Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tips for Finding Cheap Accomodation


Do you like to travel a lot? Are you searching for cheap apartments in the heart of European capitals like Rome, Paris, London, or Prague? You can choose to stay in a small hotel room, or... rent a large apartment directly from the owner. As mentioned in a previous post, you can make use of one of the many websites which publish vacations rentals offers. Private holiday rentals are a good choice for many tourists as they offer great value for less money.
The most well-known websites to find a holiday rental are HomeAway and Homelidays.
HomeAway is the world’s most trusted vacation rental website with over 230,000 vacation rentals to choose from, while Homelidays is N°1 in Europe for private holiday rentals, 216.000 holiday makers visiting the site every day. There is a wide range of accommodations to choose from, and, as you can see, there are a lot of tourists who search on this websites meaning that you can find high quality renters.
Check these websites even if you book late as you will find many last-minute offers.

How to rent a property on Homelidays or HomeAway?

1. The first step is to create an account. You will need this in order to view full details of the adverts and to contact the owners.

2. Use the search form to find a property of your liking. You can choose its type (studio, apartment, house/villa etc.), the number of people it can accommodate, the availability period, and, of course, the location. In addition to these, you can perform a more advanced search based on criteria such as the price, numbers of rooms, bedrooms, amenities, location type, leisure activities, and special requirements (children, accessibility, pets, smoking etc.).


3. Review as many adverts as you can. When viewing an offer, you should look at its location on the map to see where it is situated and how far it is from the main attractions of the place you're visiting. I'd rather prefer central locations because I will not have to spent time and money on public transport.  Look also at the price (can you afford it?) and the methods of payment accepted by the owner. Many owners require to send them a booking fee via PayPal or bank transfer and pay the rest at arrival. Some will charge a cleaning fee and hold a deposit for eventual damages. Apart from location and price, you need to like it - see the photos and read the feedback from tourists who stayed there.

4. Send an email to the owner (you can do this directly form the page by clicking 'Contact the owner') and ask for availability and the exact price. Don't hesitate to ask for any details you want to know.

5. Make an agreement with the owner. You agree on the payment, check-in, check-out etc. Ask for his/her phone number and the property address.


Enjoy your holiday!

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Things to Know When Visiting London

Welcome to Smart Life!

London is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This is a guide to help you preparing your trip in London.

Which is the best time of the year for visiting London?
You can visit Lnodon anytime during the year. However, visiting London in September or May is a very good choice. During summer the city will be full of tourists.

How to travel to London?
The most convenient way to come in London is by plane. Check for low-cost airlines. You could find round-trip tickets under $100. From the airport you can take EasyBus which offers transfers to Central London for only £2. In order to get the best rates for your tickets, book at least two months in advance.

Where to stay?
My advice is to stay central. You'll not only be minutes of walking away from main attractions, but you'll also save a lot of time and money needed for transport. Transport in London is not very cheap. Trafalgar Square is a very good location. There are to options when choosing accommodation in London. The first is to stay in a hotel. You can find good rates on Booking.com. The other option is to rent an apartment. In this case,  you can buy food from supermarket and cook it at home.  Try http://www.homelidays.co.uk and http://www.homeaway.com/ for good holiday rentals.

How many days to stay in London?
There are many places to visit and activities to do in London. I recommend to spend at least 6 days in London.

Enjoy your time in London! 

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