Reserve Accomodations or not?

[sil]

hello everyone! My boyfriend and I are planning on going to London, Paris, Rome and Venice in September 2007. so, should we make reservations on the hostels? if so, how long in advance?
Thank you everybody!!!!!!!
Silvana

[WillTravel]

Yes, it is a good idea, because you know exactly what cities you are visiting, September is high season, and there are two of you. Two or three months in advance should be fine. I think the Beehive in Rome only takes reservations starting exactly two months in advance.

Edited to add: If you are wanting double rooms in hostels, book further ahead than that if you can, because these tend to be harder to get.

[sil]

Hey Will, I really appreciate your reply!!!

[pupkus7]

I totally agree with Will... if you know where you want to go on your trip and plan to stick with that route, then reserving is a great idea. Imagine it takes appx. half a day to get from one place to another... I'd rather arrive to a reserved room and take advantage of the rest of the day than have to worry about spending the rest of the day trying to find a place to sleep.

rk: we were in Rome this past summer and the Beehive Hostel was wonderful, friendly and clean.

good luck!

[Eagle]

I competely agree with the others!!! I was in Europe in September and October, and in my experience it's best to have reserved accomodations. I saw a number of examples where those who hadn't reserved had problems, which no doubt cost them in either time or money (or both). Although many seem to feel the "shoulder seasons" aren't busy, I found just the opposite to be the case. A good example concerns the Hotel I was using in Florence. The morning I left, they had two vacancies; these were gone in 10 minutes!!! I could cite a few more examples, but this would probably make the post too lengthy.

One comment regarding Hostels in Rome. The Beehive is an excellent choice, however they were totally booked during the time I was in Rome. I stayed at Alessandro Palace and can certainly recommend it. It's an easy 7 minute walk from Termini (even with a heavily loaded Pack), and was clean and modern (including electronic card locks for the rooms, which are also used to activate the lights and power outlets, a clever energy saving feature). The Bar was a nice touch also, and a great place to "mingle" with the other guests. I hope to add a Review of AP to the "Hostel Reviews" section here, as soon as I get a few spare minutes.

Cheers!!!

[nickvk]

I didnt know where else to put this but I am sure alot of people will want to know.......You can book the beehive in Rome more than 2 months in advance. I just booked it yesterday for June

[WillTravel]

Thanks for the update - lots of people will indeed be glad to know.