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Having just returned from Seattle, Washington I figured I would share my thoughts on the Ramada Inn on 5th Ave in downtown Seattle, Washington…

The lap of luxury it is not, so if you are looking for an upscale swanky hotel, move along.

First appearances… The hotel looks like it’s in the middle of nowhere, and for all intents and purposes, it was when I arrived at 10:45PM.  There was nothing around the building, and nowhere seemingly to go and eat.  I ended up ordering pizza from a place open till 3am though, which was pretty decent - ask the front desk for a menu if you end up in this hotel.

The room was TINY!  I’m talking maybe 10 feet from wall to wall in width, and probably 15 feet in length.  Now this would be fine if I were paying $75 a night.  Having plopped down the credit card for $170 a night, I was expecting a little more!  Ok, taking that in stride, we move onto the bathroom.  Again, small, but since I’m not going to be spending much time in there, that’s O.K. by me.  It could have done with a little character though… the white walls, white floor, white shower stall (wasn’t there a shower/tub in the picture online?!), all compressed into a 5×4 room made it feel a little institutional.

Having said all this, the room was clean, and I slept well, and the wake up call was on time, so overall, not a bad experience. It is however, a little discouraging seeing what your money can get in Seattle.  Imagine New York City; I would have been in a closet of someone else’s room for that price!

I’m planning a trip to Southeast Asia though, and I hear that you can get hotel rooms for practically nothing outside in Thailand.  Still doing research though, so if anyone has any input, head on over to the boards and speak your piece.

Happy Rambling.

If you are in London or close by, I highly recommend taking Eurostar (the chunnel) over to Paris. If you’re limited on time, you could even go to Paris the day and return the following morning! It’s approximately a 2.5 hour trip, and leaves from the center of London and arrives in the center of Paris. There are other quick options for the hop across the English channel; hydrofoils, ferrys, and of course planes.

That said, not much can beat the convenience of the Eurostart direct line. Leaving from St Pancras International station at regular intervals, you arrive in Paris Gare du Nord. For those not familiar with Paris, Gare du Nord is approximately 10 minutes drive from the Louvre. You could stop over in Paris, have lunch, see The Mona Lisa, grab dinner, then be back in London the following morning.

Additionally, once you’re in Paris, you can then take trains elsewhere within Europe. I personally have taken a train from London to Paris (Eurostar), then a train from Paris to Rome (overnight 15 hour ride).

It should be noted that travel within Europe is far easier than within the USA. The network of transportation is both more extensive, and cheaper.

If you have any thoughts on train travel in other regions of the world, or comments regarding Eurostar, head on over to the forums to let us all know about it.

This blog has been created to share stories, news, and other travel information. I will attempt to keep it interesting and enlightening, and with that in mind, if anyone is interested in being a regular writer, please let me know by emailing me at rob(at)ramblerboards.com.

I intend to find interesting places to visit, helpful resources for planning affordable travel, and any news which might impact travel.