If you have used a travel guide book, hotel recommendations will be included. Most have ratings, including prices, or at least price categories, for each category. Many will be able to be booked online.
However, some of the smaller, independently owned hotels still do the booking themselves. Most can be answered by e-mail, but some are more old-fashioned and only take reservations by phone. If that is the case, do not let the thought ring internationally and speak to someone that English may not be their first language, intimidates you. These are business people who earn their living by offering rooms to tourists who, in their opinion, probably do not speak their mother tongue. They all speak enough English to make a reservation!
View your route and start booking these hotels for each location. In general, you want to book at least 2-3 months earlier, only to ensure that you get exactly the hotel you are looking for. If you are traveling during high season, you may want to start a bit earlier. Most hotels need a credit card to reserve the room, but most can pay in cash on arrival.
After booking these hotels, write down the contact details (hotel name, address, telephone number) and keep them for your records. There is also a great website called Tripit, which has a tool for creating routes with which you can enter this information manually, or it even has a function that allows you to make any confirmation e-mails (for hotels and even airline-info ) can forward, and it will actually do it for you.
For my hotel choice, I am going here in the middle of the road. I can not afford to stay in five-star hotels, but I do not want to be bothered by uncomfortable conditions such as a crowded youth hostel. I prefer to have the best of both worlds: experiencing the country, the people and the culture in which I have submerged myself, while not in & # 39; sketchy & # 39; accommodations. I am leaning towards small, independently owned hotels, close to the city center, but protected from the areas stifled with tourists.
Plus, most of these independent small hotels are run by the owners themselves, who are always MORE than happy to help their guests. They are one of the best travel consultants you come across while you are there. They can tell you where the best local places are to eat, the easiest ways to navigate around the city and even to help you book museum reservations and tours.