Denver - LA - a Finn needs help :)

[Midwest Michael]

I think some of the questions you're asking have already been answered earlier in this thread, so you might want to start by rereading some of the advice you've already been given. You probably should also take a look at several articles in the planning section of this website, especially the international visitors topic.

$60-70 is a pretty average price for a budget to midrange room, but that's going to vary quite a bit based on other factors like location and time. If you are looking for a room on the vegas strip or a on the California Coast, you could be paying much more. Reservations are a personal preference as much as anything else. You don't always need to have them, but if you've got a preference to stay at a specific place and since you need multiple rooms, it wouldn't hurt to make them in advance. If you think your trip could be changing, find out what the cancellation policy is.

A contiental breakfast generally means coffee and juice with donuts/bread/rolls. There can really be a pretty big spread on what this means, but generally, the nicer the motel, the nicer the options.

ATMs are available at banks, gas stations, grocery stores, etc. They are very easy to come by, although bank ATM will usually have the lowest fees.

FastPasses at Disney are free and available at most of the more popular rides.

[AZBuck]

1) $60-70 is a relatively standard rate for a relatively standard room in a non-resort area. You should occasionally find rooms for less although the quality may not be as good, and will sometimes have to pay more in areas and at times when there a lot of tourists.

2) I usually book mine several weeks in advance if I know when and where I'll be, but unless you're in a popular area (as above) you can usually find a vacant room on the fly without too much trouble.

3) If you really know the dates you'll be there, do some on-line shopping ahead of time and lock in any particularly good rate you find. If you find something better at a later date, you can almost always cancel a reservation with 24-48 hours notice. Check the cancellation policy whenever you book a room. But Santa Barbara in June is one of those places/times when things might get booked up.

4) Rooms can be booked by phone, either to the motel chain's headquarters or to the desk at the actual motel. I prefer the later, and get the full name of the person making the reservation as well as the confirmation number. You can also usually book on line, again get the confirmation #. Most hotels taking on-line bookings will send you an e-mail confirmation. Print it out and bring it with you.

5) You will be asked to present a credit card number when making the reservation, but should not be charged until you actually stay. There is no need to pay beforehand.

6) Visa Electron is not used or recognized in the United States. If you can get or already have a standard Visa or MasterCard credit card, that is what you want. One or the other is practically de rigueur for travel in North America.

7) 8) 9) Other than giving you generic, cheesy warnings such as "avoid South L.A." the best advice is to follow your instincts. If you get into an area that makes you feel uncomfortable, just drive on the mains streets until you are in a better neighborhood. If you are worried about booking a motel in an undesirable neighborhood, use Google Earth to take a virtual walk down the streets around your prospective hotel and decide accordingly.

10) There will be "Rest Areas" about every 25-50 miles on the major Interstate Highways, but as a rule there are not a lot of public restrooms in America. However, for a nominal purchase, say a cup of coffee, you can use the restrooms in the practically ubiquitous fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King and the like. Also restrooms in public buildings such as libraries, town halls, etc are available as are those in many public parks.

11) As noted above, most motels allow cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.

12) No idea.

13) ATM's are everywhere and support most of the major international banking networks such as Interlink, Plus, Star, and the like.

14) A Continental Breakfast is basically just juice, coffee and breads such as buns or bagels. Some may include cereal and fruit but none will include eggs or breakfast meats unless they specifically say so.

15) Complimentary means free - included in the cost of your room.

16) In my neck of the desert, yes. But I have never gotten close to one without it making its presence known well before I was close enough for it to strike. They don't want to bother with you any more than you want to bother with them. Still, keep an eye out and if you are camping in the desert, be sure to check all items of clothing, including your sleeping bag, before putting them on or getting in.

AZBuck

[ellinorah]

Hi!

We are a family of 6 persons, (from Europe) and we will be spending two nights in Vegas in June. We need to find a hotel that is located on the Strip, not too expensive, but it has got to be one of those iconic "Vegas hotels".. so right now we are seriously considering the Luxor, it seems like a fun and exciting hotel.. but I´ve read some seriously negative comments on tripadvisor recently, so now I really don´t know what to think.

Please, take into consideration that our demands are not that high, what we are looking for is something fun, big and Vegas-like without having to spend all our money. We are also not in Vegas to gamble, so we don´t care about the casino. Would you then recommend the Luxor or do you think it´s a bad choice?

[Midwest Michael]

The Luxor would have to qualify as an iconic Vegas hotel. The one things I would note about it is the location. It is on the very south end of the strip, so you'll have to travel a bit farther if you want to visit the other hotel casinos, of course, that could also drive the price down a little bit from the options closer to the center of the strip.

Otherwise, the other sites you are looking at should give you a pretty good sample of people who have actually stayed in the specific motel. I would just take things with a little bit of salt, as people are more likely to complain about a bad experience then write to praise a good one. Take a look at the specifics of the complaint and try to determine if it is a significant issue that would affect you, or if its more of a case of a person not having their expecations met.


ps- in case you haven't noticed the several notes added to your previous posts, if you have more questions about this trip, please post them in this thread and stop creating new threads. You're going to get much better advice if people know the whole story about your trip.

[glc]

I have stayed in the Luxor, and it is quite satisfactory, I would rate the room quality as the equivalent of a mid-priced chain hotel such as a Best Western. If you can get a good deal, go for it. The only surprise you may encounter is their fee for Internet access. When I was there (admittedly about 5 years ago), there was a cable modem in the room, and it was $10 a day to use it.

It's not that difficult to walk the Strip, but I would try to budget some extra for taking taxis if needed. You will need a taxi if you want to go to the old downtown or to off-Strip attractions, trying to drive yourself and find parking is a real pain.

[ellinorah]

Thank you for your advice concerning Luxor.


Midwest Michael -> I´m SO sorry for causing trouble. I haven´t noticed the small notes until now, for some reason. I didn´t know that all messages concerning one trip should be in one thread. The Las Vegas question was very specific, so I thought it belonged in the Vegas section..bla bla.... I´m such a newbie in here.

Anyway. Thanks guys for all of your help and patience with my stupid questions... I appreciate it very much. I DO read all of your answers and I don´t mean to offend anyone OR ask the same questions twice. And, your answers are VERY helpful!


I´ve looked up safe/unsafe areas in the cities I asked you about... however we didn´t have any buiness in these parts of the cities anyway. And criminal/dangerous people can be found anywhere anyway, so. Please understand that America is a new environment for us, we come from a very small town with a low crime rate, no one carries guns here except hunters... :) I guess it is easy as a tourist to become too tense about this stuff.

I have read a lot since my last post and I know much more about US culture & daily life now.
I´m really looking forward to our trip.

... Hopefully we do not catch the swine flu.