Ways to Find the Best Price on Hotels

Friday, October 5, 2007 Category : , 0

Finding cheap, nice hotels

If you are going on vacation, chances are, you are looking for good deals on a number of things, including hotels. There are great deals out there; you just have to know how to find them.

First of all, go to a general internet travel site – choose any one. Select your criteria and search for hotels. You should get a list of what’s available for the dates you plan to travel, and what amenities the hotel offers.

If you know for sure what you’re looking for – a particular type of room, certain features, a particular location – make a list of these requirements before you go on the site. If you’re not sure yet, take a look at several of the hotels and see which interest you the most. Take note of which features you enjoy most about the hotels you’ve found, as well as what company the hotel is.

Then, go to several other travel sites and cross-check prices. Don’t ever accept one website’s price as final. Different sites may list different prices, and they may have different specials on hotels. If your travel dates are flexible, check several different options on each site; this can make a significant difference in price

As you search the different sites, narrow down your list of hotel choices. It’s best to ultimately select which hotel or company you would like to go with, and concentrate on checking the prices for that hotel.

When you’re doing this, don’t forget to check the company’s website or even call them directly. Sometimes the lowest rates are through the company itself, because there is no “middle man” to go through. Other times, the “travel giant” websites can offer you lower prices. Check both to see what’s available.

If you have an AAA/CAA membership, make sure to look for hotels that mention a discount for membership, or call the company and ask if you can get a discount for it. Many hotels will accommodate you there. If you’re a member of the military or another organization that could offer a discount, check on that too. It may not be mentioned outright, but if you inquire, you could end up with a discount.

If you’re checking far in advance of your vacation, especially if you plan to go during peak times, you are likely to get better rates than if you are checking closer to the date you plan to go. So, once you find the hotel you want, book it as soon as possible so that you’re guaranteed a room at the offered price.
Don’t book the hotel until you’ve checked several major chains whose rooms are similar; their prices can differ by a lot. Don’t book the hotel until you’ve cross-checked prices on different sites.

If you’re not sure what sites to look at, ask around. There are several available and many people have used them before. You can also go on any search engine and type in “hotel prices” and come up with several sites. These are worth it to check out. Even if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, many will allow you to select a hotel near a place or attraction. Some will let you choose the type of room and features you want. Each site has its own ways of finding your hotel rooms.

If you make use of this modern convenience, and you don’t book too quickly, you can find great hotels at great prices.

Travel Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Blogarama - The Blog Directory


Written by Catherine Hillard - Pagewise

Festival of the Tenth Lunar Month

Category : , , , , , 0

5 – 14 October 2007
Venue: Nakhon Si Thammarat City Hall, Wat Phra Mahathat, and Suan Phrasi Nakharin 84 (Thung Tha Lat), Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

The festival of the Tenth Lunar Month or known in Thai as Sat Duan Sip is a traditional merit-making festival of Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The event is generally observed during the fifteenth day of the waning moon period in the tenth lunar month. This year, the celebration is scheduled to be held from 5 to 14 October at Nakhon Si Thammarat City Hall, Wat Phra Mahathat, and Suan Phrasi Nakharin 84 (Thung Tha Lat), Nakhon Si Thammarat province.

Besides traditional festivities to be held, visitors will be able to enjoy a range of shows and exhibitions of art and culture, shop a variety of local products, and witness the light-and-sound presentation with spectacular special effects of musical fountains, laser and colourful fireworks while enjoying local delicacies of Nakhon Si Thammarat as a dinner.

According to Thai belief, spirits of ancestors will be allowed to visit the earth from the first to the last day of the waning moon in the tenth lunar month. Some spirits who have spent their lives after death in hell will have a chance to enjoy food offered by their ascendants or relatives who make merit during this festival.

So, the main feature of the festival is food offering to monks at the monasteries. Local inhabitants will arrange and decorate their food containers called map which has no definite shapes but maybe bamboo baskets, or silver trays, or something else. Whatever their forms, the vessels will be beautifully decorated with colourful flowers in different shapes. Each map carries a large variety of things, such as dried food, sweets, fruits and the daily necessities for monks. But in each map, there must be 5 kinds of sweets which seem to be symbols of the Sat Duan Sip festival – khanom kong, khanom la, khanom phong, khanom ba, and khanom disam. Then, people will carry the prepared maps to the monasteries in colourful and joyous processions.

Travel Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory
More about the southern region of Thailand
For more information, please contact Tourism Authority of Thailand Southern Office: Region 2Tel: +66 (0) 7534 6515 to 6Fax: +66 (0) 7534 6517

Powered by Blogger.