Udaipur, 16 August

Lake Ghat Guest House (aka Lake Ghat Palace) room 8
A range of rooms are available at this haveli-style guesthouse. Its name change from 'guest house' to palace is stretching it a bit, though. We went for the cheapest room in the house, at 400 rupees, which was clean and well kept, with small windows giving a view of the lake. The bed was hard and lumpy, as were the pillows. The bathroom, too, was rudimentary with a cold shower, although it too was clean. If you want better rooms, they are available here, but bargain hard as we think the price asked for most does not reflect the quality. Management are a friendly family, and there's a good restaurant on the rooftop doing excellent dinners, although average breakfasts.
View: glimpse of lake palace
Cost: 450 rupees
Recommended? Yes, but try bargaining the price down for the more expensive rooms
Contact details: +91 294 2521636 Email: lakeghatanis@hotmail.com

Haridwar, August 9

Mansarover International, room 108

After half an hour of asking around at several small Lonely Planet-recommended hotels nearby, we spurned their overpriced, undercleaned offerings and plumped for this large hotel with the grand moniker, not mentioned in the guide book. Although it's seen better days, prices are reasonable, it has a good location near the Mansa Devi cable car and it was the cleanest hotel we inspected in town.
Our room was spacious, with clean bathroom (hot water) and a balcony, which seemed to have been adopted by a family of pigeons. Management are helpful.
Bathroom: private
View: Lush green hillside and tops of old buildings
Cost: 600 rupees (9 euros)
Recommended: Definitely
Contact: Upper road, haridwar email: hotelmansaroverintl@rediffmail.com Ph:01334 226501

Yazd, July 20-21

Malek- o-Tojar
Was the Lonely Planet recommended choice in our (2004) edition but will have undoubtedly lost that mantle by now we're sure. It's still a gorgeous old house but the owners have turned their attention to a couple of larger, more elegant establishments, with the result that this now looks quite neglected and run-down. Nevertheless it is still an atmospheric place to stay – if you don't mind keeping your valuables and money on you at all times – we had some money stolen from our room at the same time the room was cleaned, and management acted as if they did not understand us when we complained. Rather than press home the point by calling the police, we had a bus to catch, so left it at that. However, be warned. If you stay here, bargain hard to reduce the price and do not leave anything in your room you mind losing.
Bathroom: private
View: Courtyard
Cost: 280000R including basic breakfast
Recommended: No, sadly, due to our experience of theft at this hotel. Spend your money on the Silk Road or Orient Hotel instead (both of which we viewed but did not stay at).

Kashan, July 13-14

Ehsan Traditional House, room 5

Ehsan Traditional House, room 5

One of the old houses of Esfahan, up an alleyway opposite the road leading to the mosque south of Kamal al Molk square. Our room was generously sized, clean, and had a fridge. It opened onto the courtyard, although was west-facing to the afternoon sun. Like most of Iran, Kashan suffers regular power cuts – be warned this can be a big problem in the city in summer as air-conditioning is vital. In this hotel our room got very hot at the end of the day. This place was only opened within the last 2 years so was not listed in our Lonely Planet book, but should be in the new one published July 2008, so is likely to become more popular. Booking ahead would be wise. Staff are very helpful and friendly. A taxi to the bus station from here cost 15,000R booked ahead by phone.
Bathroom: Shared, very clean.
View: Courtyard Cost: 250,000R (approx 18 euros)
Recommended: Definitely
Address: off Fazel-e Navaji St, Town Centre

Dogubayzit, Turkey, July 3-4

Tahran Hotel, room 301
Having fended off the touts near the bus station, we ended up at this gem of a hotel, which has comfy beds, ok, if quite lumpy pillows, views of Mt Ararat from some rooms and a great enclosed rooftop space where you can buy your last beer before the Iranian border. Unfortunately our room was quite noisy due to its location by the stairwell, but it's nothing a good set of earplugs won't fix. Management is extremely helpful and friendly and there is wireless available downstairs and free internet too. The breakfast room doubles as a chill out room and has a cracking view of the mountains. A really refreshing place to spend our last nights in Turkey.
Bathroom: private, although drains were a bit smelly
View: Mt Ararat (this wins best view of all the places we've stayed in Turkey)
Cost: 36 YTL including an average breakfast
Recommended: Yes, absolutely

Van, Turkey, July 2

Aslan Hotel, room 305
Here the manager speaks good English, and offers all kinds of services, including help with booking tickets for the train to Iran. However, rooms are in dire need of a freshen up, with peeling paint and rickety-looking power points that make you think twice about plugging anything in. Pillows are like big rocks and our bathroom was pongy, as were the shared ones in the hall. The shower is completely hand-held with no possibility to stand under it.
Bathroom: private
View: Street and local music hall (noisy until midnight)
Cost: 25 YTL (ok, why whinge, really, at this price)
Recommended? Yes, if budget means more than comfort

Tatvan, Turkey, July 1

Ustun hotel, room 206
Decent little hotel in a town with very few options. Our room had definitely seen better days, with peeling paint and old carpet, however there was a peep of the lake and the bathroom was clean. Beds were mind-bogglingly hard - feels a bit like you are doing penance for a mid-range crime, while the colour scheme was in lurid technicolour. On the positive side, management are very friendly and a good breakfast is included in the rate. If you ask, they can arrange trips up to Mt Nemrut (we were quoted 20 YTL per person). This hotel would also be a good option for female travellers.
Bathroom: private
View: lake and streetscape
Cost: 40 YT
Recommended: Yes, seems to be the best of the bunch.
Contact: Address: 23 Hal Caddesi, ph 0434 827 90 14

Diyabakir, Turkey, June 29-30

Hotel Kristal (entered via Hotel Kaplan), room 508

Again, slightly more expensive than we would have liked, but this room had a couple of useful extras that clinched the deal. There was a fridge with a mini freezer, and a proper deep bath. Bliss. The beds were comfy enough, and the air-con, although not quite gutsy enough for our liking, did the job. There was wireless access in the room.
Bathroom: Private
View: rooftop
Cost: 45 YTL including an ok breakfast
Recommended? Yes, definitely

Mt Nemrut, Turkey, June 26

Gunes Hotel, room 6

Ah, the Gunes Hotel, 'a romantic night on Nemrut mountain' as the brochure says. This hotel is the one used by the Malatya tourist office for their tours to Mt Nemrut (80 YTL pp inc dinner, bed and breakfast). The hotel itself is pretty basic, but who cares when all you're really here for is the trip up Nemrut to see the big stone heads. Dinner is included in the cost, and is basic kebab fare, with fruit for afters. Spend some time chatting with Mehmet who runs things here; it sounds like he goes a bit stir crazy all the way up here with no one to talk to most of the day.
Bathroom: private; clean but a bit pongy
View: Mt Nemrut
Cost: Included in the tour cost of 80 YTL
Recommended: Yes, definitely

Malatya, Turkey, June 25

Pelihaven Hotel, Room 406

This super-cheapie is in the road that runs parallel to Ataturk Caddesi, and is very close to 2 mosques, meaning this might not be a good option for light sleepers. Other than that, it's a good budget choice, with quite clean rooms, small en-suite bathrooms (curtain for a door), and friendly management who obviously don't have many tourists staying. Single female travellers might find this a little male-dominated, however. No internet access.
Bathroom: private
View: Rooftop and fences
Cost: 30 YTL
Recommended? Yes

Ankara, Turkey, June 22-23

Hotel Devran, room 246

We stayed in Ankara 2 nights to apply for an Iranian visa (we already had a code; got our visa one day later, despite the embassy not having received the code). This hotel is one of the many cheapies accessible from Ulus metro station, and offers good value for money. Pink is a popular interior decoration colour here, as you can see. The room was clean, reasonably spacious, and had a clean, good-sized private bathroom. It got late afternoon sun, which made it a bit of a sweatbox, but with the window open it cooled down quickly, and besides, we appreciated the heat from the sun for drying our handwashing. Management were friendly, although reluctant to discount. Wireless is available in common areas, although not in rooms, it appears. No breakfast was provided, but the restaurant under the hotel does a cheap Turkish breakfast (this is also a good option for a cheap dinner – their lentil soup was one of the best we had in Turkey).
Bathroom: private. Good shower.
View: Cityscape
Cost: 40 YTL
Recommended: Highly
Contact details: Opera Meydani, Gazi Lisesi Karsisi, Ph: 0312 311 04 85

Pamukkule, June 8 – 10

Melrose Allgau Hotel/Pension, room 55
Booked into the pension here and got upgraded to the hotel, which is probably one reason we decided to hang around for 3 nights. For the price, this was exceptional value. Our room was big and spotless; we had a private bathroom with a bath, and a balcony too. Mehmet and Umma are incredibly friendly, and Umma is a great cook – we couldn't resist eating here every night. For those travelling with a laptop, you'll get wireless in some areas. Ask here about trips to Afrodisias, a very worthwhile day trip for 30 YTL pp.
Bathroom: private
View: Grounds
Cost: 22 YTL (this is the price for the pension room; breakfast was an extra 9 each). Or guarantee a hotel room inc breakfast for 44 YTL
Recommended: Yes, very highly

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

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

Taveira, April 17 and 18

Residencial Taveira, room 101

We arrived in Taveira at 6pm and found this place on arrival. Our room was super-clean, with rustic decor. It featured a basin and also, strangely, a bidet. Extremely friendly owner.
View: Side street
Special features: Roof terrace ideal for supping beverages and playing card games
Bathroom: Shared, but very clean.
Cost: 30 euros
Recommended? Yes