Italian nights
No, this is not gonna be an entry about Italian nightlife, but about how and where it is best (or not best) to arrange your stay (actually it probably applies to other countries, not just Italy).
My first choice before the trip was couchsurfing.
Pros:
- Meet new people
- Cheap (that is - without cost)
- Not experienced before
- So far the 2 guys we met were really nice
Cons:
- You should arrive when the host is at home, that is you are not the master of your time
- If something goes wrong and you don`t meet your host, you need a plan B
Then there`s Bed & Breakfast
Pros:
- Cheaper than a hotel
- More private feeling
- In comparison to Couchsurfing you have more of your own privacy
Cons:
- Quality varies
- You don`t really know what to expect
- Very often - comes with a shared bathroom
Hostels...
Pros:
- Cheap (when in a dorm)
Cons:
- Everything else :)
Hotels:
So far we stayed at one hotel, it is ok and altough I had made a terrible mix-up of our arrival dates, it turned out more or less nicely. Pros - hotel usually means some kind of quality and some level of confidence.
Current status:
I just sent booking requests to 2 beds and breakfasts for some of our last nights, and I don`t know yet if they have free places (that is a minus for the biggest Italian B&B booking website - unlike booking.com it doesn`t show if there are rooms available). If I get no reply from these guys by tomorrow, there will be no other option than a hotel left.