Room with a View - from Las Vegas to Kathmandu

So I've done a bit of traveling in my time, and stayed in many hotels and apartments, and looked out of many windows and balconies, hoping to catch some glimpse of the ocean or famous other landmark. Usually we can't afford to stay somewhere so close to the major tourist spots, but sometimes we've had great views anyway. Windows and balconies are also a great place to people watch from. In Malaga, I watched a man teach his dog how to ride with him on his scooter, and there is something about taking your coffee out in the fresh air that really makes you feel like you're a part of a new city waking up for the day.

So, inspired by a link up prompt by the Travel Tuesdays group (I was too late to join in, but loved the idea!) I rounded up some of my more memorable hotel and airbnb look outs.

Las Vegas

My husband and I "officially" got engaged in Las Vegas (we already knew we were getting married, but this was where the ring made an appearance). We were staying in the lovely, swanky Vdara and although it was November and too cold for swimming, we could see down into the still open Caesars Palace pool, as well as the Bellagio fountains.

 Las Vegas is surrounded by dusty mountains in the day:

But as night falls the mountains fade to black and the city comes to life, as do the fountains. Las Vegas isn't somewhere I'd want to live, but for a few nights it was city lights and gaudy neon in all it's glory.

Cologne

Our room was small and made even smaller because of the sloping ceilings. Being on the top floor had it's advantages though, and we could see a church tower outside of our bedroom.

Kathmandu

Since we were traveling for work, and it was vital that we have continuous internet access and electricity for our work, we had to stay in one of the nicer hotels. We also had a colleague with a connection to a few of the hotels, and was able to get a good price, which was how I ended up staying the Yak and Yeti for three weeks. Behind the hotel is a garden complete with a statue in a pagoda, a pool to the left and a pond with ducks to the right. Every evening someone would herd the ducks into their house and put them to bed.

Since we were there during the dry season, the air was heavy with dust and pollution and we couldn't see very far into the distance. One day towards the end, it rained enough to clear away some of the dust and I could see the mountains from my hotel window.

Amsterdam

This was the first time I'd stayed in an AirBnB apartment, and not only was the flat Apartment Therapy worthy, there was a lovely balcony with herbs and a beanbag chair.

Berlin

We were staying in East Berlin, where the neighborhood had fought back against the drab apartment blocks with pops of spectacular color.

Biarritz

Another Airbnb find, the balcony overlooked a parking lot, but if turned to the right you could see the Atlantic!

Rome

We thought we were going to be staying in a nice hotel, and it would have been way out of our prices range if I hadn't used all my British Airways points. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down, as is exemplified with the view:

Where have you had the best view from your hotel window? How about the worst? Ever stayed anywhere without windows? I've heard this is not super uncommon in Scandinavia since it's dark so much of the day in the winter, and the sun rising so early and setting so late in the summer can stop travelers from sleeping properly. But how weird would that be?