Hey man, there was NO LIFE before the internet and Lonely Planet! Didn't you know that?

I was in S. America in 1975 ... the only good reference book at the time was
The South American Handbook. A great guide but updated maybe every 3 or 4 years. Now ... we've got TOO much information with too many un-vetted "experts".

Question for the France travelers/residents out there:
Does anyone remember a chain of State run low budget (but generally very nice) Hotels. I encountered a few in the South of France. Usually old classic buildings ... very reasonable prices. I was told they were all shutting down. Can't recall the name? Was I dreaming? This back in 2001 to 2003.

I don't recall the French government doing such business.
Maybe you wandered over the border into the Paradors.
Paradores Spain - Spanish Paradors - Parador hotels - Spanish hotels
(they are not low budget though).

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Dave

I think you have two types of people who will steal your bike.

The opportunist theft from the guy just walking by and spots your bike, a good lock attached to the frame of your bike and wrapped around a structure fitting will stop him from stealing your bike but any attachments (bags, i am sure we have all left them on at one point) on the bike might go missing, this guys will just have a knife attached to his set of keys or a leather-man type device but nothing that will compromise a good lock. Also bare in mind i popped my steering lock open on my DRZ with a small screwdriver in seconds when i snapped the key in it and also i have started it buy jamming a screwdriver in the ignition and turning it with a pair of plies in seconds also. If you are solely relying on your steering lock and bike ignition lock to stop a "opportunist theft" you are very much mistaken



Equipped to steal
The guy who sees's your bike and comes back "equipped" to steal it and a silent deterrent like a lock might not help, even a good lock if he has the right tools

I also agree with these disk lock type alarms, i have had a few and they are hit or miss regarding if they go off and some are to sensitive and go off all the time.

The only thing that is going to stop a guy that comes equipped is being compromised during the attempted theft of your bike, for that an alarm is needed.

Sometimes i leave my bikes in my van at night and on both the sliding doors i have fitted personal attack type alarms, they are basically a 143dB alarm which is activated by pulling the cord out the end, the alarm comes with a bracket that i take off and screw to the van and then clip the alarm on, i have removed the thick cord of the ring pull and fitted strong fishing wire which is attached to the door. Basically anyone who opens the door 5mm activates the alarm at 143dB.

Now i think this would be great for a bike alarm, you could fit the clip bracket to your bike under the lower fairing, when you stop to lock your bike up you attach the alarm to the bracket, you then attach the fishing wire cord to a wheel spoke with a clip device.

This Alarm cost around £7 of ebay

143dB MINDER PERSONAL ATTACK ALARM - PANIC WITH STROBE TORCH LIGHT - FREE UK P&P | eBay

Whilst looking for an open bar in Mumbai a few years ago, me and a couple of guys from my hostel accidentally ended up in the "Banana bar"...

It was Full of men in tight jeans and make up... When the 'fresh white meat' walked in the door, that rape alarm would of come in handy...

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

That is a great alternative ... and very affordable!
The Xena disc lock/alarm is popular here but costs from about $75 up to $120 usd. ... and it's only 120db.

Asking the receptionist or even the bar waiter is a great advise - they will know much better than you do. E.g. in the middle of Leuven they told me about an underground bike parking just round the corner - no way I would've found it myself.

Premier classe, etap, f1 or whatever are good choices for transit hotels when you only need to stay for 1 night. They are also often on the outskirts of big cities which means you can easily access them from a ring road without need to go into city traffic. Great for when I'm crossing France on the way out or back and need to cover many kms in one day without sightseeing.

I have a Xena alarm disclock (I actually found it pretty good, no false alarms for me and loud enough). I also have an alarm with long-distance pager installed. Its not wired to ignition as I don't want to mess around with immobilized bike, and I usually put this in silent mode (though I can still put this in normal alarm mode if I know I'll be out of the pager range, e.g. in the city during the day). The pager has a good range so it almost always would reach my hotel room. This just gives me a peace of mind that I will know right away if someone is tampering with the bike. It also will not encourage the thief to hurry up putting my bike in the soundproof van whilst still giving me a signal something is wrong.

And yes, in campings I use cover - trying to remove the cover (let's say to steal smth from luggage) will set off my alarm and I'm in the tent only few meters away.

First thing I did to my Triumph thunderbird when I bought it was remove the alarm

Usually I ask for secure parking and often end up in the proprietors garage or garden

Pretty much every ferry trip I've been on in the summer has some poor sod with an alarm fitted that keeps going off, I've even seen one bloke have to push his bike off the ferry due to a flat battery because of the damn things. If I buy a bike with an alarm fitted, the first thing I do is have it removed.

So far I've been lucky enough with just an Oxford Boss disc lock and a cheap £9.99 scruffy cover from Ebay.....no problems so far but I'll always try and look for off road parking when choosing a hotel.

However, in April on my way to Morocco I stayed at the Motel Emporio just north of Valladolid and the room comes equipped with an en-suite garage!

Motel Emporio, Cabezón de Pisuerga, Spain - Booking.com

Always ask; you don't know what they have available until you do.
I've parked in the entrance way to a fairly swanky hotel smack in the centre of a large French city full of tourists, having been told to do that by the receptionist; their official car park was full at the time.

Kyriad is another of those brands.
Nowadays, many of them in France are gated and locked at night, especially in the obvious places, such as Calais.
I asked a hotel manager in France about this a few years ago and he simply indicated that vehicle theft from such places was increasing, at that time.

I stayed in a brand new Ibis budget about 5-6 weeks ago on the outskirts of Orleans and it was akin to Fort Knox to get into the vehicle park - it has an automatic gate system for which you get an access code once you are booked in to stay there.
Also a code for the bedroom and front door.
+ an automated check in system/machine at the front for those who arrive outside the hours that the reception is manned; having paid with a card, all the codes are issued there and then, assuming that there is room available.

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Dave