Accommodation is very important thing to plan if we want to spend the night properly and comfortably, but based on the budget as well. I know that there are so many websites showing the best price for any hotel / hostels, but so far I will check booking.com, hostelbookers.com, airbnb.com.
So, what are the criteria I am looking forward for the accommodation?
1. Am I travelling alone?
If I am on my own, I would definitely choose hostel (female dorm) that I can cut cost and have the chance to mingle with random travelers.
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| Example of dorm. |
Female dorm vs mix dorm?
- It is a bit hard to find hostels with female dorm instead of mix room. Some people don't mind sharing room with opposite gender but I am not that person (no matter how open-minded I am).
- It is not that I did not consider at all, I had actually... but to think about all consequences, I made up my mind to spend extra money for a room for myself instead of mix room. That's what happened when I solo-traveled to Zakopane, Poland few months ago.
Obviously, it can cost 2-3x the price but I did it for the sake of my safety, inner peace and my faith.
2.1. If not alone, am I travelling with my family?
If I am going with family, Airbnb / a hotel room / a nice hostel room with en suite bathroom will be my preferences.
- Toilets - you know, parents they really care about toilets and I don't want to burden them with all necessary attire just to go to the toilets if we shared them with other travelers. My parents are getting used to keep the toilets dry, but sometimes it is hard to take wudu' (ablution without spilling water here and there).
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| Toilet in Italy. |
- Kitchen - I love the idea of Airbnb when there is a kitchen (if I rent the whole house / apartment) so that my mum can cook. Well... once again, parents are from different generations, they are not familar with Western restaurants and actually they just don't feel good eating in places that are... well, you know why.
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| Kitchen - some Airbnb owner will provide few food for free. |
I have my reasons / firm belief of going to restaurants and I've checked with many sources especially Fiqh Luar Negara. So, if I am travelling with my parents, I respect their decisions and well, who does not want to eat mum's home-cooked meals, huh? :D
2.2. If not alone, am I travelling with my friends?
We usually look for Airbnb, so far. Other than that, we will book an entire room for hostels.
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| King bed. |
3. Refering to point 1 and 2 - check the location.
Again, it also depends with whom I am travelling. Of course, with family I prefer somewhere closer to any bus / train stop or in the city center (although it will be a bit pricey).
- If we are travelling by car (road trip), as long as they provide free parking spaces and close to any public transportation stations, it should be okay (trust me, ticking parking spaces will filter out a lot of choices huhu). Any supermarket nearby is a bonus.
- Consider Uber to travel around if needed.
- Also consider if the stations nearby provide lifts / escalators. I seriously will minimize stairs for my parents unless it is beyond my control (unexpected renovation etc T__T)
4. Reviews.
I usually refer reviews before booking a place to stay, well I am sure all of us did. :)
Sometimes, I will personally ask friends to recommend any hostels they've tried. So far, I have good experiences with most places I have stayed. Ask them so that you always have low expectations of the places. Check reviews in hostelbookers, hostelworld, airbnb, booking.com, Trip Advisor, Google maps.
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| Good reviews :) |
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| Free food! |
The things I would focus from the reviews are:
- strength of the WiFi
- cleanliness of the toilets / rooms
- sound-proof rooms etc
5. Price.
This is usually the thing to filter after gathering few choices around the city we want to stay. I usually love to cut costs, but it depends on the situation (especially refer to point #1)
For Europe, I will put a limit of Euro 20/person/night when searching around. Usually the accommodation I have been to will be around that price. The cheapest I've got in Europe is around Euro 10-15. This applies to Airbnb as well, okay?
I have never been on a proper trip around Asia yet. So, I am sorry I can't say much.
Oh yea, another points to note:
- Always check for extra costs - like cleaning fees and service fees. Booking.com usually give cheap price but some rare occasion, the owner of the place will charge you extra cleaning fees
- If you are willing to pay security deposit, feel free to do so. For me, I will avoid that.
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| The bowl closer to the glass wall is called bidet - check here on how to use it. |
6. Before booking a room, always check the main website for that place.
For example, if you found any interesting place to stay, please check its own website. I had few experiences that if you contact the place directly, the price is way cheaper or they are doing some promotions. Well, no harm to check, right? If website is more expensive, you can just return to those booking sites and make reservations. I don't have trouble with all sites i have mentioned earlier.
This idea is similar to booking flight tickets. Of course I will use all the search engines but I will check the websites of the airlines afterwards.
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Please feel free to add anything you will consider before booking any rooms.
I would love to read yours. :D
Mind sharing your tips to book any accommodation in Malaysia / Asia? Please, kindly drop any comments. <3
SS, Perak, Malaysia
170818
