This is a non-comprehensive list of some of the places I slept and ate during my travels. Generally, I don't stay in expensive hotels or eat at Michelin starred restaurants. For hotels, I look for clean, safe, in a good location with a private bathroom and low to moderate cost. For food, I look for good quality at a good price. You can find out more about how I pick hotels and restaurants in the "Travel Tips" section.
Andorra la Vella
Hotel de L'Isard -- Basic hotel in a good location right in the heart of town. Nice resaturant. Good value.
Cairns
The Abbott Boutique Hotel -- Nice hotel in a super location near the pier.
Bang & Grind -- Tasty food and coffee in Cairns center. We ate there twice. Excellent eggs benedict.
Sydney
Sydney Harbour Marriott at Circular Quay -- It's a Marriott. A Marriott in a FABULOUS location.
Tank Steam Hotel -- Nice, modern hotel in the financial district. Good value
Yulara/Uluru
Outback Pioneer Hotel and Lodge Ayers Rock Resort -- Shabby and expensive accommodations near Uluru, where the hotel options are few. But unless you are inclined to mortgage your house to pay for a room, this is your only choice. Don't eat at the Pioneer BBQ & Bar.
Kulata Academy Cafe -- The only reasonably priced restaurant with edible food in the Ayers Rock Resort area. Closes early.
Phnom Pehn
Duong Chan Hotel -- New hotel in a convenient location. Gorgeous rooftop pool.
Siem Reap
Siem Reap Palace Hotel -- Nive hotel across the river from the night market. Lots of restaurants nearby. My only beef with the hotel was that one of the beds in a twin room did not have access to an electrical outlet. (Also, they misplaced a few laundry items but nothing major.)
Da Stefano -- Tasty pizza and pasta
Krousar Cafe -- Excellent breakfast.
Sambo Khner & Thai Restaurant -- Tasty food, nice atmosphere.
I used and was very happy with Memphis Tours. They took care of all transfers, sightseeing, guides, internal flights, cruise, etc. for a very reasonable price. They're also very accommodating. I wanted to book my own hotels in Aswan and Cairo because I wasn’t excited about some of the ones they used. That was no problem. There are some optional tours that are not included in the base price, and I liked the ones we took. Also, be prepared to tip EVERYONE in cash. US dollars or Egyptian pounds are fine for tipping. Be sure to take US dollars in small denominations with you.
Aswan
Nuba Dool Guest House — Very basic guest house on Elephantine Island. Run by a friendly Nubian family. Super clean and with a terrace overlooking the Nile. Great authentic feel and nicely away from some of the chaos of Aswan. Ask them to cook you lunch or dinner!
Cairo
Great Pyramid Inn — Clean, updated hotel overlooking the Pyramids. Get a view room. Nice rooftop restaurant overlooking the Pyramids. You can watch the sound and light show at the Pyramids while you have dinner on the terrace. The stray dogs were howling at night, so it was noisy, but that may have been a function of the time of year.
Royal Residence Inn — good hotel if you need to be close to the Cairo airport for a night.
Aix-en-Provence
Hotel du Globe -- Reasonably priced hotel in a good location.
Antibes
Hotel La Place -- LOVED this place. Charming and comfortable and in a good location. Expensive during the high season but very reasonably priced in the off season.
Avignon
Hotel Regina -- Basic but super clean hotel in an excellent location near the Palais des Papes
Restaurant EAT -- Tasty food with super friendly staff. The owner spent lots of time telling me where to go. She speaks English but spoke very slowly to me in French (which I enjoyed).
Carcassonne
Hotel du Pont Vieux -- Nice, basic hotel in the lower town. Friendly staff. Good breakfast and nice but small rooftop terrace with a great view of the fortress. No elevator.
Auberge de Dame Carcas -- Yummy brasserie in the old city. Have the cassoulet. Full of locals -- which is always a good sign in tourist areas.
Nice
Hotel La Villa Nice Victor Hugo -- Lovely hotel in a Victorian era building. Excellent value and location.
Paris
Hotel & Spa Saint-Jacques -- Super cute hotel in the Latin Quarter. Fantastic value for pricey Paris. Great location not far from Notre Dame. Lots of good restaurants and bakeries nearby.
La Jacobine -- Best. Onion. Soup. Ever. Cute restaurant hidden in a charming alley in the Latin Quarter. Go. Just go.
Assisi
We stayed at this Airbnb. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15004974?source_impression_id=p3_1642104672_hsNlYSMvcH7GqJA%2F It was perfectly fine. Clean, conveniently located. But it reminded me of someone's grandma's house.
Florence
Airbnb — We stayed at this HUGE Airbnb very close to the Duomo. https://abnb.me/iyZ2IHkHmmb Fantastic terrace with a view and nicely updated kitchen and baths.
Osteria Dell’Osso — Stylish, yummy and cheap restaurant near the Mercado Centrale
Panini Toscani — Super fresh and yummy sandwiches across from the Duomo
Ristorante Il Caminetto — Nice trattoria near the Duomo. Good food and friendly staff.
Milan
B&B Hotel Milano City Center Duomo — Spacious and modern hotel in a great location.
Salsamentaría de Parma — Good and reasonably priced food. Part of a small chain.
Taverna del Borgo Antico — Nice location with outdoo seating. Classic Milanese food. A little pricey but they kept giving us free drinks.
Rome
We stayed at this nice Airbnb near the Campo de Fiori https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14524107?source_impression_id=p3_1642104542_Rd%2F%2B6sZy0fAy618R&guests=1&adults=1 Would recommend.
Antico Forno Roscioli -- Holy crap! The porchetta pizza was life-changing. Eat here. You can thank me later. Near the Campo de Fiori
Mimi e Coco -- classic Roman food in a nice setting near the Piazza Navona. Would recommend.
Luang Prabang
Maison Vongprachan -- Very clean and reasonably priced. Manager was very helpful. If I had it to do over again, I might stay closer to the Mekong.
Bamboo Garden -- good, inexpensive food directly across the street from the Maison Vongprachan.
La Silapa -- Adequate Italian food. What did you expect? You're in Laos, not Florence!
Le Banneton Cafe -- Good French cafe. Excellent croissants.
Saffron Coffee -- I had a nice coffee and some very good coffee cake in this cafe overlooking the Mekong.
Pak Beng
Sanctuary Hotel -- Nice hotel overlooking the Mekong. Good for a one night stay if you're taking the slow boat. Restaurant is average and overpriced (by Lao standards) but you really don't have much choice if you're staying there for one night.
Mexico City
I stayed at this Airbnb in the lovely Condesa neighborhood. The house has several different rooms available. Highly recommend. Art Deco in Condesa King - Houses for Rent in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico - Airbnb
Cafe Tacuba -- Iconic and yummy Mexican restaurant in Centro Historico
Casa Cafe -- Cute Coffee shop around the corner from the Airbnb
Club Tengo Hambre -- I did a street taco tour with them. Recommended.
Churrería El Moro -- classic place for churros. Several branches around town
Dona Blanca -- Yummy breakfast place in Condesa
El Huequito -- Helped put al pastor on the map
Saxs -- Elegant restaurant near San Angel Market
Taqueria Orinoco -- Classic taqueria with branches throughout CDMX
Casablanca
Hotel Les Saisons -- Perfectly fine but dated hotel in great location. We had a HUGE room.
Chefchaouen
Hotel Dar Mounir -- Lovely riad in the medina. Highly recommend.
Fes
Hotel Escale -- Nice hotel in the new city.
Marrakech
Riad Marrakech by Hivernag -- Nice riad hotel in an excellent location. Very pretty rooftop terrace.
Meknes
Hotel Swani -- Clean and comfortable, but the bathroom had a foul odor.
Merzouga
Yasmina Desert Camp -- Tented camp near sprawling hotel. The tents were very comforable with lights and electrical outlets. Shared shower and toilet facilites. Hotel has beautiful common areas.
Midelt
Riad Mimouna de Timnay -- Huge but basic suite in a traditional riad. Separate sitting room and bedroom. Some pretty common areas.
Rose Valley
Gite d'etape Tamalout -- traditional riad in a gorgeous setting. Common areas are lovely and have superb views.
I used Peru Hop for transportation and tours between Lima and Arequipa. It's like a long distance hop on/hop off bus. Recommend. It makes travel easy.
Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu Pueblo
Sacred Stone Boutique Hotel -- Hotel hotel is a good location. Very helpful staff.
Arequipa
Hotel Los Tambos -- Really great hotel in a fabulous location. Highly recommend.
Cusco
Hotel Amaru Inca -- Great location. Simple, clean tooms. Staff was not super friendly. Internet is spotty. I had no problem in my room but other rooms had no Wifi.
Huacachina
Wild Olive Guest House -- Run Down but clean. Don't stay here.
Lima
Lima 18 Boutique Hotel -- Cute small hotel in Miraflores. Just one block from Huaca Pullanca ruins. Good breakfast. Friendly and helpful staff. Highly recommend.
AC Hotel Lima Miraflores -- I stayed here for one night when another booking fell through. It's a Marriot in a great location overlooking the Pacific.
Exquisito Peru -- I did a food tour through Barranco with them. Recommend.
Ollantaytambo
Kamma Guest House -- charming but quirky guest house in a great locaton. Staff is phenomenal. Highly recommend.
Paracas
Los Frayles Hotel -- Clean, well located. Nothing special.
Tambopata National Park -- G Lodge Amazon. Booked through the reliably good G Adventures. Clean and well maintained with good activities and mediocre food. No electricity in the rooms but there is hot and cold running water. The main Lodge has electricity during limited hours, and I was able to get a cell signal in the main lodge with the electricity was on.
Our guide for day trips outside of Lisbon was Luis Salgueiro. Highly recommend. He can be reached at dreamtripsportugal@gmail.com
Evora
Pastelaria Conventual Pao de Raia -- home of the original heart attack on a plate, a pastry made of egg yolk and sugar and nothing else.
Restaurante D'Iberic -- the home of woodpecker-free "Woodpecker." Tasty food, friendly service
Lisbon
Airbnb -- We stayed at this Airbnb https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20842199?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=aeb35d6d-743a-43fb-9671-6b37d7dc65e5 in the Bairro Alto neighborhhood. Really nice apartment and friendly/helpful host. During busier seasons, it might be loud because it overlooks some bars and restaurants but it was not an issue for us.
Melia Airport Hotel -- Perfectly nice chain hotel just a 5 minute walk from the airport. Wouldn't stay there unless you need to be by the airport. If it's raining, prepare for the line for the shuttle to be like The Hunger Games.
Rossio Plaza Hotel -- Nice, modern hotel in a very convenient location. Excellent value.
Cafe Janis -- great place for breakfast/brunch near the Time Out Market.
Time Out Market -- Covered market with food stalls. Lots of choice. A little pricey but fun and the food was good.
Versiculo d'O Faia -- Fun restaurant in Bairro Alto. I had my birthday dinner here. Make a reservation. Eat outside if you can. Cash only.
Nazare
Restaurant Gil Vicente -- tiny restaurant not far from the beach. Boo loved her salmon there.
Porto
Flores 36 by YoursPorto -- Nice studio room with kitchenette. Fabulous location but on a pedestrian street, so you'll need to get your bags there yourself. Reception hours are limited.
Sintra/Corrao
Pensao Sisudo -- Hearty and authentic Portuguese food. Friendly atmosphere. Yummy homemade desserts.
Setubal
Casa do Mar -- Restaurant next to the fisherman's harbor. Good food, nice view.
Barcelona
Violeta Boutique Hotel -- Cute hotel near the Placa Catalunya. Great value.
Barcelo Sants -- Profoundly strange but perfectly fine and extremely convenient hotel next to the train station. Transport yourself to outer space in the City of Barcelona. I was very confused.
Upper Diagonal Hotel -- In the Sarria neighborhood, so off the tourist track. Nice modern hotel with an OK ground floor restaurant.
Rosa Negras -- Good tacos and margaritas in the Gothic quarter
Bilbao
Hotel Bilbao Jardin -- Clean, modern hotel in the heart of old town
La Ribera Market -- Fabulous pintxos food hall
Gelati Gelati -- Fantastic gelato
Burgos
Hotel Norte & Londres -- Very basic and dated but clean hotel in an excellent location
Corao
Hotel Rural Entremontes -- Basic and clean hotel kind of in the middle of nowhere in the Picos de Europa near Cangas de Onis. Helps to know some Spanish
Cordoba
Hotel Mezquita -- Clean, vintage hotel across the street from the Mezquita. Excellent location and value.
Cudillero
Casona de La Paca -- Elegant hotel outside of the centro. Fantastic breakfast. A little more expensive than my other accommodations in Spain but a great bang for the buck.
Restaurante Arbichera -- Restaurant across the street from Casona de la Paca. Good value. The cachopo is massive. Cider sangria is tasty.
Figueres/Castello d'Empuries
Palau Macelli -- OMG! Absolutely gorgeous hotel in Castello d'Empuries (about a 15 minute drive from Figueres). Recently renovated palace with fabulous rooms. I was upgraded to a junior suite, and it may have been the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in (and for only 80 Euros a night in the off season). Excellent breakfast.
Girona
Erba by Pillow -- nice, clean, modern but basic accommodations about a 10 minute walk from the old city. Nearby parking is hideously expensive.
Granada
Casa del Capitel Nazari -- Fantastic value. Updated hotel rooms in a historic building. Great location.
Leon
Hotel Alda Via Leon -- Excellent location. Basic accommodations in a vintage hotel.
Madrid
Hostal Artistic B&B -- Super cute B&B halfway between Atocha Station and the Plaza Mayor. Friendly staff and excellent breakfast. Warning -- there are LOTS of stairs and no elevator. Great value if you don't mind climbing stairs with your luggage.
Hostal Met Madrid -- Super clean, basic hotel in a superb location just one block from the Mercado San Miguel and the Plaza Mayor. Excellent value.
Chocolateria San Gines -- world famous for churros and thick hot chocolate
Mercado de San Miguel -- Food hall with nearly every type of tapas you can imagine.
Minibar -- Great tapas restaurant across the street from the Hostal Met Madrid. Order the melted goat cheese. You can thank me later. Reservations recommended.
Museo del Jamon -- Several locations. Iconic restaurant where you can try all kinds of Spanish ham.
Taqueria El Chaparrito -- Yummy and cheap tacos near the Plaza Mayor
Oviedo
Soho Boutique Hotel -- Clean, modern and centrally located hotel overlooking a square near the Cathedral. Excellent value.
Ronda
Hotel Ronda -- Clean basic accommodations in Old Town near the New Bridge. Good value
Salamanca
Salamanca Suites Hotel -- Modern, all-suite hotel in an excellent location just steps from the Plaza Mayor. Fantastic value.
Cuzco Bodega -- Yummy tapas and sangria near the Plaza Mayor
Winelovers, vinos, tapas y + -- Really delicious food and a friendly staff. Lots of Asian-inspired tapas
San Sebastian
Welcome Gros -- Clean, modern hotel across the river from old town
Bar Sport -- Good pintxos in a fun atmosphere
La Vina -- Famous for Basque cheesecake
Santiago de Compostela
Pension Residencia Tambre -- Friendly, clean and basic hotel about a 20 minute walk from the Cathedral. Don't be scared off by the slightly shabby exterior. The staff is amazing!
Santillana del Mar
Posada la Casa Organista -- SUPER cute hotel in a great location. Friendly staff. Good breakfast. Absolutely LOVED this place. *****
Seville
Hotel La Bella Sevilla -- Nice modern hotel on a car-free street in a great location.
Bangkok
Lancaster Hotel -- very nice hotel located in the financial district. Probably not optimal for tourists, but very close to the subway. Also, across the street from the Singha Center which has a lot of restaurants.
Ibis Styles Hotel Silom — nice hotel in a very convenient location. Small but well appointed room.
Chiang Mai
Bed Chiang Mai Gate -- I LOVED this hotel. Clean rooms, great location, helpful staff, and the best hotel breakfast I had in SE Asia.
Another World -- Kitschy decor and yummy food. Friendly proprietors.
Kat's Kitchen -- Yummy and cheap food in old town.
Chiang Khong
Chiangkhong Teak Garden Riverfront Onsen -- Nice place to overnight before crossing into Laos. Beautiful view of the Mekong.
Chiang Rai
Sann Hotel -- Clean, large hotel in an excellent central location in Chiang Rai. Nice pool and food court right next door.
Four Stars Restaurant -- delicious khao soi near the clock tower.
Ha Long Bay
Orchid Cruise -- Nice room and facilities. Mediocre food. Well organized.
Hanoi
JM Marvel Hotel -- We got off to a bit of a rough start with this hotel but it redeemed itself. Our "twin" room was a double with a rollaway but they moved us into a real twin the second night. The staff was INCREDIBLY helpful. They did a pharmacy run for us and helped us book our Ha Long Bay cruise. Restaurant and breakfast were OK.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Amanaki Boutique Hotel Saigon -- Nice but small room in a great location. Good breakfast. WARNING -- if you're an early to bed type or sensitive to noise, there's a club nearby and you can hear the music playing starting in the evening until about midnight. After that it's fine.
Pasteur Street Brewing Company -- Tasty Western food.
Hoi An
Hoi An Serenity Villa -- Nice spacious rooms very close to the night market. Helpful manager. No breakfast but there are lots of places to eat nearby.
Madam Lau Restaurant -- Very tasty and cheap pizza.
Hue
EMM Hotel Hue -- Modern and very nice hotel with a beautiful pool. Helpful staff.
Imperial Craft Brew Pub -- Tasty western food and a huge selection of beers. (I did not partake because I don't like beer.)
Ninh Binh (Trang An)
Moon Garden Homestay -- Basic accommodations in Trang An. Room has some minor quirks. Updated bath. Super friendly and helpful owners. Good restaurant.
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