If you are going on vacation, you can save a lot if you book a hotel yourself without resorting to the services of travel agencies. In addition, due to the fact that recently the cases of bankruptcy of companies involved in organizing leisure have become more frequent, it is much more reliable to book a hotel and buy tickets . 
In addition, you can slowly choose a hotel, read reviews about it, compare it with other options, and only then make a decision.
Where is better to book a hotel
If you decide to book a hotel yourself, then the easiest and most convenient way is to do it via the Internet. Today there are many sites for booking hotels in all countries of the world. When searching for a hotel, it is best to use several sites. Since the cost of the same placement on different resources can vary significantly.
You can also book a room on the official website of the hotel itself. But you need to keep in mind that the price may be higher. Since hotel booking sites offer discounts.
Most popular booking sites
There are a lot of resources through which you can reserve a hotel, but in order not to fall for fraud, it is best to use the services of trusted companies. The most famous booking sites are Booking.com and HotelsCombined.com.
HotelsCombined.com is the site from which to start your hotel search. It is not possible to book a hotel directly on this resource, since its job is to find offers for a given hotel and compare prices on all booking resources. In addition, here you can see all the promotions that are currently available on one or another hotel booking site. If you are lucky, then the hotel can cost 50 or even 80 percent cheaper.
Booking.com is the best known hotel booking site. It is used by people living in Russia and abroad. Since this is the largest site, you can almost always find decent discounts here. The main advantage of this resource is that many hotels can be booked without prepayment or with a deposit of 10% of the cost of the stay. In addition, if you change your mind, most hotels will not charge you for canceling your reservation.
Self-booking hotels
We open the booking site and enter the country, city or resort place where you want to go in the search box. After the system produces the results, we study the proposed options.
To facilitate the selection, the results found can be sorted by price, star rating, and visitor reviews. In addition, the system allows you to immediately set the necessary conditions in the search, as well as select a hotel by location on the map.
Having decided on the choice of hotel, click "Book". A window will open in which the prices for this hotel and booking options will be indicated. By choosing the appropriate option, you go to the site that deals directly with the reservation. Suppose this is Booking.com.
After you have decided on the reserve system, the hotel page will open, where you will need to choose the type of room and the food system. As a rule, all hotels offer breakfast, which can be either already included in the price, or you can make them when booking.
After clicking the “Book” button, the system will ask you to enter contact information and a bank card number. This information is needed for hotels only to guarantee a reservation, they do not charge in advance. True, when creating a reserve, you need to read the cancellation policy, some hotels do it for free, but there are also hotels that indicate the time frame for a cancellation without penalty. If you cancel the reservation later, the hotel will deduct the penalty amount from the card, usually it is equal to the daily room rate. Most hotels only charge at check-out.
Contact information and your first and last name must be indicated in English letters. You can also indicate any wishes, for example, that you need a parking space for a car, or ask for an extra bed.
After you enter the card number and click "Book", you will receive an email confirming the reservation. It is advisable to print it out and take it with you; it may come in handy not only at the hotel, but on the road. For example, you may be interested in where you are going in the border zone.
What you need to pay attention to if you decide to book a hotel yourself
First of all, when choosing a hotel, you should pay attention to its stardom, and you need to do this, adjusted for the country of the proposed vacation. So, if three stars in Europe is a very decent hotel, then, for example, in Turkey or Egypt it is better to consider a hotel of a higher category.
Remoteness from the airport, the city center and the seashore. Agree that after the plane I don’t really want to shake on the bus for another two, or even three hours. It is also not very convenient to adjust your sea trips to the bus schedule or spend money every day on a taxi.
The power system in the hotel. It is very important how the hotel organizes meals, whether only breakfast is included in the room rate, or whether lunch and dinner are included.
Additional free services, such as a pool, gym, children's room.
If you travel by car, the first thing you should pay attention to is whether the hotel provides parking or not, if so, how much does it cost.
Hotel reviews. This is the most important point, which should be almost decisive when choosing a hotel. Moreover, focusing on one or two reviews is not worth it; you need to look at as many responses as possible in order to make your own opinion about the hotel before booking a hotel.
Choose and book a hotel on the coast of Turkey
The Turkish coast is one of the most visited and favorite places of Russians. This is due to the relative cheapness, excellent service, delicious food, sunny weather and the country's proximity. If you are traveling for a week, then, of course, it will be easier to buy a ready-made tour from the operator, but if you intend to spend at least a month in this fabulous country, it will be wiser to refuse the services of third parties and reserve the room yourself.
If you plan to book a hotel in Turkey on your own, first of all determine the region of the country, this will determine not only the price of the hotel, but also the quality of the beaches, the surrounding nature, the availability of historical places, as well as the composition of vacationers. So, Belek is famous for its sandy beaches and high prices; in Kemer you will find a wonderful microclimate, but you will have to sunbathe on the rocks; in Side you will find dilapidated historical monuments, but mainly tourists from Germany will surround you; in Alanya you will feel almost at home, as this is a favorite resort of our compatriots.
Having decided on the place, enter the hotel category, the number of people and planned days of rest in the search form. If you are going on vacation with children, indicate their age. Turkish hotels do not charge for children under 2 years old.
When the list of hotels opens, pay attention to the food system, remoteness from the sea and reviews. After reading the reviews on the reservation site, see what people write about the hotel on other sites, for example, on Tophotels.ru. Making a reservation, you can leave information in the comments that you need a transfer, and hotel employees will be happy to meet you at the airport.
Book hotels in the capital of Turkey
Istanbul is a very beautiful, ancient city, reminiscent of an oriental tale. However, not everyone visits the capital of Turkey in order to admire the beauties, someone is attracted by huge bazaars, someone comes for business. Before you book a hotel yourself, you need to decide on the purpose of the trip, as well as the budget. If your trip is exclusively touristic, the budget allows you, then it is best to consider hotels in the center of the old city of Sultanahmet.
Of course, living in a historical place will cost much more, but the best hotels of Istanbul are located there . It is better to book a hotel on your own in advance, as hotels in the historical part of the city are in demand. When reserving a room in the center of Istanbul, pay attention to its area, as this part of the city has hotels with tiny rooms.
How to book a hotel in Spain
When planning a trip to Spain, decide in advance in which city and place you will book the hotel. In Spain, it is quite simple to choose and reserve a hotel on your own, as all hotels in the country, even those with only two stars, are very good. In addition, to save money on restaurants, you can opt for an apart-hotel, where the rooms look like a small apartment, having not only a bedroom, but also a full kitchen for cooking. 
The most budget hotels can be found in the areas of Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa Blanca. The most expensive vacation options are offered by the resorts of Costa de Almeria, Costa de Sol, as well as the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca.
Tips for booking hotels on your own
Summing up, you need to dwell on some of the nuances that it is advisable to foresee if you intend to book a hotel yourself. Tips to heed to avoid problems are listed below:
In order not to have to pay extra days, specify the time of arrival and departure when booking.
Find out in advance the opening hours of the reception, so that arriving at night or early in the morning, do not face closed doors.
Before making a reservation, read the cancellation policy so that if you change plans, do not lose money.
Now you know how to book a hotel yourself, and you can travel and save money on travel agency services.