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Centric Point has got to have the poshest address of, not just any hostel in Barcelona, but any hostel in the world! Slap-bang on the Paseo de Gracia alongside all the flash shops, but still a stone's throw from the Ramblas, it's amazing.
Inside things are no less grand, either. A beautiful spiral staircase leads up to a large and very lively bar, nice, clean rooms and a good time for all.
Passeig de Gracia 33,
Barcelona
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/spain/barcelona/8144/
Very reasonably priced hotel in an excellent location – Earls Court Arena and Earls Court tube station are just one minute's walk away, and there are also lots of bars and restaurants close by. Breakfast was surprisingly good given the low cost of the room and included cereal, lots of toast, fruit, sausages, and bacon and eggs, as well as juices, milk, and coffee. The staff were also very polite, and the front desk was manned 24 hours a day.
11 Trebovir Road, London, SW5 9LS
www.hotels-london-hotel.com/brochure-pages/rushmore-hotel-110310.html
The apartment in Quito was fantastic. Everything was clean and lovely and the location was perfect. I really had such a beautiful stay in the apartment and the comfort and convenience of it made it all possible.
The centre of the city is not large, so it makes this place easy to visit in a day.
You can choose to visit Florence by bike, following the cycle tracks that reach the most famous historic sites.
What to see:
- Piazza della Signoria
- Piazzale Michelangelo
- Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square)
- The Bargello Museum
- Ponte Vecchio: To one side of the bridge there is the majestic bust of the most famous Florentine goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini.
Scenic views:
- Bike along the romantic Viale dei Colli up to Piazzale Michelangelo to see the wonderful landscape of Florence
- Panoramic view of the Boboli Gardens
Bike rental estimated prices:
1 hour - about 3 Euro
1 day - from a minimum of 14 Euro to a maximum of 27 Euro
Strange name... nice restaurant. The Wet Fish is a small intimate place that serves excellent mezze, tapas, great Turkish food and other Mediterranean fare. Seafood is a speciality. The range of Turkish dips and bread is rather nice. Also nice too are the prices, this is a cheap eating experience. The service is excellent.
Shop 12
427 Hampton St
Hampton 3188
(in Hampton Village)
ph 9533 1666
free parking out front
Google map: tinyurl.com/qy5zl8
When this hostel advertised how close to sandy South Beach they were, I must admit I was sceptical – but when I arrived I was soon corrected!
A mere block from the fun and sun of the beach resort, they are also ideally situated for the shops, restaurants and nightlife in the Art Deco district which attracts travelers from all over the world.
Dorm beds are surprisingly cheap considering all rooms have their own bathroom and staff are friendly and helpful.
There’s also a lot going on here…tours in the day, events at night and other travelers chilling out in the bar. So much so that you could enjoy Miami without even leaving the hostel.
www.jazzhostels.com
321 Collins Ave Miami Beach, FL 33139
+1 (305) 672-2137
Google map: bit.ly/17qjFvF
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/usa/miami/19690/
A great, cheap place to stay right in the centre of Toronto. This budget hostel has a fantastic community feel and is a fun, lively place to meet other travelers. As a girl visiting Canada on my own, I felt right at home here – especially on Saturday nights where the free barbecue attracts a large proportion of the guests for a beer and a burger!
It’s located in Kensington market, about five minutes from the entertainment and shopping districts – and there’s no curfew so you can stay out exploring as late as you please.
This is a friendly place but its real selling point is the combination of the low price of a bed of the night set against their great facilities…
175 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2L4, Canada
www.theplanettraveler.com
Usagui is a very reasonably-priced authentic Japanese restaurant. Much the best in the city, as evidenced by the numbers of Japanese that throng there on the weekends. It does not do Mexican/Japanese food, like some of the cheaper neighbourhood 'puestos' do, but the real deal. Closed Mondays.
The British owner/chef at Brasserie serves delicious, reasonably-priced Mediterranean food in an atmospheric old house with a beautiful terrace. A leisurely mojito recommended while you soak up the ambience. Open only Weds/Thurs/Fri for lunch & dinner.
Usagui: Manuel Acuña, 1&1/2 blocks from Avenida Americas, Colonia Sta. Teresita. Look for the big yellow rabbit on the right.
Brasserie: Priscilliano Sanchez #1171, immediately on the right hand side of the road triangle. Zona: Chapultepec/Centro.
A haven of a bar near the Rialto in Venice! Happy hour between 5 and 7.30pm makes the delicious cocktails very affordable.
This was actually recommended to me by another traveler and the fact that I'm passing on the tip says it all!
There may be tourists here but they are mostly backpackers and young people, giving the bar a fun international flavor.
The owners are super-friendly too and seem genuinely interested in their visitors, particularly those from elsewhere in Europe so be prepared to engage in some lively conversation!
San Marco 5546, Venice
www.bacarojazz.com/
Popping into this cheap little Venice restaurant near the train station on the way home bought an unusual surprise.
I've been told since that it's a chain but it's not like places in England. The dishes are simple but tasty and my pasta was cooked fresh to order while I watched.
The salad was also good quality and (another surprise!) we had a reasonably priced beer to accompany it too.
Lista di Spagna, Canneregio 124
I don't know what to say about this Venice hostel except that it's everything a good, cheap hostel should be.
The location is unbeatable, a five-minute stroll to Piazza San Marco and even closer to the Rialto Bridge. You really get the feeling that you're staying right in the heart of the city and on a typical Venetian street.
It's very reasonable for a private room – and a room that's nice and sunny, too!
They said they do special last minute deals that work out even cheaper, but, it's such a great place I can't imagine they've spare rooms all that often.
San Marco 3358, Salizada San Samuele, Venice, 30124
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/italy/venice/25275/
Ostello Gallo D'Oro is a central, pleasant and extremely clean hostel in Florence, owned by the most remarkable couple: Massimo and Silvia.
They drive every aspect of this lovely Florence hostel, and are constantly on hand to make sure that their guests (and you really do feel like a guest rather than a customer!) have everything they could possibly need.
I didn't stay long enough to take advantage of the offer, but long-term guests are invited out to their Tuscan farmhouse for the night.
It was a real wrench to tear myself away.
No. 104 Via Cavour, Florence
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/italy/florence/3711/
This is the MOST gorgeous little cluster of villas - my friends and family and I visit it every single summer. It's set in a quaint little Portuguese village, surrounded by orange groves and the owners, Beccy and Ron, are so welcoming. It's only 10 minutes from Faro airport and it has a pool and loads of character. I love the neighbour, Florentina - we always manage to communicate even when I cant speak a word of Portuguese!
Pizzas are a speciality but the menu is great. Rossopomodoro is a chain (Maybe think Pizza Express?) around Italy. This one is in Largo di Torre Argentina, west of Piazza Venezia and three blocks south of the Pantheon. Go upstairs after entering the Tardis-like front door to a large, frantically busy local gem.
Google Map: tinyurl.com/6lwk38
Largo di Torre Argentina
Great place on Via Del Proconsulo, near the Bargello. As you walk from the Duomo towards the river you will do worse than to stop in Yellow Bar - the Nona making the pasta between the kitchen and the stairs alone is worth the price of admission (there isn't a price of admission). Very busy, locals and tourists.
Great food at low, low prices. We had dinner for 30 with wine (and not from a fixed menu!) that came to less than 20 euro per person. Wonderful spot.
Via Del Proconsolo, 39/R
50122 Firenze (FI), Italy
Get Directions
055 211766
tinyurl.com/l5nlp4
As flash as Flash Gordon downloading Flashplayer in a flash flood (yes, it is that flash!), La Controra Flashpackers Hostel has got to be one of the best hostels I've ever stayed in!
The hostel is housed in an old monastery, and huddled around a palm-strewn courtyard that's ideal for barbecues. Shared rooms are light, airy and spacious, while a couple of doubles seem to open up on to their own terraces. All in all, it's more than a bit special. (And very reasonable, too!)
Assuming you can get a flight, there is still some cheap accommodation in Moscow.
The Voschod Hotel say they have doubles available for 2,400 rubles per night (about £25 each). Be prepared for a very basic facility though. The Hotel Sovietsky (a deliciously kitsch venue just north of the Garden Ring) have rooms for 7,200 rubles - £156. The Warsaw Hotel has singles for 4,300 rubles (about £94) and doubles for 6,250 (about £135 or £68 each). Like Home Apartments have flats available before and after the match.
And if you need a visa try Real Russia: they’re among the cheapest, and you’ll be able to track progress of your application online.
voschod.ru/en/
www.sovietsky.ru
Warsaw Hotel - tel: 495 238 7701
www.likehome.ru
www.realrussia.co.uk
Running away from the Piazza Garibaldi down to the Piazza del Mercato are Naples' markets. In keeping with the city's general atmosphere, they're a noisy, chaotic affair (with more than a whiff of the mafia about them by all accounts!).
Watching the fish market at Porta Nolana - and every other specimen of market stall imaginable scattered across the area - is an essential Naples experience in and of itself.
To the west/southwest of Piazza Garibaldi
It's clean, it's cheap, it has wi-fi and it's close to Penn Station.
The smell of pot from across the hall and the scrum for breakfast (think British Bulldogs with bagels) can be put up with too.
I stayed there as part of my travels:
writeronthestorm.wordpress.com
If you are a fan of this brand you will love this outlet store. It's well signposted once you are in Inca, with a large car park. The styles are generally a season behind but knock down prices are amazing. This place can get pretty busy in the summer so be prepared, but at these prices it's all worth it!
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