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Traditional Spanish tapas with a modern twist and great price. For less than €15pp we ate to bursting point. I'd especially recommend the goat's cheese toasts, steak with Iberian ham and salmorejo, and potatoes with apple.
Mmmmmmmmmmm.
C/Consitorio, in a little square just down from the Ayuntamiento/Town Hall
The place was good and the people at the front desk were really helpful. It was in a great location and its definitely somewhere I'd recommend to anyone visiting Prague.
Prague Square Hostel, Melantrichova 10, Prague 1, www.praguesquarehostel.com
Give the touristy, overcrowded day trip from Oludeniz a miss and head down to Fethiye harbour at around 10am. Take your pick of the boats departing for a day's cruising around Fethiye's islands and inlets: around 4-5 stops for swimming and snorkelling, plenty of opportunity to sunbathe and a leisurely BBQ lunch in between. Easily the best 20TL (around £9) you'll spend all holiday. Don't forget to stock up on snacks and drinks at the supermarket beforehand as it'll save you ££s on board.
Very trendy and very affordable discount store in the Shibuya-ku district of Tokyo. This is a great shop to stock up on trendy Tokyo fashions for presents back home, or just to treat yourself. Prices start from £1!
3-5 Udagawa-cho (Shibuya-ku)
They may still be more expensive than supermarkets but the lush Harrods-style food courts in the big department store Isetan are a great place to pick up Japanese delicacies for much cheaper than restaurant prices.
Take advantage too of the constant free samples…
3-14-1 Shinjuku
See some of the coolest new technology at Honda’s flagship store. Ride the motorcycle simulator or see the demonstrations of ASIMO, the humanoid robot (daily at 10.30am, 11.50am and 3pm). Best of all, it’s free!
2-1-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku
You can’t leave Tokyo without sampling some sushi but the city can be a pricey place to eat out. Head instead to Kaiten-zushi for affordable plates from a conveyor belt. This fad may have spread to cheap London chains but the quality is definitely better out in Japan. There are several branches across the city, including Shinjuku.
It’s also handy for anyone who doesn’t speak Japanese or like surprises when it comes to their dinner!
3-25-9 Shinjuku
This Tokyo hostel is really great – clean, affordable and with heaps of Japanese style including Tatami mat floors.
There’s also self-catering facilities, a comfortable lounge and no curfew for backpackers who like to party hard.
Situated in Asakusa, it’s a pleasantly peaceful base after a long day of sightseeing but close enough to all the major sights, shopping and nightlife to still be really convenient. Overall, a big thumbs up!
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/japan/tokyo/18560/
2-16-12 Nishiasakusa, Tokyo, Taito-ku, 111-0035, Japan
These hotels used to be Jury's hotels - they are around for another three years before they are turned into apartments. In the meantime they are found under 'D4 hotels'. Great location and a lot cheaper then before. I am staying here a lot.
This hotel is located perfectly close to Hyde Park. This makes it a great place to stay if you want to be very central, which we did. Everything that we wanted to see was close by.
It is in the heart of Paddington close to the train station.
Although the Rose Court was not the Ritz, it was good value for money. It cost us very little and all we really wanted was somewhere close to Hyde Park to crash out. It was perfect for that.
I would also recommend it for business travellers. If you are trying to make money in London and not spend it you won't find better value and location.
1 - 3 Talbot Square, Paddington, London
www.hotels-london-hotel.com/brochure-pages/rose-court-hotel-104342.html
The busiest outdoor market in Europe, it's got more than 300 stalls - it makes a change from doing the normal tourist stuff!
De Pijp District
Charming independent hostel a stone's throw away from the magnificent Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Chris and Sue offer a warm welcome to families and non-families alike! The Old School is 'green' in many respects (recycling, use of public transport etc) but not in a preachy way.
www.theoldschoolhostel.co.uk/
great section on getting there by car AND public transport
The hot springs are my favourite part about going to visit Arenal. My advice would be - don't skimp and go to the cheapest but also don't go for Baldi which is the most expensive 5* resort, mainly aimed at the American/gringo market. I would advise going to Tabacon which is really reasonable and also really plush with good facilities, wet bars, a disco and slides as well as the incredibly hot spring at 40 degrees! Last time I went was in an evening and I really think this is the best time to go to avoid crowds and hopefully get a look at the lava spewing from Arenal (it also means you don't feel too guilty about having a few cocktails!)
Instead of trekking accompanied by 50 ponies plus handlers, guides and cooks (which somewhat destroys the peace and quiet of the Himalayas), stay in local homestays instead. It means that you only need a small bag to carry clothes etc, as all food plus water refills and bedding is provided. We didn't even have a guide but used a good map and compass, and it was so much better to be able to go where we wanted, when we wanted, rather than being constrained by a guide's plan. The homestays were fantastic and a great way to meet local people and eat local food. We even learnt a bit of Ladakhi and helped people learn some more English. The company which started the homestay is also a charity which works with villagers to preserve the local environment and wildlife, so you're actually doing some good too. The whole thing felt like a really valid exchange, with everyone benefitting.
Himalayan Homestays - several of the tour operators in Leh will help you book this, but you have to ask as they would prefer to sell you an expensive guided trek (of course). You can buy a map of the homestays, with suggested routes (choice of three) for 150Rs.
Uncle Tan's is a very basic camp located in the heart of the rainforest near Sandakan. It can be quite tough - squat toilets, lots and lots of mosquitos and mud, long walks through jungle - but the chance to see the wildlife is unbeatable. I saw a dominant male orangutan from about 5m away, plus a reticulated snake, tarantula, scorpion, lots of proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs, hornbills etc. Fantastic place with brilliant fun staff and a lovely communual atmosphere.
On the main road to Semporna, a few miles outside Sandakan (quite near airport) - any bus will drop you off if you tell them where you're going. Make sure you get cash out first though, as there are no ATMs for miles.
www.uncletan.com/
Sipadan and nearby Mabul offer some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world. I stayed at Uncle Chang's which is actually on Mabul, so you can dive in and snorkel straight off the front of the dining room.
The dorms are basic, but there's a fantastic open-sided dining room/common area with the sea lapping against the supports. The food is good and plentiful, and the price is really good value (50 ringgit per night, full board). Make sure you book in advance though, and tell them that you want to dive at Sipadan, as there are only limited spots on the trip each day and people had to wait a few days if they had just turned up.
You can fly to Tawau from Kuala Lumpur, then a fairly expensive taxi ride to Semporna. The mainland office is next to the large Dragon Hotel on the sea-front, and the boat leaves for Mabul every morning. www.sipadanbackpackers.com/
Departing from Marrakech airport:
Once you pass through airport security you can only use your dirhams to spend on food in the cafes.
All the other shops including the duty free shops are NOT allowed to accept dirhams and only accept hard currency such as euros.
If you did have excess dirhams you can change these in the airport before you go through security.
Especially when the cigarettes are so cheap in the duty free shops, you'd be kicking yourself if all you have is dirhams to spend.
Marrakech airport
One of the few restaurants in the medina that serves alcohol. The food was nice but to be honest the food in many of the places surrounding Djemma El Fna was equally nice and cheaper.
14 Derb J'did near Place Des Ferblantiers in Mellah area in the south of the medina.
Pleasant spot in souks area for a refreshing soft drink or light snack (sorry no alcohol as with most places within the medina!). You can sit on the roof terrace watching over the spice souk. Young and friendly staff.
75 Rahba Kedima off Rue Samarine (one of main roues into souk)
8am - 8pm daily
We travelled from Casablanca to Marrakech on second class tickets. Very crowded and some people had to stand in corridors during the three-hour jouney.
In hindsight we should have booked first class tickets a day or two before. First class does not cost that much more (Train fares are very cheap compared to UK fares). When we bought our tickets on the day of travel, the first class tickets were sold out.
Casablanca Voyageurs station
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