Welcome to another edition of Prices of the Places I’ve Stayed! If you haven’t checked out the others, make sure to go read the U.K. and Ireland and then the United States editions after you get done reading this one! The last one (for now…) will cover my stays in Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. I took this trip in September 2019. It’s my last big trip that I have taken so I am itching to plan and take another one hopefully sometime soon. But for now, I will look back and share the cost of my accommodations. Like with the others, I will first discuss what I paid and then what it is pricing today. Let’s get started!
My first stop on my second international solo trip was Paris! I will admit that I was skeptical about traveling here. I’m sure we have all heard rumors about the locals being rude and other horror stories, but there is so much to see and do, so I had to check it out for myself. Sure, I had a few hiccups from falling for a tourist scam to one rude Parisian, but I had so many good and memorable encounters that outweigh the bad. When I started planning this trip, I knew I wanted to stay at hostels and Airbnbs. While I was in Paris, I stayed in three different places: one hostel and two Airbnbs. Don’t get confused by its name, Hotel Madrigal is actually a hostel. I only stayed for one night so it was the perfect place for what I needed. They even had a dog! I stayed in a six-bed female-only dorm and paid $52. They did have toilets and showers in the room. For today’s pricing, I looked at staying on a Monday night in September, which was costing $67 for one night. Next, I stayed at an Airbnb. The reason I stayed at two Airbnbs in Paris is that I had been planning to travel to a site outside of Paris and stay there a night or two, then decided I wanted to spend more time in Paris. It was a private room with a bathroom, which is my preference, so it was exactly what I wanted. I stayed two nights here and paid $93. It is still available and for the same days of the week that I stayed in September, it is pricing at $95. The last and favorite place I stayed in Paris was another Airbnb with the nicest host! I also stayed here for two nights. It was a private room with a bathroom. I went to Disneyland Paris one of the days I stayed there and the next morning, the host provided a Minnie Mouse bowl for me to eat the free breakfast provided! For the two nights, I paid $128. This Airbnb is also still available. Right now, for the same days of the week in September, it is pricing at $143. I would definitely return to Paris and by the looks of it, pay almost the same prices for accommodations as I did in 2019!
After the city of lovers, I made my way to Brussels. If I remember correctly, I don’t think I did much research on this city. I know, a rookie mistake, but I knew I was spending less than 24 hours here and I had the mindset that I would do the few things I wanted to do and spend the rest of the time getting lost in the adventure. One thing I did my digging on was the location of my hostel. I booked 2GO4 Quality Hostel Grand Place. You can just walk out of the hostel and you are in the liveliest part of the city! I booked this since I knew I wouldn’t have much time here and wanted to soak it all in. I will say though that the check-in process can be a little confusing as there is also another 2GO4 location and this is where you check-in at. I stayed in a six-bed female-only dorm for one night and paid $46. While researching what this place would cost now, it looks like they now require a two-night minimum during the weekends. I stayed on a Saturday and only stayed one night. So in this insistence, I will give both a one and a two-night price. For a six-bed female-only dorm on a weekday, it was pricing at $32 for one night. For the same type of room on the weekend, it was pricing at $63 for two nights. To be transparent, I did not care for Brussels. I don’t know if I didn’t spend enough time there or if it was how my time was spent there, but when I go back to Belgium, I think I’ll explore other towns and cities.
To finish my trip, I stayed in Amsterdam for five days. I stayed at a hostel for two days and then at an Airbnb for the remainder of my days. The hostel I stayed in was Generator Amsterdam. It had a restaurant and bar inside and a club in the basement. I know I had fish and chips one of the nights I was there and it was delicious. It was also right by a park that I walked through one morning before I started my day. For the two nights I stayed there, I paid $63. Now when I look to book the same days of the week in September, it is pricing at $108 for two nights. The final place that I stayed was an Airbnb that was on the water! One thing Amsterdam is known for is its canals and this place was on one of the bigger ones! The easiest way to get here is to get on a ferry behind the central train station and after you get off the ferry it is about a 15-minute walk to the Airbnb. For the three nights I stayed, I paid $403. I splurged a little on this one, I know. I think I was running out of time and this was one of the cheapest places I was finding. Today, for the same days of the week, it was pricing at $437 for three nights, so not too much more.
For the first time, all of the places I’ve stayed are still available to book today! With my other two blog pieces I’ve done, where some of the places were no longer available, it surprised me that they were when you consider it’s been three years since I have stayed at these places and we have also been through a pandemic. Back in 2019, for the six places I stayed for 12 nights, I paid $831 total, which is about $70 per night. When I priced those same places for the same days of the week, during the same month I traveled, the total is $898. If you have now read all of my editions of prices of the places I’ve stayed, you see one glaring difference: the places I’ve stayed in the United States are way more expensive now than what they were when I stayed in them, but the places I’ve stayed in Europe are only a little bit more or in one case cheaper! I have loved doing these comparisons and looking back on my memories of these great places! Below are the links for the places I’ve stayed in Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam!
Hotel Madrigal: https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Hotel-Madrigal/Paris/290501?from=2023-02-08&to=2023-02-10&guests=1
Paris Airbnb: https://abnb.me/DGK9VS82Jub
Paris Airbnb: https://abnb.me/4txbnZc3Jub
2GO4 Quality Hostel Grand Place: https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Brussels-2GO4-Quality-Hostel-Grand-Place/Brussels/25260?from=2023-02-08&to=2023-02-10&guests=1
Generator Amsterdam: https://www.hostelworld.com/pwa/hosteldetails.php/Generator-Amsterdam/Amsterdam/265063?from=2023-02-08&to=2023-02-10&guests=1
Amsterdam Airbnb: https://abnb.me/ZAqi3Ve3Jub
Lost in the Adventure 