Bergama, Turkey, June 4-6

Athena Pension
Other reviews of Athena Pension rave about the friendliness and helpfulness of Aydin, who runs this with a big smile and a love of food, people and flowers.
We booked for 2 nights but felt so relaxed that we stayed for three, and it seems that other creatures felt comfortable there, too. When we were there, 2 swallows had built their nest on an inner courtyard and we had several afternoons watching them bring food to the babies.
Our room was in the newer part of the pension, but there are some character-filled rooms in the old part (traditional, rustic decor), if you don't mind sharing a bathroom.
At the time of writing, Aydin is renovating a lovely old house next door, which should be finished by late 2008 and will offer an even more characterful place to stay.
Bathroom: private
View: Courtyard and acropolis
Cost: 50 Turkish lira including a great breakfast
Recommended? Highly
Contact details: Address: Barbaros Mh. Imam Cikmazi No: 9 - Bergama
email: aydinathena@hotmail.com
www.athenapension.8m.com
Tel: 90 232 633 34 20

Izmir, Turkey, June 3

Hotel Baylan, room 22

In places where haggling is a part of life, often you're better turning up and negotiating a rate, rather than booking ahead. We did this here and managed to drop the price by around 25 Turkish lira. The room was mostly clean (apart from the pumpkin seed husks revealed under the beds when we moved them together) and spacious, although there's a little noise from the street outside, while the hotel itself has a good location near the train station. This hotel would be a good choice for solo women travellers.
Bathroom: private
View: Street
Cost: 60 Turkish lira, including breakfast
Recommended? Yes

Mesta, May 30-31

Dimitris Pipidis Studios

We rented this studio on arrival from the friendly Dimitris Pipidis, who hangs out in the main square of Mesta, biding his time in between making his own ouzo and wine, growing vegies and waiting for his grandchildren to be brought round for a visit. He has both typical village houses and studios available, all with cooking facilities. We plumped for a studio, which was the downstairs half of one of the village houses, and literally a minute's walk from the main square. It was full of character, very clean and super-quiet.
Category: Self-catering accommodation

View: Small street
Cost: 35 euros
Recommended: Highly

Chios Town - May 27-29, June 1-2

Chios Rooms, room 5

Lonely Planet writes that Don, the ex-pat Kiwi who owns this pension, is always ready for a beer and a chat. So don't be surprised if, when you turn up, someone has already cornered him in the kitchen to pick his brains about everything from Chios restaurants to politics. We did, many times. The rooms are in a lovely old neoclassical building right on the harbourfront, some with views out to the water (these tend to be noisier, however). We originally checked in for one night, but stayed for 5. If you hire a scooter, here makes a good base for discovering many beaches north and south, as well as sightseeing inland.
Bathroom: Outside the room across the corridor, quite clean, although rather public in that the doors don't go all the way to the floor. (People walking past will be able to hear you weeing.)
View: Chios harbour
Cost: 30 euros
Special note: The ceilings in this place are incredibly high – we guesstimated them to be 3 JBs high (the JB unit of measurement being how many JBs could stand on top of each other in the room, naturally).
Recommended? Highly
Contact details: 110 Leof. Aigaiou, Chios Town tel: 22710 20198, email: chiosrooms@hotmail.com

Athens, May 25-26

Zeus Hostel, room 13

It's cheap, it's well-located, it's cheap and it's in a nice old building. Oh, and did I mention that it's cheap? This is our 4th time in Athens, and usually we stay somewhere else at around twice the price. But this time, our strict budget required that we lower our sights. So Zeus hostel it was, a basic big hotel/hostel with high ceilings, bland décor and a weird little reception desk under the stairs. It's allegedly newly renovated, but we suspect that they might have only renovated the outside. It is very noisy, with most of the noise coming from the other guests dragging suitcases up and down the steps.
Bathroom: Shared, a bit grubby, with shower doors that don't lock.
View: Internal lightwell
Cost: 34 euros per night
Recommended: No, not really. It's cheap but not cheerful.

Patras May 24

Nicos Pansyion, room 24

This pension is up a few flights of stairs that can be challenging while wearing a backpack. However, the constantly-smoking Nicos offers clean rooms in an old building which are reasonable value (although some rooms can get a bit noisy especially when the boy-racers are showing off their motors and stereos in the street outside).
Bathroom: Shared, but very clean
Cost: 33 euros
Recommended? Yes, a decent choice if you're on a budget
Contact: Address: 3 Patreos St. Ph: 061 623 757

Ferry from Ancona, Italy to Patras, Greece, May 23

Minoan Lines, aircraft-style reclining seat

If you're taking the ferry across to Greece, there are several accommodation choices, ranging from the budget (deck, @ approx 45 euros per person) to the comfortable (2 person cabin, @ closer to 200 euros per person). We went for one rung up from the deck, reclining seats that were reasonably comfortable for sitting in. Although it quickly became obvious that no one intended to sleep in the seats.
Bathroom: shared with the entire cabin; showers were available, if you didn't mind taking a chance with a non-locking door.
View: Sea, and sometimes shore
Cost: 75 euros each
Recommended: Yes, if you bring something that will serve as bedding, it's perfectly doable.

Perugia, May 21-22

Alla Residenza Domus Minervae, room 5


This guesthouse occupies one floor of a large old building on a main road a few minutes walk from the historic centre. It seems to get reasonably full; in fact we got upgraded to a better room because of this. Ours was a big room with balcony, high ceilings and a private bathroom. And breakfast was even included in the price. The very helpful owners can arange cooking and Italian language classes.

Bathroom: Private, clean and quite new
View: Leafy streetscape
Cost: 54 euros per night
Recommended? Highly
Contact details: www.domusminervae.it email:info@domusminevae.it
Address: 19 Viale Pellini, Perugia tel: ++39 0755732238

Siena, May 19 - 20

Hotel Camollia, room 1

These are private rooms near the Porta Camollia gate, about 15 minutes walk to Il Campo. Our room was spacious, light and really clean, with terrazzo floors. Oh, and the bed and pillows were very comfy.
Bathroom: shared, reasonably new, but unfortunately could have been cleaner – and no toilet paper was provided either.
View: Terracotta rooftops, Tuscan countryside
Cost: 55 euros per night
Recommended? Definitely, but remember to bring toilet paper.

Florence, May 18

Leonardo's House, un-numbered room

We only stayed one night at this basic hostel-like place, which is probably the cheapest option in pocket-bashing Florence. Leonardo himself is friendly and very helpful (he's thoughtfully put up the train schedule on one wall for easy reference), but the rooms seem to vary. Ours unfortunately only had an internal window onto a walkway, frosted so we couldn't see out. It was clean enough, although could do with a tidy up on the decor. (Other rooms seem to be nicer, so might be a good idea to ask to look around first – maybe if you're staying more than one night you'll get a better room.) No towels are provided.
Bathroom: Shared, and a bit manky.
View: None. Window was frosted.
Cost: 40 euros
Recommended? If you're on a budget, this will do.

Verona, May 15-17

Casa Catullo, room 25


This hotel has a great location with large rooms in a big old building. The management are friendly, although have a policy which make it awkward for travellers without a car – you can't leave bags in the hotel after checking out; they suggest you leave them at the locked luggage area at the train station (approx 1.5km away). Our room was ginormous, with lovely parquet floors.
Bathroom: Shared, but clean.
View: streetscape
Cost: 55 euros
Recommended? Yes
Contact details: Address: Via Catullo 1, Verona

Genoa, May 13-14

Hotel Bernhof, room 25


Another day when our travel plans went reasonably awry, this time thanks to an inept train station attendant at Menton station in France. We'd planned to end up in Milan that evening, but at 9pm we were only at Genoa. So we got off the train and looked for a hotel. Genoa train station is surrounded by plenty of hotels; this is a one-star in an old building, with friendly personable owners. There's a little English spoken. Our room was very clean with an old but moderately comfy bed, plus a very clean and recently installed bathroom. The first night we were bothered a bit by unruly pigeons outside/upstairs (see here for more) but the second night was fine.
We forgot to take a photo on arrival at this hotel so took one the next day, which is why you ca see JB's undies and socks hanging outside the window - it is our washing line; there's not actually one outside the room...
All in all, a reasonable budget choice in expensive Italy.
Bathroom: private
Cost: 50 euros
Recommended: Yes, reasonable value, friendly owners, clean and centrally located.

Marseille, May 12

L'hotel du Corbusier, room B2

How could an architect resist the opportunity to stay a night at Le Corbusier's Unite d'Habitation? You can stay in Marseille for less, but not in such a notorious building, with easy access to all the building spaces. However the reception staff don't make it easy, with their slack responses to emails and unhelpful attitude on the phone. We booked a small studio, which had a small double bed and desk. If you are a large person (or people), you might want to upgrade to the next size room.
Bathroom: shower inside, toilet shared and outside.
View: Building grounds and the main street
Price: 59 euros
Recommended: Yes, for architecture buffs
Contact: L'hotel du Corbusier, tel 04 91 77 18 15

Avignon, May 10-11

Hotel Monclar, room A1

We'd originally intended to stay in Nimes, further south, but an influx of tourists for a bullfight fiesta put paid to that plan. So we drove a few km north to Avignon, where we got a room in this charming old hotel, just outside the old town, near the train station (Lonely Planet warns that noise from the station could be a problem, but we didn't hear a thing). We had a room at the top of the annexe, also an old building (although the stairs could be tricky for those less mobile).
The well-travelled and amiable Fred runs things here, and he keeps a huge array of local maps and information to help his guests make the most of their stay.
The hotel charges for parking, but we easily found free parking behind the station.
Bathroom: private shower but shared toilet
View: rooftop
Cost: 40 euros per night
Recommended? Definitely
Contact details: www.hotel-monclar.com email:hmonclar84@aol.com Address: 13-15 Avenue Monclar, Avignon tel: 04 90 86 20 14

Toulouse, May 9

Hotel Anatole France, room 13


We found ourselves stuck in Toulouse on an evening when most places were either full, or priced too steeply for our limited budget. Otherwise we would not have stayed at this hotel. Our room was skanky, with peeling wallpaper, an old bed and a vinyl floor (if you pay close attention to the photo you can see a raised bit under the bed). There was an all-pervasive smell of mildew, and the bathroom had flaking paint and unidentifiable debris in the shower. There were constant sounds of high heels walking in the corridor during the night; it's possible that we were sharing the hotel with prostitutes and their clients. On the positive side, the reception staff were friendly.
View: Our room looked out onto a lovely old building; if renovated properly, this hotel could be very nice; right now, the view alone does not make staying here worthwhile.
Cost: A ridiculous and reluctantly parted with 42 euros
Recommended? Only if you're desperate, or this hotel is thoroughly renovated.

San Sebastian, May 7 - 8

Pension Easo, room 6


We checked into this pension after the train ride from hell, and it was like entering heaven. The room was quite new, with minimal furnishing, crisp white bed linen and a comfy bed. The owner is helpful and there's a resident cat who shows his face occasionally, if you're lucky. The only detraction was that our room looked out onto an internal courtyard, so there wasn't a lot of fresh air. Oh, and there was a fire exit sign in the room that was too bright at night. However, for the price, this represents great value in expensive San Sebastian.

View: Covered internal courtyard
Bathroom: Shared, but spotless.
Cost: 35 euros
Recommended: Definitely

Porto to San Sebastian, May 6

Sud-Express train seat (8 berth compartment), Coach 21, seats 24 and 2


This was a reasonably expensive train journey (via Coimbra) that we needed to make to get to San Sebastian. (Some websites will tell you that there is a bus that makes this journey direct from Porto, however the Porto tourist office telephoned the local bus companies and were told that no such route existed as at May 6 2008 - as this route is mentioned on other websites, we suspect that it has been discontinued, or operates only part of the year.)
We went for seats instead of a sleeper because of the price, and a rash assumption that the seats would recline. They did not. We shared an 8 berth compartment with 2 others, who we dubbed Literary Spaniard and Swarthy Spaniard.
View: Variable
Cost per night: 59 euros each
Notable smells: feet
Recommended? No, only if you're desperate to get to San Sebastian overnight on a budget

Porto, May 4-5

Hotel Peninsular, room 212


Another day where we'd already tried a different establishment only to find that it was full, then decided to stay here because it has LOTS of rooms and we couldn't face carrying our backpacks any further. Rooms vary greatly, as do prices. Our room was smallish, clean, with poorly-laid laminate flooring. There was a telly.However, in real life, it looked much worse than this photo.
Bathroom: Private, reasonably clean, with a midget bath.
View: Light well, with air-conditioning extraction duct
Cost: Quoted cost 42 euros per night, actual cost after receptionist miscalculation 38
Recommended? Yes, but ask to see a number of rooms first

Coimbra, May 3

Residencial Aviz, room 27

Sorry, forgot to take a photo of this one!

We tried about 8 other places before finally getting a room here, thanks to our visit coinciding with a festival. It was extremely clean, albeit up a lot of stairs. The hotel smelt rather disturbingly of fish in the common area, although once inside the room everything was fine.
Bathroom: private, although the strange conversion has meant that the windows are not very private, and unless you close the shutters completely, people outside can see your bits as you get into the shower...
View: Train station
Cost: 35 euros
Recommended? Yes

Tomar, May 2

Residencial Uniao, room 14


We turned up to this residencial without booking and asked for a room. There was much shuffling of papers and heavy sighing. However, luckily, they had a room available, as this turned out to be a really good deal. The room was clean, with antique furniture and a reasonably comfy bed. But the clincher was the free wireless.
Cost: 33, breakfast included (and the crusty bread rolls are delicious)
View: Side street
Bathroom: Private
Recommended? Highly.
Contact details: www.residencialuniao.verportugal.com residencialuniao@sapo.pt Address: 94 Rua Serpa Pinto, Tomar. Telephone: + 351 249 323 161

Lisbon, April 26-May 1

Casa David, room 2



This is the Cascais home of one of Jerome's ex-colleagues. He kindly put us up for several nights and allowed us to treat his house like a hotel. We got far too comfy here.
View: terracotta rooftop and urban streetscape
Cost: No fiscal cost, physical toll of 2 hangovers
Recommended: Yes, if you know David.

Evora, April 24 - 25

Private rooms, room 2
These are private rooms run by a family, only a few minutes from the main square in Evora. There's free wireless available in the park down the road. Not much English spoken though, so practice your Portuguese to book this one.
View: Street
Bathroom: Shared, but very clean
Cost: 30 euros
Recommended? Yes