Aiken/Widom Year Off -- Hotels and Other Services
We were incredibly happy with 99% of the hotels and other services we used during our year of travel. The following list includes everything we wrote down or remember. Except as noted, all are recommended highly -- we would stay in or use them again without hesitation.
Our travel mode was "cost-conscious mid-range" (2-3 stars and lots of comparison-shopping), although occasionally we got terrific web deals on 4-star places, and in Asia we stayed in a couple of delightful 0-star (under $10) places.
We often selected places specifically because they offered good accommodations for our family of four. Kitchens were a plus (we liked "aparthotels"), especially in Europe as the dollar plummeted and restaurant meals skyrocketed.
After our travels through Europe we wrote up our strategy for European reservations on-the-go.
| Where | What | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Athens, Greece | Best Western Museum Hotel | Quiet location, everywhere reachable by subway (10-minute walk from hotel) |
| Tinos Island, Greece | Porto Raphael Hotel | Nice atmosphere, far from town |
| Naxos Island, Greece | Faros Naxos Studios | Rambling grounds and rooms, exceptional pool, nice remote location as long as you have a car |
| Amorgos Island, Greece | Lakki Village | Lots of character, convenient location |
| Santorini Island, Greece | Hotel Village Mathios, Akrotiri | Nice rooms and grounds but the management was kind of slimy |
| Heraklion, Crete, Greece | Arolithos Cretan Village | Odd but good place, well out of main city |
| Chania, Crete, Greece | Lefka Apartments | Nice management, good bargain |
| Sorrento, Italy | Hotel Villa Fiorita | Villages nearby, location is good compromise for visiting both the Amalfi Coast and Vesuvius/Pompeii |
| Rome, Italy | Happy Holiday Bed & Breakfast | Ended up in a nearby apartment run by the same people; the B & B looked good but not spectacular |
| Florence, Italy | Hotel California | Excellent location, good price for Florence |
| Tuscany, Italy | Hotel Le Noci, Chianti | Villages nearby, good base for driving around Tuscany |
| Venice, Italy | Hotel Caprera | Venice is challenging on a budget -- this place was expensive for what we got (no A/C for example) but it may be hard to do better; good location |
| Dolomites, Italy | Hotel Garni La Maison, Alleghe | Not most centrally-located town in Dolomites but we drove easily to lots of great areas |
| Chamonix, France | Residence Les Balcons d'Anaite, Les Houches | Excellent bargain for an apartment near Chamonix, bus stop and many stores nearby |
| Courmayeur, Italy | Hotel Walser | Fabulous top-floor room with big loft at reasonable price |
| Provence, France | Hotel Toppin, Cavaillon | Nothing special, reasonable base for visiting the region |
| Carcassonne, France | Citea Carcassonne La Barbacane Aparthotel | Brand-new place, easy walk to fortress |
| Spanish Pyrenees | HG Cerler Hotel, near Benasque | Might be better to stay in town of Benasque but place was very nice |
| Barcelona, Spain | Aparthotel Napols | One of our favorites of the entire year; despite the 2-star rating our apartment was decidedly 4-star |
| Madrid, Spain | Best Western Hotel Arosa | Helpful staff, very good location -- can walk everywhere |
| Marrakech, Morocco | Riad Chouia Chouia | We didn't look at other riads but this one was mid-priced and very atmospheric |
| High Atlas Trek, Morocco | Mohamed Aztat guiding service | Trek was perfectly organized with excellent guide and crew; also stayed in Mohamed's Imlil guesthouse |
| Ait Benhaddou, Morocco | Dar Mouna Guesthouse | Atmospheric, good food |
| Boumalne du Dades, Morocco | Kasbah Tizzarouine | Geared to tour groups but we enjoyed the nice rooms and swimming pool |
| Todra Gorge, Morocco | Auberge Le Festival | Remote place at end of gorge, intimate, a bit funky, great food |
| Camel trek, Merzouga, Morocco | Adventures with Ali | There are innumerable similar camel trek services; this one was fine but nothing extra-special |
| Midelt, Morocco | Kasbah Asmaa | Overdone Moroccan themes but we (especially the kids) enjoyed it |
| Fes, Morocco | Hotel Mounia | Good mid-priced choice for staying in the new city; we got a huge corner room but most rooms are small |
| Meknes, Morocco | Ibis Moussafir Hotel | Generic no-character Ibis but good price and location |
| Rabat, Morocco | Royal Hotel | Small rooms but good place, good staff |
| Paris, France | Best Western Bretagne Montparnasse | Pretty good deal (for Paris) on a quad room; pleasant neighborhood with cafes and good Metro access |
| Triberg, Germany | Best Western Hotel Schwarzwald Residenz | Main hotel for tour groups, nice place but not really walkable to center of town |
| Triberg, Germany | Hotel Cafe Adler | Stayed here when Best Western was full, excellent central location |
| Meersburg, Lake Constance, Germany | Haus Mayer-Bartsch B&B | Nicely done, very "Bed & Breakfast" atmosphere |
| London, England | Premier Travel Inn - County Hall | Large bread-and-butter chain hotel but fantastic deal (by London standards) in good location |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | Andean Roads motorhome rental | Only outfit in South America renting good quality, reasonably roomy motorhomes, and they're doing a very good job of it |
| San Pedro de Atacama, Chile | Estrella del Sur Bolivia tour | Bolivia tours out of San Pedro can vary enormously (that's an understatement); ours was superb |
| Pucon, Chile | Sol y Nieve Adventures | Used this friendly and reliable agency for the Volcan Villarica climb, zip-lining, and horseback riding; they and next-door Pizza Cala were our Pucon hangouts |
| Bariloche, Argentina | Refugio Otto Meiling | Hike-in hut on slopes of Mt. Tronador, excellent guided glacier excursions |
| Phuket, Thailand | Baan Suay Guesthouse | One of our favorites (and longest stays) of the entire year |
| Phuket, Thailand | Pro-Tech Dive College | Superb PADI Junior Open Water course |
| Phuket, Thailand | Latitude 8 Yachts | Local yacht charter company, excellent boat, very helpful with our complex two-month charter |
| Andaman Islands, India | Island Travels | Helpful, reliable, overall excellent local agent |
| Kawthaung, Myanmar | Faraway Yachting | Phuket-based agency did a great job with our Myanmar arrangements |
| Bangkok, Thailand | Somerset Park Suanplu | Our #1 favorite of the entire year (thanks to a bargain web price) |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Kabiki Guesthouse | Quiet and safe location, wide variety of rooms |
| Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Lucky! Lucky! Motorbike | Excellent visa, plane ticket, and other travel services (and motorbike rentals) |
| Siem Reap, Cambodia | Tara Angkor Hotel | New high-end hotel that was offering dirt-cheap "grand opening" packages |
| Luang Prabang, Laos | Lotus Villa Boutique Hotel | One of our favorites (and longest stays) of the year, great atmosphere and staff |
| Luang Prabang and Luang Namtha, Laos | Green Discovery Adentures | Used them for kayaking and trekking, not the cheapest but probably worth it |
| Mekong River, Laos | Luang Say Cruise | Got a good deal on an off-season up-river trip, very enjoyable |
| Huay Xai, Laos | Arimid Guesthouse | Our least favorite of the year, but there weren't many options in Huay Xai |
| Luang Namtha, Laos | Boat Landing Hotel | A liitle over-the-top with the "eco" theme but nice cabins; out-of-town location peaceful but not convenient |
| Luang Namtha, Laos | Zuela Guesthouse | Stayed here when Boat Landing was full; excellent at $7.50 per room, very helpful staff |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | Hanoi Paradise Hotel | The Hanoi hotel scene can be confusing at best -- this was a very solid find we were happy with in every way |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | Columbus Adventure Travel | Used them for Halong Bay, train & plane tickets; there are many unreliable agents in Hanoi but this is a good one |
| Halong Bay, Vietnam | Santa Maria Cruiser | Nice mid-range boat with a rare avoid-the-crowds itinerary |
| Sapa, Vietnam | Lotus Hotel | Best deal of the entire year at $9.00 per room with spectacular view |
| Bac Ha, Vietnam | Sao Mai Hotel | Nothing extra-special but there aren't many choices in Bac Ha |
| Hue, Vietnam | Orchid Hotel | Truly 4-star at 2-star prices, amazing staff |
| Hoi An, Vietnam | Thanh Xuan (Long Life) Hotel | Hoi An has tons of hotels; this one seemed above-average for its price range |
| Mammoth Lakes, California, USA | Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites | Stayed three separate times adding up to one of our longest stays of the year, solid choice in Mammoth |