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Three-star hotel on Sonnenstrasse, just off the end of Kaufingerstrasse and handy for central sights such as Marienplatz and Frauenkirche as well as the Hauptbahnhof. Modern and friendly with a pleasant breakfast room on the first floor. I stayed in an en suite double room (in 2003) for a very reasonable 65 euros a night.
Sonnenstrasse 5, Munich, DE, 80331
www.hotelstravel.com/Europe/DE/Munich/HotelDaniel.html
www.holidaycityeurope.com/daniel-munich/index.htm
travela.priceline.com/hotel/overview-Germany_Bayern_Munich_Hotel_Daniel-5562305.html
If you want a taste of real passion for cricket come to this stadium in the Motera district of Ahmedabad. Indian people come regardless of who is playing simply because they love to watch great cricket and cheer at every good shot. It's a great atmosphere. Be warned you can't take water into the stadium and you can't buy it at the site (there are vendors outside the grounds). This is because (i am told) people have a habbit of chucking water at the players when they are at the boundries! There is usually a way around it - kind kids will usually try and smuggle some in for you! Tickets are reasonable from 300rps to 2000 (but a mid price on of about 500rps is usually the way to go).
Motera district in the north of the city
This is an informal and welcoming bed and breakfast. It's 20 minutes on the 53 metro line to the centre, making this a quiet place to stay.
The hosts Jan and Cecile make every effort to make your stay a comfortable and enjoyable one. The breakfast is particularly recommended.
Bed & Breakfast Apostrophe
Geerdinkhof 258
1103 RA Amsterdam
www.apostropheamsterdam.nl
Baga beach down by the creek at the quiet end of the Candolim - Calangute stip, is just perfect as a base for exploring north Goa. There are some excellent hotels, guest houses, restaurants and night clubs in the area. You can walk around the cliffs to Anjuna if you don't mind a bit of a hike. Half way round is a small secluded bay and beach shack imaginatively called "Cliffs" perfect for stopping of for a mid moring snack or drink.
Calangute is within walking distance in the other direction should you need the exercise, but a taxi or Tuc-Tuc will take you anywhere within north Goa for less than £10! The views from the top of Chapora fort or from Arambol lake are spectacular at any time of day and Vagator beach is fantastic for sundown.
The capital city of Panjim is also worth a visit as is Old Goa for the architecture and churches - a 3 day trip to Hampi is also well worth the time and trouble.
Dabolim airport is 70 mins away and Mapusa Station is 10 minutes away.
As with other states, the Goan state government runs cheap one-day sight seeing trips for about US$1.00. Well worth the time.
Take a bus trip to north Goa or south Goa. Again, less than one dollar. Since public buses are crowded, go to a terminal and get a seat next to a window, so that one does not have to be put off by crowded passengers shoving.
Old homes. Recommended by government.
Goa state museum in Panjim. Good on history of Goa.
Study Portuguese. School, with short courses,in Porvorim.
Goa State Museum, EDC Complex, Pato, Panaji, Goa - 403001. Tel: 91-0832-2438006/2437306
A donkey trip gives you the best views and is the most fun, slightly ridiculous way to see the valley of the kings. We made the mistake of booking through a hotel, who take massive commissions (up to 80% of fee). The donkey trip guides are VERY poor, so why not book direct and cut out the fat? Then they get a fairer deal and you get a cheaper price. Call Abdl on this number: 095/2060352, or 010 472 9416. He will meet you at your hotel and take you on a great 5-6 hour trip which should cost about £4 sterling each.
Call him on 095/2060352 or 010 472 9416
Cheap apartments in Dubrovnik, about 15 minutes walk from the walled city, and a similar distance to the main bus station. There is one triple room and one double room - with balcony overlooking the western part of the city, both sharing the bathroom opposite.
France Preserna 8, just off one of the main roads (Andrija Hebrang). Booked via www.hostelbookers.com
www.anka-rooms.com
Airport bus is a inexpensive gov't official bus service transfer from airport-down. It is very cheap only 1.50 pound. Avoid the taxi or tuktuk.
La Chene is the gite we stayed in this summer - it's FAB! (and suprisingly affordable). Big and spacious even with two families in it. Lovely back terrace with views across the field and great sunsets. The kids loved the upstairs rooms and the 'wet room' almost as much as the heated pool and bike rides.
Although the area and the Deux Sèvres region isn't all that touristy there's no shortage of things to do. We enjoyed days out at the Trogldyte village (caves that were used as houses up to 40 years ago), in the pretty town of Montreuil Bellay, and at the amazing Futuroscope in Poitiers.
We're hoping to go back early next year with some friends on a 'grown-up' break as the owners offer a local 'degustation' wine tasting tour.
Driving there was easier than we expected - ferry to Caen then 4.5 hrs on the autoroutes ending up in peaceful french countryside. If we come for a long weekend we'll fly to Angers and hire a car as that's cheap and easy.
Top tip: If you do stay here, eat out at least once at the Logis de Pompois - AMAZING 4* gormet food (and not too painful on the chequebook).
La Chene is around an hour or so from Tours.
www.gites-en-france.info or call the owners: 00335 49 80 26 58
Nearest airports are Angers or Poitiers, or ferry to Le Harve or Caen and drive...
Le Logis de Pompois, BP86 Sainte Verge 79102 Thouars
Tel: (0)5 49 96 27 84
A waterfall which you can swim in with rope swings to swing and jump off. It's great fun and the water is cool and so a lovely break from the heat.
I hired a scooter from Negril and went on my own. I had a small tourist map, it's easy to find as it's well signposted. Also the journey from Negril is great with a good opportunity to see towns and countryside away from the tourist areas. Leave jewellery at home and take just money for they day. Alternatively most hotels will do coach trips there.
Lovely coastal village in beautiful Portland Parish. Take the coast road out of Kingston and drive the long way round. Just a couple of beach bars and B&Bs (ask at the Chill Out bar for recommendations) and absolutely no all inclusive resorts. Just locals and the odd incomer (hippies who drifted in 30 years ago and never left...) Nearby is the great small town of Port Antonio with a thriving market. From there you can book river cruises and boat trips etc.
Tulamben Wreck Divers and Paradise Palm Beach are much cheaper than the main ones that come up on the Internet, like Tauch Terminal, Mimbi and Emerald.
Tulamben Wreck Divers, Tulamben, Bali.
Tel : +62 3632 3400
www.tulambenwreckdivers.com
Paradise Palm Beach, Tulamben, Bali.
www.aquamarinediving.com
Tel : +62 3 6173 0107
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
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
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
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.
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
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