When you book your hotel, what is the main thing that you consider? Initially it is likely to be the general location. Then perhaps you will narrow it down by the major facilities that you require such as a pool, and then by price. Thinking about location is important, but very often people can become a little obsessive about the specific vicinity or proximity to key amenities, and this can have a detrimental effect on the price that they end up paying.

It is obvious that a hotel situated right on the beach front will charge a significantly higher rate than one which is half a mile or so back from the beach. Similarly, those situated right in the heart of the city will charge extortionate rates compared to those on the outskirts. Yet, this seems slightly strange when you consider that it is highly unlikely that you will actually be spending much time in the hotel staring out of the window and enjoying the expensive view. It is far more likely that you will be leaving the hotel as soon as you possibly can to be part of the view you would have been admiring.

If you have a hotel which is a couple of miles from the beach then, unless you enjoy a good long walk each day, you will probably end up using some kind of transport – either buses or taxis. It could be that the reduced price of the hotel compared to one which is nearer the beach will be compensated by the price you need to pay for the transport, and this could result in no net gain at all.

However, a hotel which is only half a mile or a mile away will mean that you will not really need to use transport to get to the beach, since you can easily walk. But you will also have saved a massive amount of money compared to the beach front hotels. Striking a careful balance between being right next to where you want to visit, and being too far away will give you the optimum location to allow you to strike a balance between convenience and expense.

The hotel itself may give you a description which is not altogether helpful when judging its location. It may well declare that it has beach views, yet a hotel six miles away on top of a hill could claim just as much. You can telephone a hotel to ask specifically how far they are from the beach or other tourist attractions. A more accurate way of doing this however would be to use something along the lines of either Google Earth or other online mapping system, which will allow you to identify the exact location of the hotel. It will also allow you to identify exactly how far it is from certain other locations, and even print out a map to show you how to reach those locations.

This might all seem a little petty, but if you can save $ 10 to $ 15 a night on your hotel trip, then you could consider that you will be getting the equivalent of free drinks each evening with dinner. If given that incentive, regardless of price, you would probably have no second thoughts about booking that particular hotel!