I hate generic hotels. Hate them. Unless they’re very swish indeed, I don’t want to stay somewhere that looks like a car park. I want somewhere with a story, with a bit of history, or something different about it. It’s so important to me, that often the hotel is decided on before the destination. That [...]

Last Thursday I was standing in the lobby of the IBIS Orly Hotel, in Paris, naturally. It was almost midnight, my flight from Casablanca arrived late, my checked-in luggage didn’t arrive at all, and I was suffering from a particularly vicious case of traveler’s runs. I was not a happy camper. “No madame, you don’t [...]

A couple of weeks ago Jumbo Hostel rolled into its place at Arlanda Airport (Stockholm, Sweden), but it will be a few more months before it can start receiving its first guests. And the rumors are that allegedly there are alleged problems with utility hookups and proper permits. Let’s just hope they will manage to [...]

Hotels in Scandinavia are expensive, that goes without saying. Hostels are a bit cheaper, but they can be hit or miss, or most likely – fully booked. And while renting out private apartments, or rooms in private apartments to tourists, is not as popular as, let’s say in France, if you’re willing to give it [...]

Much has been written about the lack of affordable accommodation in Stockholm. And unfortunately, much of what has been written is very true. If you want a cheap place to stay at in Stockholm you need to book far in advance, can’t be too picky about the locations (and the kind of travelers you’ll meet [...]

Crystal Plaza Hotel in Stockholm (Birger Jarlsgatan 35, 111 45 Stockholm) is one of the Excellence Hotels properties, which judging from the Crystal Plaza example, are excellent only in the name. The hotel has 111 rooms, but if you are a lone traveler like myself, you will most likely be spending your nights in a [...]