Okay, so I wanted to share how I actually managed to find places to stay in really out-of-the-way spots using those big hotel search websites. It wasn’t always easy, let me tell you.
My First Tries Were Kinda Rough
First thing I did, naturally, was jump onto the usual suspects, you know, the big hotel booking sites everyone uses. I typed in the name of the tiny village or the general remote area I was heading to. And guess what? Mostly nothing. Or maybe one super expensive lodge miles away from where I needed to be. It was frustrating. Like, the map would show the area, but zoom in, and poof, no hotels markers anywhere near my target.
I spent a good chunk of time just changing the dates, thinking maybe it was a blackout period. Nope. Then I tried broadening the search radius, but that just gave me options in the nearest big town, which wasn’t the point. I needed remote.
Figuring Out the Search Engine Quirks
So, I realized the main search engines are great for cities and popular spots, but they kinda fail in the sticks. I had to get smarter. Here’s what I started doing:
- I stopped searching for “hotel”. Instead, I started using terms like “guesthouse,” “lodge,” “inn,” or even just “accommodation” along with the place name. Sometimes adding “near [local landmark]” helped too.
- Map searching became my best friend. Instead of just the list view, I switched to the map view on these sites. I’d zoom waaaay into the specific area I was interested in. Sometimes, little icons would pop up that didn’t show in the main list search. You gotta be patient and really scan the map visually.
- I tried less obvious search engines. Besides the big global ones, I looked for regional or country-specific booking sites. Sometimes these have better listings for smaller, local places that don’t bother listing on the huge international platforms. Found a couple of gems this way.
- Cross-referencing was key. If I found a potential name on one site’s map, sometimes it wouldn’t have booking info. So, I’d take that name and plug it into a regular web search engine. Often, this led me to a basic local website or a phone number, completely bypassing the main booking platforms. Yeah, old school, but it worked.
Getting Specific and Finally Booking
One time, I was looking for a place in this really remote mountain area. The main sites showed zero. Zilch. I went to the map view, zoomed right in on the main road passing through the valley. Scrolled along the road slowly. And bam! A little bed icon popped up with just a name, no booking option.
I took that name, searched it online. Found a super basic webpage, looked like it was made 10 years ago. It had photos and a phone number. No online booking anywhere. I actually had to call them internationally. The person who answered barely spoke English, but we managed. I confirmed the booking over the phone and just had to trust it would be okay when I arrived. Which, thankfully, it was! It wasn’t fancy, but it was exactly where I needed to be.
So, what’s the takeaway?
Using the big search engines for remote places requires a different approach. Don’t just rely on the main search bar. You gotta dig deeper.
- Use the map view extensively. Zoom in like crazy.
- Try different keywords beyond just “hotel”.
- Check regional or local booking sites if you can find them.
- Be prepared to find just a name and then search for that name separately online.
- Sometimes you gotta pick up the phone.
It takes more effort, for sure. It’s not the instant click-and-book you get for city hotels. But if you really want to stay somewhere off the beaten path, you can often find something if you’re persistent and tweak how you use those search tools. It felt pretty good actually finding those hidden spots myself.
