hotel for a really good rate, be sure to do extra homework and check out the area, reviews of the property and area.

Use the Streetview facility in Google Earth to look at the building and the neighbourhood.  (It is not available for all countries.)

If you are prepared to do the homework, then that is great, go ahead and book.  The main thing to remember is that there are risks to booking the cheapest hotel you can find.

Use www.tripadvisor.com to check out the accommodation.  While it is known that unscrupulous proprietors “stuff” Tripadvisor with good reviews, either by entering them themselves, or by bribing guests to do so, negative reviews are more often genuine.  We suggest that you do not just look at how many “excellent” or “very good” ratings there are.  If there is any significant number of “poor” or “terrible” reviews for a property then this is a strong indication that you do not want to stay there.

As an example, the Mount Nelson (“The Nellie”) in Cape Town, South Africa, has  200 Excellent reviews at Tripadvisor, 31 visitors rated it as Very good, but only 4 each for Poor and Terrible.  From our experience it is a very fine hotel.

Of the 556 reviews of the Generator, fully 289, over half, are Average, Poor or Terrible.  That sounds about right.  Cheap hotels can bite.

This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License source http://flickr.com/photo/62653960@N00/25464305

It is an oft-stated goal of the government of Hong Kong to make the city a New York or London of the East.  In our view they are succeeding and the British heritage in architecture and infrastructure gives it a unique western appearance among Chinese cities.  Taxis, buses, trucks and pedestrians interact in frighteningly close proximity.  (See “Pedestrian Safety”, below)  It is excitingly chaotic with a profusion of smells, a constant hubbub of sounds, and busy, busy, busy people constantly about their business, seemingly 24 hours a day.  If you feel that the purpose of a city is “so that you can get what you want any time of the day or night” then “Honkers” is the place for you.

The tailors of Hong Kong are highly skilled, and while even they cannot make a shirt or a suit while you wait, once they have measured you up, they can run up a bespoke shirt, suit or pants in astonishingly short times.  (Once they have your measurements a number of them will even accept orders and forward the finished garment internationally).

Pedestrian Safety

Your safest way to cross a road is to ‘go with the crowd’.  Over the border in mainland China you find it even more hazardous to make an impromptu crossing and following the crowd is very strongly recommended as the motorists get up to high speed and are pretty lawless.  (Add to that the fact that the majority of mainland Chinese motorists are very inexperienced, and that trucks, cars, taxis and bicycles all use the same roads and it adds up to a lot of daily accidents.)

Stanley Market

Stanley Market is an absolute must for the shopaholic.  Shops in the market sell everything from the tacky (T-Shirts with ‘I love Hong Kong’ across the front) to high-quality, gorgeous silk clothing, scarves, ties and souvenirs.  And a great deal more, besides!

The prices at Stanley Market represent good value and amazingly are pretty similar to Shenzhen and Guangzhou on the mainland, which are known for their inexpensive prices.  As is true in most Far East markets, bargain, haggle, negotiate!  Usually you can drop the price to half of the asking price without much difficulty.  You can do even better if the shopkeeper is keen for a sale, and you haggle with some skill.

Victoria Peak

The views from up here are definitely worthwhile.  Do not be put off by the prospect of mist – we found that instead of putting a dampener on our day, it gave the tops of the buildings craning through the mist, a mysterious and somewhat spooky appearance that was appealing in its own way.

Artists selling colourful seasonal depictions of Hong Kong do a roaring trade up around Victoria Peak.

Take a break at a pub

The ubiquitous Irish-themed pub can be found in Hong Kong.  They tend to serve hearty fare and a selection of imported and local beers and spirits.  We found Delaney’s in the Wanchai District much to our liking – it has a vibrant atmosphere with a variety of sports constantly shown on their screens.  There is also a sister pub in Peking Road.  (The Dublin Jack pub is a part of the same group too and the experience across all three of them is consistently good.  But one would need to have heroic liver capacity to try all three in one day!)

Hotel Accommodation

There are a great number of hotels in Hong Kong ranging from the particularly dubious through to ultra-luxurious.  You get what you pay for.  On my last visit I wanted to be in the Wanchai District, where we found the JJ Hotel – a budget hotel within comfortable walking distance of some good restaurants and nightlife.  The rooms were clean, en-suite and included the slippers that are de rigueur in Chinese hotels (seemingly independent of the star rating or price).

“Key deposit”

All hotels in Hong Kong (and Mainland China) require a ‘room key’ deposit on check-in.  This is not necessarily a set price, and can often be negotiated.  In Hong Kong a budget hotel may require a deposit of 500 Hong Kong Dollars.  At a particular hotel in Beijing they eventually accepted a payment of 300 Yuan, where their original request had been for 100 US dollars.

Make sure you get a receipt.

How you choose to pay for this will depend on how much cash you have, and how much credit is available on your credit cards.  Our preference is to pay cash because then when you leave you get paid out in cash and the books are squared.  If you pay by credit card you are likely to find that the amount will only be refunded some weeks after the reversal was due, so you may well have to settle the amount with your credit card company yourself before finally receiving the repayment.

You will never see everything you wish to on your first visit, unless you are a student and taking a ‘fashionable’ gap year.  With that in mind, we have the following suggestions of must-sees that are either free or fairly cheap:

• London Eye.  Take a 30 minute trip and enjoy the 360 views..  Between GBP17 and GBP25, depending on whether you book them online or once there.  Online is cheaper.  London Eye Info and tickets online.
• Oxford Street is the perfect place for a morning stroll.  You will find a few ‘cheaper’ curio shops in amongst the high flyers in the retail industry.
• View the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.  More information on changing of the guard.
• The British Museum.  This one is free and has such a lot to see.  You will still not see everything, so get a catalogue and opt for what you are most interested in.  British Museum website
• Tower of London.  Tickets can be booked online.  Please note that not all the museums inside are included in the price.  The queue to see the crown jewels can be quite long.  They have a rolling film of the Queens coronation to keep your mind off the paid-for wait.  The White Palace is included and a definite see for the history-lover.  Tower of London website

On Arrival

Overseas visitors can expect an in-depth questioning as to your reasons for coming.  Make sure you have back-up documentation on you, should it be required.  Accommodation, proof of funds and so forth.

The tube trip from Heathrow into central London is approximately 45 minutes.  The tube system is phenomenal in terms of on-time service and user friendly signage.

Getting Around

If you are arriving in peak time, our warning is to stand at least a meter back from the yellow lines when waiting for the tubes.  This is for your own safety and peace of mind, as the Londoners jostle each other to get on board.

General London Transport

London Tube

Maps

Buy a travel card for zone 1 and 2 before you leave your own country.  It will be of use.  Heathrow falls outside of these zones and you will need to buy a one-way from there to the centre of London as well.

One of the ‘cheap and cheerful’ ways of seeing London, is using your travel card to take busses within the specified zones.  Of course, there will be no running commentary on board, but you will see all you need too, in your own time.

Within easy travelling distance (overland train services) are Hampton Court Palace (birthplace of Henry VIII), Stratford-Upon-Avon, Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace to name a few.

Mango plane at Cape Town

These days one is able to book airlines directly without having to go through a travel agent.   Yet travel agents have not entirely disappeared and some of them are doing very well indeed.  Why this apparent contradiction?

There are several scenarios in which it is in your best interest to use an agent.

Group Bookings

If you are booking flights for a group of, say, ten or more travellers then do it via an agent.  Different rules apply for group bookings.  An agent is more likely to get you seated in a block together, rather than scattered randomly around the aircraft.  (This depends on how far ahead you are booking – if you leave it too late you may be scattered over several flights!)

A group quotation will come with at least two pages of rules governing it, which it is in your best interests to familiarise yourself with.  Your agent will point out key ones such as cancellation and change policies, but you should take the trouble to read all of them.

Secondary destinations

If you are going to book a flight between major cities such as London, Paris, Frankfurt or New York then your DIY Travel booking will work out fine.

However, if you are travelling between other cities you may very well find that an agent can get you there both cheaper and faster.

How so?  The airlines do not fly from any particular city to any other particular city.  Their route planning works on a hub-and-spoke principle,  The cities we just mentioned are major hubs.  Even if you start at a non-hub airport your DIY routing will work out okay as long as the ultimate destination is a hub.

Agents are specialists with a good knowledge of airline hubs and can often work out alternative routings for you that may be non-direct but cheaper.  Often too, they can find flights to meet connecting flights that have a sensible minimum wait time, rather than leaving you in a possibly boring terminal for 20 hours.

Journeys with multiple stops

The third time that DIY may not be best is where you’re planning a trip with multiple stops.  While some airline sites have search functionality for multi-segment flights, not all do.  The majority have only a departure and final destination selection for on-line bookings.  This is also true for some of the well-known ‘middle-man’ booking sites (and so-called “bucket shops”) where you are searching potentially hundreds of options for a specific route.

Special requirements

If you have extra requirements, such as specific meal selection, wheelchair assistance, meet-and-assist or an unaccompanied minor request, it may often be worth the peace of mind to pay a little more and have the booking competently handled by an agent and would be easier.  Sorting it out yourself can be a considerable hassle, or even impossible (because some airlines do not, for instance, permit kosher or halaal meal requests).  The agent will know, or can find out quickly, which airlines permit meal requests.  This would be of benefit for diabetics, persons who have religious restrictions on what they may eat, and people travelling with babies.

If you have to take a guide dog on board with you, this can involve a lot of ‘red tape’ depending on the carrier, and would save you a lot of time to use an agent.

When DIY Travel works well

When not to use an agent?  Domestic bookings, basic international (hub-to-hub).  Sometimes travel agents have “sweetheart” deals with specific providers that may make components more expensive for you.  Shop around for insurance: I bought travel insurance online for one of my own major journeys 25% cheaper than if I had booked it through the tied broker I usually use.

There is a world of choice on-line and depending on your travel requirements and how much of your own time you wish to spend planning your trip, will decide whether you will go on-line or through an agent.

A tip to remember.  Most Internet booking sites have people behind the scenes, validating and actioning the bookings.  Try to find a company that allows you to speak to the people.  In travel as in other things, there are times that arrangements can fail or otherwise go awry and you will want to hear a voice on the other end, when needed.  A 24 hour contact number is best.