During our multi-family road trip through the Baltics last year, we had an emergency stop in Riga because Baby ISO was ill. Our friends booked us into the Riga Islande Hotel*, which is across the Daugava River from Riga's old town. Though not necessarily the area I would have chosen, the hotel was in a cool location and was only a short distance from old town. It also offered free parking, which was great since we had a massive car for our road trip.

The Riga Islande Hotel is a really great budget option (rooms are around $50 per night) with surprisingly good amenities. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and ours had a great view of the Vansu Bridge. I thought the large bed was very comfortable and the room was large enough for us to fit our travel crib. There was also a large space to store luggage and a desk with a chair.

Had we spent more time in the hotel, I would have liked to take advantage of the amenities including bowling alley, large tvs, spa, sauna, and pool. Reviews of the bowling alley, sauna, and pool are really good, so its a bummer we didn't get to enjoy!

I'm not usually a fan of hotel breakfasts, but the breakfast at Riga Islande Hotel was pretty decent and there were loads of choices.

The breakfast buffet was actually pretty good!

The view from our hotel room

The Riga Island Hotel* is located on Ķīpsalas iela 2, Kurzemes rajons, Rīga, Latvia. It is about a 15 minute walk from Riga's old town.


Where have you stayed in Riga? We are planning a spring trip to spend more time in the city, so I'm looking for some accommodation and restaurant suggestions!

Note that links marked with a * are affiliate links. You can find more information about In Search Of's use of affiliate links at the bottom of this blog.

We had a stupidly difficult time finding an accommodation that allowed children under the age of 12 (!???) in The Netherlands. Amsterdam was particularly challenging. What's up with that?

After looking at what felt like every Airbnb in Amsterdam and many hotels on Booking, we came across City Den*. This was perfect for us as they had options for booking with children and it was an apartment with a kitchen, which is what we prefer for longer stays.

 Easy check-in

 

Check-in with City Den was really simple. We called right when we arrived at the clearly marked apartment building (we could have called before, but wanted to find it first), and a staff member arrived about 5 minutes later on bike. The staff member showed us into the apartment, explained how to use everything, and pointed out some key places on a map. The crib wasn't set up before our arrival, but he did have it available for us. He was incredibly nice and check-in was really fast and easy. The only thing we had to do for check-out was to leave our key cards on the table.

Comfortable apartment

 

We booked the two floor "Luxury studio with one bedroom," which was large enough for our family of three. The upstairs included the kitchen, dining table, a tv, couch, and a bathroom. Although small, I really liked the kitchen and almost felt spoiled because it had several amenities that our kitchen at home doesn't have (a dishwasher and four burner stove top). There was also an espresso maker with four coffee pods, several tea bags, and sugar cubes provided for our use.

The bathroom was small but nice, with a shower, toilet, and sink. I do think it would have been helpful to have a few hooks to hang up wet towels.
 
The bedroom was downstairs and was decently large. I found the bed to be comfortable and I appreciated the reading lights (though only one could be used at a time because of outlets). There was also a small desk with a chair and a TV mounted on the wall across from the bed. We put the crib inside the entrance of the bedroom.

Additionally, this apartment had private access to a small courtyard, which I think would have been wonderful in the summer. A washing machine was located in a cupboard in the courtyard.

Other details

 

The Wi-Fi signal was strong throughout our apartment and the Wi-Fi was fast. While we couldn't hear noise from outside the apartment, the walls were a bit thin, so you could hear people coming and going in the hallway.

The Studio with one bedroom apartment cost 118 euros per night.

Why is this a perfect family accommodation in Amsterdam?

Now that I have a toddler, I feel like I'm constantly in search of playgrounds -- especially when we travel. I found three playgrounds within short distance of City Den Museum Square. The first playground was just steps out of our front door, which was wonderfully convenient. We also found a nice playground in Museum Square, which is about a 5 minute walk away (pushing a stroller), and the giant Vondel Park, with its huge kid's section, was about a 15 minute walk away.

In addition, as new parents we wake up EARLY. Perhaps this isn't true of everyone, but our little one is up and ready to go at 6 am. Sometimes we have to spend hours in our accommodation before anything opens, which really stinks. There were two cafe/bakeries that opened early (I'm talking 7 am early), so we could actually get out of the apartment and have second breakfast (we can't make it that long without breakfast ;P), so we could get out pretty early if we needed.

You can find out more about City Den apartments here*.

I'm finally getting around to sharing our recent trip to Luxembourg!

It was a bit difficult to find an affordable (for us) accommodation in Luxembourg City. Because J was traveling for a conference, we opted for a hotel rather than an Airbnb accommodation, and I'm really glad that we settled on Hotel Parc Plaza, Luxembourg*. The rooms were spacious and quiet, we were in a perfect location, and we had a nice view from our balcony.

Let's first talk about the location. Hotel Parc Plaza, Luxembourg is about a 5 minute walk with a stroller from Luxembourg's old city. It is also located across the street from a gorgeous park with ample space for children to play (or Baby ISO to nap in his stroller while I enjoyed the spring flowers).

The room was clean and bed was very comfortable. I didn't mind, but J would have preferred more pillows on the bed. The room also had an easy chair with a foot rest and a desk with a chair. The room that we stayed in had two separate bathrooms, one contained a bathtub (with a shower) and a sink, and the other contained only a toilet. I found it kind of strange to have a toilet with no sink, but that was a minor issue. The room had large windows that let in a lot of light, but the curtains were heavy enough to block out the sun, allowing Baby ISO to get to sleep early.

The Hotel Parc Plaza, Luxembourg is a great accommodation if you are staying with young children. The room is large enough to fit a stroller and a travel crib (the crib we used was provided free of charge from the hotel), yet still have room to not feel cramped. There was also ample space for Baby ISO to play on the carpeted floor. 

Other in-room amenities included free Wi-Fi, a mini fridge (stocked with snacks for an extra charge), local magazines, a large tv with channels in many different languages, a city map, and bath products. An iron and full size ironing board are available upon request. The hotel does not offer free breakfast, so rather than purchase their expensive breakfast, we opted to pick up snacks from a nearby grocery store.

The staff at Hotel Parc Plaza, Luxembourg were all very friendly. They were able to direct us to nearby attractions and grocery stores as well as schedule a taxi for our trip back to the airport. They also have parking, but I can't say whether there is a charge for parking or not.

The view from our window

The crib was already set up when we arrived

Overall, I'd suggest this hotel for their comfortable beds, large rooms, and convenient location. Room prices start from 100 USD depending on the time of year you visit. Prices also seem to be significantly cheaper on booking websites such as Booking.com. Visit the Hotel's website* to learn more about room options or for your next visit to Luxembourg!

Do you remember to take photos of your accommodation before unpacking your stuff? I finally remembered for this hotel ;P

Just look at this colorful street in Madrid! The best part of our AirBnB accommodation was its location. Located near the Anton Martin metro stop, this neighborhood had tons of restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and cool little stores. It was a perfect location for our lazy visit.

As for the AirBnB itself, it wasn't my favorite, nor was it my least favorite that we've ever stayed in. The person who greeted us (not the apartment owner, but a manager of several similar accommodations ... those are never our favorite) was really friendly. She showed us everything we needed to know about the apartment and gave us information for checking out. The apartment was small, but comfortable even when we added a travel crib.

The kitchen was well equipped, the bathroom had toiletries, and the closet (and under the bed) was stocked with extra blankets and towels. The only minor issue was the shower pressure, which really came out like a trickle (I think it would have been faster to wash my hair in the sink!).

The only major difficulty we had was lugging our stroller and carseat combo up and down the stairs every time we wanted to go out. I knew ahead of time that the apartment was a walk up, but didn't initially think this would be a problem. The stairs; however, were uneven and difficult to navigate while holding a baby and all of the necessary baby crap that you need for a day out. Also, the apartment itself was down a very narrow passageway, making it even more difficult to navigate. We managed, but I wouldn't suggest it. If you have kids, heavy luggage, or a problem walking up stairs this apartment is not for you!

If you are looking for a budget-friendly apartment in a great location of Madrid, and don't have a lot of stuff or a kid, this apartment really was a great find.

What do you think about staying in AirBnB accommodations with kids?

The NH Collection Hotel located on Vilbeler Street was a perfect accommodation for a weekend visit to Frankfurt. The staff were helpful, the rooms clean and large, and the location perfect.

The NH Collection hotel was in a great location, right in the center of Innenstad. There were numerous options for surrounding restaurants including two great Thai places, a couple of great cafes, and many bakeries just around the corner. We were also very near to the famous shopping street, Zeil, and close to the Christmas Markets. For me, this hotel was all about the great location.

The staff at the hotel were very accommodating. Prior to our arrival I emailed asking for a baby bed to be provided in our room. Upon our arrival it was already set up near the bed in our room. After we checked out we had several hours before catching a bus back to the Frankfurt Hahn Airport and the staff was more than happy to store our luggage while we went out to explore the city some more. They also allowed us to use the baby changing room prior to leaving. 

The rooms were large (especially for Europe) and were very clean. The room was furnished with a very large bed, a desk with a chair, a comfy chair, a coffee maker, and closet. There was plenty of space to fit both the crib and our stroller without feeling cramped. 

The bathroom was another highlight of the NH Collection Hotel Frankfurt. It had a glorious waterfall shower that I'd someday love to have in my home. It also came equipped with a hair dryer, a selection of toiletries, and many plush towels.

The only negative that I could pick out was the exorbitant cost of the hotel breakfast. It was something like 20 EUR per person (I can't remember the exact cost). It was much cheaper to eat out.

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay in the NH Collection Hotel Frankfurt and would recommend it to any visitor. I'd even look to stay at other NH Collection Hotels in other cities - that is how much I enjoyed it.

The Details: Vilbeler Street 2, Frankfurt Main; website*; Rooms starting at about 100 USD per night.

Have you stayed in an NH Collection Hotel before? What hotels would you suggest for Frankfurt?

J and I have been getting really good at finding unique accommodations through AirBnB's. We loved this one in Athens, and were so happy with our recent stay in Klaipeda. For tips on how to find your own awesome AirBnBs check out this post.

Now, I wasn't sure how staying in an AirBnB would work with Baby ISO, but J and I figured that we'd give it a try since we prefer staying in apartments over hotels. At this age (2.5 months) Baby ISO is still able to fit (barely) into his co-sleeper, so we brought that and a blanket for him along with us. Our co-sleeper actually packs really small, so we found it great for traveling with.

After doing a ton of research (and a quick chat with Concrete and Kitsch Blogger, Nick), we decided to book into the Jono Apartment, located right in the heart of Klaipeda Old Town. Despite being at the top of a three floor walk up, the Jono Apartment was a perfect place to stay - with or without a baby (J and I would have stayed here before Baby ISO). The decor of the Jono Apartment was awesome, functional, unique, and comfortable - everything we look for in an accommodation. Seriously, I love their yellow refrigerator and would love one someday! The hosts (we met Zeneta) were incredibly nice. Because they have stayed in the apartment before, it was well stocked with everything we could possibly need, yet was spotless. Also, there was a washing machine (they supplied detergent special for babies), which is really awesome when you have a small baby. In addition, the living room was well stocked with toys, a play mat, and they had a travel crib.

Did I mention that the hosts were awesome? Zeneta was there waiting for us when we arrived.  Also, Zeneta was super helpful at check-out, she even carried Baby ISO so we could bring the rest of our luggage down to the car.

Speaking of the car, the Jono Apartment doesn't have a designated parking spot, but there is a ton of very cheap meter parking available right around the corner. I believe it was about 0.20 cents per 90 minutes and the meters did not run at night or on the weekends. Don't quote me on that price though!

*If your baby can walk or crawl you should know that there are very steep stairs separating the bedroom from the rest of the apartment. Keep that in mind when booking this apartment.

Have you stayed in an AirBnB with kids? Any suggestions for me?

I've written about my love for AirBnB several times here and my search for more beautiful apartments continues, as I'm looking to book a place for a night in NYC and later this summer an apartment for my visiting in-laws in Vilnius. In searching for our past apartments J and I (he is the AirBnB apartment finding king!) we've learned a few tips and tricks for booking fabulous apartments that truly do make our vacation that much more special.

Before actually going onto AirBnB J and I think carefully about what we want from our accommodation. Do we want to be near restaurants or do we plan on cooking in the apartment? Do we want to be outside of the city or close to sites that we want to see? We also look for apartments that have WiFi and are close to public transportation. So, before checking out AirBnB think about what are are looking for.



Tip 1: Picking a location that suits your travel plans is essential to enjoying the apartment. We look for apartments that are near things we'd love to see, but we've also learned to pick apartments slightly away from popular locations as those can be loud. For example, we stayed in an apartment in Budapest at the famous Gozsdu Court, which ended up being so loud that we barely got any sleep during our entire trip. This was obviously a booking fail on our part - but can be avoided by carefully researching different locations. On the other hand, we stayed in a fabulous apartment in the Marais District in Paris. The subway was nearby to get us to other areas of Paris and the neighborhood was full of shops and delicious restaurants.

Tip 2: Photos are so important when choosing an AirBnB. We look to choose apartments that are comfortable, clean, and look secure. It is a deal-breaker when AirBnB hosts don't provide sufficient photos of an apartment. No way will I rent somewhere without being able to see a photo of the bathroom or bedroom!

A small but wonderful apartment in Copenhagen

Tip 3: Reviews are important when choosing an AirBnB that fits what you are looking for. Reviews can make or break the success of an apartment and we won't stay in apartments that have bad reviews. We also avoid staying in apartments without reviews; however, our favorite AirBnB yet didn't have any reviews, so this can't always be a deal-breaker. Also, we've found that AirBnB apartments that are owned by a company are less homey and are often missing essential items because no one has actually lived in the apartment before.

*The photos above are from actual AirBnB apartments that we've stayed in.

Do you have any other tips for finding apartments on AirBnB?

On our recent trip to Athens, J and I knew we wouldn't have enough time to spend time on an island, so we decided to look for an option near Athens, but still on the water. J, the official AirBnB booker in our household, found an incredible option in Palaio Faliro, a suburb of Athens (only a 20-30 minute tram ride from the Acropolis). The photos posted by Yannis, the AirBnB host, were incredible but their were no reviews of the apartment. Despite this, we took a chance and booked it. I think we made the right choice...

The view from the private pent-house balcony!

Enjoying the balcony (nope that isn't a food baby...)

Enjoying breakfast outside

Did I mention it was $47 a night and Yannis provided us with tea, coffee, jam, butter, bread, milk, and juice? He was a great host who offered us more than we would have ever expected. I cannot speak highly enough about the apartment and about Yannis! The area that we were in also offered numerous cafes, bakeries, shops, a grocery store, and a couple of restaurants.

I'm still dreaming of that view...

I'm linking up with #SundayTraveler. Head over for more travel stories.

The Tallink Express Hotel, located just a stones throw from the gates of the Tallinn Old Town, is a perfect hotel for a budget stay. I enjoyed my stay at the Tallink Express Hotel and would happily stay there again.


The Amenities: The Tallink Express Hotel offers free Wi-Fi throughout the building and free breakfast in their Express Cafe. The breakfast was extensive and surprisingly delicious.

The Room: The most important thing for me about any hotel is the cleanliness and the room was very clean. Our room had a large, comfortable double bed, a large space to hang clothes, and a huge tv with several English channels (bonus!). The room was also very quiet - even with the mass of students that we were traveling with.

The Location: The Tallink Express Hotel is located just outside of the Tallinn Old Town, near the Kalamaja district, and the cruise ships. In other words, a perfect location for sightseeing.

 


The Details: The Tallink Express Hotel is located on Sadama 9 and rooms cost about 46 Euros a night.

Do you have any suggestions for where to stay in Tallinn?

Just over two weeks ago I hopped a Ryan Air flight to Rome to visit my parents who were in Rome for work. My parents were put up at the Hotel Commodore at the St. Maria Maggorie Church, where I promptly booked a room. 

The single room was very clean and simply furnished. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, even providing nearby restaurant suggestions. Additionally, the hotel was located across the street from the beautiful St. Maria Maggorie Church and only about a 5 block walk away from the Colosseum. The hotel is also about three blocks away from the Rome Termini Train Station, which makes it easy to get to and from the hotel and the airports. You can even see the St. Maria Maggorie from the breakfast room. I loved the area that this hotel was in and have no major complaints about my hotel stay.

My only minor critiques were that both online and advertised in the hotel was a bar that served drinks and snacks in the evenings. Unfortunately, this was not open during our stay - perhaps because it was the off season? Additionally, I got very bored of the free breakfast very quickly. I'm a pretty simple breakfast eater (cereal and milk or toast) but I found the bread a bit to crusty to eat and the milk was warmed (yuck). These critiques were so minor that I would stay at this hotel again and recommend it to a friend.

Hotel Details: Hotel Commodore at the St. Maria Maggorie located on Via Torino 1. Single Rooms: about 50 Euro per night.

 

Where do you suggest staying in Rome?

During our quick weekend trip to Prague, J and I stayed in the Diplomat Hotel in Praha 6, which is the quiet diplomat quarter of Prague. This hotel was booked and chosen for us by J's work as he was there for a conference.

I loved the location of this hotel, as it was outside of the main tourist sights but very easy by public transportation to reach everywhere in the city. I also thought that the restaurants in this area were amazing.

The outside of the building looks nice and the lobby was great. Check in was fast and easy. I wasn't blown away by other aspects of the hotel itself, though. For some reason our room had an extra cot in it, which took up basically all of the walking space by the bed. 

The Diplomat Hotel had an extensive free breakfast; however, there were not enough clean plates, bowls, or utensils for everyone. I ended up eat cereal from a coffee mug and shared a spoon with J. Breakfast was packed on both Saturday and Sunday morning and this may have been due to the conference that J was attending (which was not located in the hotel). Still, I'd think that a hotel would have enough flatware and dishes to serve even if they are at their maximum capacity.

It was very easy to get to and from the airport with the airport bus that happened to stop right outside of the Diplomat Hotel. There was free Wifi available everywhere in the hotel, which is a necessity for both of us when traveling.

If I was to go back to Prague I would probably stay in Praha 6, but in a different hotel.

 

I've been playing around with the new hotel booking website, Yonderbound and have favorited this hotel. You can check it out here.

The Diplomat Hotel. Evropska 15, Praha 6. Rooms start at 66 USD per night. 4 Stars.

I'm still going on about our summer trip in China! I can't believe I've still got things to talk about and it is October. I promise that I only have a few posts left. I realize that I haven't yet mentioned hotels that we've stayed in. I decided that I wanted to round the hotels we stayed in into one post after you were familiar with the destinations. I don't generally stay in super classy hotels (I'd rather save for more trips and delicious meals!), so these hotels are low budget options.

The hotel in Beijing was not great (partially because of my epic fail of booking the hotel for the wrong month!) so I didn't take any photos. We stayed at the FX Hotel Yansha Beijing. This hotel was in a great location; however, I wouldn't recommend staying there, especially with all of the other affordable options in Beijing.

In Kunming we stayed with friends. I've seen the rooms in the Home Inn (a pretty large chain), the Seagull Hotel, and the Green Lake Hotel. These three hotels are in the Green Lake/Yunnan University area. It can be hard to find more affordable hotels online in Kunming (and Yunnan Province in general), so I suggest booking into a hotel for one night. You can always book your room for longer or find a different hotel. In Yunnan I never (until this trip) used to book hotels in advance. This may seem crazy, but it is pretty typical for Chinese and it totally works! Additionally, when booking hotels in Yunnan Province (especially outside of Kunming) you may find yourself in a room with an Eastern-style squatting toilet. Just a warning!

Xi'an

The Bell Tower Hotel in Xi'an is directly across the street from the Bell Tower, making it a perfect location. The Bell Tower Hotel was the nicest hotel we stayed in during our trip in China. The check in and check out were quick, the staff was friendly, and they can set you up with a tour of the Terra Cotta Warriors.

The rooms at the Bell Tower Hotel were clean, had a great selection of complimentary teas, and offered free bottles of water (you CANNOT drink the tap water in China). Overall, I liked this hotel and would stay there again.

 

Lijiang

Lijiang is one of the places that I never book in advance for a hotel room. Even with the huge amounts of tourists in the spring and summer, you can always find an available accommodation- especially with all of the new hotels they are building. I almost always stay at the Cao Jia Hotel near Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool). Cao Zhai is 60 to 100 RMB (10USD to 16USD) per night. The rooms at Cao Jia hotel are clean and the family that runs the hotel are so nice. The mother even recognized me and remembered what I studied after two years of not living in China (how 'bout that for customer service!). Below is a map with the approximate locations of several hotels that I've stayed at in the Heilongtan area.

Should you choose to stay in the Lijiang Old Town you should take into mind that the winding streets in the Old Town make it really hard to find your way AND cars aren't allowed to drive in Old Town. This can make finding your hotel while dragging a large suitcase behind you pretty impossible and annoying.

 

Lugu Lake

I'll be posting more about Lugu Lake next week, but until then lets talk hotels. Lugu Lake has only recently been built up for tourists, but you can still find a huge number of hotels. We stayed at two different hotels in Lige Village on Lugu Lake.

We booked the Sui Meng Hostel through hostelworld.com and despite booking a private room with one bed we still had to pay for two people. In my opinion, this makes the price of the room absurd for China prices. We arrived at Liga village a day and many hours later than we had anticipated due to bus ticket availability and a terrible, horrible, no good bus ride (more later). By the time we reached Liga, all I wanted to do was take a shower and curl up in bed.

Check in at the Sui Meng Hostel was pretty easy and on first impression our room was lovely. We had a great view of Lugu Lake and of Lion Mountain. I'm not a huge fan of an entirely glass bathroom - privacy much- but made it work. The deal breaker for the Sui Meng Hostel was the lack of electricity in the room. Only the light in the bathroom and one outlet worked, which made it pretty impossible to see in the evenings or morning. The Sui Meng Hostel also didn't have a water boiler available in the room and didn't have pre-boiled water available without asking (and waiting for water to boil at high altitude).

Luckily, J and I had done what the Chinese do! Only book for one night! So on to our next hotel - the YHA youth hostel.

The YHA Youth Hostel was a pretty simple, typical Chinese low budget hotel. Our lights worked, we had numerous working outlets, and there was free wifi! What more could we want! The YHA Youth Hostel was a much better value for the price and was in a better location than the Sui Meng Hostel. If I happened to visit Lugu Lake again I think I would stay on the Sichuan Province side of the lake to check out the hotels there rather than stay in Lige again.

I wanted to provide a map for hostels in the Lugu Lake area, however google maps is too crappy for that rural of an area in China. I'll see what I can dig up for my posts about Lugu Lake.

*Expert Tip: I find that hostels (even if you are sharing a room) are MUCH more expensive than local accommodation in China. This is especially true if you are using a site like hostelworld.com that requires you to pay per person.

What do you look for in a hotel? What hotels do you suggest for China?