R44 Performance
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   BMW M3 and BMW M4 Forum > BMW F80 M3 / F82 M4 Forum > F80 M3 / M4 Pricing, Ordering, European Delivery

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      05-31-2016, 11:11 AM   #1
SloPoke
Lieutenant
SloPoke's Avatar
United_States
128
Rep
548
Posts

Drives: 2010 135i
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Canton GA

iTrader: (6)

Not making hotel reservations for ED?

I fly out for my ED on July 5th and I'm toying with the idea of not making any hotel reservations except for the first night of my 8 day ED trip. The idea behind this is that I won't be locked down to any firm itinerary. If I really like a place I can stay an extra day and if I don't I can just keep driving. I know this is pretty much peak season, so I'd be rolling the dice on my first hotel choices, but I wanted to test the waters here to see if anyone has experience with doing this.
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 11:32 AM   #2
Halewafa
Lieutenant
Halewafa's Avatar
353
Rep
431
Posts

Drives: SO/SO M4
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Indianapolis, IN

iTrader: (0)

I remember reading someone else's ED journal and they did the same thing. For the most part it seemed to work well for them, but they did have to sleep a night or two in the ///M since they couldn't find a hotel. Also, some of the ones they did stay in were either really expensive because that's all that was left, or in a sketchy area because there wasn't anything nice left.
__________________
2016 M4 - Current - SO/SO - Full leather - DCT - Comp Package - Executive Package - Lighting Package - Side/Top Cameras (ED Thread)
2006 tC - Sold
1996 Silverado - Sold
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 11:36 AM   #3
b1st
Private First Class
United_States
50
Rep
181
Posts

Drives: G05, 992
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA

iTrader: (0)

I just came back from a 19-day ED trip and this is exactly what I did. I booked hotels for the first 2 nights in Munich and the last night as well but nothing in between. I changed my itinerary based on what I felt like doing that day as well as the weather forecast. I used AirBnB often as well.
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 11:41 AM   #4
euro*
.
euro*'s Avatar
Canada
1654
Rep
1,536
Posts

Drives: F90 M5
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada

iTrader: (8)

I recently came back from ED and I would not suggest going according to not having a hotel plan. It's easy to plan out the route and get the hotels sorted before leaving to Munich. Why have the stress of having to look for hotels there?

Trust me, a bad hotel can really offset your trip and leave a bad vibe, at least when you have time to book in advance, you will know where you will be arriving, which area, if the hotel has underground/secure parking (very important), good food and etc.

And like the poster above me mentioned, I remember the ED he is talking about where the guys had to sleep in their car, and then shower at a gas station, do you really want to do that? Lol
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 01:18 PM   #5
Bluex
Useful Idiot
Bluex's Avatar
United_States
1330
Rep
1,777
Posts

Drives: My wife and kids insane.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: West Chester, PA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2015 BMW F80 M3  [10.00]
First off, i'd say "Hell no way." But that's just my opinion.

More importantly, are you going alone or are you bringing a wife?

If the answer to this question is "yes", does SHE know of you considering just flying by the seat of your pants in terms of hotels?

If the answer to this question is "yes", what does SHE think?

If the answer is "no" and you're doing it anyway, you're in for a world of hurt son......

I'd be looking for a divorce lawyer before my flight from Munich even hit the runway in the States.

If you're not married and don't give a shit about any of this.....go on, do it if you don't mind sleeping in your car and getting washed at a gas station
__________________
2015 M3 Sakhir Orange ED Pickup 5/13/15

My European Delivery Thread
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 03:17 PM   #6
Sassicaia
Brigadier General
Sassicaia's Avatar
Canada
4452
Rep
3,308
Posts

Drives: SMB F80 6MT
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Vancouver, Canada

iTrader: (0)

No way. Horrible idea. Maybe if you were a teenager backpacking and staying in hostels, but doing this during hi season of tourism while needing hotels with good parking etc would be a nightmare. Do the research and pick good places to go. "Not being tied down" is another way of saying failing to plan good trip in advance.
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 04:57 PM   #7
'Cane
Major General
'Cane's Avatar
United_States
8347
Rep
5,316
Posts

Drives: 2022 Aventurin/SS G82 xDrive
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: South Florida

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Pretty much what I am doing. I have Munich booked, and Barcelona at the end, but nothing in between. I am trusting my iPad, a good internet connection, and my booking.com app.
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 06:29 PM   #8
SloPoke
Lieutenant
SloPoke's Avatar
United_States
128
Rep
548
Posts

Drives: 2010 135i
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Canton GA

iTrader: (6)

Haha. So far a 50/50 split. Those that are doing or have done and those that say hell no. I'm not taking my wife but I am taking my dad. It was actually his idea to "wing it".
Appreciate 0
      05-31-2016, 07:54 PM   #9
SD ///M4
///Multiple
SD ///M4's Avatar
United_States
2992
Rep
4,243
Posts

Drives: M4 Coupe | M3 | Z4M Roadster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Diego, CA

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
I've been on three driving trips in Germany, one in 1987, and two Euro Deliveries, one in 2011, and one I just returned from.

The 1987 two-week trip was way before the Internet, e-mail, and the WWW, and International calls were expensive, so I only made a few reservations in places that I knew I wanted to stay at, notably Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where it would probably be impossible to stay without a reservation during peak season, and also at the end of our trip. We drove until it was time for dinner, then stopped in the nearest town and found a pension where we could get a meal and a room. My girlfriend at the time was not real happy with this approach and preferred a much more structured approach. We broke up after that trip.

Our 2011 two-week trip, with my wife, was planned so that we had a circular route and things we wanted to stop and see along the route. That was a great trip and we both fully enjoyed it, and we saw most of the things we wanted to, and found lots of other stuff not on our original list.

The three-week trip that I just returned from, was with a group of 32 BMW enthusiasts. We picked up a total of 15 BMW M cars at BMW Welt in a huge group delivery and it required an incredible amount of advanced planning to make sure that everything happened when and where it was supposed to happen, including special tours at BMW Classic, BMW Welt, BMW M Headquarters, and track days at Nurburgring Nordschleife, Circuit Park Zandvoort, and Circuit do Spa-Francorchamps. These kinds of things just don't happen spontaneously. It was hectic at times, but the end results were amazing and satisfying.

In your case, with your Dad, especially since it is his idea, this should be a blast!
__________________
The Coupe: 2016 M4 | Sakhir Orange | Black Full Merino Leather | CF Trim | M-DCT | More | ED 5/13/16
The Sedan: 2018 M3 | San Marino Blue | Black Full Merino Leather | CF Trim | M-DCT | ZCP | ED 7/18/18
The Roadster: 2006 Z4 | Interlagos Blue | Black Extended Nappa Leather | Carbon Leather Trim | Purchased 7/19/12


Last edited by SD ///M4; 06-01-2016 at 11:07 AM..
Appreciate 0
      06-01-2016, 09:19 AM   #10
b1st
Private First Class
United_States
50
Rep
181
Posts

Drives: G05, 992
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by SD ///M4 View Post

The three-week trip that I just returned from, was with a group of 32 BMW enthusiasts. We picked up a total of 15 BMW M cars at BMW Welt in a huge group delivery and it required an incredible amount of advanced planning to make sure that everything happened when and where it was supposed to happen, including special tours at BMW Classic, BMW Welt, BMW M Headquarters, and track days at Nurburgring Nordschleife, Circuit Park Zandvoort, and Circuit do Spa-Francorchamps. These kinds of things just don't happen spontaneously. It was hectic at times, but the end results was amazing and satisfying.
I met many of you guys at Welt. You guys picked up on Friday the 13th in May, right? I'm the guy from LA that picked up YMB M4. Hope everything went well.
Appreciate 0
      06-01-2016, 10:27 AM   #11
b1st
Private First Class
United_States
50
Rep
181
Posts

Drives: G05, 992
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA

iTrader: (0)

SloPoke, it also depends on your travel style and experience. Have you ever done a "wing it" travel? How resourceful are you? Can you speak / read at least the basic German/French/Italian/etc? Will you have internet access on your phone?

Here is a scenario I went through one day:
I was making my way from Lake Como to Nurburgring. I initially wanted to spend the night in Interlaken but in the morning decided that I wanted to save my energy the next day and hit the Nurburging earlier in the day. So instead of staying a night at Interlaken, I made it a lunch stop over and decided to sleep closer to Nurburg that night so that I can get to Nurburging earlier the next day. The weather was also sucking in Switzerland.

During lunch, I opened googlemap and looked for a large city near and on the way to Nurburg. I saw Strasbourg, France. I then went on tripadvisor and looked for hotels (using the restaurant wifi but also could have used my phone data). I found a few good ones. I then searched for the reviews for the term "parking". I saw that Hilton Strasbourg had good feedback on parking. I have Hilton Gold so it was no brainer. I booked a room for the same night, Sunday night.

It turned out that an international woman's tennis tournament was going on in Strasbourg that week and many of them were staying at the Hilton. So I got to eat breakfast with some of the top-ranked women tennis players.

Another scenario:
One day I was supposed to meet my friends in a city near Frankfurt. However, they had some complications and couldn't meet me. So I had a free day and wanted an excuse to drive on the autobahn some more. So googled around and decided that I'd spend the day in Stuttgart checking out the car museums. In the morning, I went on airbnb and contacted ~5 hosts, emphasizing that I needed safe/secure parking for my new M4 As I was driving down, I got confirmations/authorizations from 3 of the hosts. During lunch, I booked with one of those hosts. After checking out the museums, I checked in around 7pm. The host told me places to check out in the city for dinner/beer/music and it was a pleasant evening in Stuttgart, stumbling upon a world-class jazz bar. Then he told me about Heidelberg which I had not heard of until then. Following his recommendations, I stopped by Heidelberg for lunch on the way back the next day.

Now, this was during late May so still technically shoulder season in most parts of Europe.
Appreciate 0
      06-01-2016, 11:13 AM   #12
SD ///M4
///Multiple
SD ///M4's Avatar
United_States
2992
Rep
4,243
Posts

Drives: M4 Coupe | M3 | Z4M Roadster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Diego, CA

iTrader: (1)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by b1st View Post
I met many of you guys at Welt. You guys picked up on Friday the 13th in May, right? I'm the guy from LA that picked up YMB M4. Hope everything went well.
Yup, that was us! I don't specifically remember meeting you, but that day was pretty hectic and there was a lot that happened the week prior to that and during the following two weeks!

Did you get to see our group delivery and group photos? I'm guessing that BMW Welt doesn't have that kind of delivery! We had a great time and everything on our itinerary for the next two weeks went well without any major hitches and very few minor ones. I need to write up a delivery and trip report!
__________________
The Coupe: 2016 M4 | Sakhir Orange | Black Full Merino Leather | CF Trim | M-DCT | More | ED 5/13/16
The Sedan: 2018 M3 | San Marino Blue | Black Full Merino Leather | CF Trim | M-DCT | ZCP | ED 7/18/18
The Roadster: 2006 Z4 | Interlagos Blue | Black Extended Nappa Leather | Carbon Leather Trim | Purchased 7/19/12

Appreciate 0
      06-01-2016, 05:42 PM   #13
b1st
Private First Class
United_States
50
Rep
181
Posts

Drives: G05, 992
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA

iTrader: (0)

You guys, at least like 4-5 of you, went before me and I was busy with my delivery myself. I think one of the guys said that they lined up your rides outside or something since the delivery area couldn't accommodate all those cars at once. There was a race car of some sort in the delivery area, most of you guys were congregating around it while I was doing my victory lap. You guys cheered me on There was also a cute German girl wanting to do some sort of interview, I told her to come back later, and then I forgot all about it.

Look forward to the write up!
Appreciate 0
      06-03-2016, 05:55 AM   #14
XsltAnalyst
Lieutenant
XsltAnalyst's Avatar
587
Rep
585
Posts

Drives: 2016 F80, 957 Cayenne
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Maryland

iTrader: (0)

July 5 will be a beginning of a peak season so you may or may not get lucky.
Appreciate 0
      12-05-2021, 10:04 AM   #15
Asim1984
Registered
0
Rep
1
Posts

Drives: BMW 3 2001
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: New York

iTrader: (0)

re

Are you heading somewhere? People usually love to visit new places but sometimes they face issues with booking the best hotels or resorts for their stay. If you ever face a problem like this, then you can try the sapphire resorts with reading their reviews here https://sapphire-resorts.pissedconsumer.com/review.html, hope this will help you to find the best hotel to stay.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:55 PM.




f80post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST