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A great hostel in Warsaw - a truly unique place. It felt like being immersed in another century. The whole hostel welcomes you with an elegant atmosphere from the late 19th century. Imagine rooms with wooden beds, little lamps and photographs – everything is arranged and decorated with a lot of love. Enjoy discovering historical interior design. My personal favourites were the crochet tea-cloths!
On the other hand I didn’t miss any modern comforts - I had a modern bathroom and was checking my mail every night. Placed in the heart of the city, very near to the medieval Market square, it is also ideally located.
Wodkowica 5 street
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/poland/wroclaw/19817/
The Go Boston Card is the perfect pass if you want to visit a lot of Boston attractions. The card can be purchased for 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 day increments. Once you have purchased the card you have the choice of visiting every attraction you can think of in Boston and surrounding areas.
Vietnam Airlines, the state-owned airline, is the major carrier in Vietnam for domestic flights. A second domestic airline, Pacific Airlines, which is owned by Vietnam Airlines, also offers flights between Hanoi, HCMC and Danang.
Fares for domestic flights are fixed and determined by distance, although there are some discount fares for advance purchase (with restrictions), late night flights, and student and senior fares. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines both offer similar levels of quality and safety, with Pacific Airlines offering slightly cheaper fares.
Neither Vietnam Airlines nor Pacific Airlines currently offer e-ticketing or online booking, although Vietnam Airlines has announced plans to start e-ticketing in early 2007.
A few tips for booking internal flights - book flights only once you are in Vietnam for cheaper prices, book online with Vietnam Airlines website, or their agents for savings.
Useful websites:
www.vietnamairlines.com.vn
www.guidevietnam.com/flight/vietnam-airlines/vietnam-domestic-flights.html
www.smiletravelvietnam.com/travelvietnam/vietnam-airlines.aspx
The Ostello (Hostelling International) is a few miles from the old city but has good transport links and great views over the valley. All the rooms are ensuite and a maximum of 8 people.
Coming by train to Bergamo station walk out of the station and straight up the road towards the funicular (about 10 mins walk) take the funicular up and the bus to Ostello stops right outside the station, the bus will then take you right to the Ostello's door. This by far the easiest way to do it believe me!
Paris taxi drivers seem to have a problem with carrying more than three people. We were surcharged for a family of three adults and one child with various excuses given, including an additional charge for luggage! Use the Metro whenever possible, and buy a carnet of 10 tickets for both adults and children (1/2 price).
If you are taking a short break to Paris and need to use the car to get to London (sadly we had to), Eurostar use NCP for the St Pancras station car park and this means a minimum £25.00 per day which can dampen the holiday spirit.
We used Lomax car park in Camden Town (15 minutes' walk) - very helpful staff, they will drive you to the station and pick you up on your return and, best of all, it's about £50 for four days.
An amazing bar and restaurant off Duke Street in Liverpool city centre, it's a former Victorian jail which makes for a very unusual setting to eat.
Despite its former use, the venue is incredibly stylish and cosy and you can still eat in the cells as well as in an elegant dining area upstairs where's there's also a champagne lounge. Food is fab and service is very good. Also very reasonably priced especially with the set meal on a weekday.
Campbell Square off Duke Street, Liverpool 0151 709 4195. Nearest train station is Liverpool Central. The restaurant can be walked to from the city centre along Hanover Street walking towards the Albert Dock. Perfect if you're going for a gig at the Arena!
Not in Lonely Planet (why?).
Cheap, very safe (staffed reception and safe boxes), clean with hot water 24/7 hotel in downtown Delhi.
Check out the eaterie opposite the hotel for a veg Thali for less than a pound.
Only hassle is taxi drivers may be reluctant to come to the Main Bazaar, Pahar Gange (very narrow and crowded streets). Make sure you tell them that it's in PG and print off the map for directions - the last three times I have been to PG the taxi driver managed to get lost...).
If you are sick of the heat, dust and general aggravation that accompany travelling around India; or if this is your first trip and you fancy somewhere which is a gentle introduction to the sub-continent, then Darjeeling is the place to be.
May I reccommend Hotel Dekeling as the place to stay.
It's centrally located (10 minutes' walk from the toy train station and five minutes from Chowrasta). Clean, hot water 24/7 and run by the wonderful Mr and Mrs Norbu, who guarantee a warm family welcome.
What I particularly liked about it was:
Whilst I had booked in advance, I turned up a day early. The staff bent over backwards to sort out an alternative room for me. Whilst it was in the attic and had a shared bathroom, the price they gave me meant I could stay as twice as long as I planned.
They don't hustle you, come knocking on your door every five minutes looking for tips or try to sell you overpriced trips (which plenty of other top price hotels will do).
I wanted to go to Ghoom for the day. The staff gave me detailed instructions on how to get a shared jeep, how much I should pay , where to find the temple and how to get back to DJ again.
In all, a half day out cost me 25 pence.
There is a common area complete with books you can borrow and a stove. Great for just relaxing.
Topping it all, on the street level there is the attached cafe (Devakas) which serves delicous Tibetan food - cooked fresh in front of you.
I would suggest booking well in advance, it's pretty popular and was full during my stay.
On Peykhane, one of the streets running off Divan Yolu and about ten minutes' walk from Cemberlitas. Unassuming, bright diner, with excellent, cheap meals (pide, kebab, salad, soup), no hassle or hustling, friendly staff, and the best fresh bread we tasted in the whole city. 12-20 liras for two. Convenient for Sultanahmet hotels but out of the tourist beargarden.
Karadeniz kebab, Peykhane
It's an hilarious Dublin guide filled with serious tips.
A great place to watch an authentic folklore and dance show and for dinner. Very happy and friendly atmosphere.
On Cumhuriyet Caddesi, 10 min walk from Taksim Square towards Hilton.
Stay almost anywhere in Cornwall, buy a group saver ticket to St Ives. Park and ride to St Ives, changing at St Erth, where you will be treated to spectacular views of Carbis bay and have a wonderful day out at one of Cornwall's prettiest resorts. It's green, cheap and if the shuttle is delayed you can enjoy a cup of coffee at St Erth station buffet.
Any manned railway station on the Plymouth to Penzance line
This is a brilliant place for a breather from the kids. Set them off on the crazy golf and you can relax with a tea or coffee and cake. From the cafe the panoramic views of Padstow and the Camel Estuary are superb. We always go there for the view when in Padstow.
Up the steps off North Quay Parade, Padstow
This hostel excels in providing service. The cheerful owners cater for your every need with an attention to detail and warmth not always found in this sector of accommodation. Fedio's father's powerful rakia on arrival and mother's preserved fruit at breakfast leave you with the feeling you have stayed at a family house for an informal get together.
Oh, and did I mention the best view of the Yantra gorge in the city, all next door to one of the best small hotel restaurants in Bulgaria?
27 Gurko St
www.nomadshostel.com/
A lovely little Jewish/Greekish deli in the Jewish part of the Marais. They have a cosy little restaurant attached where you can select from the deli items. Great value for money, high quality and very tasty. Plenty of Parisien(ne)s.
2, Rue Hospitalières St Gervais
75004 Paris, France
+33 1 42 72 18 86
A rather wonderful family-run guest house, two minutes from the Assi ghats.
Clean and comfortable rooms (some with a balcony), hot water on demand and fresh home-cooked food.
Very, very friendly staff who will make you most welcome. Dr V.N Tripathi offers (advanced and beginners) yoga, meditation and Ayurveda lessons to guests.
I read the recommendations on the website and can vouch for them!
Maruti Guest House
B-1/86A Assi
Varanasi 221005
Tel: 0542-2312261
Website:
www.marutiguesthouse.com
Email:
marutiguesthouse@yahoo.co.in
Buenos Aires is one of the most remarkable places I have ever been. It's clean, classy, safe, and dirt cheap. The leather bags are at least 400 pounds cheaper than what you would buy on the high street.
Also they have miles and miles of shops on Florida and Avenida Santa Fe where you can buy anything for one third of the price in the US or UK.
We stayed at the art hotel in Recoleta which was a boutique hotel with contemporary art in the foyer, free internet access, great rooms and wet room bathrooms.
Beware the fake taxis in Buenos Aires. Because we'd been there for four days we realised that if they don't have a proper meter in the right hand corner and photographic id on the back of the driver's seat then don't get in. We used a taxi which charged us three times the price of a journey from the airport. We refused to pay and threatened to call the Policia!
If this happens to you get to your hotel and ask the concierge to translate... avoid at all costs.
Otherwise, BA is one of the safest cities in the world and the people are very nice. Palermo is great and so is Recoleta. Avoid San Telmo if you have to. Use taxis rather than buses as they are very cheap and the metro is great for getting around centrally. In taxis from the Newbery internal airport it should cost you no more than $14 and to the international around $50.
Try and go to the best steak restaurant in the Palermo area called La Cabrera, it's economical but BOOK AHEAD as it gets very busy.
Various.. please email me if you want any tips neillhenderson@hotmail.com(no spam)
Beware some of the tango shows in Buenos Aires that are recommended by your hotel. Bar Sur in San Telmo and Mandera Tango in the port area of BA are a rip off and are tourist traps.
For example, they will try and give you a poor seat with a bad view for you to upgrade to the 'VIP' area. They include a poor dinner with horrible house wine then con you to have a photo taken with two of the tango dancers who they say appear in the show then you never see them again.
They'll also offer you a cocktail for 40 pesos which is three times the price of any cocktail anywhere else. Bar Sur charges 210 pesos per person for the dinner and show in one of the tightest floor spaces in BA. Then the drinks are double the price of anywhere else in BA. If you want to see tango choose very carefully.
Not a pub, but a bed & breakfast near the Colosseum. The rooms are beautiful, as lovely as we have seen in four-star hotels. The host couple is very kind. They helped us plan our time and suggested some great restaurants.
Nicolas Inn
www.nicolasinn.com
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