02 Nov CURITIBA – 31 OCTOBER 2017 – TRAVEL DIARY

Did you know that traveling families have a tiny problem concerning accommodation? If not, I’ll tell you, they do! Usually hostels don’t accept kids under 12. We don’t really understand why, but this is the reality. At best you get to stay with 3 kids in triple room, if not, you’ll have to take an apartment.

We arrived in Curitiba as usual, without a reservation and in addition, the time was not right for searching in the night. After 2 hours of searching we were still on the street. We drove from one hostel to another, people are nice, they try to help, they make phone calls.

The options were: you are allowed with pets, but not kids, no garage, no pets, no free rooms, there is one apt and free only for 1 night.

When options go down, solutions come by themselves! We get downtown, the streets are well lit, wide, easy traffic, hotels area. There is a boutique hotel there, another one there and there’s an Ibis. It’s already late, but in front of the hotel there is a loud crowd.

Young people with long hair, Converse shoes, music devices, speakers, maybe it’s a band preparing for a concert. There it is a family with an infant. A baby in his mother’s arms and a little girl, around 5, is drawing on a table full of crayons and coloring pages.

We stopped with a screech! Ibis Budget, the new concept by Accor hotels chain, not only welcomes us and our dog and our kids, but, being a special case, they discuss and, although hotel policy wouldn’t normally accept, they let us have the cat also.

So we are welcome in full formation and with 24 / 7 service. The reception is also a cafeteria with some options for food and a sitting area and even a microwave oven in order for the guests to have access to drinks and food.

If you get hungry at 3 at night, as we did, you can come downstairs to warm up a sandwich or a lasagna. Cold beer, Nespresso machine and good quality tea.

The rooms are all identical, with a double bed and a suspended single, a little desk, A/C, TV set, wi-fi, shower. Small room, but very clean. The sheets are white and scented like at my mother in law’s home.

So after an exhausting quest for a hotel room, we find this “home” in the center of the town. As my curious Mom always asks for prices, I will do this for her: the room is $31 / night for 2 adults, 3 children, a dog and a cat. Breakfast is $5/ person, buffet style.

I will insert a referral link here, in case you are in the area and looking for a place. A referral link means that if you book through it, we get a small percentage. But we didn’t do it for the percentage, we did it with pleasure for a good did thing.

Yes, we liked the place, the services, the price, all without comparison to the other options.

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Stiati ca familiile calatoare au o mica problema in ceea ce priveste cazarea?

Daca nu, va spun eu…… au! De principiu majoritatea hostelurilor nu primesc copii sub 12 ani. Nu intelegem foarte clar de ce dar asta este realitatea. Daca vrei sa mergi la un hotel, in cel mai bun caz te lasa cu trei copii intr-o camera tripla daca nu, iti recomanda doua camere  sau un apartamanet datorita regulilor hoteliere.

Noi am ajuns in Curitiba ca de obicei, fara vreo rezervare in prealabil, plus ca era cam tarziu, deci  o ora nepotrivita pentru bajbaieli pe intuneric ! Dupa doua ore de cautari tot pe strada ne aflam! Am alergat de la un hostel la altul, oamenii saritori ne ajuta, dau telefoane! Scenariile sunt de genul urmator: se poate cu animale de companie, nu se poate cu copii, se poate dar nu avem garaj, nu se poate cu animale, nu avem camere libere, avem un apartament dar doar oentru o noapte. Cand optiunile scad, solutiile vin singure! Ajungem in plin centru, strazi luminoase, aerisite, circulatie relaxata, zona de hoteluri. Uite un boutique hotel aici, uite altul acolo si iata si un Ibis. E deja tarziu, dar in fata hotelului e animatie si veselie. Tineri cu par lung si conversi in picioare, aparatura muzicala , statii ,boxe pesemne ca-i o trupa de artisti ce se pregatesc de vreun concert. Uite si o familie cu copii. Un bebelus in brate la mamica, alaturi o fetita  de vreo 5 ani deseneaza la o masuta special amenajata pentru copii si dotata cu creioane colorate si planse cu eroi din benzi desenate. Oprim cu scartait de roti! Ibis Budget, noul concept al lantului hotelier Accor, nu numai ca ne primeste cu catel si copii ba mai mult fiind un caz special se dicuta, se analizeaza si se trece peste politica hotelului in ceea ce priveste pisicile. Asa ca suntem primiti cu totii, nu numai cu  bratele deschise dar si cu serviciu 24/24. Receptia este si cafenea cu produse semi-preparate si o sala de mese mare comuna dotata cu cuptoare de microunde pentru a facilita la orice ora din zi si din noapte accesul liber la bautura si mancare.  Asa ca daca te paleste foamea pe la 3 dimineata cum noua ni s-a intamplat, poti cobora sa-ti pui un sandwich la incalzit sau o lasagna la facut. Bere in frigider, cafea nesspresso si ceai de calitate.

Hotelul are toate camerele la fel, fiind compuse dintr-un pat matrimonial si unul simplu, suspendat, aer conditionat, tv, wi-fi, dus si baie in camera si un mic birou, foarte restrans dar de o curatenie exemplara. Asternuturile sunt albe spre bucuria Laviniei si miros a Cocolino ca la soacra-mea acasa!

Asadar epuizati dupa ore de cautari, gasim in centrul orasului  un “acasa”. Cum mamica mea draga ma bate la cap sa pun si preturi fiind foarte curioasa cat am platit si ce-am facut, ii voi face aceasta placere si pe alocuri voi presara si niste informatii financiare. Camera a fost 31$/ noapte: 2 adulti, 3 copiii, un caine si o pisica. Micul dejun poate fi luat separat pentru numai 5$, bufet liber.

Am sa pun si un referral link aici, in caz ca treceti prin zona si va loviti de acceasi problema. Referral link inseamna ca daca accesati si faceti o rezerva prin acest link, I AM Family castiga un mic procent. Nu am scris acest post cu gandul la procent, l-am scris cu dragoste pentru ceva bine facut.

Da, mi-a placut locatia, mi-au placut serviciile, mi-a placut pretul, toate fara comparatie fata de celelalte oferte si/ sau posibilitati.