Hostel Review: Kyoto Hana Hostel
After staying in a hotel in Tokyo for 3 nights, my sister decided that we must experience sleeping in a tatami mat. Since she was in charge of our itinerary, I went along with her choice at Kyoto Hana Hostel.
Location
Kyoto Hana Hostel is located at 229 Azeku-dori St., Kogawa-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto. A quick 10 minutes walk from the JR Kyoto train station. Once you exit the train station on the Kyoto Tower side, head towards the street (Karasuma-dori) on the right of the Kyoto Tower hotel. Head straight till you reach the first major intersection (Shichijo-dori) with a Lawson supermarket in the corner. Turn right on Shichijo-dori and walk straight till you reach the first alley with an “AU” mobile phone store in the corner. Turn left at the “AU” corner and you’ll see the Kyoto Hana Hostel sign.
In the vicinity, Isetan and Porta at the train station, Starbucks & McDonalds at Kyoto Tower, Higashi Hoganji Temple, Lawson Convenience store and several vending machines.
Hotel Review: Best Western Stieglbrau – Salzburg
So, I made a rash decision booking the 2-star hotel in Munich. For our stay in Salzburg, we opted for the familiar. The familiar is a member of the Best Western hotel chain. Of the 3 hotels in the city center, we chose the cheapest. What’s the difference? Read on.
Location
The hotel is located in the new part of Salzburg, a few mins walk away from Mirabell Palace, train station and Salzburg Congress. From the airport, it will take 40 minutes by bus (Bus#2, Congress House stop). From the train station, it’s about 10 mins walk from the exit to your left or 1 stop from the bus stop in front of the station.
Best Western Stieglbrau is the older Best Western hotel sharing the same building as the Best Western Imlauer. Both hotels are 4-star hotels but Stieglbrau is cheaper.
In the vicinity of the hotel, there’s a grocery, bakery, Chinese restaurant with good food and the tour operators area. The hotel is roughly 25 to 30 mins walk to the old part of town.
Hotel Review: Hotel Dolomit – Munich
Don’t want to share your space with several people in one room and break your budget? Look no further as I’m about to review this budget hotel which we made our home in our journey to Munich.
Location
The hotel is located along Goethestrasse in the Hauptbahnhof area, about 200m from Munich Central Station. If you’re taking S1 or S8 from Josef Strauss Airport, walk towards the main station area where the inter-city trains are located. The exit is near the Starbucks shop beside Platform 11. Walk along Goethestrasse and the hotel is opposite the One Euro Shop.
One thing you should note about the hotel neighbourhood is it mainly hosts migrants from Middle Eastern countries. Moreover, Goethestrasse is surrounded by adult shops, off-track betting center, small casino-like stores, hair salon, small convenience store and clothing stores.
Hotel Review: Maxwell Hotel – Cebu
A bane for backpackers and budget travelers is finding a cheap hotel in a good location. The Philippines is not really known for cheap accommodation and if you find something cheap, it’s not really great. If you find yourself in Cebu, you might want to check Maxwell Hotel.
Location
Maxwell Hotel is located at North Escario Street, Barangay Camputhaw, Cebu City. It opened in August 2008 and is a budget hotel smack at the heart of Cebu. Jeeps and taxes abound just outside the hotel. Major landmark is a Shell station in front, culinary arts school at the back of the building and a 24 hour McDonalds besides the Shell station.