Alps Motorcycle Tours - Priced Right

[FJR-UK]

I'm  heading to Slovenia and Croatia, this summer. Where did you stay? Any addresses or links?

I use the Rough Guide when I plan a trip. The choices are reasonable, if not always nice, and they have a very helpful (free) website. Sometimes the rooms are great, sometimes not. Sometimes, I get into a town and I'm so tired, I just take the first place I come to that has a vacancy, damn the cost.

However, if you stay in Dubrovnik, this is the place: http://www.restaurant-orhan.com
We stayed there for three nights. £20/pppn. Our room was a minute's walk from the restaurant, which served very nice, if simple, food. My only complaint was noisy tourists passing by late at night, but if you're not a light sleeper, it's perfect. I will stay there again, if we ever go back to Dubrovnik. (There are so many places to see...)

We also stayed in the (Rough Guide) Hotel Venere in Zadar. Sime Ljubica 4a, 023/214-098. It was on the cheaper side, but I can't remember the price. We stayed Sunday night. It was the quietest room of our trip, until the Monday morning rush hour began. Tricky to find, but many Croatians speak English. A 16-year-old kid directed me to the hotel.

We stayed in the (Rough Guide) Hotel Dubrovnik in Zagreb. £100 for the room, in a pedestrian precinct off the main square. It was so nice, we contemplated staying another night, just to soak up the luxury, but came to our senses the next morning. Great buffet breakfast, as you would hope for the price.

[Orson]

I stayed one night here:

www.drvenik.net

a little village in a secluded cove. It was very tranquil when I was there in early June. I'm sure that's not the case in July & August. I had a room right on the beach. Strolled down to a beachside restaurant that was almost empty and enjoyed a wonderful seafood dinner. The waitress spoke such perfect English, I had to ask her if she had lived abroad. I'm not a huge seafood fan but the seafood in Croatia is excellent. Things like Risotto dyed blue with octopus ink.

My favorite island was Brac. Lots of scenic fishing villages and good motorcycle roads. On the island of Hvar, I came across the scariest tunnel I've ever seen. It was a one lane tunnel, completely unlit. I stopped at the entrance and peered into the blackness and thought,"no fluckin way." I was about to turn around when a car came roaring by and plunged into the tunnel. I figured I'd follow him. Even following a car, it was scary as hell. The tunnel appeared to be carved out by hand with a very uneven road surface. About halfway thru was a pull out for allowing oncoming traffic to pass.  was glad to reach the other end.  

[Global Rider]

On the island of Hvar, I came across the scariest tunnel I've ever seen.

I noticed that on the map. Are you talking about the long tunnel at the far west side of the island?

FJR-UK and Orson, thanks for the links. Do you remember which places had private garage parking? Orson, that place you stayed at looks great.

[Orson]

Are you talking about the long tunnel at the far west side of the island?

between Pitve & Zavala on the south coast of Hvar.

[FJR-UK]

You can't drive to the Orhan. You have to carry all your luggage down to the apartments. The nearest place to park was the bus terminal at the Pile Gate. I asked a policeman where I could park and he just gestured to all the scooters that were parked on the pavement. Hundreds of them. So, I stuck my bike next to a bench where you see it above. It sat unmoved and untouched for three nights. The worst thing that happened was a bird dropping on the tank.

The Hotel Dubrovnik let me back down the ramp into their cellar/laundry room. It was yet another occasion when I wished my bike was lighter.

The Venere told me to park in the open, free public lot opposite. Again, the bike was untouched.

I try to find a garage for my bike, but I ended up parking on the street quite a lot on this last trip. I just cross my fingers and make sure my insurance is paid up.

I remember one time in France, Dax was completely booked because of a convention. We were directed to a roadhouse several miles out of town. The woman who received us was concerned about the safety of our motorcycle. She spoke no English, I spoke very little French. I thought she was guiding me around the back of her hotel, but she guided me up the wheelchair ramp to the hotel reception, through the lobby and into her restaurant, which was closed for the season. She put a few newspapers under my bike and there it sat for the night. I've got a photo of her and my wife standing next to it (somewhere) for proof!  

[RBEmerson]

Er, mostly out of curiosity... you don't put a cover on the bike when it's parked like that (i.e., "long term")?  

[FJR-UK]

No. In fact, it has never crossed my mind. I have a cover at home that would take up most of the top box, if I were to carry it. I'd rather use the space for something else.

[RBEmerson]

Makes sense.  Tnx.  

[Aero]

I remember one time in France, Dax was completely booked because of a convention. We were directed to a roadhouse several miles out of town. The woman who received us was concerned about the safety of our motorcycle. She spoke no English, I spoke very little French. I thought she was guiding me around the back of her hotel, but she guided me up the wheelchair ramp to the hotel reception, through the lobby and into her restaurant, which was closed for the season. She put a few newspapers under my bike and there it sat for the night. I've got a photo of her and my wife standing next to it (somewhere) for proof!  

That reminds me of when I was in Italy with a friend, I was on my Guzzi Le Mans II and my buddy had his Ducati bevelhead 900ss. We stayed for a few nights at a small family hotel near Lake Maggiore where there was parking space but no cover. After the restaurant had closed for the night we were invited to park the bikes in there overnight. A very refreshing attitude after the Swiss hotel we had stayed at a few days earlier, where we were treated with great suspicion because we hadn't arrived in a gold plated Mercedes Benz. The only time the proprietor got anywhere near being pleasant was when we paid the bill.

[FJR-UK]

That reminds me of when I was in Italy with a friend …

Ah, now you've got me started...

That reminds me of when I was in Verona. The hotelier insisted that I bring my bike in through the front door of the hotel, into a sort of covered, tiled courtyard before the reception proper. The guy gave us a friendly wave as Jo and I set off sightseeing for the afternoon.

The same guy was very upset when we returned a few hours later. Seems his son had hopped on my bike and I had forgotten to switch off the alarm. The alarm sounded for 20 minutes inside his hotel. We only stayed one night.

[Aero]

Ah, now you've got me started...

That reminds me of when I was in Verona. The hotelier insisted that I bring my bike in through the front door of the hotel, into a sort of covered, tiled courtyard before the reception proper. The guy gave us a friendly wave as Jo and I set off sightseeing for the afternoon.

The same guy was very upset when we returned a few hours later. Seems his son had hopped on my bike and I had forgotten to switch off the alarm. The alarm sounded for 20 minutes inside his hotel. We only stayed one night.

Oops!
OK, another bike-in-hotel story.....

A couple of decades ago I was in Breganze, Italy with a group from the Laverda Owners Club. We were there to visit the factory and do some riding with Massimo Laverda, and most of us were staying at a hotel in town. We were having a beer outside one evening on the terrace by the entrance to the hotel, and one of the UK members got talking to an old guy about bikes. Turned out he had a trials bike at home, and he disappeared for a few minutes, reappeared on this bike and proceeded to give us a demonstration of what it could do. After riding over a few convenient objects in the piazza he rode the bike up the 12 or so steps and through the open door into the bar area, then out and down the steps again! Nobody batted an eyelash, and the old guy handed the bike to Adrian for him to have a go. Seeing the hotel owner smiling from the terrace he figured it was OK, so Adrian duly repeated the trip up the steps, round the bar and down again. The assembled crowd burst into applause, and it occurred to me that in many other countries the police would have turned up by this time. Got to love Italy!

[RBEmerson]

You should not anthromorphize machines. They don't like it.  

[ROFLASTC]!!!!!

[Global Rider]

The assembled crowd burst into applause, and it occurred to me that in many other countries the police would have turned up by this time.

Isn't that the truth! Thinking about that instance and others that I come across while in Europe, a lot of the world worries too much about things that are so unimportant.

Got to love Italy!

I do, and everything about it. Of course, I have an extra special reason for doing so as well . I'll probably be retiring there or some other part of Europe. I've been browsing over some real estate web sites just for fun.

[Michael J]

Allround Motorradvermietung

Hi Alex (I followed you here) - have you used these people? The price is VERY low compared to rental agencies closer to the hills, and my perception always has been that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Thanks

[Global Rider]

Hi Alex (I followed you here) - have you used these people? The price is VERY low compared to rental agencies closer to the hills, and my perception always has been that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Thanks

No, I haven't but I've read some replies to threads that they were good to deal with. They also speak English.

A Swiss rider on another forum claimed that it was more expensive to rent from them if you take your time and kilometers into account because you need to spend a good portion of a day to get down to the Alps, and then likewise for the return. That may be true for a weeks rental, but its isn't for rentals of two or more weeks.

One rider worked a deal with Allround Motorradvermietung to include unlimited kilometers for a few extra €. Mind you, 2500 kilometers for a week is reasonable.

[Global Rider]

If there is one thing that I've heard time and time again, its someone questioning/doubting the cost of accomodations in Europe. Sure, I can spend $150 a night, but I can also spend $50 a night and live equally in luxury.

This is a place that I've stayed at while in the Dolomites of Northern Italy. I paid €30 for a night with breakfast in 2002. Thats $39 based on the exhange rate at the time of posting.

Hotel Kronblick in Kiens, Northern Italy.
http://www.kronblick.com/de/index.htm

Rooms.
http://www.kronblick.com/de/zimmer-hotel-kronblick-kiens-chienes.htm

The rates in June are €46 to €52 ($59 to $67) for a room that includes breakfast and dinner. Make no mistake, dinner isn't a hamburger with fries on the side. To most of us, it would be considered a gourmet dinner. Likewise for the breakfast buffet.

Price list.
http://www.kronblick.com/de/preise-hotel-kronblick-kiens-chienes.htm

Some are not as nice and some are nicer than others; some are cheaper or more expensive than orthers...but all are a bargain compared to what I've been in on this side of the pond.

[Michael J]

The place I've stayed at twice in Andermatt, Switzerland ran me CHF 45...

Pray tell, sir - what hotel was that? It's about half of what I usually pay in Andermatt.

[Global Rider]

Pray tell, sir - what hotel was that? It's about half of what I usually pay in Andermatt.

Haus Caprino. Its more of a B&B.

It is on the Oberalpstrasse at Oberalpstrasse 39, +41 41 8871549; a few hairpins up from the Hotel Monopol Metropol on your left when heading towards the Oberalppass.

The owners don't speak English...how is your German?

[RBEmerson]

German in Switzerland?  More like "Swiss German is a throat disease"...  

Widerluege!  

[CDN]

A wonderfully informative (and perhaps for many, eye-opening) thread guys