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| Tina's Hostel: spacey and close to the beach! (^.^) |
Dirty, smelly sheets. Brown stripes running down the walls due to bad plumming. Crowded shared kitchens with dirty plates. Cockroaches the size of a medium puppy.
This may be your idea of a typical backpacker hostel, and that's also why many have second thoughts about living in one while they're traveling. In some cases it is definitely the deal, but a nice hostel can give you a magical experience to remember. You'll have an unique opportunity to connect with other adventurers like yourself, because it gets more intimate than with a larger, more unpersonal hotel.
On our Pierats-trip, we came across all kinds of different standards. We found out in the end, that our one and only God when it comes to choosing a place to stay, is our beloved Lonely Planet-books. Dear LP, I'm so sorry we didn't listen to you all the way!
Lonely Planet provides a list of places to stay ranged from budget to high class, with personal notes about every place. They
understand what backpackers are looking for, and also what it means to wish for some sweet sweet luxury. Most of the time we could rely on their recommendations, and we truly had some good experiences.
It depends on how long you are going to travel. If you are staying for only a week, it's no clue in stressing around finding a place to live. But if you are going from place to place for several months or so, it can be exciting to find your casa along the road!
Of course, if you want to make sure you have a place to stay when your plane lands, you could get some help to prebook something with your travel agency. We flew with Kilroy, and had prebooked the first two nights in Miami, Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico. But two of these rooms were truly horrible, and we quickly found better places - to a better price as well!
We'll let you take a look at some of the places we lived at during our adventure!
Jamaica, Negril: Foote Prints
The first thing that awaited at the balcony was a symphony of humming birds. Bliss, much?
Foote Prints was one of the places that was prebooked by Kilroy Travels. Rooms were clean, they had the most delicious Blue Mountain coffee, curried pumpkin and pinapple pancakes in the world and they were practically placed on the beach. We loved it!
Only thing was, it was rather pricey for our liking; 160$ a night.
Jamaica, Negril: Catcha Falling Star
No, just kidding. We just pretended to live here, couldn't have afforded it for the world... (>_^)
Jamaica, Montego Bay: Knightwick
Knightwick was recommended in LP. 70$ a night incl breakfast, and close to Hip Strip and the beach.
The lovely Jean is just adorable. She told us about the ackee fruit, and made us a deliiishious meal with ackee, norwegian (!) cod and callaloo.
The rooms are simple, spacious and clean, with a telly. Jean and her family lives there, but they posted us an adorable note a night they were away, telling us to feel like home and feel free to use the kitchen. Great people!
The house is quiet - but the Hip Strip is NOT, too Jean's despair. We were kept awake many a night, so if you're not a party animal, you will probably not get the best of nappy time.
Cuba, Havana: Lido Hotel
Another prebooked hotel. Oh my... first thing, the service was rather blah, and english skills were poor. The walls are paper thin, and the water was not running most of the time. Breakfast was rather blah as well, and being a vegetarian wasn't exactly helping...
Casa Particulars in Cuba
An important not is that it is more common in Cuba to stay at a casa particular, than in hotels. That means you live with a family in their own house. If you speak spanish and the family is nice, you're in for a treat! If you have your own habits you want to hold on to, it can be a bit tricky. Like Ronny and me, we did not wan't to eat with the families, we wanted to eat out in the villages. For some, this can lead to a discussion you might not wanna have...trust us.
Cuba, Viñales: Casa de Tita y Mario
Tita and Mario was truly adorable. They did not speak english, but loved talking to us in spanish - we talking back in at its best, spanglish.
The house is old fashion style and cheap. Nothing more, nothing less.
Cuba, Maria la Gorda
When you get company like the critters above, who can complain? We loved 'em!
The jungle-surrounded cottages at the diving place Maria la Gorda is great! Clean, awesome food, spacious, hot water in the showers. A big yay!
Cuba, Trinidad: Casa de la CRAZY
Oh lordy, this place was truly horrible in all thinkable ways! It was dark and dirty. The two sisters running it were horrible. One felt me up all the time, hitting on me every single time she saw me (I am a girl..), the other one tried to force us into staying several nights by trying to trick us. Awful people!
Only good thing was the hippie-couple we met from Vancouver Island (above pic). Lots of great stories!
Mexico, Cancun: Mayan Hostel
Living at Mayan Hostel kindof felt like the above...
Another prebooket place, very central in Cancun. The hostel has hot water, that's a good one! When that is said..the room looked like a bomb room, sheets were dirty and yellow-stripey (yuuuck), beds horrible and the receptionist were coughing every five seconds.
That being said, if you just want a place to crash, this place is cheap and okay. You make your own breakfast in the kitchen, and you will probably meet several interesting backpackers there.
Mexico, Tulum: El Crucero
Oh, how we loved this place! It's in the middle of nowhere, but oh-so-supah-cozy! Everything is colorful and filled with personality, and you'll get a student-kindof-feeling when you chill in the common room with other backpackers.
This place was recommended in LP to 36,32$ a night, and gave us such big smiles!
The toilet did not flush (great deal after traveling with mexican food in your stomach) and the shower had about two drops of water in it, but by now we were used to that. So we loved it. You can travel by bus to the Tulum mayan ruins, dive in Dos Ojos (the world's second largest underwater system) or take a walk to the beach watching the iguanas and coatis on your way.
The owner is a tad eccentric, but that's just a part of the entertainment (>.^)
Belize, Corozal: Corozal guesthouse
Do I have to say more? We survived the only night we spent here in this moldy concrete block. 21,68$ a night really was not worth it!
Belize, Caye Caulker: Sea Dreams
Oh, this was truly heaven on earth, after leaving Corozal. Quite high standards, cozy, clean, a nice bathroom, close to the beach (well, everything in CC is), ac, tv and everything you needed. We wished we could stay more nights, but at 70$ it was too expencive.
Belize, Caye Caulker: Tropican
This is were we spent the rest of our stay to 30$ a night. The room is okay, nothing more, nothing less. The windows don't have glass in them, so it can be a bit noisy (but remember, there are no cars on CC). And the cleaning lady won't take no for an answer when she locks herself in - whether you have your clothes on or not (>_^)
But at Caye Caulker, you don't have to spend a single minute more than sleeping inside. Because the island is amahhhziiiing, and you will probably want to lounge in one of the great beach-bars and restaurants rather than stay in your room. And there's Fatty Blob, she's the best everrr:
Nicaragua, Ometepe: Finca Magdalena
This exotic, beautiful coffee farm is pulsating with backpackers from all around the world, singing, playing, juggling, making jewelrys and sharing their wonderful stories. We made friends and memories for life on this stay!
You'll have the price range you want; whether you rent a hammock, a place to put up your tent, a pretty simple room or a wooden cabin. We love all kinds of critters, but if tarantulas or cockroaches gives you the creeps, this might not be the best place to stay (^.^)
They have ecological food and coffee (heavens, try their chocolate cake!) and you can easily access the two volcanos; Maderas and Concepcion.
Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur: Romano House
If you're ever going to this amazingly chill surfer city, please enjoy your stay at Romano House, only 10$ per person! The family who owns it is
so nice, it's located right in the midlle of everything and the beach is just a block away. Oh, how we enjoyed this place! We stayed here for ten days!
The room is clean and simple, no hot water, no ac and no telly. But you don't really need all that when in SJDS, you can just walk around the corner and have everything you need.
Ronny got his foot infected while we were surfing, and the father of the house Josè Alfredo Romano Garcia happened to be a doctor! He was so incredibly helpful, fixed the wound and wrote prescriptions for antibiotics. Thank you so much!
Every morning there is arranged bus trips to the beach were you can go surfing. El Gato Negro and the Pier is just around the corner, and you simply
have to try the local wahoo (fish) or eat at comedor Angelita. Enjoy!
We will for sure have another stay here when we get back!
What time is it?
Well of course, it's now. What else is there?
Innlegg
