- budget
- (2532)
-
A St Andrews institution. Jannetta's is an ice cream shop dating from 1908. They make fifty-two flavours of ice cream and they are all wonderful, so much so that people queue along the pavement at the first sign of warm weather in early Spring.
31 South Street, near the corner with Abbey Street.
www.jannettas.co.uk
George and Davis' is situated on Little Clarendon Street in Jericho. It is something of an Oxford institution with quirky cow-themed pictures on the walls and a studenty appeal. It serves great ice cream in an array of wonderful (and sometimes weird) flavours and customers can start a petition for a flavour of their own design
to be made. If 30 signatures are collected the management will consider making it.
The cafe also serves great pizza bagels for those who need a savoury snack. It is open until midnight and, although there are plenty of students in term-time, it's worth making a visit.
G&Ds Ice Cream Cafe, Little Clarendon Street.
01865 516652
Situated in a boring and slightly scruffy building, this place is a real find. The three-star Longchamps Hotel is on one of the upper floors and, with two large terraces, is one of the most relaxing places in Cairo. Its decor could be described as a mix of elegant, Bohemian and ethnic. But what most people find surprising is the food. Menus are simple but dishes are invariably delicious to the point of being memorable. If you are looking for somewhere inexpensive, quiet, clean and pleasant to stay in Cairo, this is it.
Hotel Longchamps, 21 Ismail Mohamed Street, Zamalek. 3409644
Tel : 00 20 2 735 2311/12.
www.hotellongchamps.com
It's not even close to a 3 star hotel but the people who work there are really friendly and gave us such great advice. They even advised us on places to stay in Dahab and Luxor. Great food and a very safe, cheap place to stay near the Egyptian Museum.
Sharia Mahmoud, Bassiouni 26
Instead of choking on exhaust fumes sitting in a taxi in dead-end traffic, take the Cairo underground. It is quick, efficient, very cheap, and if you are a woman on your own, the front carriage is reserved for women only. Much faster way to get around the city, also.
This is an inexpensive (US$12 per room), simple, clean and very friendly guest house. Each room has en suite and air conditioning. It is a good place to unwind after a hard, hot day. There is a bar, a casual restaurant (with Western or Khmer-style food), a pool table (good for chilling out) and free internet for catching up with your emails and bragging to friends. It is close to town and they give you transport around town and to the airport. The modest profits from here go to support Savong's School - a volunteer language school that is also worth visiting.
D&D Angkor Villa Guest House,
No 6 Highway (Airport Road, near the Caltex Station).
Tel : (00 84) 855 12 531 037
www.angkorvilla.com
There are lots of great museums in Stockholm. Nordiska museet (The Museum of Nordic history) is my favourite, located in a colossal 19th century building on Djurgarden island in central Stockholm. Just to see the building is worth the trip and Djurgarden is the most beautiful part of central Stockholm. Note that most museums are closed on Mondays and most of them are free to visit.
Nordiska museet, Djurgardsvagen 6-16, next to the bridge.
Telephone : (00 46) 8519 546 00 or (00 46) 8457 06 60 (Swedish and English 24-hour line).
We stayed in a lovely studio apartment in the centre of the old town. The place was spotless, centrally located, had a comfortable bed, a full kitchen and the price was reasonable.The landlord was very kind and helpful. So if you are planning a trip to Dubrovnik and need to find accomodation you need not look further.
Vila Mala, Plovani skalini 2.
Tel : (00 385) 91 33 22 072 It's down a side street off the main strip of the old town
www.dubrovnik-online.com/vila_mala/
Caffe Bar Rio is a great place to spend your evenings. It has great music, prices are cheaper than any other bar in the town and there is a great mix of people from all over the world. And the service is quick, unlike some other bars.
From the Pile Gate it is the third street on the left off the Stradun.
Whatever you do, remember that Sweden operates a state-run alcohol retail outlet - Systembolaget. This has very precise opening times so make sure you know them, otherwise you will be very frustrated. The good news is that booze bought at the Systembolaget is far cheaper than at bars. There is also a fantastic choice of wine.
Systembolagets are in most towns and have a very distinctive logo.
www.systembolaget.se
It costs 1.3 lira (50p) for one journey on the modern funicular between Taksim Square and Kabatas and it is much better than taking a taxi. The trams and the ferry costs the same amount and the ferry, crossing from Europe to Asia, is a must.
Taksim Square, Istanbul.
The best korv booth in town. You can choose from over a dozen types of gourmet sausage and the fillings are top notch. The locals head there for a light lunch too. 45kr per korv.
Next to the Post Office on Nybrogatan 55
Makassar, and Sulawesi, are great places to visit and the start and end of your holiday should be a cold drink watching the sunset from the terrace of the Kios Semarang. Makassar recently (1999) reclaimed its historic name after twenty-five years of being called Ujung Pandang. It is a large vibrant city (fifth or sixth in size in Indonesia) but with a village feel. It is a busy port city with a centre right next to the sea. It has a seaside promenade right there where it can be most enjoyed by everybody. Makassar is currently undergoing a boom in development and has lots of bars, cafes and night life (outside of Ramahdan). This is not Jakarta or Bali so there are not too many resident foreigners but their haunt is the Kios Semarang. The place is friendly and welcoming, the beer is cold, the food is excellent and the sunsets are famous. It is a bar/restaurant so you are welcome to just sit for hours with a coke, or whatever, and watch the sunset. From a wall seat you can watch the comings and goings of the locals along the promenade. The third floor is the place to go, partly open terrace and partly roofed over, so it is comfortable in the heat of the day and in both the wet (November to February) and dry seasons. Don't be put off by the record store on the ground floor. Go straight up two flights of stairs to the best sunset bar in Indonesia.
On Jalan Pantai Losari in the centre of town about 100m upstream (traffic wise) from the Makassar Golden Hotel. Taxis are plentiful in Makassar and good value. All taxi drivers know where the Kios Semarang is, or Jalan Pantai Losari on the sea front.The Kios Semarang is within walking distance of all the seafront hotels, bars and restaurants.
It's a backpackers' place stuck in a time warp. From the outside it's a throw back from the early twenties but inside its an up-to-date hostel catering for all tastes.
However, I've heard that it's going to be demolished, I hope this isn't true. Nossa is a wonderful little place. An almost idyllic place, kind of Ozzie Bedford Falls. Relax and enjoy.
2 Halse Lane, Noosa Heads
Tel: (05) 5447 3377
www.halselodge.com.au/
Google map: tinyurl.com/loe5bc
They do the best Gyros pitta on Rhodes - pork cooked on a rotisserie, with tzatziki, tomates and onions. I sampled quite a few just to be sure! A great value lunch at just 3 Euros.
It's near the church bell tower on a corner after you walk past the Donkeys from the main square.
When you go to Sharm do not book your tours through your hotel operator because you will get ripped off. Take some time and go directly to the Sun Fun office (located near one of the Hiltons in town) and book there. The costs are nearly half of what is charged in hotels.
A great backpacker hostel. Possibly the cheapest yet most well-developed place to get all sorts of information.
Decorated with IKEA furniture, free kitchen use, free breakfast and free internet use. Excellent service and location in Little India district.
73 Dunlop Street, Singapore 209401
Tel: (65) 6296 9169
Fax: (65) 6396 6694
www.the-inncrowd.com
Email Information
Inquiry: inquiry@the-inncrowd.com
Reservations: reservations@the-inncrowd.com
MRT
Bugis (green line)-from the airport
Little India (purple line)
It is a friendly backpackers' place for those who are on a tight budget and want somewhere clean to crash. They also organise activities for their lodgers and there are people from all parts of the world.
Owned by 2 Singaporeans, Hai & Ping, the place is always fully booked. So booking in advance is definitely recommended!!
73 Dunlop Street
Singapore 209401
Tel: (65) 62969169
www.the-inncrowd.com
Located right in the heart of Little India and just a 10 minute walk from the "Little India" MRT station.
Cave Creek is a small town about 25 miles north of downtown Phoenix and 40 miles north of the airport- but I'd strongly recommend Villas of Cave Creek if you're visiting.
The villas are large two-storey houses with big living rooms, kitchens and king size bedroom/bathrooms downstairs. Another bedroom, bathroom, living room is upstairs. Hot tub outside plus washing machine/dryer.
Incredibly comfortable with great restaurants nearby (try Cartwright's) but the big plus is the value. We used them for two days rest after flying from London before heading north to the Grand Canyon - and through Expedia it cost about £65. That was for two of us - but would be incredible value for a family.
Villas of Cave Creek
38001 N. School House Road
Cave Creek
Arizona 85331-8633
Phone +1-480-595-1200
Fax +1-480-595-1034
www.starwoodvacationownership.com/resorts/villas_of_cave_creek/welcome.jsp
Malacca is a historic Malaysian town with a less sanitised atmosphere than Singapore. You can see it in a day on a fully escorted coach trip run by RMG Tours. Considering the distance, you get a reasonable flavour of the place as well as an excellent hotel lunch, for a very good price.
The same company do a tour to Kukup but this is comparatively disappointing, with three stops en route and inadequate time at the destination. They offer other tours within Singapore itself, which are less worthwhile as the public transport system is so good and taxis plentiful and cheap.
RMG's address is 109C Amoy Street, Singapore 069929. It has booking desks in the Orchard Road Visitors' Centre and various hotels, or see the website at www.rmgtours.com
Is this your business?