"80k" wrote in message
m...



We were planning on finding accommodations when we get there, to allow
more flexibility. We looked into reserving the first couple of nights
in Paris, and the first hotel we tried is already booked up for that
weekend! (late May). It being only early April now... we're starting
to wonder if it's necessary to book way in advance these days?

Does anyone have any experience and advice? Searching through the
archives, it seems like most people do not have a problem traveling
without reservations, even during the summer. I'm just wondering
whether we should be concerned, and if hotels are filling up more
quickly nowadays. I guess the fact that the hotel we wanted is
already booked up this far in advance was a bit disheartening.

May and June should be easy for accommodations, however, it might be a good
idea to call ahead a couple of days in advance; in this way you can keep the
flexibility you want and still know that you have a room waiting for you
when you arrive in the next town.

Some places are booked up way ahead of time, though these are usually the
places that appear in several guidebooks and are both charming and
relatively cheap, but do not have a large number of rooms. I'm talking about
two or three star accommodation here. If you're looking at the high-end
there are usually lots of rooms available. When I've been stuck because
every hotel I've phoned was fully booked, I've gone to internet cafes during
my trip to search for alternatives that weren't listed in guidebooks, as
I've never been fond of going from hotel to hotel with baggage.

Lana