RTW Trip - Sep/Oct '18 - Advise on Accommodation - SGN, FCO, BUD, CDG, JFK, IAD, RDU, LAX

[MrHyde]

Hi All,

The whole family is going on a RTW trip in Sep/Oct 2018. The flights are mostly booked through OneWorld Classic Award and I'm now starting to look at accommodation options. With two adults and two kids (7 & 10),

I have about 10,000 Accor Leclub points which equates to 200 Euro discount and I have a couple of free stays credit on booking.com. I have few more points spread across Hyatt, Golden Circle and maybe a few others.

The places we are going to are:

Ho Chi Minh City
Rome
Paris
Budapest
New York
Washington
Raleigh
Los Angeles

I would appreciate some advice and ideas on what we can do for accommodation for a family that won't kill the whole budget. I'd also like to know what area to base myself in... something near public transport and tourist attractions. Budget would be around A$200 per night - but realise that some places will be much more expensive than that. I'll pay more for a nicer location. Most of the time will be spent outdoors, so basic facilities are fine for us - quiet rooms, clean toilets, comfortable beds. I do prefer hotels, but don't mind airBnB either if the price is going to be significantly cheaper. My only issue with Airbnb is reliability of the hosts and the whole key exchange thing. That is the last thing I want to stress about during our trip.

Any suggestions on must do items would also be appreciated.

Cheers,
MrHyde

 

[Himeno]

If you go with airbnb, try to find places with a auto check in option. They will generally have keys left in a letter box and send you info on how to access, or have an electronic lock and send you the code.

For accommodation in LA, it really depends a lot as to where in LA you plan to be and what you want to do. Travel time between the major areas of LA takes quite some time (eg, ~40 mins from downtown to Hollywood, an hour to Long Beach and often over an hour to Disneyland)
Last time I was in Washington, I stayed at a hotel near DCA and a short walk from a DC metro station.
For New York, I tend to stay at a hotel near Jamaica station. Jamaica station is a LIRR station, MTA subway station and JFK Airtrain terminus. Much cheaper then the hotels in Manhattan.
For Budapest last novemeber, I stayed in an airbnb on "Fashion Street" (Deák Ferenc Ter). Short walk to the Danube, lots of shops and tourist attractions nearby, major public transport hub and the main city stop for the airport bus. There are also a number of hotels in the area.

If you're planning to use public transport, get TAP cards (LA) and SmarTrip cards (DC). They are just like the Myki in Melbourne. NY has the Metrocard, a magnetic strip ticket.

 

[ayebee]

Hi Mr Hyde

New York
Have been to NYC a number of times as our daughter has been studying there for last 5 years.
Back in 2012 (ancient history) we had 2 stays in apartments before quite a few in hotels.
First was a 2BR at "The Pier" on Jersey side, organised via a NY apartment broker. Beautiful apartment with a view across the Hudson of the Manhattan skyline at significantly lower price than Manhattan. It was a short walk to PATH train to lower Manhattan, and a bit longer (10mins) walk to the station where the PATH direct to midtown 34th Street. The downside was the extra 30 minutes on train, but overall it was a very good option for our family of 4.
Later in 2012 we tried an Airbnb - a bedsit (max 2) in East Village. For the money it was pretty grungy, but I guess that is the East Village vibe.
We came to conclusion we preferred hotels, but that was always for 2 of us rather than family. The idea of "eating in" even for breakfast never flew. Since then we look for smallish hotels, but can't say any really stand out as good for families.

These days the main issue with short term apartment stays is that they are illegal. This pretty much sums up the situation:
New York City: Vacation Apartment Rentals - TripAdvisor

Although I don't have personal experience, I have heard positive reports of apartment style rooms with Beacon Hotel (Upper west), and Affinia (Midtown / east). Always depends on $$$.


For Washington
With daughters in tow, we opted to stay across the river in Arlington Virginia.
We booked 2 rooms at a Hilton Garden Inn a few minutes walk from the Court House metro station.
We left the car parked underneath while we used the metro to get around. The line through Court House took you straight to the Smithsonian and the mall. Again the trade-off is some extra time before / after, but we thought it worked very nicely. Had the added benefit that one night we "ate local" and found a really good / quirky restaurant round the corner, and the visit to Arlington cemetery / JFK was close by.

 

[Glider_]

We stayed here in Rome, and loved everything about it.

3R - Colosseo

 

[drron]

Quite a few hotels close to IAD in JFK blvde.We are in the Sheraton but a doubletree,hampton inn and holiday inn all in view but there are others.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Worth considering is the Hotel Gellert in Budapest. Rates are on the cheaper side now (about AUD150 a night), but it is one of the grand hotels of Europe - at least for architecture (the rooms are a little dated now and still back in the 'grand' days). It has advantages of a prime location, a VIP list including US Presidents, and both thermal and normal pools as part of the hotel. In fact Europe's first wave pool was opened there in the 1920's. Worth it for a night or two, at least for the cultural experience and location.

 

[laffer]

For Washington try the Kimpton Hotel Palomar. Near the Metro. Near DuPont Cicle (short metro back to the monuments). Nice area. A lot of embassies.

Could also try the Renaissance Downtown. Nice hotel. In the a Centre. But might be $$$

As for Paris given your Hyatt points look at the newish Hyatt Regency Paris Etoille. It's cheaper as it is away from the action but there is a metro stop in the facility that the hotel is in. It's maybe a 15 min walk to the Arc. It is copping a lot of complaints at the moment due to renovations but they should be done by the time you arrive.But you should research this one.

The Hyatt Madeline is a nice hotel but it is expensive.

 

[MrHyde]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. At the moment, it looks like AirBnB in Vietnam near Ben Thanh market and an airBnb in NY near Jamaica station are looking like good options for us.

The suggestions on locations to book has been invaluable.