Book early for cheap deals in Newcastle
February 28th, 2009
Its amazing the price difference in some rooms if you are prepared to book early! I have seen some reductions of up to 50% on certain hotels in Newcastle and i think this is true of all seasons and not just at peak times. You can usually apply this strategy to your flight over as well as the hotel room so you should always seek to combine the two and book at the same time. It really makes me wonder sometimes why people book a flight weeks or even months before hand and then expect to book a cheap hotel in Newcastle the week before they arrive!
It also makes sense to book early for other reasons as it allows you to plan what you are going to do much better. I know many people still like the idea of just turning up somewhere and seeing what happens but i still think there is something to be said for a little bit of planning. This is especially true for the peak seasons when the city sees a major influx of tourists and visitors and many of the top events and attractions become overbooked.
Newcastle is probably most famous for its football team but don’t expect to turn up the weekend that they are playing and get a cheap pair of tickets! With such as large fan base in the city tickets for home games are very hard to come by especially if you leave it too late. Expect to pay between 3 and 4 times the face value for average seats at st James park for a home game.
As mentioned all of these problems can be solved if you book ahead of time. Not only will you have a more stress free holiday but also probably a cheaper one.
Cut back on costs to find a cheap hotel
February 15th, 2009
Newcastle has one of the most famous (if not successful) football teams in the country and has many people flying in every fortnight to watch one of the local games at St James Park. For many finding a cheap hotel will make the difference between going and not. I think the most important thing to think about is what facilities you absolutely have to have in any prospective hotel and what things you can do without. For many football fans a discount hotel is a must and so they can often be the most determined bargain hunters. The first thing you want to keep in mind are the many smaller hotels that are just a small distance from the city centre. For example the Swallow Imperial hotel is just a 4 minute taxi drive from the main city but offers a much better room rate than those closer to the main attractions. When i stayed there last autumn the service and the price were both great and the rooms were better than many more expensive hotels around the bigger cities that i have stayed in.
People also always say to me how important the essentials are to them such as breakfast in the morning but i think to a large number of people visiting the town its not actually that relevant. For example if you are going for a heavy night out in the clubs and bars such as Tiger Tiger at the Gate or the Mushroom bar in the centre of town you are never going to be up in time. When you think about it, it makes sense if you are out till 3 at night that you will never be up before breakfast service finishes at 11. As such this often represents wasted money as you are paying for a service you are not taking advantage of. Its worth thinking about all of these expenses when you are booking a hotel and what things you can cut back on in an effort to save money.
Map of hotels in Newcastle
January 31st, 2009
Many people are just like me in that if they don’t know a city very well its hard to visualise just how close the hotels in it are to the city centre and other important attractions. This is why i love google maps so much because it allows me to quickly see the entire city at any scale i want. Using the map below means finding cheap hotels in Newcastle no longer needs to be confusing and in a few clicks you could find your ideal hotel.
Finding cheap deals on the web
January 18th, 2009
These days everyone is looking for cheap deals on hotels but most people don’t actually know what they are looking for or the right way to find a great deal. The first thing to realise that hotel prices can vary greatly and not just between hotels but often in the same hotel and even for the same room. Its not uncommon to find a hotel room as much as 50% cheaper by using a different method to book. Price comparison sites have sprung up all over the internet and offer you the chance to search hundreds of hotels at the click of a button.
The first thing to keep in mind when you are searching on one of the websites is to make sure you are comparing exactly the same deals. For example its not uncommon to find the price comparison sites hiding some taxes and other charges that you will eventually have to pay, so always read the small print. You also need to look at the different date ranges that it is possible to book on. You could find massive savings if you are prepared to stay at off-peak times or even on a strange date like checking in on a Sunday night. Hotels are always keen to offload empty rooms when they are running at low capacity so its worth putting a few different dates into your search and see what you find.
What to look for in a cheap hotel
January 17th, 2009
What information do you use when deciding on a cheap hotel in Newcastle Upon Tyne? Its a difficult question but an important one if you are to have a happy stay. One of the first things to think about is the location that you require. Is it essential that you are in the city centre or are you happy to commute into the city when needed? Its worth noting that when you stay on the outskirts of the city you may have better access to some of the activities going on outside Newcastle and the surrounding area, as some don’t realise how bad the traffic can get in the centre and have to fight their way out. You also need to calculate up the cost of travelling into the city every and work out if the saving you may make on hotel price is worth it. Even if you choose not to travel by taxi public transport can still be quite expensive and sometimes unreliable.
You also need to think about what extra facilities you are paying for in a potential hotel and if you are going to make full use of them on your visit. There is no point in paying for an expensive hotel that comes with gym and swimming pool if you have no intention of using it. Also things like full and half board have to be weighed into any potential hotel booking as paying for food that you are not around to appreciate can quickly eat up your holiday budget. Many people visit Newcastle to see its famous football team in action so a cheap hotel for the weekend is a must, if you follow some of the simple advice on this site you are sure to find it!