Spendthrift Shoestring

Germanwings to Kyiv

I forecasted this one, however tentatively, back in December! Germanwings will fly from Berlin and Cologne/Bonn to Kyiv beginning in October. Thanks to Air Scoop for the buzz.

London: Visiting Hotels

I've spent many weekdays over the last few weeks visiting and reviewing hotels in London for EuroCheapo. I've visited and reviewed hotels for the site in ten cities. In chronological order, they are: Dublin, Stockholm, Berlin, Munich, Athens, Krakow, Bratislava, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and now London.

Visiting hotels for the purpose of reviewing them is, frankly, a fascinating experience. In addition to figuring out which hotels in the city in question are any good, you learn about the shape of the labor force, various local customs and patterns, and how hotels fit into the tourist economy. You learn very quickly about management styles, and from a range of sources, too: managers, receptionists, and the cleaning staff. It's not always fun to visit and review hotels, but it's always undeniably interesting.

It turns out that reviewing hotels in London is—how shall I put this?—not exactly a walk in the park. I'll save my reflections on dynamics at hand for the EuroCheapo London city guide hotel scene roundup. For now, I'll just share an experience I had at a hotel (nameless for now, though you'll soon be able to read about it here) I visited earlier today. With its decent nightly rates, original style, and personable staff, it fits the bill for EuroCheapo hands down. But what was most remarkable about my experience there was the fact that I was offered a coffee at the close of my visit by the Greek Cypriot manager. He apologetically acknowledged that he was "crap" at making coffee, unless, he brightened up, I wanted a freddo. When in Nicosia, I thought. He made me a freddo and I drank it there in the hotel lounge, happier than I should have been, all the while remembering with great fondness how much caffeine-driven fun I had visiting hotels in Athens.