Lodging

Penta Hotel Leipzig germany
GERMANY, Germany Lodging, Lodging

Leipzig Lodging

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Penta Hotel, Leipzig, Germany in short summary: Good location close to train station and buses, and an easy walk to all downtown areas.  Good service. A little different concept – check in counter is at the bar, immediately through the main entrance. Hotel lobby is relaxing with a large gas burning fireplace, comfortable chairs and friendly service, reasonable prices. Rooms have an art deco, post modern style decor but not overdone, with a flat screen TV on the wall. Cable only has 2 English channels (BBC and CNBC), but who came to watch TV? (Unless the weather is fowl and/or you are a regular visitor). Oddly, the rooms have no clock, no alarm clock, and no coffee maker. Comfortable beds and clean rooms (clean hotel). Interesting mix of Botanicals shower supplies in a mini travel bag to keep. Note: If in need of hot water for self made tea or hot chocolate – ask first or they may hit you for 3.5 Euro for hot water in a cup billed as tea, more than charged for the regional draft dark beer. Nice clean place with good service in a convenient location. No complaints, it was a pleasant stay.     Check out the photos on the hotel’s web site here: http://www.pentahotels.com/hotels/leiph-leipzig/everything/  

daios cove crete
GREECE, Greece Lodging, Greek Islands, Lodging

Daios Cove Luxury Resort and Villas

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As guests of Manolis we were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived at the recently opened Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas – then part of the Gran Melía chain. The staff was helpful and very friendly, escorting us in from the parking lot, and appearing to recognize us throughout our stay. We found the service to be great, and grounds were spotless. Our room was clean and comfortable, secure and quiet. Daios Cove is well outside of Heraklion, the capital of Crete, past the popular coastal town of Agios Nikolaos.  Assuming Agios Nikolaos is on the itinerary (it should be), Daios Cove is a nearby escape for more quiet seclusion. There was not much to do in Daios Cove itself, however it was a good central location for daily excursions. The area is quiet – not much around, and although it has the appearance and feeling of an Arizona desert like setting, the water in the sea is colder than one might expect from its Caribbean like multi-shades of blue. The all you can eat breakfast buffet is a winner – unless you are counting calories. If this is the case . . . better just turn away without ever setting eyes on it.  We had dinner outside one evening at the more formal and smaller restaurant on the ground level. No complaints – the food, atmosphere and company were fantastic. Crete is too large to visit in a day or two from any one location. Daios Cove is a great place to position for driving around and visiting the smaller towns and villages of this region of Crete, starting from and returning to a relaxed, luxury setting. If you want to get out of the car and off the road and just chill out and relax for a day and/or night, Daios Cove serves the purpose well. Our room had a private patio pool, which looks luxurious and is nice, however the water is cold, so unless planning to use the little pool on the room patio, one could skip it for a room less expensive. It would appear the view would be great from any room. Images from Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas:

Landstuhl germany
EUROPE, GERMANY, Germany Lodging, Landstuhl/Ramstein, Lodging

Hotel Christine, Landstuhl, Germany

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Hotel Christine in Landstuhl, Germany  is where we stay and the location works well. The Italian pizzeria and restaurant Taormina is across the street, the New York Grill-Pizza-Kebap  is near as well and the hotel has a restaurant of it’s own called Cockpit Lounge . Hotel Christine has nice clean rooms with custom made furniture. A few rooms have a unique bed design, kind of like having your bed in it’s own cave in the wall.  Makes you feel like being in a doll house. Sure that is not for all tastes but only a few rooms are that way and I did like that. Location is near downtown (small town anyway), shopping and restaurants. The breakfast is worth getting up for, especially if you have it included in the price of the room. You can order your omelet the way you like it, plus coffee or tea. There is fresh bread of many kinds, yogurt, cold cuts and super good salmon and tomato & mozzarella cheese. And more… The only problem I see is with the internet. It usually works OK in the lobby, but even if they now provide wi-fi in the rooms too, many times it does not work well in there. Lobby has two free computers and printer for use and free coffee. So food is near, not to forget the great free breakfast. Within walking distance to the hotel is a few grocery stores. We usually go to shop for wine and great chocolates. Bread is also great in Germany and do I speak volume if I mention the jarred chocolate cream, Nutella, which here is used like peanut butter is in the States: on bread. Yummy! Yet, I prefer Nutella injected directly with a tea spoon and no bread. Bad girl! But on fresh, soft warm bread, it also would not be refused.  

Lovers Bridge Frankfurt Germany
EUROPE, GERMANY, Germany Lodging, Lodging

Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt: Lodging in the Red Light District

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Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt is located in the “red light” district just two blocks from the Frankfurt main train station, also a bus station. For those of us not accustomed to frequenting a red light district, the first few steps come with a slight hesitation to go any further. However just as Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt mentions in their description, the location is good. We did not witness any peddling of “services” nor anyone being bothered. And not only is the location of Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt very convenient to the Frankfurt train station, but the atmosphere changes entirely within two blocks. From Five Elements, it is only another few blocks into the business district and popular downtown area, abundant with cafés, shops, and the central plaza. Here’s our take away from our stay at Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt: Likes: Rooms and common areas were very clean and the hostel has all the amenities. Layout is good, service and staff are great. Linens were clean, showers had plenty of hot water (see additional comments on showers below).  Free coffee and tea. The hostel provided in-house entertainment such as movie nights, a band night (although the band was via a DVD on the movie screen during our stay), and a regular list of suggested activities  and recommendations. The staff was knowledgeable and cordial, provided a map of the town and offered adequate descriptions and suggestions. Dislikes: As with most hostels one can expect some form of a malfunction with the shower. This one nears the top of the list with showers open to the floor with with no curtains or doors. The showers are not sunken, so there is no way to prevent the water from spreading across the entire tile bathroom floor. Silly – Don’t building managers and owners know water causes damage? Each shower has a broom handled squeegie to pull the water back towards the drain. Maybe a method to ensure free floor cleaning a few times per day? The showers have no soap or shampoo holders. Not a deal breaker, just a little convenience item. “Free Breakfast in Winter” is advertised. We were there first week in January. Regarding the free breakfast in winter, we were told  “yes, but not in early January” (??). Early January is not winter? Sure felt like it. However there is a 4 euro breakfast comprised of toast, cereal, cold cuts, and cheeses available year around, including the [apparently not-winter] month of January. On the top floor the area is nice with it’s own kitchen and the rooms are nice, however partitioned with no insulation, so you can hear a pin drop on the hardwood floors anywhere on that level. Conversations and everything can be heard in every room on the floor. A few things to note: There seems to be a little confusion with the use of the words “free”, “rent”, “for sale”. Use of towels and alarm clocks for example are free, however require a deposit, refunded upon return. All fair and fine, just not quite advertised correctly. It is a 2 Euro deposit for a towel, 8 Euro deposit for an alarm clock. Hostel Five Elements even has a lap top guests can use in the lobby, by just giving them your ID to hold.  Wi-Fi is free but outside of the lobby it is weak on the floors and in the rooms. There is 5.50 Euro dinner special with choice of either: pasta and sauce with red wine, or chili con carne with wine or beer. The pasta is a bowl of ziti with some red sauce. Not a bad deal and good for a light meal, but if you are hungry you might want to look elsewhere. They say the chili is great, however the owner makes it, so if owner is not there or not in the mood – no chili. Their site and menu advertises “winter specials” including free soup. Same with the chili: No owner, no soup. And as we already know, somehow January is not part of winter at Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt. The good news is there are a number of restaurants right around the corner with a wide range of choices including Thai, Italian, Romanian, Australian, German, Indian, Turkish . . . pretty much everything. Overall our stay at Five Elements Hostel Frankfurt was pleasant, and it is a good value. Their advertising is just a bit quirky – as is their perception of seasons. The staff was great and as always, there were interesting people to meet. The location really is convenient to everything, it just requires an open mind for those initial first few steps out of the train station. Conveniently, it is only about a 10 minute train ride from Frankfurt Main to the Frankfurt airport. The address is:  Moselstraße 40, Frankfurt, Germany 60329      

Humming Bird Volcano Lodge Costa Rica
CENTRAL AMERICA, Costa Rica, Costa Rica Lodging, Lodging

Volcano Lodge Arenal Costa Rica

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In the years I resided in Costa Rica, the area around Lake Arenal became one of my favorites, and I visited often. Arenal was a frequent weekend escape from the bustling city of San José, and a destination any visiting friends would certainly be taken to. Lush, green, colorful and peaceful, Arenal was a great place to refresh. I would leave the office a little early and make the four hour drive in order to conclude Friday evening watching Volcán Arenal, and wake up to it’s tranquility Saturday morning. Arenal did not have many hotels then, in close proximity,  just a few along the road between La Fortuna and Lake Arenal –  and I pretty much tried them all. Several years have passed since I had been to Arenal, so on a recent trip back to Costa Rica I welcomed the chance to go with friends. The world economy is having it’s challenges and tourism is in somewhat of a lull in many places. Combine it with an oversupply (in my opinion) of lodging options in the Arenal region, and there are deals to be had. While the temptation to insist on staying at an old favorite reared on the back of my tongue, resistance endured, and I went along with the idea to try someplace new(er). Through one of the local on-line discount sites (www.estacion506cr.com or www.yuplon.com) we booked our stay at Volcano Lodge. No complaints here. For $50 night we had clean rooms, hot water, a great location, great service and a delicious all you can eat breakfast with a clear view of the volcano through lush gardens. This was a first time stay at Volcano Lodge, and we found nothing to complain about. The location is great with a view of the volcano from the back of the rooms through the landscape and from the dining area. Volcano Lodge is close to the lake, easy to get to, well maintained and the staff was very helpful. Wifi in the room worked just fine. Clean, spacious room, plenty of hot water, air conditioning, Cable TV, WiFi, pretty much anything anyone would want. The grounds at Volcano Lodge Some of the many morning birds at Volcano Lodge  

Manso Boutique Guayaquil Ecuador
ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging, SOUTH AMERICA

Guayaquil Lodging

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Very little negative is to be said regarding our experience with El Manso Boutique in Guayaquil. We are both in agreement that this was the best hostel we stayed at in Ecuador. So let’s just start with the only, minor negative, and get it out of the way. Like most hostels, there just has to be some malfunction with the shower. In this case, the shower curtain was too short, resulting in a wet [and could be] slippery floor -although only minor, much better than most. That’s it. From the very beginning, this time making a few reservations before embarking on our travels, our experience with El Manso Boutique Hostal was positive. Their website is informative, with pictures and videos, and offers a discount for booking on-line. However the on-line booking could not be completed. For reservations El Manso Boutique’s site includes a few telephone numbers, including a US based number, a Skype number, and local number. Easy to reach. We called, spoke with Emiko, who took the reservation over the phone and immediately followed up with e-mail confirmation, including the dates, breakdown of price, name and description of the room. Check in was easy, our room was clean, and the cool, fresh pitcher of water was a welcomed touch after a long evening of traveling. The design and decor of our room at El Manso was much more modern with better detail in the construction than most hostels. Our particular room had a large window facing east across Simon Bolivar to the Malecón 2,000 (boardwalk and river). The hallways were clean with comfortable (not worn out) furniture, with plenty of chairs, and hammocks by the hallway balconies. Wifi routers were located on each floor (the wifi was a bit slow in the room, but fine in the hallway). The hostel location is great, within walking distance to the colonial streets of Las Peñas and the Cerro Santa Ana viewpoint at the north end of Malecón 2,000, and only a few short blocks to historic plazas, churches, and monuments behind it to the west. While awaiting our taxi to the airport on our day of departure, Emiko was working and asked where we were going. I told her to Loja and Vilcabamba, and had casually mentioned it was a bit challenging to find many lodging options in Loja to review on the internet. A few minutes later, on her own accord, she handed us a paper with recommendations in Loja. Location, price, staff and room were all good – a step above the rest. El Manso Boutique Hostal lands on the recommended list of lodging in Guayaquil. El Manso is located at: Malecón 1406 y Aguirre, Guayaquil, Ecuador  

Europe, EUROPE, FAQ, Lodging

Youth hostels in Europe?

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Is there an equivalent to Youth hostels in Europe? Basically I need something cheap (but hopefully not too shabby) in late July/early August for Munich and Amsterdam. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Response:  You might experience a little more demand and therefore higher prices and lower availability during those months, however if you know your dates for each location, check the following: http://www.hostelworld.com http://www.hostelbookers.com http://www.airbnb.com Also, you might try registering and looking into http://www.couchsurfing.org There are some great people, kind and interesting, offering a room for a night (or few).

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging

Lodging in Baños Ecuador

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Travel to Baños, Ecuador was fairly easy  from the Qutio bus terminal Quitumbre, serving travelers headed south. To be clear, there are a few different villages in Ecuador with Baños as the first word in the name. I am referring to Baños de Aguas Calientes, popular with local and international tourists and expats alike. Baños is an easy to maneuver, fairly quaint village seated in a valley thriving on tourism. While there appear to be a number of hostels and hotels within and around Baños, we stayed at Hostal Chimenea. The walk from the bus terminal in Baños to Hostal Chimenea is painless – only a few blocks. If it is raining (as it was when we departed) the taxi is US$1. Per the directions posted on Hostelbookers, “From the bus station, walk 4 blocks along Calle Maldonado and turn left onto Calle Martinez. From there, you’ll find Hostal Chimenea around six blocks along on your right.” The directions are accurate however note that as you approach the intersection where you are to go left, you might see a sign for Hotel Chiminea. There is both a hotel and a hostal Chiminea. If asking for directions, just be sure to distinguish between the two. No biggie if you end up at the wrong one – they are not that far apart. Hostal  Chimenea is across from the outdoor vendors. We found the hostel to be clean and our stay pleasant. The location is good, only a block or a few to just about anything (parque central, restaurants, hot springs). The owner/manager was friendly and accommodating, and check-in/out was easy. Pasted below is my personal review of Hostal Chiminea, as posted on Hostelbookers. Liked: One of the cleanest, more modern looking hostels we have stayed at. Clean hallways, and rooms, located right next to some of the hot spring bathing establishments and town square – although it is a small town. Balcony and view are nice, and management is easily accommodating. Easy walk to everything. Disliked: Pillows were hard as bricks. One of us chose not to use a pillow and the other awoke with a headache. Bathroom window could not be closed, and the noise from the rooftop terrace, and music playing outside could not be closed out. With concrete walls and tile floors (typical of the entire region) the interior noise echoed as well. However once the terrace closed all was fine. Click here to read what others had to say about Hostal Chimenea on Hostelbookers and TripAdvisor.

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging, SOUTH AMERICA

Quito Lodging

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We arrived at Colonial House on Calle Olmedo around 3 am, originally scheduled to be in before midnight. Flight landing was delayed due to fog. The taxi driver Colonial House sent for us at the new airport outside of Quito was kind enough to wait for us. The volunteers who live and work at the hostel were great. Tired and cold they let us skip the formalities and took us right to our room to get some sleep and deal with the rest later. The staff was very friendly and helpful throughout our stay and knowledgeable of the area, taxi and bus fares, what to do and how to get around. They kept everything easy going and laid back. Our first night, we were given a different room, two beds, which had an older and more rustic appeal, with a view of the Quito angel and the courtyard out the bedroom window. The following day we were moved to a private room with one bed, wood floors, with a great view of Quito’s famous basilica from our balcony doors. Both rooms were clean and comfortable. While having common areas on each floor is a nice concept, it also results in our only negative comment – being that the noise can be significantly loud with concrete walls, preventing sleep until all go to their rooms. Coffee and tea are free all day, however the coffee is instant (somewhat disappointing in a country that produces coffee). Regarding location, there are two areas of Quito with a concentration of hostels: Mariscol Sucre is geared more for the younger generation looking for nightlife and the club seen, with a more modern architecture. Colonial House is located amongst narrow cobblestone streets of colonial architecture, and walking distance to La Basilica, the charming historical streets of the La Ronda neighborhood, and Plaza de la Independencia. However we should note that staff, friends, and reviews all warn that the character of Quito changes near sundown, with plenty of robbery stories. The hostel staff advise guests to wait inside for taxis, rather than curbside with luggage. Warnings also include not walking with luggage to the bus and metro terminals, nor being out in the evening with cameras or valuables, and to carry only passport copies – not your passport. We had no problems this trip, but everyone we met knew people with a Quito theft story, be it cell phones, cars, money or otherwise. Their stories applied to various locations throughout Quito, not just specific to our location.

ECUADOR, Ecuador Lodging, Lodging

Otavalo Lodging

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We spent two nights in the village of Otavalo at Hostal Chasqui. Located just a short 6 block walk from the first bus stop after the entrance to Otavalo, the hostel is easy to get to. It would not be too difficult a walk from the Otavalo bus terminal as well, however if carrying luggage the taxi ride -at the time we visited – is US $1. Hostal Chasqui is located just slightly up the hill on Calle Piedrahita, which goes pretty much directly into the downtown plaza. 5-6 blocks directly down Calle Piedrahita and one block to the right and you arrive at the central plaza with the park and church. Milton, who was on duty during our stay, was fabulous. Very informative and made everything easy. After being taken to our room we were given a tour of the hostel. He then provided us with a map which pointed out everything from the various market locations, to ATMs, groceries, various restaurants, and the big market days for Otavalo and Cotacachi. Our room was located on a floor with a few others, with a shared patio overlooking the city. Each room had a window into the patio, and chairs outside the doors. The kitchen was rooftop with a nice view. One plus for Hostal Chasqui is the free use of a washing machine, with laundry detergent included. The location was good, price was US $12 per person per night, and our host was very accommodating. Room was clean, bathroom was functional with a shower set below the floor and curtain long enough to prevent a wet, slippery tile floor. The room had Cable TV, with lamps and tables on each side of the bed. The only negative comments would be that the village itself, primarily of concrete construction and being in a valley is noisy. Certainly not the fault of the hostel, however the bathroom had a framed window opening with no window to close, therefore making it difficult to shut out the exterior noise of dogs barking, music playing, and traffic at all hours of the night. If others on the shared patio or at the kitchen are loud, the sound carries. We were unlucky enough to have some fellow loud guests on our last night, repeatedly waking us up into the early morning. Other than that, the pillow was a bit lumpy but better than most hostels we experienced in Ecuador. The bed was comfortable – room could get a bit cold, but plenty of blankets. The hostel amenities were good, the staff (Milton) and service was great, and location is convenient with a nice view. Overall a positive experience. To read others reviews, see more pics or reserve a room: Hostal Chasqui +59 362 923 199  or  within the country (06)2923-199 Calle Piedrahita 141 y Guayaquil  

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