Travel Guide

Link: http://www.mistichill.com/

Selecting a hostel is a form of low stakes gambling - its unlikely to go spectacularly wrong, but you do occasionally get the jolting kick in the teeth of a bad result or the unexpected thrill of scooping a minor jackpot. The Misti Chill hostel in beautiful Parati is in the later category - its a low key, warm and friendly delight.

Situated in a perfect beach front location just 5 minutes from the historic town centre (and 20 minutes from the bus station), the Misti Chill is run by a multi-lingual, helpful and knowledgeable Canadian-Argentinian couple Melissa and Nico. The hostel has WiFi in the lobby and rooms and a private room costs about R$60 (about 20 Euro or US$25). Bikes can be rented at reception and the staff can also book guests on some of the local tours in the Parati area.

For more details check out this comment from the Misti Chill team.

Visitors to the Xocomil and Xetulul theme parks near Retalhuleu in Guatemala have a plentiful range of nearby and relatively expensive accommodation options.

The Las Hostales complex directly opposite the Xocomil and Xetulul parks is, like the parks themselves, owned and operated by IRTRA. Las Hostales is comprised of hotels, restaurants and bars that have distinctive continental themes - e.g. Kapa Hapa (Thai restaurant), Nakuru (African themed hotel), Uaxactun (Central American / Maya themed hotel), Mandalay (Asian themed hotel). Accommodation in this complex (with a helpful sign at the entrance requesting that residents do not bring hand guns or other armaments with them) starts at about 350Q (30 Euro or US$37) per night but expect to pay 500Q or more for most options. The complex has beautiful trees, interesting looking buildings and big outdoor pools and is well geared to the needs of families. The food and the service in the complex are very good. Los Hostales can be contacted at 7722-9100 or visit the IRTRA website.

Another local accommodation, a 15-20 minute walk from the parks is Villa Hermosa (hotelvillahermosa@hotmail.com or 7771-1400). The Villa Hermosa costs about 300-450Q a night for a large, clean twin or double room and also boasts a sizable outdoor pool.

The Pousada Do Lago (http://www.pousadadolago.com/) is a family-friendly hotel near the centre of the city of Brotas with good facilities that include sauna, outdoor pool and tennis-courts. The hotel staff will happily book tours and activities for guests and have extensive information about the long list of eco-tourism options in the area.

Accommodation prices are in the region of about R$60 (about 23 Euro or $36) per night for a single room to about twice that for a quadruple room. It will help if you (or someone you are with) speaks Portugese - Brotas is principally a holiday resort for Brazilians and does not make extensive efforts to provide special treatment for those from father away. Note also access to a car will be important to get to the eco-tourism activities - many are about 20-30 minutes drive away.

When visiting Cuba, probably the best value and most culturally interesting accommodation option is to stay at a Casa Particular. Unlike the state run hotels, Casas Particulares are owned and operated by your hosts - Cubans in whose homes you stay. In addition to a bed for the night, your Cuban host family may also provide breakfast and dinner (charged separately to your room rate).

Prices for a twin or double room in a casa will generally be in the range of about 20-30 Convertible Pesos (the special tourist currency that tourists are obliged to use in Cuba - 1 Convertible Peso is about 0.70 Euro or $1.08). Breakfast will be about 3 Convertibles per person and dinner somewhere between 7 and 13 depending on what is on offer. Two especially excellent casas are Casa Abel in Havana and Casa Hospedaja “Jose Ricardo” in Trinidad.

Casa Abel, 111 Calle Blanco in Havana Centro is highly recommended because of the fantastic warmth and local knowledge of Abel and Aidee, a couple who are the most wonderful hosts. The contact details for Casa Abel are available on their website. It is not unusual for casas to take your booking only to inform you on arrival that your room is no longer available. If this happens don’t panic! If your room is no longer available, Abel will have find you a place in one of a number of local casas within easy walking distance. Some examples include the casas run by El Rey ("The King") and Niurka on Calle Aguila 206 (phone 0053-7-8630278) and by Junior and Maricela on Calle Aguila 168 (phone 0053-7-861-3292). Meeting Abel and Aidee is likely to be right at the top of your list of highlights from any time passed in Havana.

Casa Jose Ricardo, Antonio Maceo 382 in Trinidad (phone 0053-41-994702) provides an equally warm welcome in the beautiful home of Jose and Angela. The food here is wonderful - lovers of seafood are in for a real treat! Again highly recommended.

Finally, when selecting your casa know that it helps to have a little Spanish! Some hosts will have excellent English, others will not.

One of the best moves I made on coming to Rio for a week was to rent an apartment rather than opting for a hostel or hotel room.

Renting gave me a much greater sense of connection to the city - I felt much more like a resident than a tourist (even though my uneven tan, pasty white upper forearms and dubious sense of style set me apart from true cariocas). I also got to indulge my passion for cooking - delighting in shopping for the gloriously succulent fruit and vegetables available in Brazil.

The studio apartment I rented was clean, nicely laid out and had a fabulous large window overlooking some bustling Rio street life. The location was ideal - just a two minute stroll to Ipanema beach, I was located in one of the most desireable locations in all of Rio.

I paid R$130 per night (about 50 Euro or US$73), plus an extra R$70 cleaning fee once I vacated the apartment. I rented my apartment from Fantastic Rio (http://fantasticrio.vilabol.uol.com.br) and dealing with this company was a delight. Peter Corr, who runs Fantastic Rio is a real gentleman - knowledgeable, friendly and straightforward. I highly recommend contacting Peter to anyone planning to visit Rio for a few days.

When I returned to Rio two weeks later for New Years I again rented from Fantastic Rio. Prices had doubled - as is the case across the city during the New Years and Carnival periods - but I did at least have an apartment just a stone´s throw from the main fireworks celebrations on Copaacabana Beach.