Places to Stay

Staying in comfortable accommodation is a must for me when I travel, as it contributes a lot towards how I experience a place. Hence, I spend many hours on the Internet before a trip to find accommodation that is suitable to my needs. I tend to gravitate towards cottages that provides solitude, yet is still easy to reach. On other occasions I like small guesthouses or intimate hotels, where it is easy to meet other travellers. Comfort always tops my list, followed shortly by an outside space where I can relax, while I also gravitate towards properties that are quirky and different.

Photographs and descriptions can be very deceiving, and sifting through hundreds of contradictory reviews on Tripadvisor is just not my thing, so finding something truly wonderful is often a daunting task. I have been really lucky in my choices, even though I had a couple of disasters along the way, but those I choose to ignore. In this section of the blog I try to introduce you to some of the jewels I found along the way, as best I can. I strive to be neutral and list the most important facts, supported with lots of photographs.

This is a short-cut to the various blog posts (some written (click on he links to read more), some planned) on the places I stayed and ate, which I can recommend with a good conscience:

South Africa:

Serendipity Guest House – Wilderness

The French Cottage – Prince Albert

Lentelus Guest House – Barrydale

Ruby Cottage – Montagu

Upper House – Clarens

Ondervlei Cottage – Rosendal

Hallmark House Hotel – Johannesburg

United Arab Emirates:

Qasr Al Sarab – Western Region

XVA Art Hotel – Dubai

Al Sahel Resort – Sir Bani Yas Island

To Eat and/or Drink Coffee:  Book Munch (Dubai)

The Archive Café  (Dubai)

Comptoir 102 (Dubai)

Arabian Tea House Café (Dubai)

Spill the Bean (Dubai)

Cafe Rider  (Dubai)

RAW Coffee Company  (Dubai)

Pesto  (Ras-al-Khaimah)

Kenya:

Lamu House Hotel – Lamu Island

Subira House – Lamu Island

Cambodia:

Golden Temple Hotel – Siem Reap

Thailand:

Loy La Long Hotel – Bangkok

Top Garden Guesthouse – Chiang Mai

India:

The Uppal – An Ecotel Hotel – Delhi

ITC Mughal – Agra

Kankarwa Haveli – Udaipur

Turkey:

Villa Nar – Kayakoy

Dardanos Hotel – Patara

Myanmar:

Inle Lake Sanctuary – Samkar Lake

Indonesia:

Sawah Breeze House -Yogjakarta

Malaysia:

Tian Jing Hotel, Kuala Lumpur