Budget Accommodation Nightmares

We’re great believers in checking and double-checking the photos, descriptions and reviews of hotels and guesthouses before making a booking. What we’ve learned though is that you can’t always rely on the integrity of your research. Reviews can be faked, photos and descriptions can be misleading or out-of-date, and your budget accommodation nightmares become a reality.

Inevitably, if you kiss enough princes you’re going to find some toads…   Check out some of the toads from our collection…  and whatever else you do – don’t book them!

Budget Accommodation Nightmares

Miserable in Mersing Malaysia

Mersing Malaysia is the gateway to Tioman Island, a very popular destination for travelers. We had a pleasant coach ride down to Mersing from Cherating, ...
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Sleeping in a Shipping Container – Dash Box Hotel Cyberjaya

As an addition to the wide and wonderful variations of ‘Glamping’ accommodation, sleeping in a shipping container shouldn't raise any eyebrows. At 20 feet (6.1 m) ...
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Fox & Firefly Cottages Loboc

Our 3-week trip through the Philippines included a short break at a small guesthouse resort in Loboc in the province of Bohol. However, don't expect ...
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Tenerife North – Puerto de la Cruz

After spending 3 days at Golf del Sur in the south of the island, we headed up by coach to Tenerife North - Puerto de la ...
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Pangangan Island, Bohol

After spending 3 nights in the small T-Breeze Beach coastal resort near Moalboal, we headed back to Cebu City, and onward via ferry to Bohol. Our next destination ...
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Ushuaia Guesthouse Bastimentos – Panama

Our first impressions of Isla Bastimentos were not promising. We were just hoping that the guesthouse we had booked 3 months earlier - the Ushuaia Guesthouse ...
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Hotel Central Boquete Panama

“Hotel Central” is quite a misnomer for a hotel name, since the Hotel Central Boquete Panama is anything but central. You'll have to walk a good ...
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Jungla Experience Boquete Panama

Our journey west along the Panama highway had taken us through the foothills of the Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range to the city of David ...
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Samsara Guesthouse Karimunjawa

Since we arrived 2 days late on the island, we spent only one night in the first of our selected guesthouses - the Waru Guesthouse. For ...
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Hotel Samudra Jepara Port

Before leaving the Hotel Quest in Semarang, we used one of their guest computers to book the Hotel Samudra Jepara port for the following night. The ...
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Paradise Inn Sigiriya

We set out in the morning from our guesthouse in Negombo. Our next destination was the Paradise Inn Sigiriya. We took a tuk-tuk for the ...
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Where to stay and eat in Galle Fort

From Unawatuna, we moved a few kilometers along the coast to Galle. Here, we planned to stay for 2 nights at a guesthouse located inside ...
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I’m a Celebrity – Get me out of Fort Kochi!

We arrived at Ernaculum Town station in Kochi later than expected - it was already getting close to dusk. We didn't know it, but we still ...
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