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

Moose sculpture by Russ Lamb looks out over Triple Creek Ranch

Where horseback riding and luxury meet

Cowgirls looking to log some serious horseback riding miles will find their pot of gold at Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Montana. At the five star Relais & Chateaux Resort, women bond with their horses and fellow equestrians during a four day endurance ride, fondly known as Klicks for Chicks. Triple Creek Ranch owner Barbara Barrett opens her home to guests during this unique horseback riding experience in Montana’s Bitterroot National Forest.

Equestrians ride four days, covering 100 kilometers/klicks or 62 miles, through deep canyons, over mountain passes, by clear lakes and through meadows via Montana’s Rocky Mountains. While partners are welcome to come along for the stay, this is a chicks only adult trail ride. Last year was the inaugural Klicks for Chicks ride that took place in late October.

Castle Rock cabin offers forest view sun room and whirlpool tub

Not your typical dude ranch

Situated on 600 sprawling acres rest 23 luxury log cabins with wood-burning fireplaces and hot tubs, tennis court, pool, fishing ponds, fitness center and Rider’s Roost.

Cabin rates starting at $750* per couple, per night.  Triple Creek Ranch features all inclusive rates and  include luxury accommodations, snacks, breakfast, lunch, gourmet dinners, house wines and house spirits and all featured on-ranch activities.

Triple Creek's Castle Rock Cabin is a favorite with honeymoon couples

Castle Rock luxury cabin

Named after a mountain peak south of Triple Creek Ranch, Castle Rock cabin is an excellent choice for honeymooners and romance seekers. I loved the fireplace in the living area (set with logs, ready to go) and the massive, king log post bed.  The bath features two vanities and a double steam shower. After a long day of horseback riding, Castle Rock’s best feature was the forest view sun room with its cloverleaf whirlpool tub.

In room massage

While there was no spa at the Triple Creek Ranch, massage services were available in the privacy of my cabin. My massage therapist, Kay, came to Castle Rock cabin and set up her portable massage table in the aptly named sun room. For $155, the 60 minute Swedish massage included music, heated lotion and the relaxing touch of a professional masseuse to ease muscles not used to a full day in the saddle.

The cabin, constructed in 1990 an remodeled in 2009, included two decks for relaxing and wildlife watching along Baker Creek. As if on cue, several white tailed deer and fawns paraded by my cabin, headed down to the creek after dinner. There was also a golf cart available to me. It came in handy for driving to the lodge and nearby stables.  Each time I pulled into the golf cart parking area next to the lodge, I would return to find my golf cart properly parked, facing forward. It’s the little touches that make Triple Creek Ranch rise to the top. The staff, from waitress to wranglers, were outstanding and went out of their way to make your stay at this Montana hideaway memorable for years to come.

Nightly rate: $1,150, double occupancy

Log Bed in Castle Rock Cabin

Triple Creek Ranch amenities

outdoor pool, in room massage for additional fee, kitchenette,  family rooms,

• in-room high-speed internet
• On-Site parking
• Tennis court
• Secretarial services
• Handicap room
• free wireless internet
• Meeting facilities
• bath
• Bicycle rentals
• Telephone
• DVD player
• Hairdryer
• Free airport shuttle (two hour ride from Missoula Airport)
• Live entertainment
• Minibar
• Restaurant – Cafe
• skiing nearby
• Newspaper
• Modem
• Health club
• Television
• Meal plan available
• Complimentary coffee in lobby
• Lounge/bar
• Shower
• Cable/satellite television
• Air conditioning
• Fireplace
• Coffee/Tea maker

If You Go:

Triple Creek Ranch (406) 821-4600 or (800) 654-2943

5551 West Fork Road
Darby, Montana 96753

Follow Triple Creek Ranch on Twitter and follow Travel Expert Nancy D. Brown on Twitter for insider travel tips. I was a guest of Triple Creek Ranch.

Article written by and photos courtesy of  Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip, Travels from Northern California.

More Equestrian Lodging:

Echo Valley Ranch, British Columbia, Canada

Club at Spanish Peaks, Big Sky, Montana

Cromwell Crown Hotel, courtesy of TripAdvisor

The hotels, B&Bs, and inns of England have a dark side. At the budget level especially, that dark side often comes in the form of dirt and mold.

Have you stayed in a disgusting hotel in the UK? If so, Darren Cronian of the TravelRants blog wants your photos. He’s on a crusade to clean up British inns and he’s compiling a fame and shame photo collection that will be plotted on a map.

He’s had his own bad experiences and has heard plenty more from readers. “As a consumer who travels on a budget I have often stayed in hotels around Britain that are dirty beyond words. It does not matter how much you have spent on a hotel room, the minimum you should expect is a clean room.” With the Olympics coming to London in 2012, Cronian believes the country’s reputation is at stake.

This is not a campaign based on just his own bad experiences. When TripAdvisor ran its list of the world’s dirtiest hotels, England showed up in force in the European section, taking spots 3, 4, 5, and 8.

In the pre-internet days, if a hotel was poorly maintained and unclean, they could get away with it for quite a while. The place had to be called out in a guidebook or through word of mouth. Most magazines and newspapers just ignore the bad spots, preferring to always stay focused on the positive.

Now, of course, everyone has a megaphone, so bad hotels and inns can’t hide under the dirty carpet. Former guests leave comments on TripAdvisor like “It is the most disgusting, dirty, grotty hotel I have ever ever stayed in” and “The staff were rude, the rooms were unclean, I got bit by bed bugs!” (Both of those comments on the Cromwell Crown Hotel in London.)

British budget hotels have long been dogged by reports of uncleanliness, with alarming reports regularly showing up in newspapers like The Guardian, The Sun, and the Daily Mail.

But hey, maybe Travelrant’s campaign is hitting when things are already on the upswing. In 2010, the UK had 8 of the 10 dirtiest hotels on the TripAdvisor list. Now they’re down to 4, with the former #1 Grosvenor Hotel managing to fall off the list completely. (Though it’s still rated #675 of 755 B&Bs/Inns in Blackpool, England.

To upload your dirty hotels photos, follow this link.

To avoid all those and end up somewhere better, see Uptake’s section on Top Hotels in London and others throughout England.

Story by Tim Leffel, author of The World’s Cheapest Destinations and editor of Perceptive Travel webzine, featuring the best travel stories from wandering book authors. He has managed to avoid staying in any of the hotels mentioned in this story…