I'm out traveling gain. This time I'm on a domestic flight on the west coast. This is one of the places I couldn't live. The town is nice, but it's too little snow in the winter. Skiing areas are too far away.
The funny thing that happened on this trip was as follows: I knew the hotels would be pretty full this week, so I booked long time in advance. Yesterday when I arrived, it turned out that the travel agency had messed up the booking, so I didn't have any hotel, and all of them were full.
But I found a solution, a small pension near the town center. It's a small and simple place. I think I'm about the only person staying here right now. Kind of scary to be alone in an old and empty hostel. Reminds me of The Shining. Bad weather and heavy winds outside, all kinds of weird and mysterious sounds ... mwuuuhaaahahaaah >:)
The price is less than 1/3 of the hotels we normally use on business trips, and the pension only has 7 rooms. It's like living in someones private house. I don't complain. This is different, and interesting.
Here are the pros and cons of a place like this:
Pros: Breakfast is very good. I'm being served by a table on my own by the lady who runs the place. Nice and cosy, and they do have a WiFi. No TV; then I don't need to waste my time on that (I hardly ever watch TV anyway. Bought a cool book in the airport yesterday; Invisible by Paul Auster). The center of the town, with bars and restaurants is a five minutes walk away. There is a library downstairs, same as the breakfast room, with books and newspapers.
Cons: No bathroom and shower in my room. I have to go down two stairs to get to the shower, and three stairs to get to the WC. Front door closes at midnight. Yesterday I checked in 5 minutes before closing time. Tonight I've got my own key to the front door, so I can come in as late as I want.
Cool place to stay. I don't miss the luxury of a high-class business hotel, not at all.
(It's my pension in the picture above. I downloaded it from the internet. It's a nice old house, in the old central part of town. I'm staying on the top floor. I have a nice view of the town center in the morning when it's getting light.)
Sort of like a bed and breakfast then?
ReplyDeleteMy sister swears by hostels. Loves them. I'm glad you found a good one.
ReplyDeleteOh, and regards your comment, I would love to visit your country. It's a bit cold, but I'll come in the summer.
Although the WC/shower would be a pain, the proximity to the town would make it all worth while. I think you got lucky, actually. It's nice to be pampered.
ReplyDeleteYou are a lucky man. I'd love to peruse through somebody else's library for a few hours. I've never stayed in a hostel/pension/bed&breakfast...at least, not that I can remember.
ReplyDeleteAlex: Yes. Simpler than the hotels I usually stay in, but good enough.
ReplyDeleteClarissa: When I stay in 4 or 5 star hotels, I pay for a lot of stuff I don't need and don't use. A simple hostel is good enough for most purposes. I prefer a 24-hour reception, such that I can come in whenever I want to.
Kittie: Not having a WC is a hazzle. Except from that it's OK. I didn't miss the TV, because I don't watch it anyway.
Nessa: Inspecting other people's libraries is quite interesting. The book collection can tell you quite a lot about the owner >:)
I love places like that. They have a lot more character. In high tourist season it might be obnoxious, as they attract students and such, but in the down time I think it sounds great.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great alternative to a hotel.
ReplyDeleteHart: I guess the place is full of students and budget travelers in the summer. Now it was very nice and quiet.
ReplyDeleteBathwater: Yes it was, but after a couple of beers it's convenient to have a WC >:)
I would probably really mind not having a bathroom of my own in my room but the rest of the deal sounds pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThe pros and the photo of your little pension look terrific. When we were in Croatia we spent our second last night in a private B&B at Plitvke Lakes - it was much nicer than staying in a hotel, except for the dog chained to the kennel in the neighbour's yard. That really bothered me :( But at least we had our own bathroom & WC - that's a non-negotiable requirement with me! (I'm spoilt, I know!)
ReplyDeleteJudy, South Africa
It looks really lovely. I'd take this over a fancy hotel anyway. In fact we are headed north to ski soon (finally!) and we're staying at a B&B--which is the kind of place we like to stay. The kids like it, too--they like to wander around other peoples homes. And breakfast is always delicious.
ReplyDeleteA walk to town, though. You can't beat that. Sounds like you had a great stay. :)
No bathroom in the room? That's definitely not for me. But small and cosy are important. I don't like those box hotels such as ibis any more. So with no tv, perhaps you can write your story...
ReplyDeleteThe Spinster’s Vow
Susan: It's a hazzle to go down two stairs when you have to get to the WC in the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteJudy: No dogs in the vicinity of my pension, only the rats creeping around on the loft ... just kidding >:)
Jayne: Good to see you have some skiing coming up >:)
Enid: I don't watch TV very often, so didn't miss that. Still my book is progressing slowly ... maybe I read too many?