How to Find the Best Accommodation
In this post I will share my personal method on how to find the best accommodation. By the words how to find the BEST accommodation I mean you will get as close as possible to your ideal accommodation at the best possible price and without spending too much time on it.
When I have a good internet connection it usually takes me about ten minutes to choose and book accommodation, twenty at the most.
Featured Image: The Lighthouse Resort in Bagasbas Beach.
Right Image: Las Veranas beach-front accommodation in Panama.
How to Find the Best Accommodation
1. Set Your Budget
Before you start looking, set yourself a maximum amount you are willing to spend on a single nights accommodation.
2. Decide What Your Require
What amenities do you require? Have two lists. One for “must have” things and one for “would be nice” things.
For example, a private bathroom and a good location might be things you absolutely must have. Free wifi, a pool, and free breakfast might be some things that you would like to have but if they don’t fit in your budget then you are willing to sacrifice them.
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3. Search Hotels Combined
Hotelscombined.com is by far my favorite accommodation booking site. You may have realized this because I promote them almost exclusively when it comes to accommodation. They deserve it. They don’t just compare the accommodations like most booking sites, they compare all the major booking sites. This means the number of properties in the system is all the booking sites combined and you get the very best price from all of them.
Here’s how I use HotelsCombined.com.
Search the place you need to stay in.
Make sure the price is including taxes (top right of the search results).
Sort the results by customer votes.
Choose the first place on the list that is in your price range. If it does not meet your “must have” criteria then try the next property in your price range.
When you have found two that meet your criteria choose which one you like best.
Compare the winner to the next property that meets your “must have” criteria in your price range.
Repeat this process until the postiive ratings get to less than 80%.
Book the winner.
4. In Remote Locations
Sometimes hotelscombined.com may not have anything in the place you are going to, or nothing in your price range. Here’s what I do in this case, and usually in this order:
Lonely Planet.
Wikitravel.org.
Look on my GPS to see what accommodation it shows and then google them.
Couchsurfing.
Do you have your own method on how to find the best accommodation? Share it (or anything else you want to say) in the comments 
