To ask what is the best BUDGET hotel you've stayed at (UK preferably)

[Couldhavebeenme2]

Inspired by another thread with eye-wateringly expensive hotels, what are your best BUDGET hotel/accommodation experiences? Especially for us who have had a wonderful surprise when eeking out every last penny to treat ourselves/the kids to a break away from the daily grind!

Mine was YHA York in lockdown - the room had a mezzanine which the kids were thrilled about, and got to sleep upstairs where they could see the stars through the velux window (OK I am bigging this up but hey ho, completely exceeded my expectations for £29 a night for the 3 of us)

Premier Inn, always reliable in my experience (I've stayed in a lot!) and if you can get one for £29 a night you're laughing!

Premier inn def. I've never had a room at £29 but I know u can get them at times. Beds so comfy and everything clean. Stayed in about 4/5 different ones.

Travelodge is alright too, a bit more basic but I did once get a room in Edinburgh city centre for £10 on a Sunday night. Ok it was basic but comfortable bed and a HUGE room. It cost me about £20 for parking 😂 so double the room price but still bargain overall.

Definitely premier inn. We're currently at one in London. £120 for 2 nights including breakfast for 4. Can't beat it!!

I've also stayed in some great YHA places.

Another vote for Premiere Inn. Clean. Good locations. Usually free parking. Cheap.

Any premier inn!

I love a Premier inn too. In the past we’ve had Birmingham for £35 and London for £70.

Premier Inn - love it - kids love the free breakfast

Also Novotel in France - good sized family rooms, free toys, always a pool and free breakfast for kids - regardless of how many adults pay for one - great as a single parent -€10 feeds the three of us

Bath Waterside Travelodge. We had a lovely room overlooking the canal boats going through the locks.

Another vote for Premier Inn.

I booked one when I had to travel to the other end of the country for a funeral. My room was huge, absolutely spotless, had a lovely big bath, incredibly comfy bed, was very quiet (triple glazed) and I've paid 3 times as much for rooms not a quarter as good.

Yes, when we've been travelling down to the south west from the north east we often break the journey up at the Premier Inn in Leicester, can't remember its name, but usually ~£30 for the four of us, big room, clean, very pleasant. I'm always amazed.

Yes - Premier Inn. I love knowing exactly what I'm going to get, having had many grubby broom cupboards with views of the car park in more expensive hotels (Hotel Du Vin, I'm looking at you!).

Ha ha, yes it's Premier Inn. In the halcyon days when I travelled occasionally for work, I amazed my colleagues by always choosing PI when in London. Reason being that rooms were a decent size, and bed and room quality is always of a reasonable standard. The travel lodges in London can be very mixed.

The Staycity in York.. its an aparthotel so you get a bedroom, kitchenette with proper oven/table and a sofa. Breakfast was downstairs, but in the evening if you didn’t fancy eating out you could grab food from the co-op (also downstairs) and cook and eat in comfort in your room. Plus secure parking .. I think it only cost about £90 a night with an offer. I’d definitely go back.

YHA edale. Amazing price for an en suite family room, stunning scenery, decent breakfast (even with vegan options) and loved that there was a cosy living room with books and board games. They also had a kitchen for guests (as well as a cafe which opened for breakfast and dinner) and allowed you to BYOB so it was a ridiculously cheap break.

So has anyone had any outstanding views, or locations, or anything just a bit more special about particular Premier Inns or similar? I'm an expert in grungy car park views, or 'close to transport links' experiences, hit me with somewhere that will impress with more than just price

Holiday Inn beside the zoo at Edinburgh. Granted it has been a few years since but we had a massive room, we had white robes and slippers, fridge with goodies and a table to play a board game on (even with the pull out sofa pulled out) kids loved the space and hearing the zoo animals next door through the night and it was only £50 a night. However I have stayed since and had a small room with none of the above so I'm not sure how to actually get that experience again!

Cardiff Bay Premium Inn. You may not get great views but it is a stones throw away from the Bay with the restaurants and lovely walk, and the parking is free. You can get the river boat taxi into the city centre for peanuts. There is also a cinema 2 mins away if you want something to do with children in the evening. Great place.

In France we love Apart'city - don't know if the whole chain is this good, but the one in Bordeaux was great. Brilliant value for a family with a little kitchen if you have fussy eaters, and a pool on the roof.

Premier Inn Albert Dock Liverpool. Gorgeous period building, fabulous views over the Dock and the world famous friendly, funny Scouse staff.

I was just about to come back on and say Premier Inn Liverpool Docks. Worth it for the building and location alone - though if I remember correctly you have to pay extra to park there which always annoys me. I could be wrong.

We had a room at one of the Premier Inns in Bournemouth that had a fantastic sea view. A lovely unexpected surprise as we hadn’t realised when we booked it.

We’ve always found Premier Inn to be very good as budget hotels go. Clean, tidy, comfortable.

I've only had one bad experience at a Premier Inn and they immediately refunded me the entire fee. Can't fault them really.

Did Premier Inn on the outskirts of Cambridge for £67 for 2 nights and free parking last weekend. What we saved on the room, we could afford to spend on buses and taxis. The location isn't fantastic and there is some road noise from the A14 but I slept like a log and the staff were lovely. All the central hotels wanted £400 plus extra for parking, cashing in on graduations, so this was a bargain.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Manchester recently. It was great. £150 for three nights, big clean room. Views not brilliant but there is loads to do in Manchester. We were using the hotel as a base to visit friends.

DH doesn’t like Premier Inns, there was no shaver point in the bathroom the only occasion we stayed in one.

Glad to hear you liked YHA York, we’ve booked a weekend there in August.

I was really impressed with the Meininger hotel which is based in Baden Powell House, really cheap for London ( I think I paid about £50 a night for me and DD), fab breakfasts and on the doorstep of the Natural history museum

Premier inn is so good for a cheap hotel. Have only ever found them spotlessly clean too