Waiting for your flight may just have become more bareable

There is nothing easy about trying to grab a few hours’ sleep between connecting flights on those uncomfortable airport chairs, where plastic armrests and wafer thin foam pads hinder any chance of comfort. Combined with the drone of security and boarding announcement, excited children and stressed parents (not to mention the sounds and smells coming from the person next to you) it’s usually a long, trying and uncomfortable wait before you are able to board your flight for yet more insufficient rest.
While some airport terminals do have connecting hotels where you can gather a few hours of contented rest (probably the only time most of us would consider paying for a hotel by the hour), the rates are usually too steep for most to consider this an option.

An affordable solution is on the horizon however and may be coming to an airport (or even train or bus station) near you.

The Sleep Box is a budget friendly, compact hotel room featuring a modest 4sq meters of space, with single bed and a lockable door so weary travelers are able to grab a little rest in peace and security.

There are no en suite facilities and with just a plug needed to connect the rooms’ electricity, units are entirely mobile (think small garden shed with a bed inside) and can be installed in any space, without the need for extensive renovations or remodeling, making this new innovation not only practical but very affordable.

They are gradually being seen in hotels, hostels and even offices (for overworked employees) around Europe with plans to introduce these to the USA in 2012.

Prices range depending on location but are typically around $50 per night or $15 an hour for those in airport terminals.

Photo Credit: SleepBox

Hotel Opera in Paris, France

Travelling close to the holiday season can often put a strain on your budget, but the Concorde Hotels and Resort group is offering the chance to make your money go further.

Stay in any Concorde Hotel in Europe between now and March 31st and your Euros will go further with the Night Bonus Offer; guest will receive a daily voucher of €30 or €50 which can be put to use in the hotel’s restaurant or bars.

Plus, if you’re travelling in a group you can also combine the offer with the Friends and Family package: when you book two or more rooms you receive a complimentary breakfast and a 50% discount on the second room.

The Concorde Group have hotels in nine countries and 20 cities around the world including: Prague, Boston, Tokyo, Geneva, Barcelona, Cairo, and Berlin. Concorde hotels can also be found in eight French cities (Cannes, Lyon, Marseilles, Nice, Nimes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, and Paris). 

All the hotels offer a luxurious stay with modern rooms and top class facilities, traditional and international cuisine is also available in any of the hotels highly rated restaurants.

For more information or to book call reservations at
1-800-888-4747 or visit the  Concorde Hotels website.

Photo Credit: Concorde Hotels and Resorts

Goethe 87 in Berlin, Germany

A very popular trend in visiting Euro destinations is staying in an apartment instead of a hotel. I can see the advantages: save money cooking for yourself, more space (hotel rooms in Europe tend to be small), two bedrooms or more for families, residential locations out of the tourist zones. All these factors can be very appealing, especially if you’re staying in town for a week or more. I often recommend short-term apartment rentals to friends and family coming to Barcelona, where I live. So, when I went to Berlin I looked for the same deal for myself, and found Goethe 87.

Goethe

Goethe’s apartment rooms are something in-between a hotel room and an apartment. They are studio apartments if anything, or large hotel suites with kitchens. Whatever they are, they are spacious and centrally located in West Berlin near the train and many cafes, restaurants, boutiques and bars. Goethe’s location on a quiet residential street means you’ll sleep well at night.

Goethe 87 in Berlin, Kitchen

Rooms are outfitted with Internet, televisions, mini kitchens with basic cutlery and cooking supplies, large bathrooms, and views of a lush interior courtyard. Total, Goethe has 47 apartments, all a bit different from each other. While my bed at Goethe was comfy, some of the furniture had seen better days. Still, overall my experience at Goethe was a good one.

Goethe 87 in Berlin

Goethe 87 - Bathroom

Breakfast is served at Goethe in the downstairs restaurant, and the spread was plentiful. Lots of German dishes were offered including wonderfully seedy German breads and fabulous berry jams. They had some hot dishes such as eggs and sausage, too. For about €100.00 a night, Goethe 87 is a good deal in spendy West Berlin. Book in advance online to get special discounts.

MORE:

http://goethe87.arcona.de/

€100.00 a night and up

Post and Photos by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more of her travel tips on : The Spain Scoop

Regina Winkle-Bryan was a guest at Goethe.

Rome Room

Walking from the subway to the Ackselhaus, a boutique hotel in East Berlin, I turned to my friend and said, ‘Of all the neighborhoods we’ve seen in Berlin, I think I’d most like to live in this one.’ We were standing in front of an organic market, and people were sipping fair-trade coffees on the plaza. I am not planning to move to Berlin, I live in Barcelona, and like the sun and sea, but if I were, the area around Ackselhaus is where I’d look for a place.

Rome Room

Latter the receptionist at Ackselhaus filled me in that I would not be able to afford a home in the Prenzlauerberg neighborhood. He had grown up in the area, and seen it go from working class, to arty, to gentrified. Oh well, I thought, Another dream shattered! But I did get to stay in Prenzlauerberg at Ackselhaus Hotel for the night, and that was a good taste of life in this sweet part of the city.

Ackselhaus and Blue Home -Bed view

Ackselhaus and Blue Home are unlike any hotels I’ve stayed in. I am not even sure that you can call them hotels. They are two apartment buildings that have been converted into hotels, but some have kitchens and dining rooms, making them more like apartments.

Ackselhaus and Blue Home - Kitchen

There’s a bit of everything. Ackselhaus was the first of the two to open up. Each room is unique and exciting and those with a sense of humor, in touch with their inner-child, will enjoy this hotel very much. If you’re hung up on the ‘rules’ of architecture and design, well, then Ackselhaus will drive you nuts!

Blue Home Bathroom

We stayed in the Rome Room, which upon entering caused me to exclaim, ‘Wow!’ Is that a bust of Cesar with a sound system in it? Yes. Is that a huge two-person tub next to the bed? Yes. Are those real orchids and grapes? Yes and yes again. This room was enormous and very playful in an elegant sort of way. I wouldn’t want this to be my bedroom at home, but it was a joy to stay in for the night.

Ackselhaus and Blue Home

At Blue Home the theme is more ‘Asian’ with many imports from Bali abounding. It’s at Blue Home that you’ll find the apartments with kitchens. Each room is so different but subdude compared to Ackselhaus. Some have futons and mosquito netting, others have designer wallpaper and crystal chandeliers. The one thing that both Ackselhaus and Blue Home have in common is a stellar breakfast buffet served in the Blue Home Club de Mar Restaurant. The restaurant is bedecked with all things from the ocean, from large shells to a mammoth aquarium tucked into the side wall. At the moment, it does not offer other meals aside from breakfast.

Club de Mar

Wild as they are, I cannot recommend these ‘hotels’ enough. I’ve stayed in many hotels all over Europe, and this one stood out for daring to be different! Great food, too!

Blue Home

MORE:

http://www.ackselhaus.de/

Photos and post by Regina Winkle-Bryaan. See more of her travel tips at The Spain Scoop

Regina WB was a guest at Ackselhaus and Blue Home!