hotel

Video: Quito – the most beautiful capital in South America

Quito is possibly the most beautiful capital in South America. Spread across a spectacular Andean valley with volcanic peaks in the background, Quito’s setting alone is enough to leave you speechless. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1978 and is incredibly beautiful. All the churches and colonial buildings have been restored and is in use which makes the city come alive with the vibrant working class and indigenous character that has always defined it. Walking its narrow streets is to wander into another world. The old time is also the best place to find a guesthouse. It is both the cheatpest and safest place to stay in Quito (if you can call Quito safe :-/)

Merely a 20-minute walk from the old town, Quito’s ‘new town’ is a different world; a mixture of hotels, high-rises and government complexes. Many travelers head to Mariscal Sucre, which has trendy cafés, international restaurants, travel agencies, cybercafés, bars and small hotels. The area’s nickname is gringolandia (gringo land), but quiteños (people from Quito) like it too. It is, however, a lot more dangerous to walk here after dark than in the old part – so be aware.

The video above shows you a little bit of Quito’s splendor.

“God manages this hostel”

As I inquired about a room at Hostal Esfinge in Granada (Nicaragua), the female proprietor (who bore more than a passing resemblance to a Nicaraguan version of Margaret Thatcher), pointed out her wall-mounted list of hostel rules. As she repeatedly warned me of the perils of bringing women back to the hostel, and I repeatedly assured her I was married, my fear grew.

"If you bring a woman back, I’ll give you your money back and see you to the door. I don’t need your money." she told me in Spanish. "I understand, I really am married, I won’t be bringing any women back", I told her for the fifth time.

She finished her hostel induction pep-talk with the wonderful line "God manages this hostel". I walked around the corner and saw a cardboard cut-out God watching over Hostal Esfinge.

Hostal Esfinge, Granada, Nicaragua

On my second day there I plucked up the courage to ask her for an adapter so that I could plug my laptop in and run it at the same time as the room fan. The room was a stifling 45 degrees, and had nothing in it except hallucinogenic wallpaper (see photos) and a single plug socket.

Her reply was simply "Oooohhhh…that is not permitted. It is not permitted to plug in computers, phones, cameras or anything except the fan. The electricity is expensive."

Muchas gracias Margaret.

Photos of Granada and Hostal Esfinge

Video: Colonial style hotel in Antigua, Guatemala

This video shows the beautiful guesthouse where we stayed in Antigua, Guatemala. The guesthouse is in a beautiful colonial style with a courtyard and spacious rooms with high ceilings. Would you like to stay here? Comments are most welcome.

Antigua is by far the most expensive city to visit as a traveller in Guatemala. This is both due to its beauty, popularity and facilities. I was quite shocked about the prices when we arrived: 30 $ for a cold, damp, double room with semi hot shower that is a lot. But after a day of looking around I accepted that it is just expensive and there is nothing to do about it. Furthermore, on the second day we found a beautiful colonial style hotel (as you can see on the video) which had six spacious rooms surrounding a beautiful courtyard. The bathroom was communal (which doesn’t bother me) and it cost 25 $ per night which, considering the location, was fine. We enjoyed our stay there a lot.

The guest house we stayed in is called Posada Asjemenou on Calle Del Arco #31. Their email is asjemenou1@yahoo.com, and you can telephone them at 7832-2670.

You can also listen to a Podcast we made in Antigua, Guatemala here.