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A two hour boat trip from the crowded, tout-troubled beaches of Sihanoukville is the paradise of Lazy Beach. Facing the sunset on the coral sands of the west bay are twelve beach huts serviced by the bar and restaurant. Chris and Richard's residents only policy means no day visitors and your paradise is shared with a maximum of 30 other guests.
It's a world of hammocks, snorkelling, jungle walks, delicious fresh-cooked food, and total relaxation.
Book on-line at www.lazybeachcambodia.com or at the Seahore restaurant on Serendipity beach Road in Sihanoukville.
Modern, minimal, but with a friendly staff all just steps away from the famous Ponte dei Sospiri. I wanted breakfast to last forever - sipping on coffee as gondolas literally skim your jacket sleeve... Magical.
A beautifully restored little fisherman's cottage right on the pier in an idyllic Canarian village. Walk out the back door right on the sea front; the front door brings you to the village, with some great restaurants. This is a spectacular place, quiet and authentic, but still within easy reach of all the essentials. Delightfully refreshing!
www.lanzaroteretreats.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=57
My wife and stayed in Dubrovnik last September (2008) for 2 weeks, and rather than stay in a hotel we followed a recommendation by a good friend of ours and rented an apartment. The main advantage to us was the possibility to stay within the walls of the old town. The hotels are all outside the walls (except for the over-priced 5 star Pucic Palace). We booked Darija Apartments direct with the owner, and I can honestly say that it was a seamless experience. We felt well looked after, but there was none of the intrusiveness you get with a hotel - a nice balance. The apartment itself was perfect; clean, modern decor, comfortable, all the facilities you could want, and a fair price. All in all it was a great holiday made all the better by a great accommodation choice. One potential problem though: We've recommended it to so many of our friends you might not find availability ;-)
It is an agency providing holiday apartments for rent in the centre of Rome. They have different solutions and are very helpful. After booking they sent me a lot of tips about events in Rome and how to spend my days there. Finally the apartment was well serviced and finely furnished, while the price was a lot lower than an hotel. In my opinion the best way to stay in a city like Rome is to rent an holiday apartment or a bed & breakfast.
Rundles is one of the best restaurants I've dined at in the world. (Sorry Mr. Ramsay, but you have a lot to learn from them.)
Minimalism and understated elegance is best how to describe this spot.
The cuisine is thoroughly grounded in tradition yet playful and forward-thinking all the same. Service is spot on, with no flaws. Wine list is exceptional (i.e. affordable bottles from worldly modern wineries are represented with no rip-offs).
The architecture is completely modern and minimal, the atmosphere is so serene. I’ve recently discovered that Canadian super-star architects, Shim-Sutcliffe (based in Toronto), are behind the re-design of the restaurant, as well as the making of the Rundles-Morris House, a stellar pad located next door.
For $595.00 CAD, one can rent probably the most wonderfully designed accommodation available for rent in the world - the Rundles-Morris House.
This space is thoroughly modern, and filled with every luxury you can think of, from designer furniture to expensive Irish linens, to breakfast cuisine that is unmatched anywhere else I've stayed.
Every Pound spent here is worth it. All things considered, Rundles restaurant, and staying inside their one of a kind, Rundles-Morris House, is a total deal, or, steal!
Rundles
9 Cobourg Street,
Stratford, Ontario
Canada N5A 3E4
t.: 001.519.271.6442
f.: 001.519.271.3279
rundles@cyg.net
www.rundlesrestaurant.com
Based on the reader's suggestions here, we stayed at Inn at Delhi.
It was exactly as someone else had said before "Home away from Home".
The owners a retired couple; a history professor and a doctor that are full of energy and bustle and treated us like one of their family.
I would highly recommend staying with them and enjoying the Indian hospitality!
Inn at Delhi
Bed and Breakfast in New Delhi, India
C-34 Anand NIketan
NEW Delhi 110 021, India
site - www.innatdelhi.com
Forget hotels stay here! Spotlessly clean modern rooms, (we even had a balcony overlooking table mountain). Great staff, gave really good advice on where to go in Cape Town and the area. Really fun bar, over all a great choice, the rooms and food is as good as any hotel, but for some reason these guys don't charge as much! They also have a great fun bar full of people who have travelled all over the world and who actually talk to you. We made so many friends amongst the staff and guests we left wanting to stay longer, thats never happened to me in any faceless hotel
81 New Church Street, Gardens, Cape Town.
(all the taxi drivers seem to know where this place is)
0027 21 426 0200
www.capetownbackpackers.com
A laid back, funky hostel in the seaside village of Punta del Este.
Mixed or female dorms, private singles, doubles or four person share rooms and lovely lounge area surrounded by 16 foot high windows, with a massive hearth and fireplace.
The owners also run a bar, located on the beach just one block from the hostel.
A great place to stopover for a few days en route to Brazil and recharge those backpacker batteries, come rain or shine.
Brian Meissner,
Owner & Operator
Tel / Phone
Uruguay: 0477 2647
Lovely little place, located between Kaeo and Mangonui. Run by Lyndsey and football fanatic Stefano, on their fifth-generation Northland family farm. Dorms, singles and doubles with a warm homely feel.
After a trek over the farm to historic Kauri dams where you can bathe in natural rockpools or a day at the beach in beautiful and remote Doubtless Bay, treat yourself to one of Stefano's legendary homemade pizzas - yum yum.
A cut above any other hostel I've ever stayed in - a real gem.
Kahoe Farms Hostel, RD 2 Kaeo, New Zealand. Tel: (09) 4051 804
Email: kahoefarms@xtra.co.nz
Pronounced "thung-gulie", a 14 acre coral island (off the east coast of mainland) which you can walk around in just 20 minutes. A small selection of beach huts - from around £20pppn - are all a stone's throw from the sea. Perfect location for snorkelling/diving and if you're really lucky (like us!), a Humpback whale or two might just swim past the island.
All meals (incl. in price, plus an afternoon cuppa!) served in the communal dining room - also right by the water's edge.
Island run by members of the Methodist Church of Fiji, some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet.
For more information and bookings:
caqalai@owlfiji.com
Tel: (+679) 344 0166,
Caqalai Island, Box 149, Levuka, Fiji Islands
Family run guesthouse, which delivers a lot for very little outlay. We had a double room with en-suite and balcony overlooking the river for about $5/night. We opted for no air con but had overhead fan which was more than enough. White painted walls and dark wood fixtures and fittings, and tiled floors help to keep everything cool. Good comfortable beds and everything was very clean. It's probably a good fifteen minute walk into the centre of Luang Prabang, but it's enjoyable and you get to see things you wouldn't normally!
The bathroom was clean too, although they didn't clean the room or bathroom everyday you only had to ask. However, the shower/water supply was a little tempremental, but with patience and a little tweaking all was fine!
The hosts supplied a free meal once a week, which we managed to have two of! Very friendly atmosphere and the meal gave us the opportunity to meet other travellers who were of all ages and backgrounds. Free fruit and water (safe to drink) for all. Breakfast and evening meals available and there are soft drinks and beer too!
Laundry service available although like any good traveller you can still do a little of your own!
There is a curfew in Luang Prabang which if I remember correctly starts at 11.00pm, so the owners will lock the gates somewhere around then. We were late back one night but they waited up for us.
You get about 4-6 small light planes over everyday, but they don't cause too much disturbance.
Great place to stay, highly recommend it, don't forget to remove your shoes on the way in!
East part of town five minutes walk from Wat Visoun and south from Phousi Hill. Walk down small road/alleyway and Cold River Guesthouse is situated at the bottom on the righthand side. Location is right on the Nam Khan River. Accessible by foot or tuk tuk!
A hidden gem in the hills on the outskirts of the picturesque ancient town of Sarnarno. We had a very relaxing week there last June with our 16 month old daughter. The views from the spectacular swimming pool are simply stunning and the owners were extremely helpful and accommodating. Comfortable, modern decor too. Highly recommended if you are planning a holiday in this part of Italy. We were sad to leave so soon and would stay longer next time.
www.villasanraffaello.com
Via Case Rosse 278, Sarnano 62028 MC, ITALIA
Ancona & Pescara airports 1.5 hrs away
Everyone seems to know that Portland, Oregon is one of the hottest US cities at the moment. Driven out of California by high costs, Portland is full of arty communities, progressive politics, and one of the best public transport systems in the US. However, the McMenamin's hotels and B&Bs are really a huge attraction. Edgefield is a former poorhouse from the 1920s, completely renovated and full of art, murals and photographs celebrating its history. Each room is unique, there is live music (free) each night, and they have a winery, brewery, distillery, movie theater, and now a full spa with soaking pool outdoors. Edgefield is right out of town in Troutdale, surrounded by orchards and 15 minutes from the Columbia River Gorge with access to miles of hikes, waterfalls and woods to explore. Not to mention Hood River as a lovely little town, still feeling like the "old west". This place is simply magical. Oh, and there are several little bars, including a tiny one called "The Little Red Shed" with a fire and about three tables. Go!
www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=3&category=Location%20Homepage
Classy, friendly hotel right on the ski slopes just outside the village of Arosa in Switzerland. It's a five minute walk into the centre of the village and the train station (two stops from Zurich airport). Good food - and don't miss the weekly show put on by management and staff. Hilarious.
Waldhotel National
CH-7050 Arosa
www.waldhotel.ch
Is the spelling as Guardian spelt it, or Turnovo? Who knows - I saw it spelt both ways many times in the town itself. Anyway, it rocks, it's cooler than Sofia by a country mile. Great view from anywhere in town, great bars, and great restaurants, althought after the free (light) dinner you might just want to have a night in the hostel lounge drinking beer from the fridge and playing cards with the staff... The Hostel Mostel staff go the extra mile to help you out and Eva told us off all the best places, like BaR DaDa, and Bar Scandal. The address was on a road something like Indicko, not all the cabbies know it so phone ahead and get the details.
Just google hostel mostel - they have good web presence!
We cannot praise Riyad Al Moussika enough; the effortless attention to our every wish was discrete and subtle, nothing was too much trouble for the staff.
The lunch every day was excellent. Our last meal was the best Tajine we have ever tasted - it unfortunately has changed our appreciation forever and whenever we choose a Tajine it will be compared less favourable with today's creation.
You must visit the Berber souk at the base of the Atlas mountain. The staff at the Al Moussika will arrange it with a very knowledgeable taxi driver who will outline every interesting site,
including for old rockers like me, " Mick Jaggers" Marrakesh hideaway.
The Library is an oasis of tranquillity with an excellent cross section of reading material in many languages.
Multi channel television and wi-fi in every room.
We chose this Riyad because of the TripAdvisor reviews and once again members were spot on.
62, Derb Boutouil-Kennaria
Marrakech
Phone 00212 24 389067
Fax 00212 24 377653
www.riyad-al-moussika.com/
contact@riyad-al-moussika.ma
Luxury boutique hotel in the Heritage Square part of the city centre, convenient for Cape Quarter, shopping, the bus to the Table Mountain cable car and only 15 minutes walk to the Robben Island ferry. The rooms are all different, some with very original touches. The staff are, in a word, amazing. No request seems to exceed their knowledge and skills, but they are never patronising. Moreover, the hotel has led the regeneration of Heritage Square, transforming a site designated for demolition into a block of gentrification. It's not a cheap option in Cape Town, but I cannot imagine you regretting the cost. Spoil yourself!
90 Bree Street, Cape Town, South Africa
PO Box 4475, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
E: info@capeheritage.co.za
T: +27 21 424 4646
W: www.capeheritage.co.za
Many guides rave about the 164 boutique guest house and it's easy to see why: For 700/1100 Rand per night (single/double) you get huge, stylish rooms with en-suite facilities and cable TV. Breakfast is freshly cooked on demand - impeccable scrambled eggs, for example - and the service manages to be both personable and discreet. There is a small bar for residents and a selection of OK restaurants in walking distance.
164 St. Thomas Road
Musgrave
Durban, 4001
t: +27 31 201 4493
e: info@164.co.za
w: www.164.co.za
Accommodation in St Lucia is either depressingly dull or very much at the bottom of the backpacker category. The exception is the lovingly run Lidiko Lodge, on a quiet section of the main street but with all its 16 stylish chalet-style rooms at the rear so you should get a quiet night's sleep. The owners downsized from legal careers in Pretoria and preside over an excellent staff who look after everything. Accommodation is in large comfortable en-suite double rooms. There is private car parking at the rear. Excellent breakfast is served on the front terrace, accompanied by the St Lucia clan of vervet monkeys. There is even a small range of local crafts on sale. Unbeatable.
Lidiko Lodge
McKenzie Street
St Lucia
KwaZulu-Natal
t: +27 35 590 1581
e: lidiko@wetlands.co.za
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