Hotel, Guesthouse and B&B Reviews

These are my personal notes on some of the places I have stayed on my travels. I have chosen to only comment on those places that I was generally satisfied with; I see no point on this website in describing accommodation that I would not recommend to anyone else. For the same reason, I have not attempted to rank or score the places. However, where I have particularly liked somewhere, I believe that the tone and content of my review will make that obvious. The opinions below are my own and are just that – opinions formed on the occasion of my visit. For this reason, I have given the date of my visit at the bottom of each comment; things may have changed since.

Costa Rica

Melrost Airport B&B, Alajuela. Friendly guest house within easy reach of the main airport. They provide a free shuttle and the driver was kind enough to wait for me despite my flight arriving after his normal finishing time (11 pm). A breakfast was provided and, somewhat oddly, it was served on my own individual table on the patio outside my room.

Date of stay: 3 December 2015

Casa Leon, San José. Clean, functional guest house in the city of San José. Good value for money. Friendly Swiss host. No breakfast. As with every other private house in San José, the fear of of crime was manifested by an abundance of iron bars and razor wire, which seemed a pity.

Date of stay: 4-5 December 2015

Hotel Colores del Arenal, La Fortuna. This is a modern, brightly coloured, minimalist hotel about 1 km outside La Fortuna (although there is an excellent soda nearby where one can have dinner). It is set in a beautiful garden. The breakfast was excellent. The staff were very friendly. The value for money was stunning. If I return to Costa Rica, this will be one of the first places I head for.

Date of stay: 6-8 December 2015 and 6-9 December 2017

Mari’s B&B, Santa Elena/Monteverde. A friendly, family-run establishment, serving – as I generally found in Costa Rica – a good breakfast. The rooms had no furniture, other than a bed; there was not even anywhere to hang any clothes (this is simple to rectify, surely?). The (advertised) Wifi signal was only strong enough to use downstairs in the breakfast room.

Date of stay: 9-11 December 2015

Samara Pacific Lodge, Samara. Lovely, friendly, peaceful French-run hotel with a beautiful swimming pool. It is a little way outside Samara village which means that it is very quiet but also maybe a 15-min walk to the nearest significant group of bars and restaurants. My good-value deal did not include breakfast but I paid extra for this each day and it was well worth it. On two evenings during my four-night stay, I also ate in the hotel restaurant and had easily the best food of my stay in Costa Rica.

Date of stay: 12-15 December 2015

Hotel La Siesta, Liberia. Functional, clean, slightly tired hotel in the town of Liberia. The air-conditioning worked but was noisy. The breakfast was OK but nothing exciting. I did not find anyone at the hotel who seemed to speak English. The pool was nice enough for a swim.

Date of stay: 16-18 December 2015

Le Petit Maison, Alajuela. Clean, good-value B&B in easy reach of the main airport. One is very much renting a bedroom in someone else’s home. The house is inside a gated community that has armed guards, which I found rather disconcerting.

Date of stay: 19-20 December 2015

Hotel Santamaria, Alajuela. A good, modestly priced hotel in the centre of Alajuela, very convenient for San José airport (take the “Station Wagon” bus from the adjacent depot, rather than waste money on a taxi). The staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel had good security and I felt completely safe. My budget room was a little basic and “tired” but there seemed to be better rooms available in the hotel.

Date of stay: 5 and 18 December 2017

Hotel Carara, Tarcoles. Overall, I was very satisfied with this hotel. My room, although a little tired and in need of a good makeover, was fine for me and I had a nice balcony facing the sea. The breakfast was good. The WiFi worked most of the time, just disappearing for maybe one 12-h period during my stay. The hotel was very peaceful; in fact, I was the only guest staying there for two nights of my three-night stay. I do not understand the frenzy of negative reviews on the usual websites: ok, the local beach has a lot of rubbish on it but one comes to Tarcoles for the boat trip on the Rio Tarcoles and the nearby Carara National Park, both of which are wonderful. I felt I paid slightly more for my room than I should have done.

Date of stay: 10-12 December 2017

Cabinas Algebra, Cahuita. The accommodation consists of three cabinas in a quiet “jungle” location maybe 2.5 km from the main part of Cahuita village. The value for money is very good. I believe I had the smallest and most basic cabina. I was comfortable enough but could have done with a reading lamp. The owner was very friendly and extremely helpful. The attached ”Bananas” restaurant is excellent, serving good value and top quality food.

Date of stay: 13-17 December 2017

Bali, Indonesia

CLV Hotel & Villa, Bedugul. This establishment consists of a reception building at the bottom of the hill, a series of villas stretching up the steep hill, and the restaurant (and unfinished hotel) at the top of the hill. The hill is a tough climb in the heat! (If one had a car, one could drive.) I was given a villa all to myself and so was very comfortable. There were three bedrooms: I picked the one I liked and then the other two were locked. The included breakfast in the restaurant was very good and I also had an excellent and very inexpensive dinner there on one of the evenings of my stay.

Date of stay: 5-6 October 2016

Geriya Siena, Munduk. Friendly, quiet guesthouse on the edge of the village of Munduk. My room was spacious but did not have any furniture apart from the bed, although there was a very nice open balcony on which I could sit. The included breakfast was fine. I also enjoyed my evening meals in the guesthouse restaurant; this was fortunate, as the walk along the narrow and busy road into the village was not one to be enjoyed.

Date of stay: 7-8 October 2016

Puri Padma Hotel, Ubud. Stylish, modern, good-value hotel in Ubud. My room was small but had the nicest bathroom of any place I stayed in Indonesia. The included breakfast was rather minimal in quantity and requests for more were flatly refused. I also ate in the hotel restaurant in the evenings and was happy enough with what was on offer.

Date of stay: 9-10 October 2016

Kerala, India

Hotel Aida, Kottayam. I had a nice large room, but with a rather tired bathroom. The breakfast was very good. I had an excellent meal in The Outhouse, which is part of the hotel, but unfortunately it was only open on the second and final night of my stay. The hotel is located in an unexceptional part of an unexceptional town (but a useful travel hub), 30 min walk from the train station but only 5-10 min from the bus station.

Date of stay: 8-9 January 2020

Green View, Thekkady. Lovely guesthouse with most rooms facing a quiet green garden. Friendly and very helpful owner. A good place to meet other backpackers. Close to both local entrances for the Periyar National Park. My spacious room did not have AC but, in the mountains, one does not need it. The included breakfast was adequate.

Date of stay: 10-12 January 2020

Mad About Coco, Varkala Beach. Very nice place with helpful and friendly hosts. Convenient for the beach and seafront, although the view from any of the balconies is only of concrete. My room was spacious and clean and included AC. The WiFi was good. The breakfast was pleasant but a little stingy – including a complimentary second cup of coffee would surely not break the bank.

Date of stay: 13-15 January 2020

Marari Raju Villa, Marari Beach. My room was very clean and modern, with a very good bathroom. It was probably the best room I stayed in during my entire Kerala trip. I had a serious misunderstanding with the owner on the first day but once he had found my Booking.com booking we were able to find a satisfactory solution. The breakfast was very good and particularly filling but was served indoors under artificial light in a room with drawn curtains. The owner has two properties in Marari Beach and they appear separately on Booking.com. They sound very similar but the other property (i.e., not the one I stayed in) is much more suited to Western holidaymakers and backpackers: it has a nice garden to sit in, meals are served outdoors, and it is MUCH closer to the beach.

Date of stay: 16-18 January 2020

Gems 9 Airport Hotel, Cochin Airport. Conveniently near the airport, a 10-15 min walk if you just have a rucksack and can brave the heat. The staff were friendly and helpful. The price was very modest. My room was small but very well equipped. The impression of cleanliness could be better: the sheets and towels were a little grey and the room decor rather tatty. There was a lot of noise from the nearby road in the night.

Date of stay: 19 January 2020

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