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Attalos
29 Athinas
Athens, Greece

This is the view from the rooftop bar of the Hotel Attalos, just a few steps up from the sixth floor. Nice, no?

As big cities go, the 48 EUR/night price is right. It’s two stars, which are enough if you don’t spend too much time in your room. There is free wi-fi in the first floor reading room, along with a couple of computer terminals, an extremely nice touch. Breakfast not included.

But best about the Attalos is the location. Just a couple hundred meters from the Monastiraki underground stop, there’s plenty in the immediate area to keep you thoroughly amused and on your feet for the duration of your stay: the Plaka, the flea market, scores of museums, ruins and parks.

FYI, Monastiraki is roughly 30 minutes from Port at Piraeus, and 40-50 minutes to the airport, no change required for either.

I’ll definitely return. Soon.

acropolis, originally uploaded by pirano.

Paradise
Omirou 3
Ermoupolis, Syros, Greece

There are plenty of accommodations similar to this in Ermoupolis, so little need to devote 30 seconds to Paradise. It’s a good rule to always be wary of a hotel that describes itself so immodestly, but to be fair, this was perfectly acceptable, simple and clean. I was told that I could have done better in the off-season for 35 EUR/night [through Venere].

Just a five minute stroll from the Ermoupolis port exit, but on arrival it’s a little difficult to find. Once you navigate through the few alleys that lead you there, it’s easy to get oriented. Very close to everything in Ermoupolis, mainly because everything is close to everything in Ermoupoli. Simple breakfast included, but I took my morning coffees from various cafes along the port.

Mercure Hotel Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Teinacher Strasse 20
Bad Cannstatt

There’s nothing cheap or budget-minded about this place, so I’ll spare you (and me) much of these 30 seconds. At about 140 EUR/night, it’ll work for business travelers (or for those who aren’t paying themselves).

WTF is up with hotels these days? 25 EUR/day for Wifi? I’ve stayed in tiny dives for a quarter of the price with FREE wifi. Unforgivable.

The room was decent, there are smoking rooms available, breakfast is quite good (at 15 EUR extra), and there’s a nice park nearby. Note that Bad Cannstatt is a suburb of Stuttgart; public transport (a tram/U & S bahn combo) will get you to the main Stuttgart station in about a half hour at best, depending on the connections.

I don’t think I’ll ever stay here again.

mercure-stuttgart-10-sept-08, originally uploaded by pirano.

Hotel du Marche
Rue Pre-du-Marche 42
Lausanne

When I’m on the road and paying my own way, the only rule I’m guided by is to find the cheapest room available with a private bath. Hostel days are behind me. In Switzerland though, nothing is cheap, and rules are meant to be broken.

I embarked on the search too late, and all I could come up with that was reasonably inexpensive in Lausanne was this place, and at 70 CHF (44 EUR), shared facilities notwithstanding, it was a terrific deal.

The location was great, easy to get to via public transport, pleasant staff, and free wifi throughout. I particularly enjoyed a Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner.

I’m definitely returning.

Hotel du Marche – Lausanne, originally uploaded by pirano.

Hotel De La Paix
19, rue du Gros Caillou – 75007 Paris

I liked this place! Located on a pleasant and quiet street in an otherwise fairly lively neighborhood –a couple minute walk from the Parc du Champs de Mars, and perhaps 10 to the Eiffel Tower– it’s about as off-the-beaten-path as you can find in Paris.

Rooms are cozy, free wifi throughout, and an extremely pleasant owner and staff. There are plenty of bars/cafes in the vicinity that won’t break the bank, along with a few wines shops that will. Nearest metro is Ecole Militaire, and you can order a shuttle to De Gaulle Airport at the front desk (17 EUR, about 40 mins).

The hotel’s website is here; for Paris I generally book through venere.com.

I think I’ll definitely return.

Hotel De la Paix – Paris, originally uploaded by pirano.

Hotel Luciani
Via Milazzo, 8
00185 Rome, Italy

Luciani is one of the dozens (or perhaps hundreds?) of little hotels that appear in every nook and cranny near Rome’s Termini (main) train station.

A tiny room, Spartan bed, old bedstand, barred windows and rickety closet gave this place the feel of prison chic. But looks can be deceiving, since you are allowed to come and go as you please and you don’t have to share a shower. Breakfast –a pile of bread washed down with coffee from a cheap machine– lends itself nicely to the incarceration theme.

In fairness, you can’t expect much more in Rome these days for 50 EUR/night to enjoy 2-star comfort.

Upside? It’s less than a five minute stroll to platform 6 at the Termini station. Wifi is available, 5 EUR/6 hrs.

I will not stay here again.

Luciani – Rome, originally uploaded by pirano.

Cityhotel Central Station
Via Giovanni Battista Sammartini 15
Milano, Italy

True to its name, this place is a five-minute stroll from Milano Centrale Station. As you can see, I had a fairly large room, with a big window overlooking a boulevard through which I learned, among other things, that Milanese streetcleaners are particularly loud at 3:30 in the morning.

On the plus side? Free wifi (that doesn’t work everywhere) and the parakeet in the lobby with a firm command of English, Italian and Mandarin Chinese. And a decent and relatively inexpensive sushi joint a few doors away.

59 EUR/night for a single, w/private bath.

I’m never one to say never, but I shall (probably) not return.

Cityhotel Central Station – Milano, originally uploaded by pirano.

Kleinmunchen
Wienerstrasse 404-408
4030 Linz

Stayed three nights (Jan-2008)

I kept calling this place Le Petit Munchen for no reason besides the odd way that my limited French seems to effortlessly roll off my tongue in German-speaking countries. Weird.

Small room, small bed, small bathroom, basic breakfast. 45 EUR/night ain’t much, but I was expecting something more. Big minus is the distance from the center of Linz, roughly 15 minutes by tram; two lines run from the corner of the hotel, so it’s convenient in that sense. Big plus was free wi-fi in each room.

There’s a restaurant on the premises, basic Germanic fare.

I’m never one to say never, but I shall (probably) not return.

Monopole
Via Fabio Filzi 43
20124 Milan

Stayed one night, 27-Nov-2007

Great location, just about a five minute stroll from the Centrale station. Roomy, nice, comfortable; breakfast left a bit to be desired, but best of all, I got it through venere for just 35 EUR/night. Free wi-fi in the public areas and several rooms.

I shall (absolutely) return.

Ibis Linz
Kärntner Strasse 18-20
Linz, Austria

Stayed 1 night, 11-Sep-2007

Ibis standard fare, at 58 EUR/night a decent price, BUT breakfast is not included (9 EUR) and there is NO free wi-fi. The location is great, just a two minute walk from the main station.

I shall (probably/maybe) return.

[A variety of booking links]

Ibis Linz, originally uploaded by pirano.

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Sachsenhof
Motzstraße 7
Berlin

Stayed 4 nights, 15-19-Sep 2007

Roomy! Airy! I really enjoyed this place. Great location, just a short walk from the Nollendorfplatz U Bahn stop, nice neighborhood, and a sushi place across the street run by a friendly Vietnamese. Big minus is no internet access, but there’s a cheap internet cafe (open 8 am to midnight) just up the street. With advanced booking, as low as 50 EUR/night.

I shall (absolutely) return.

[A variety of booking links]

Sachsenhof-Berlin, originally uploaded by pirano.

Aristote
Avenue de Stalingrad 7
Brussels

Stayed 3 nights, 12-13-14-Sep 2007

As you can see, it’s fairly utilitarian; some would say cozy. My room was tiny, and its lone window opened up to an unfortunate view of a walled in stairway. Breakfast was basic but OK; big pluses were free wi-fi in the quaint lobby, its decent central location, and nearby tram stations. A pair of friendly neighborhood pubs/cafes across the street. For 68 EUR/night, you can probably do better in Brussels with enough advance searching.

Over all, just OK. I shall (maybe) return.

[A variety of booking links]

aristote-brussels, originally uploaded by pirano.

Stella
Via Castelfidardo 51
Rome

Stayed three nights, 11-14 July 2007.

There’s no shortage of relatively cheap places to lay your weary head in the Italian capital. There seem to be hundreds of hotels and pensions just within a four or five block radius of the main Termini station. That’s always most convenient for me, and that’s where I look.

The Stella (60 EUR/night) is a leisurely 10-minute walk from Termini, close enough for convenience sake and just far enough to escape the loud bustle. Clean, if somewhat small rooms, polite and helpful staff (although they’ve yet to master the difference between Slovenia and Slovakia). The shower is tiny. You can check your email for free in a room next to reception. Breakfast is >very< basic, but enough to get you moving. The closest metro stops –Repubblica and Termini– are about a 10-minute walk away. There’s a decent pub next door, and a terrific “African” (read, Ethiopian) restaurant just around the corner.

I shall (probably/maybe) return.

Stella’s Venere.com page.

La Croisée
Avenue Marc Dufour 15
Lausanne, Switzerland

Stayed one night, 10-July 2007

If there’s anything cheap in Switzerland, I have yet to find it. So La Croisée, at 110 CHF/night (66 EUR) has to be considered a good deal. A pleasant 10-minute walk from the main station (except if it’s pouring rain and unseasonably cold like it was the morning I arrived). Very friendly staff, comfortable rooms, AND FREE wi-fi throughout.

Entirely smoke-free, but you can light up on the balcony with a great view of Lac Leman, the lake Deep Purple calls Lake Geneva. It also serves as a boarding house for international students.

I shall (absolutely) return.

La Croisée’s Venere.com page.

Hotel Geblergasse
Geblergasse 21
Vienna

Stayed two nights, 30-31-Jan 2007

At just 34 EUR/night, I can’t say enough about this place. The rooms were fairly basic but clean, the staff helful if a bit surly. But it was only 34 EUR/night, for a major international city. Convenience reigns –it’s a two-minute stroll to/from the Alser Strasse metro stop; depending on timing of metro connections, you can get from the lobby to the Westbahnhof station metro stop in less than 15 minutes. AND there’s free (!!) internet connections in each room (but bring your own network cable) as well a few free computers in the lobby.

I shall (absolutely) return.

Geblergasse’s Venere.com page.