in search of darn good digs

After reading Arthur Frommer’s blog post about Darn Good Digs, Kathy from Ankara, Turkey decided to nominate her favorite digs in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Kathy spent one month at the Sri Pat Guest House with her daughter, and she could not more highly recommend the Sri Pat or its friendly staff.  We just published Kathy’s review of the Sri Pat as a “Traveler Favorite” on Darn Good Digs.  You can read here review here or visit our Thailand section.

Why is the Sri Pat so darn good? “These digs, in this neighborhood, are luxurious for a relatively small price. Other places were bare-boned, concrete boxes with a shower head in the middle of another box called the bathroom. It is very easy to see that some effort, thought, and love had gone into the Sri Pat. The owners understand what weary travelers need and want, and they go the extra mile to deliver. My daughter and I stayed at Sri Pat for one month and had a great time.”

Location: “The location is close to the famous night bazaar as well as some fabulous restaurants… it’s just a really nice central location close to everything worth seeing in Chiang Mai. The street locale is quiet and peaceful, and we came to know the super friendly restaurant owners, the women who did our laundry, and the folks who ran the internet cafes.”

Rooms: “The rooms are lovely – spacious, beautifully tiled floors, dark wood accents and a beautiful bathroom – VERY clean and luxurious for that particular neighborhood. We checked out about eight other guesthouses on the same long street and came back to the Sri Pat because we felt at peace there. Chairs were strategically placed, allowing tired guests a nice place to rest their weary bones after sightseeing all day. The flowers, lovely pictures, and other details really made us feel at home, and we looked forward to coming ‘home’ each day.”

Food: “The food was great. The guest house even allowed us to buy our own food and bring it back to cook for ourselves, or have the cook make it for us. Room service is offered. We used it many times and were able to take our food and coffees out to the balcony and watch the world go by.”

Vibe: “The vibe is great. The staff and the owners (the family had their own residence in the back of the house) made us feel as though we were part of a big family. The owners’ pets wandered through and made friends with people sitting around. The owners’ children would sit with us and share their world. Very nice!”

Keep In Mind: “While the guesthouse costs a bit more for this neighborhood, it was well worth it to us to pay the eight extra baht to have some place beautiful to come back to at the end of the day. We always knew we would come back to a spotless room and smiling faces ”

Thank you Kathy for your nomination.  If you have an amazing hotel, b&b, or hostel to recommend, please visit our Nomination Form.

Over the past year we truly enjoyed reading about Sarah Lavender Smith‘s family travels around the world on her blog, Away Together.  We have the added bonus, here at Darn Good Digs, of receiving new nominations from Sarah every few months as she clues us in to her favorite hotels along the way.  Sarah has nominated hotels in Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and Italy, but the one we are featuring today along Spain’s Costa Brava just might be her favorite (is that going too far, Sarah?).  Here’s what Sarah has to say about the Aiguaclara Hotel in Begur.

What makes the Aiguaclara Hotel so darn good? Aiguaclara is a boutique hotel with a top-rated restaurant in a 19th-century three-story mansion situated in the midst of a medieval village on the coast of Northern Spain.  The hotel is decorated with antique furnishings, regional art, original tile, and wrought iron detailing. Windows open to a view of the town’s 11th-century castle, and the town plaza is right out the door. The couple who owns the hotel, Clara and Joan (I think that’s the Catalonian spelling of Juan), are extremely welcoming and take care of details such as picking us up from the bus stop and helping us arrange a rental car.

Location: The hotel is in the heart of Begur, a medieval village with one-lane tiny roads, on northern Spain’s Costa Brava, about a 1.5 hour drive up from Barcelona and a half hour from Girona. The town’s beaches are about three kilometers from the hotel and town center. The coastline is spectacular.

Room: Each room is individually decorated, and some have terraces. The old, wooden original doors are creaky and not terribly secure, but they sure look great. The hotel is spacious, with high ceilings and a restaurant enclosed in what used to be a yard area. The common areas includes a game room with retro board games and hip decor, a self-serve snack and beverage area, and the lounge area within the restaurant.

Food: The Aiguaclara provides a buffet breakfast with fruit, yogurt, pastries, and traditional Spanish fare (e.g. tortilla espanola, ham, cheese). The dinner menu includes very high quality regional specialties.

Vibe: The vibe is hip, yet family friendly.  Our kids, ages 8 and 12, were made to feel very welcome.

Keep in Mind: Smoking is very prevalent in Catalonia, and most places, including this one, allow smoking, so be prepared for the restaurant and lounge area to be smoky. Church bells in the neighborhood square ring every quarter hour, and noises such as voices and creaky doors echo in the tile hallway of the hotel, so it’s not always quiet, but it is extremely comfortable and peaceful.

Price Range: 85-175 Euros (breakfast included)
# of Rooms: 10
Kid-Friendly: yes

Make an Inquiry/Book a Room at:

You can read more about Sarah’s stay at the Aiguaclara, as well as her other adventures traveling the world, on her blog, Away Together.

If you have stayed at any amazing locally hotels and want to share them, please nominate them at Darn Good Digs.

Nadia Latif of Travel Intelligence has uncovered for Darn Good Digs an intimate three-roomed riad in the heart of Fez’s labyrinthine medina.  From the moment we received the nomination of Riad Numero 9 from Nadia, a self-described hotel junkie, we knew we had found an extraordinary small hotel.  She emailed us, “I visited it last year and had such an amazing experience; what’s even better is that rates start from EUR 100!”  We’re pleased to publish Nadia’s review on our blog:

What makes Riad Numero 9 so Darn Good? It looks – as with most traditional riads – like nothing from the outside, but through that metal-studded door lays a mosaic-tiled oasis of a boutique hotel. Meticulously restored by owner Stephen, Riad Numero 9 is furnished with antiques and curios from Morocco, Europe and the Far East.

Location: The riad is located about a ten-minute walk from Bab Boujeloud, the main entrance gate to Fez’s medina. The city is notoriously difficult to navigate and a guide will be sent to meet you (at no extra charge) from the airport.

Rooms: There are just three suites (though the riad has plans to expand); I stayed in the Master Suite, which takes up an entire floor. It is split over two huge rooms – the first is a bedroom/dining area, the second a bathroom, complete with a pair of 1930s dentist chairs – with a narrow, birdcage-adorned walkway in between. The other suites are smaller, but no less lavish. All rooms have intricately carved cedar-wood ceilings, double beds and private, spacious bathrooms. The riad is very suited to exclusive rental but rooms are also let individually. The smallest starts at 100 Euros per night.

Food: Stephen’s French partner, Bruno, is a trained chef and oversees all things culinary at the riad. As is usual with these traditional Moroccan houses, breakfast is included in the room rate and all other meals are arranged on request.  Take breakfast on the roof terrace, which boasts the best view of the medina that I could find. I have very fond memories of eating home-made banana jam, French toast and hot waffles, listening to the hustle and bustle of Fez drifting up through the latticed fencing.

Vibe: The vibe at Riad Numero 9 is intimate and exclusive; I felt like I was staying in the home of a very rich, cultured friend.

Things to Keep in Mind: Don’t expect the staff to wait on you hand-and-foot; you’re urged to treat the place like your own (gaspingly gorgeous) home.  A selection of CDs, books, and comfy seating is positioned around the sunken Japanese table in the courtyard, and a mini-fridge stocked with wine and beer is tucked away on one of the upper levels.  You’re also at liberty to explore the kitchen for snacks.

Price Range: 100 Euros – 200 Euros
# of Rooms: 3
Kid-Friendly: yes

Make an Inquiry/Book a Room at:

Thank you Nadia for nominating Riad Numero 9 in Fez, Morocco!

If you have stayed at any amazing locally hotels and want to share them, please nominate them at Darn Good Digs.

Last Friday we woke up to learn that Arthur Frommer, founder of Frommer’s guides and one of the most influential voices in the travel industry, featured darngooddigs.net on his blog.  In a post titled, “The Website Darn Good Digs Will Be of Major Assistance to Your Next Trip — Unless it’s too Successful“, Mr. Frommer describes darngooddigs.net as “a riot of color, and each hotel, hostel or b-and-b is thoroughly examined from every angle.” About our digs themselves, he writes, “You yearn to stay in these picturesque places covered by flowers and foliage, filled with well-stuffed easy chairs, bright and attractive and yet modestly-priced.” He concludes with, “Take a look. And when you do, you’ll be as enchanted as I was.”  We feel truly honored.

One of the best parts about being recognized by a blogger, journalist, or in this case, a respected travel guru like Arthur Frommer, is the flood of new nominations that arrives in our in-box as a result of the new-found publicity.  Travelers from all over write to us simply because they are excited about a cool place they stayed and want to share it with others.  Every week we get to read our email and discover extraordinary digs around the world – riverfront boutique hotels in Cambodia, Irish-themed bed and breakfasts in San Antonio, and eco-friendly beach-side inns in Mexico – all with rooms under $150 (and often way under!).

We sent Mr. Frommer a thank you email, but we would like to thank him again publicly on our blog.  We would also like to thank all the travelers out there who make Darn Good Digs possible – simply by nominating their favorite places.  The only reason we are able to feature such “outstanding” places is because you share them with us.

Gary Diedrichs from Green Traveler Guides recently nominated the eco-friendly Balamku Inn on the Beach in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico, as one of his all-time favorite independently owned hotels.   The Green Traveler Guides, launched by Gary and his wife Peggy, are all about traveling well with the lightest possible carbon footprint. They do old-fashioned research to uncover the best green hoteliers and local/organic eats around the world, and share them on their website and e-guides. We’re proud to feature Gary’s review of the Balamku Inn as the fifth post in our guest blogger series.

Why so darn good: This ecological hotel, one of the few green lodgings on the beautiful Mexican Costa Maya, has just been nominated as Leading Green Hotel for Mexico & Central America in the World Travel Awards. Its nine guest rooms are all right on the beach, in circular palapas and two-story buildings situated to maximize natural ventilation. They are airy and tastefully turned out, with tile floors and colorful Mexican art.

Location: Balamku boasts a sandy beachfront with clear, calm, and shallow waters, protected by the amazing Banco Chinchorro reef. This is the same reef system divers flock to in Belize.

Room: The rooms are all well maintained and tasteful, tropical in theme and in fact. Keeping with the eco-friendly mission, all in-room toiletries are aloe vera based. Captured rain water flows into your shower and sink, and then goes out to constructed wetland. The units even have specially designed composting toilets (looking at them, you would hardly guess) based on a Swedish system to protect the reef.

Food: A full breakfast is included, served in the main inn and featuring organic fruit from the property, homemade granola, and organic Chiapas coffee.

Vibe: Totally laid-back and serene. Reach for another cerveza or an herbal iced tea: both are totally appropriate.

Price Range: US$75-$90
# of Rooms: 10
Kid-Friendly: yes

Make an Inquiry/Book a Room at:

Thank you Gary for nominating the Balamku Inn on the Beach in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico!

If you have stayed at any amazing locally hotels and want to share them, please nominate them at Darn Good Digs.

One of the great benefits of putting together a guide to travelers’ favorite places to stay is receiving a new nomination in our in-box.  It’s a little bit like receiving a surprise gift.  After all, we depend on travelers from around the world to take the time to nominate their all-time favorite places (with rooms under, and often way under, US$150), and so we truly appreciate it when someone shares their secrets with us and our Darn Good Digs community.

One group that we have come to rely on over and over for new nominations is the world of bloggers.  In fact, almost one quarter of our nominations come from travel bloggers who consistently publish insightful anecdotes, practical advice, witty commentary, and stunning photography on their own popular blogs.  We’re proud of the growing list of bloggers and writers who have taken the time to share their favorite digs with us, and so we are excited to post a snapshot of ten of these nominations and the bloggers who nominated them:

Meridiano Sur

Sarah Lavender Smith of Away Together nominated Meridiano Sur in Chile: “Meridiano Sur is situated in a beautiful old house just off Providencia Avenue, a lively street with many popular restaurants, bars, and shops. We appreciated the hotel’s modern, simple, and tasteful rooms, fresh and filling breakfasts, and friendly feel.” Sarah also nominated Villa Huinid in Bariloche, Argentina.

Akila of The Road Forks nominated Woodlyn Park Hobbit Motel in New Zealand: “Three reasons this hotel is SO DARN GOOD. Number one: It is a hobbit hole with a round door, round windows, and a sloped ceiling. Number two: A mule and pigs eat the grass on the roof above your head. Number three: The bed is incredibly comfortable and the kitchen facilities are quite nice.”

Hotel Rumi Punku

Mark of Travel Wonders of the World nominated Hotel Rumi Punku in Peru: “Rumi Punku means stone doorway in Quechua, and fittingly, the entrance to the hotel is a very cool authentic Incan ruin. Inside, the service is excellent, with nothing being too much trouble for the incredibly helpful staff. The hotel is cozy, quiet, and secure, and has a prime location just a few minutes from Cusco’s main plaza.” Mark also nominated af Chapman in Stockholm, Sweden.

Josh of Far West China nominated Xi’an 7 Sages Hostel in Xi’an, China: “Finding a quiet location in the middle of a busting city like Xi’an is a difficult task, but 7 Sages delivers this tranquility along with beautiful architecture and friendly service. Part of the Hosteling International group, travelers can rest assured that a quality, family atmosphere awaits them.”

Beyin Beach Resort

Matt Beatty of Moon Cowboy nominated Beyin Beach Resort in Ghana: “Gorgeous and tidy, the Beyin Beach Resort has oceanside bungalows with doors that open wide to the sea. Seashells and sand dollars wash up all day, and an abandoned 18th century fort, Fort Apollonia, lies a few hundred yards down the beach in Beyin, where young boys play football nearby.”

Donna Hull of My Itchy Travel Feet nominated the Hannagan Meadow Lodge in Alpine, Arizona: “The location at 9,000 + ft. on the Coronado Trail in the White Mountains. The lodge overlooks a meadow where animals come to graze in the summer. On a snowy day in the winter, you’ll see beginning cross-country skiers practicing newly-learned skills.”

Vera of A Traveler’s Library nominated Monterey Non-Smokers Motel in Albuquerque, New Mexico: “The couple who owns the hotel does everything themselves, because they want it done right. The size of the rooms and the location near Old Town are the main things that attract me. It is a period motel with a B & B atmosphere, but without one of the B’s.”

Athole Guest House

Lisa Lubin nominated the Athole Guest House in Bath, England: “Housed in a lovingly and beautifully restored Victorian home, the Athole Guest House stands out as a true gem in my two and half years of traveling. From the moment they picked me up at the bus station, I enjoyed my chats with the Athole’s extremely friendly and down-to earth innkeepers, Wolfgang and Josephine. Plus, I indulged in some quality purring time with their cat, Moth.” Lisa also nominated Hostal Miguel in Nerja, Spain; Inn-Berlin in Berlin, Germany; and Domus Maria in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Sonia Zamborsky of Pulpology nominated The Carlton Inn in Carlton, Oregon: “Innkeepers, Edward and Heidi, have the perfect set of skills and experience to run a fabulous bed and breakfast in Oregon’s wine country. Edward is a stellar chef and his breakfasts, made from locally-sourced and organic ingredients, are to die for. Heidi has worked in the wine industry for years, and can point you in the right direction to visit any of a myriad of wineries in the area, some of which are virtually in the Inn’s backyard.”

Sarah Christenson of The Urban Rebellion nominated Ramsdell Inn in Manistee, Michigan: “The Ramsdell Inn is a lovely, converted bank building in Manistee’s historic downtown. My husband and I were intrigued by the old woodwork, polished marble lobby, and hospitality. There is a tiny gift shop in the old brass vault, and long, elegant corridors to wander, complete with brass radiators and dark woodwork.”

You can read our complete list of bloggers whose nominations we have published on Darn Good Digs on our About Us page.  We look forward to receiving new nominations from bloggers (and travelers everywhere!) as we continue to create a guide to the best independently owned hotels around the world for budget-minded travelers.  Please visit our Nomination Form if you have some place to recommend!

Vento di Rose is a true labor of love. The owners, Emanuela and Emidio, are some of the kindest and most generous people we have ever met. Their home and bed and breakfast is a beautifully restored Italian country house with views of medieval hilltop towns in every direction. And as if this weren’t enough, Emanuela prepares an incredible, delectable breakfast for all her lucky guests.

Vento di Rose is located near the small hilltop town of Monterubbiano in the Marches province, just east of Umbria. Within a short drive, you can sun yourself on an Adriatic beach, hike the great Sibillini Mountains, or explore any one of a number of lovely hilltop towns. The Marches is a remarkably beautiful part of Italy and well worth the trip.

Vento di Rose has three lovely rooms. We stayed in the orange hued Crepuscolo (a.k.a. sunset) room, which was large and delightful. Emanuela and Emidio have scattered chairs and hammocks throughout their gorgeous garden property so guests have plenty of choices when they just want to relax and let the Italian countryside do its magic. The B & B also has a downstairs kitchen available for guests to use.

You don’t know what breakfast is until you’ve stayed at Vento di Rose. Emanuela puts out a spread like you would not believe, using mostly local ingredients and including many regional specialties. Just a few of her delicacies include rose petal cake, frittatas with wild asparagus, crostini smothered in truffle spread, and cucumber slices coated with parmigiano and walnuts. If you can’t eat everything, don’t worry! Emanuela gives you tin foil so you can wrap it up to enjoy for lunch.

Emanuela and Emidio were extraordinarily warm and welcoming to us and our two year old. One evening, they invited us to join a toast when their friends came over to celebrate their engagement, and the next day Emidio schooled our fascinated little boy on the art of gardening, even giving him a little shovel to join in. Emanuela and Emidio truly made us feel as if we were part of the family, and a much loved part of the family at that!

Vento di Rose is a secret gem and should not be missed.  It just might be the best bed and breakfast in the world!

Price Range: 80-90 Euros
# of Rooms: 3
Kid-Friendly: yes

Make an Inquiry/Book a Room at:

Where do you want to travel next?
 
We’ve spent most of the winter here in Brooklyn researching the hundreds of nominations we received recently, and we’re psyched by all the new digs we’ve added.  Beyin Beach Resort in Ghana is on our new must-visit list.  So are the two fabulous cave hotels in central Turkey, Gamirasu and Esbelli Evi. There’s a cute little b&b in the Arkansas Ozarks that we’d like to check out, and a lovely inn on England’s Cornwall peninsula. We’re working hard to find the best independently owned hotels around the world with rooms under (and often way under!) US$150.
 

Rooftop Terrace at Esbelli Evi Cave Hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey

Here are some of the exciting goings-on at darngooddigs.net lately:
• We now have digs in over 50 countries!
• Travel guru Johnny Jet picked darngooddigs.net as the Website of the Day!
• Our 2nd Nominate-a-thon was a BIG success, and we still haven’t finished researching all the new nominations.
• We’ve partnered with hotels and booking engines so that you can have an easier time booking a room.
• Read our popular blog post, “Why you should stay at independently owned hotels“.
• Stay up to date on all the new digs we keep adding by visiting our “New Digs” page.

Come visit us at Darn Good Digs, and find almost one hundred out-a-sight inns for in-the-know travelers.  We’re constantly adding new digs from the steady stream of nominations that keeps rolling in.
 
Thank you for being part of our community.
 
Allison and Michael
Darn Good Digs
www.darngooddigs.net

Early last spring Allison and I had a pile of guide books for Colorado piled next to our bed.  We were immersed in planning a three week trip during the summer, starting in Denver, looping down to Santa Fe, heading west toward Durango and Grand Junction, and then circling back to Denver for the round trip home.  The trip was full of cool cities, awesome national parks, ancient ruins, and big mountains.  And then we started to look for places to stay. 

Girona

We always try to find original, child-friendly (we have a four year old), reasonably priced spots – and we were having the hardest time.  We kept finding expensive bed and breakfasts with “no-children under 12″ policies, or familiar uninspiring chain hotels.  The decisive moment came when we focused on Grand Junction, and the best digs we could find was the Quality Inn for $125 a night, plus a 10% tax.  That was when the thought occurred to us – maybe going to Europe would be cheaper. 

When we travel during our summers, we try to go away for two, three, even four weeks at a time if we can get the vacation days.  Three years ago we went to Italy, and last year we went to northern Spain, and both of those trips turned out to be less expensive than the trip we took to the Pacific Northwest in 2008 – airfare included.  It kind of defies conventional logic, and we were surprised ourselves by the math. 

Bilbao

Flying to Europe generally costs us a little more than two times what a domestic ticket does, but compared with the US, we can save $30-$50 a night in Europe and still stay in cool little places.  In Zaragoza we stayed in a cute little downtown bed and breakfast for 50 Euros ($68) a night.   In Bilbao we spent 60 Euros ($82) a night.  Our most expensive room was in Barcelona, for 80 Euros ($109) a night.  These prices include tax, and Zaragoza and Barcelona include breakfast.  As hard as we tried, we couldn’t find the same quality in Colorado at those rates. 

When it was all said and done, our trip to Spain cost us noticeably less than the one we were planning for Colorado.  It surprised us, and the secret was in the accommodations. (And the rental car too, but that’s a different story!)

We are really pleased to feature one of Sherry Ott’s all-time favorite places to stay, the Ambassador Garden Home in Kathmandu, Nepal, as our fourth post in our guest travel writer and blogger series.  Sherry blogs at Otts World, a popular blog that she launched over three years ago when she quit her corporate Manhattan job to teach ESL in Vietnam and travel the world.  She has traveled extensively in Asia, and she selected a small hotel in Kathmandu as her Darn Good Digs.

What makes the Ambassador Garden Home so darn good? In the middle of the craziness of Thamel, Kathmandu’s tourist district, is this gem boutique hotel - a diamond in the ruff!  What makes staying here so unforgettable is the staff!  It feels as you are a member of their family.  The owner and manager both came out at night and sat with guests in the garden to eat dinner with them.   They walked around and introduced different sets of guests, creating this open communal feel at the hotel. 

Location: Thamel is one of the busiest places in Kathmandu.  It is noisy, crowded, and dirty.  However, in the heart of the neighborhood is the Ambassador Garden Home, located at one of the main intersections of Thamel.  It’s set back from the road, and once you step into their ‘grounds’ you are immediately transported to a peaceful environment – a safe haven from the craziness of Kathmandu.

Room: The rooms are modern and decorated with class.  The whole hotel underwent a major renovation lately.  They have infused cultural and family relics throughout the decor.  The garden in the back is one of the highlights.  Surrounded by a classic brick fence, you feel like it’s your own little oasis.  You can eat out in the garden or simply relax with a book, with the fountain dribbling in the background.

Food: The dhal bhat plate, the country’s most popular cuisine, was fabulous.  Breakfasts were also great with three set options to choose from.  I personally loved the french press coffee brought to the table!

Vibe: They have melded the idea of a stuffy boutique hotel into a family hostel in a way.  The owners called you by your first name and frequently joined you in the garden, assisting with any travel needs you had.  As a frequent solo traveler, I loved how they introduced me to other people staying at the hotel.

Keep in Mind: It is still Thamel in Kathmandu.  It’s impossible to get rid of all of the noise, and you therefore will hear horns and music, but it stops at 11PM.

Thank you Sherry for nominating the Ambassador Garden Home in Kathmandu!

We would love to hear from more savvy travelers about their all-time favorite independently owned hotels with rooms under US$150.  We carefully research every nomination we receive, and publish the most extraordinary ones at darngooddigs.net.