As our time in Asia draws to a close, for now at least, I wanted to look back at some of the wonderful places we have stayed during our ten weeks here.
So we came to South East Asia with the view of doing it the real backpacker way. While we did stay in some dodgy, and I mean DODGY places, we have mainly stayed in hotels. Some were high end resorts (well one!) and some were down right awful (most of them!).
However, we have stayed in some super places for cheap. Really, really cheap! That way we didn’t feel too guilty when we just wanted to lounge around for the day in our hotel room rather than doing activities after activities. So here are my top five in reverse, starting with number five and ending with our favourite at number one!
Such a nice selection to chose from!
First up at number 5 is;
Fortville Guestouse, Bangkok, Thailand
We stayed at this lovely hotel way back at the start of our travels and it was a lovely surprise. We splashed out (a little too much) on this hotel at 855 baht/night (or €21/night). However leading up to peak season that's pretty good! Rooms are quite minimal and almost gothic looking with free Wi-Fi, air-con, private bathroom and free toiletries! The hotel is in a good location about a 7 minute stroll to Khao San Road. Unfortunately I have no photos because I deleted some by accident from my phone however more details can certainly be found on their website; http://www.fortvilleguesthouse.com/
*We stayed here 29 – 31 October 2015
Number 4;
Rachamanka, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lovely hotel, quite modern and the staff are lovely. We spent 810 baht/night (or €20.74/night). Located in Chiang Mai’s Old Town, it’s really close to all the touristy attractions and the big one; 7-Eleven, which is right around the corner! Clean modern rooms, comfy bed, has free Wi-Fi, air-con, private bathroom and free toiletries! Again, I deleted the photos but they can be found on booking.com here!
*We stayed here 06 – 07 November 2015
Number 3;
Pinky Bungalows Koh Lanta (& Anda Leaf Resort across the road!) Thailand
One of our last hotels in Thailand; Pinky Bungalows. What a lovely surprise although the reviews were all positive online we assumed (and hoped!) we were on to a winner. Again, we splashed out a little bit (or a lot) on this one at 1,196 baht/night (or €48/night incl. breakfast). However we stayed here right during peak season so this was actually one of the cheapest options we could find. The rooms are small little bungalows on stilts with private bathrooms incl. free toiletries, little veranda to the front with seating area, room has air-con, WiFi and black out blinds! As mentioned this was one of our last hotels so we actually didn’t do anything but lay by the pool or at beach! My kind o’ holiday tbh! Scooters can be rented from the hotel for around 250 baht/day (€6.35/day). We were given a free map outlining all the must see activities of the island! Cannot find a website for them however Lonely Planet have a little piece up about them alright…here!
*We stayed at Pinky Bungalows 02-04 January and Anda Leaf Resort 04-05 January 2016. Both hotels belong to the one family and are pretty similar in style. We had to move to Anda Leaf Resort as PB was booked out on our third night.
Number 2;
Viva Homestay Hoi An, Vietnam
This was a really super stay; we were pleasantly surprised when checking in. We had just driven (scooted/scootered!?) from Hue to Hoi An (as per my Top Gear Motobike Advernture blog post here) and we were absolutely wrecked from being out in the heat all day. We paid 506 baht/night (or $14/€12.85/night). We had not stayed in a homestay before and we thought perhaps we would be sharing a living room with our host however it was just like a hotel, even better. We booked a double room however got a triple room, one double bed and one single bed with flat screen TV, large fridge/freezer, air-con, balcony, ample storage, tea & coffee making facilities and it was so clean! Pic says it all really…..
They can be found at; http://www.hoianvivahomestay.com/
*We stayed here 03 – 07 November 2015.
And finally;
The Lipa Lovely Resort Koh Samui, Thailand
As mentioned in a previous post (Greetings from… … Koh Samui) we had decided before we left for Asia we would check ourselves in to a lovely spot for Christmas as a treat and I guess a present to each other. We chose Lipa Lovely Resort, Lipa Noi on the west coast of the island. What a beautiful spot. The resort literally overlooks the beach and as a resort it has pretty much everything you need. We had booked a Superior Double which included breakfast for four nights for 2,475 baht/night (or €63/night). The room was detached with air-con, WiFi, fridge, TV, private bathroom and some free toiletries! The rooms were cleaned every day and we were given new bottles of water too! When we arrived there was a large selection of fruit in the room and the following day after the room was cleaned there was a lovely little box of chocolates on our bed. What a nice touch! It made being away from home on Christmas that bit easier. Oh and the breakfast was to die for. A mighty buffet spread! My fave! I nearly cried when leaving, THAT'S how good it was!
They can be found at; http://www.thelipa.com/
*We stayed here 23 – 27 December 2015
So that’s it my top five hotels of Sout East Asia i.e. Thailand & Vietnam. However an honourable mention should go to The Light Hotel, Halong Bay in Vietnam which almost made the cut and although it was a super hotel and had a lovely interior, the location wasn’t great with little or no activity about the area. Lonely Planet also have a little piece on this property here.
Thanks for stopping by!