in search of darn good digs

Would you consider sleeping in a pod? The experience will save you money in notoriously expensive Singapore and get you modern digs in the heart of the city’s Chinatown. Plus, you might meet some fellow travelers in this friendly hostel. What makes Wink Hostel so Darn Good? Wink has a perfect location in the heart […]

We heard that Costa Rica was an amazing place to travel, but somehow it still surprised us with just how good it was as a family destination. In fact, we were so pleased, we couldn’t help but put together a list of out top ten reasons why traveling with kids in Costa Rica is an […]

This past summer we spent almost three weeks traveling around Costa Rica with our seven year old son, and along the way we stayed in some fantastic places.  We’ll be publishing some of our hotel reviews here on the blog (or visit our Costa Rica hotels page to read them all in one place). We’ll […]

Costa Rica is a Darn Good Digs paradise. Virtually every inn or lodge we stayed at during our recent three week trip was spectacular. Granted, we spent a long time putting together this itinerary, as we always do – scouring guidebooks and the web for the best places to stay. We also tried to build […]

Summer is just about here which means it is time to get your vacation on! We at Darn Good Digs are doing our part by slowly but surely adding extraordinary, and only extraordinary, digs to our website.  As a fan recently commented online at the New York Times, Darn Good Digs is “how I find […]

We are on a mission to find the world’s best independently owned hotels for budget-minded travelers, and so far we have put together a pretty solid hotel list for Mexico – from the Yucatan to the Pacific coast, Mexico City to the Lake Chapala region.  We always seek out owners with unique visions as well […]

In his blog post earlier this year, Arthur Frommer challenged us to find and review 500 Darn Good Digs around the world, and we think we’re well on our way.  In a few months, we’ll have published over 200 reviews, and we’ve added even more colorful photos than ever before. You can help by nominating […]

One of the reasons we originally launched Darn Good Digs back in 2008 was because we found it hard to find cool places to stay in the Caribbean on a budget. There are so many large impersonal hotels and all-inclusive resorts, but the small spots full of character are hidden away and can take some […]

One of the first traveler nominations we received back at Darn Good Digs’ launch in 2008 was for Gecko Villa – a beautiful rural villa way out there in northeast Thailand, as far from Bangkok as you could imagine. We were excited then to learn about such a cool vacation spot, and we’re even more […]

Every now and then we receive a hotel nomination that makes us want to drop everything and GO THERE immediately. Balam Bali Villa is one of those places. Here is why: What makes Balam Bali Villa so Darn Good? Having lived and traveled overseas for twenty years, I can say without hesitation that Balam Bali […]