Whilst lay in my bed in a not so appealing wooden hut in Thailand I began thinking about all the downright awful places I had stayed whilst backpacking, and also reminding myself that there had been a number of great places I had been fortunate enough to stay in too. This article focuses on the amazing places I have stayed, and the article here focuses on the bad places I have unfortunately stayed.
All prices stated below are based on two sharing unless stated otherwise.
1. Mai Huy Hotel, Nha Trang, Vietnam
An extremely clean hotel in a central location yet still quiet so we both got a great night’s sleep. Our room had hot water showers, LCD TV, a fridge, free wi-fi, and air conditioning.
We were so glad of the ‘little extras’ that this hotel offered such as the TV, air con and fridge when we were hung over one day after enjoying the legendary Nha Trang nightlife.
Price paid per night: US$10
2. T&T House, Lamai Beach, Koh Samui, Thailand
This hotel was an amazing value for money find! Our room was clean, and had a TV, hot water showers, free wi-fi, our own private deck with table/chairs, and wait for it…. A SWIMMING POOL.
The only reason we can think of why it is so cheap is that it was not advertised on the internet.
Price paid per night: 500THB (they could seriously charge a lot more!)
3. Downtown Siem Reap Hostel, Siem Reap, Cambodia
This hostel is excellent value for money. Our room was clean, had a TV, hot water showers, a swimming pool, and free wi-fi. There is also a bar and a pool table outside.
Price paid per night: US$12
4. Hi –Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand
In Bangkok you can struggle to find good value backpacker accommodation, but on my first trip to Bangkok I was lucky enough to find Hi-Sukhumvit and I have been back 3 times since! All rooms are super clean and have air con (an essential in the Bangkok humidity). There is a free breakfast of toast and jam – and free tea / coffee all day, and all the staff are friendly and happy to help and answer questions. It is also in a great location, only 2 minutes’ walk from the sky train stop ‘Thong Lo’.
Price paid per person (8 bed mixed dorm): US$11.86
5. Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
This does not technically fall under a ‘backpacker’ budget but I still thought it was such amazing value for money so I had to include it. My room was facing the Arenal volcano and I could literally sit in my bed and watch the volcano erupting – it was breath taking (and also a little scary!). The lodge also had a swimming pool and was set in such beautiful surroundings.
Price paid per night: US$94
- Volcano Arenal, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
The Arenal Observatory Lodge in Costa Rica looks so nice!! The view is just amazing. Would love to stay there but it’s soooo expensive 🙁
Agness recently posted..11 Budget Belgian Street Foods (for Less than $10)
Yes I’d definitely recommend it as a treat if you can stretch your budget that far
This is great! Ill definitely be looking into these spots, especially the ones in Thailand!
Casi @HeyNoobz recently posted..Photo of the Week: Week 3 Cebu, Philippines
Those all look like amazing places! I absolutely loved Nha Trang, and can’t wait to go back. I’ll certainly use your recommendation!
That place on Koh Samui is incredible for 500 Bhat! I paid 300 for a disgusting room I shared with a family of rats. Needless to say, I don’t have fond memories of Samui….
Daniel McBane recently posted..Four Simple Ways to Go Broke In Beijing
Yeah Koh Samui was a difficult place to find decent cheap accommodation, we had been walking around trying to find some where for about an hour when we came across this!
The views from the place in Costa Rica are amazing!
Sofia recently posted..Lost In A Misty San Marino (Photo Essay)
Thank you, yes they were!
Does this volcano erupt often or did you just get lucky? This is amazing, and for 100 bucks, totally worth it.
Julio Moreno recently posted..I Just: Walked Across the Sea at the “Miracle Sea Road Festival” in Jindo, South Korea Pt.1/2
It seemed to be erupting quite often whilst we were there! I think it is quite an active volcano so you’d have a pretty good chance of seeing an eruption if you visited.