| Don Nadeau, the president of BidonTravel.com, | | | | Marin County coastline toward San Francisco, |
| often discusses how to bid on Priceline | | | | with stops in charming Sausalito and the |
| hotels, but here he talks about location as | | | | redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument |
| another powerful way to save on hotel rooms. | | | | before heading over the Golden Gate Bridge. |
| | | | |
| When you're planning to spend some time in or | | | | That night, you could even end up dining at |
| near a place like Boston, Zurich, London, or | | | | one of the many fabulous San Francisco |
| San Francisco, you can save by not staying in | | | | restaurants using money you'd saved on |
| the same hotel every night. | | | | hotels! You'd be staying in San Francisco two |
| | | | nights. |
| And, even if you're just spending a couple of | | | | |
| nights, you can sometimes save as much as 50 | | | | After your last night in San Francisco, you |
| - 70% by choosing the right hotel location, | | | | wouldn't need to head out right away. You |
| as explained below. | | | | could still spend most of the day exploring |
| | | | the city. |
| Let's say you're a couple planning a trip to | | | | |
| the San Francisco Bay Area for a special | | | | Then, timing your drive before or after any |
| occasion. | | | | rush hour traffic, you could take scenic |
| | | | southbound Interstate 280, which runs in a |
| You would like to spend the week: | | | | greenbelt along a ridge, giving you views of |
| | | | San Francisco Bay. Near San Jose, you'd |
| - visiting wineries, | | | | switch to State Highway 85 and then U.S. 101, |
| | | | and continue toward Carmel and Monterey. |
| - hiking in Point Reyes National Seashore and | | | | |
| Muir Woods, | | | | In the Carmel and Monterey area, you would |
| | | | have a choice: |
| - exploring Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey, and | | | | |
| | | | You could either use some of your hotel |
| - experiencing the highlights of San | | | | savings to stay in a fantastically romantic |
| Francisco. | | | | place, such as the Tickle Pink Inn along the |
| | | | shore, or continue to save by booking a |
| It would be simple for you to book seven | | | | quality place inland. |
| nights in a San Francisco hotel. After all, | | | | |
| you would be within an easy day's drive of | | | | For the latter, the ultimate hotel money |
| everything you want to see. | | | | saver in the Carmel and Monterey area is the |
| | | | nearby town of Salinas. |
| However, seven nights in a San Francisco | | | | |
| hotel would be expensive-and even more so as | | | | The Grapes of Wrath no longer haunt John |
| you probably want an especially nice place | | | | Steinbeck's Salinas. It's become a pleasant |
| for this trip. And, on top of that, you would | | | | working-class town with a center city that |
| have to pay about $30 - 45 a day for parking | | | | people enjoy in the evening. |
| in a safe area. | | | | |
| | | | Salinas puts you a mere 25 minutes from |
| Instead, why not spend the first three nights | | | | Carmel, but in a different price range |
| closer to the Wine Country and the national | | | | altogether. |
| seashore? | | | | |
| | | | So, what have you done here? You've had three |
| You could book a very nice resort-style hotel | | | | nights in Santa Rosa, two in San Francisco, |
| in or near Santa Rosa for a fraction of the | | | | and two in the Monterey area. |
| cost of a similar hotel in San Francisco. | | | | |
| | | | Not only have you saved a lot on hotels-even |
| You would end up really close to many of the | | | | if you splurged in Carmel-you've also saved a |
| finest Napa Valley wineries, the Calistoga | | | | lot of time commuting from a San Francisco |
| hot springs spas, and even the exceptional | | | | hotel. This is time you've been able to use |
| restaurant of the Culinary Institute of | | | | visiting fun and memorable places, rather |
| America. Moreover, you'd be just a few | | | | than on the road. |
| minutes from beautiful Point Reyes National | | | | |
| Seashore. | | | | When saving money helps you have a better |
| | | | vacation, you have travel savings at its |
| Then, after your last night in Santa Rosa, | | | | finest. |
| you could enjoy a scenic drive along the | | | | |