Tower Bridge, London, UK by Trey Ratcliff

1. One of the things that you first have to get straight concerning London is the fact that there are very few off-season periods. No matter what time of year it is, travelers are coming from around the world in order to visit this historic city for one reason or another. Because of that fact, you’ll not find many times of the year that the London hotels aren’t busy, and some times of the year there aren’t any bookings to be had.

2. The next most important thing that you need to know about booking London hotels is the fact that there is a large variety of different ones stretched out all over the city. If you’re looking for the most posh hotels in London, then you’re going to want to check out the offerings in the middle of the city, or Central London as it is known, as this is where all of the luxury hotels reside. These hotels are only for those individuals who have the budgets to afforded, as you won’t find anything better in regards to luxury, comfort, and overall decadence. If you are able to swing it however, chances are you’re going to have an experience that you won’t soon forget as you will be catered to by a plethora of luxurious services that only these posh hotels offer. Many of the amenities include spas, swimming pools, and the finest of fare from world-class chefs.

If you don’t have the budget to afford one of these posh and exclusive hotels in London, then you might be better off opting for one of the more affordable options that will provide you with nice accommodations at a price that is affordable. This will allow you to spend the remainder of your vacation money on traveling around London and seeing all the sights. None of these affordable options are going to be located in central London, but if you search around Ealing, Finchley, or Dockyards, you can usually find one to suit your budget.

If these moderately priced hotels are more than what you want to afford, then you might be better off searching the outlying areas of the city where they have many of the budget hotels. These are great because they allow you to rent a room for not even half of what you would need to pay for one of the more expensive hotel rooms. The downside of renting out one of these rooms is the fact that the majority of sights that you’re going to want to see in London are quite a distance from these locations so you will have to spend a lot of time traveling around in order to view them. This really shouldn’t be that big of a deal however if you are limited on the amount of money can pay for a hotel room.

3. In order to book one of these cheap hotel rooms in London, there isn’t any need to go visiting every one of them, as the majority of them all have their own website today. All you have to do is look them up online and make an inquiry on how much the rooms are and whether or not they have any rooms available. All of these hotels are going to allow you to book one of their rooms on the web, so finding a room isn’t going to be that difficult as long as you have a credit card and Internet access.

4. While there are not many instances in the London tourist season that would be considered the off-season, occasionally you can get lucky and find a hotel that is offering an online deal for their rooms during their off-season. If you are able to score such a deal, you can save a lot of money on the cost of your room and spend it on other things.

5. Another great way to find some budget or cheap hotels in London would be to put either of those terms into one of your favorite search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. Doing that is sure to provide you with a number of listings of websites that offer services for finding the best deals on hotel rooms in London that will fit into your budget.

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Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic / Photo by admin

Karlovy Vary is also a city of festivals, conferences and seminars, meeting place of important people from the world of politics, science and culture. Since 1946, the year’s most prestigious film festival of the Czech Republic takes place here. It is the most important international film festival of category A in Central and Eastern Europe and the only film festival of category A in the Czech Republic. The atmosphere of the festival, which annually presents the latest films from all around the world, is supplemented by the unique location of the event.

The best of Karlovy Vary

The most famous concepts of Karlovy Vary certainly includes herbal liqueur Becherovka, Mattoni mineral water, Moser glass, spa wafers and Thun porcelain. Karlovy Vary is the biggest spa town in the Czech Republic and Elizabeth’s Spa (Alžbětiny lázně) is one of the largest spa facilities in the country. Spas in Karlovy Vary has more than 600-years old tradition, the spas were (and still are) visited by the guests from more than 80 countries. Mill Colonnade (Mlýnská kolonáda) is the best known and the most popular promenade.

Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic / Photo by admin

The best known source of natural healing is Carlsbad’s Hot Spring (karlovarské Vřídlo). Beautiful view of the city you can enjoy from the observation tower Diana, which serves since 1914 and offers amazing views of the whole town of Karlovy Vary and its surroundings. You can get there on foot, or by a cable car.

The history of spas

The spa town was founded in 1349 by Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV. The fame, the emergence and development of Carlsbad has been inseparably linked to the therapeutic effects of its warm mineral springs. Hot springs on the territory of today’s Karlovy Vary were used for healing long before the establishment of Karlovy Vary. However the first treatment was carried out at the end of the 14th century, when Charles IV. bathed his ill feet in one of the mineral water springs.

Famous hot spring in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic / Photo by admin

Spa enjoyed the favor of many noble families and wealthy burghers already in the 16th century. Due to a series of natural disasters from that time only a few buildings survived. Most devastating natural disaster was the Carlsbad Fire (1604), when only 3 houses were saved. The rest of the city was totally destroyed. Therefore the majority of architectural monuments are from the 18th and 19th century, when the city experienced a period of prosperity.

There are 13 mineral springs with temperatures ranging from 30 °C to 72 °C that are used for spa. The composition of mineral water is unique, as well as its unique beneficial effects on the human organism. It is used for drinking and bathing. Sources have virtually the same mineral content, differing only in temperature and the amount of carbon dioxide. The colder springs usually have a slightly laxative effect, warmer springs have a dampening effect, slowing down the bile and gastric juices.

Elizabeth’s Spa

One of the most beautiful architectural landmarks of Karlovy Vary is Elizabeth’s Spa, located in the Smetana Park. The spa was founded in 1906 and named after Empress Elizabeth – Sissi. Although it is located right in the heart of the city, the spas are an oasis of calm, which creates a park with a fountain.

Sights and attractions in Karlovy Vary

The most important religious monument in the city is definitely the Church of St. Mary Magdalene made by the famous architect Kilian Dientzenhofer. The baroque church was built on the site of the former Gothic church. During the tour, note the valuable altar painting. In the underground of the church there is a unique funeral chapel.

You cannot miss also another important building of the Orthodox Church of St. Peter and Paul from 1898. Its construction model was the church near Moscow. The rich decoration of the church was partially sponsored by wealthy Carlsbad patient of Russian origin. It includes relief of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great.

The town has also a sundial in the pavement at the Carlsbad’s Hot Spring, bearing the Latin sentences Carpe diem.

However you cannot enjoy Karlovy Vary without tasting a traditional herbal liqueur that is produced only here – visit Jan Becher Museum, located directly at the factory. Becherovka was first manufactured in 1807 by Jan Becher in his pharmacy. First, he sold it as stomach drops. The exact list of ingredients was as a family secret passed from father to son. Today, there are only two people who know the recipe for Becherovka. They are preparing a mixture of spices and herbs once a week.

Besides walks on colonnades and Main Street, you could also go to the pleasant forests, which surrounds the spa town. For walking tours, as well as bike trips you can follow 180 kilometers of roads, trails and paths, most of which are named after famous guests of Karlovy Vary.

For a good choice of hotels with discount prices, visit Place to stay in Karlovy Vary for more information.

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