Lodging scorecard
Where I stayed
Target: $100–150 a night, walkable to the core. Would I book it again?
| City | Property | Area | Nights | Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Sep 9 | Hotel Havane Opéra | Grands Boulevards, 9th arr. | 4 | 3/5 | Fine for a solo traveler and I'd stay again, but not somewhere I'd share a room. Dated, no AC, and a one-person elevator up to the 4th floor. You had to leave your key at reception and nobody checked ID when you asked for it back. |
| Florence Sep 13 | La Dimora degli Angeli | Via dei Brunelleschi, by the Duomo | 1 | 5/5 | Great location, great room with AC, friendly staff, and bag storage worked perfectly. I'd stay again, and longer. |
| Rome Sep 14 | Hotel Ascot | Near Termini | 3 | 3/5 | Decent, nothing bad. I'd return but wouldn't seek it out. Great for a solo traveler. Worked great for a short stay. A 5-minute walk from Termini meant almost no hauling luggage, there was a laundry across the street, and the room was good (no AC). For a longer stay I'd base somewhere more central. |
| Venice Sep 17 | Ca' Morosini | Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco | 2 | 5/5 | Great location, really nice facilities, and a window that opened over the square. A great stay. |
| Barcelona Sep 19 | Hostal Mayerling Centro | Sant Pere, edge of the Gothic Quarter | 1 | 3/5 | Fine for a solo traveler on the cheap, but not a place to share a room or to be comfortable. |
| Barcelona Sep 19 | Group Airbnb | Gràcia | 3 | — | Great. Perfect for a group our size (seven of us, Sep 20–23) and very convenient. |
| Majorca Sep 23 | Be Live Adults Only Marivent | Cala Major, Palma | 4 | 5/5 | Right on the beach: walk out to the water, come back to shower, then go out to eat, with lots of good food and a grocery store nearby. The pool and the resort itself are adults only (the beach is public), which was nice and relaxing. Super friendly staff, who booked my 5 a.m. cab to the airport. Breakfast was a standard buffet; I only used it twice. I'd definitely stay again. |
| Lisbon Sep 27 | Figueira House in Beira Minho | Praça da Figueira, Baixa | 3 | 3/5 | Amazing, super-convenient location, and Rosemary was super nice and memorable for her charm. But no AC in hot, humid weather, a noisy window over the square, nothing commercial-grade in the room, and tiny towels (one barely bigger than a washcloth, one a bath mat). The entrance was hard to find because a flower shop fills the entryway by day. Fine solo, but I'd look for another place near that location. |
| London Sep 30 | Hotel Meridiana | King's Cross | 4 | 5/5 | A great location, very convenient for both the Tube and trains. The room was really nice. No AC, but I didn't need it. I'd definitely stay again. |
| Paris CDG Oct 4 | Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport | Roissypole | 1 | — | Definitely a good move. It made the next morning really convenient, which mattered when security took two hours. |