The Imperial City in Hue, Vietnam
If we waited for the sun to shine, we would never have seen the most impressive sites in Hue. While the rest of Vietnam has two seasons, rainy and dry, the central region surrounding this intriguingly historic city has its own: wet and wetter. Undaunted by the dire weather report for our five-day stay and eager to explore the royal realms of the Nguyen Dynasty, we armored up with newly-purchased plastic ponchos and umbrellas and set out into the mist.
Brundholme B&B, in the Lake District (Keswick), England
(Update: The Chase Ultimate Reward portal no longer offers bonus points for booking hotels through Hotels.com)
As full-time travelers we live our lives out of hotel rooms and other rented spaces. Sometimes we’ll sleep in as many as three different cities in a single week. That adds up to a lot of hotels over the course of a year. As a matter of necessity, we’ve become pretty good at finding the best places to stay.
And by “best” we don’t necessarily mean cheapest. While we definitely consider ourselves budget travelers we focus at least as much on value as on absolute cost. Some things, like private rooms and central locations, are worth paying a little more for, in our view. So this article won’t teach you how to find the cheapest bed anywhere within commuting distance of your chosen destination. But if what you’re looking for is a great room, in an awesome location, at a terrific price then the process we outline below should work as well for you as it has for us.
Everywhere Once 