Love it. Best hostel in Mazatlan. It has, 2 private rooms with their own kitchens, bathrooms and air conditioning for hot days. 5 dorm rooms, Rooftop terrace chill area, Swimming pool with waterfall, Communal kitchen, Two indoor chill areas, Air conditioning in rooms when needed, Free cable TV, Hot showers , Lockers, Spanish classes available Whale watching research expeditions from December 15th through April 15th, Horseback back beach adventures Turtle egg laying tours from June to November each year. Located in the best area of Mazatlan, Zona Dorada which means Golden Zone, its only a 15 minute walk to the beach. Boludo 112, Lomas de Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, México
Great fun hostel with clean rooms and comfortable beds. The owners and employes were supper nice and helpful. Great location. $10 US for a dorm bed and $30 for an amazing private room with its own kitchen and bathroom. Nice swimming pool and waterfall. A sweet rooftop terrace for chilling out or partying. As of now they are the only hostel with dorm rooms.
2 private rooms with their own kitchens, bathrooms and air conditioning for hot days. 5 dorm rooms Rooftop terrace chill area Swimming pool with waterfall Communal kitchen Two indoor chill areas Air conditioning in rooms when needed Free cable TV Hot showers Lockers Spanish classes available Whale watching research expeditions from December 15th through April 15th Horseback back beach adventures Turtle egg laying tours from June to November each year Located in the best area of Mazatlan, Zona Dorada which means Golden Zone, its only a 15 minute walk to the beach. Boludo 112, Lomas de Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Sinaloa, México
Funky Monkey Hostel. Located in the best area in all of mazatlan, the Golden Zone. Cerro Boludo 112 Lomas de Mazatlan, 82110 Ciudad Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico
2 private rooms with their own kitchens, bathrooms and air conditioning for hot days. 5 dorm rooms. Rooftop terrace chill area. Swimming pool with waterfall. Communal kitchens. Large indoor chill areas. Air conditioning. Free cable TV. Hot showers. Lockers. Spanish classes available. Whale watching research expeditions from December 15th through April 15th. Horseback back beach adventures. Turtle egg laying tours from June to November each year
Amazing food for around 150 pesos or $3 US per meal. Serving almost any dish you can think of. Just wish I could have found this place before the last day of my trip here.
Prince of Wales Hostel or POW is a nice and clean hostel with good dorm bed and private room prices in Singapore. The drinks & beers are really expensive but there is a 7-11 and a beer shop very close. Their web site is http://pow.com.sg/ you should contact them asap if you want to reserve a bunk and especially one of the 2 private rooms.
There are many places to stay in Kuta Bali, but I stayed in Gora Beach Inn. Its located right in the middle of all the action and only 1 minute from the main street where all the clubs are. They have a great pool with bar and good prices on their rooms. The rooms were clean and it was a great place to meet others to hang and party with.
When ever I go back this will be my first choice. During the busy season they are always full so try to call ahead, they will hold a room for 2 ish hours.
Their phone number is (0361) 752 578 or (0361) 752 028
Rinca, Nusa Tenggara Islands (Lesser Sundra Islands), Indonesia
Added Jun 23, 2009
We took a boat from Labuhanbajo to Rinca island to see the Komodo Dragons. Its very important to pick your boat wisely. Everyone on Labuhanbajo is trying to make money off of you and will try selling you everything including trips to see the dragons. You should walk down to the pier, look at the boats, pick one that you like and one that the captain or helper speaks english. Someone that cares for the cleanliness and condition of their boat most likely will care for the motor and this is important if you don't want to breakdown and have to pay extra to get back without even seeing the Dragons. DO NOT HIRE A GUIDE, you will be given a guide at the entrance of Rinca after paying the park fee, at no extra cost. There were so many dragons, we had seen 5 between the boat & park entrance before even paying to get in. Good luck and have fun. Flying into & out of Labuhanbajo is you best choice. Always buy your tickets at the airport.
There are so many dive sights around the island of Ko Tao. It's a must if your in the area. Sail Rock is a great place to see Whale Sharks, ask your dive shop if any have been spotted in the area and try to book a trip. The night life is also good.
Edit & Csaba's Hostel in Jaco, Costa Rica is a great place to stay when your in town. They made me feel like I was family just in for a visit. It was a real treat having hostel owners that were really trying to make my visit as informative, relaxing, fun and enjoyable as possible. I'll be back soon. If anyone needs to make a reservation look them up @ decoration: none; - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8 09902625
The best place to stay in Jaco. I will always stay with them. The owners, Edit and Csaba are the best hostel owners I have met in all of my travels. They made my visit to Jaco special by inviting everyone that stayed there to join them in any activity they were doing like BBQ's, poker and drinking. They are also a well of information on the best places to eat and how much to spend on local activities. Enjoy and look out for the surfing sea rays. Their great. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=809902625
Pulau Nunukan Timur, Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia
Added Mar 20, 2009
Hotel Melati Indah +62-556-23453 with rooms from 108,000 to 170,000 ($9.00 to $14.20 US). There are electric problems in Nunukan all the time so the Hotel Melati Indah will turn on their generator at 5:00 p.m. After all the places I've stayed in Indonesia, this hotel comes in like an oasis, with it being close to the peer, having friendly english speaking staff, with a free tour of the city and real toilets, & showers with the best water presser in Indonesia it's the best option to recover for your trip onward to Tawau (Malaysia) 1 hour and cost 100,000 ($8.30 US).
If you want to go SCUBA diving then call Dayet 0812-5354-8999. He has lived on the island most of his life so he has perfect knowledge of the dive sites. Dayet also has some of the cheapest prices for diving and all the equipment we used was in great condition. I did 2 dives at 250,000 ($20.80 US) each. However they were realy close to the beach so it might cost more to do other dive sites. My 2 dives were at Dharma Point & off the end of the Derawan Resort Jetty (Dock). I saw: 3 Hawksbill Turtles, 1 Juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips, many different kinds of Parrotfish, 1 Clownfish, 2 Lion fish, 8 Titan Triggerfish & a few other types of Triggerfish I don't know, 2 Pufferfish, many Moorish Idols, 2 Blue-Spotted Stingray, a school of Large Batfish and a few Beaked Coralfish & Squirrelfish. Dayet also comes in handy if you need someone that speaks english or if your interested in buying some whisky & vodka because you can't find any on the island unless you know someone or want to pay 96,000 ($8.00 US) per drink at the overpriced resort. Ask him where you can find some BBQ for dinner. They can grill a fish on a little metal grill that will make you want to move there.
Tell Dayet that you read about him on here and tell him you want the Salem discount. Thats my name and I told him I would add him on here because he was great, but that he would have to give anyone a discount for me.
If you want to go SCUBA diving then call Dayet 0812-5354-8999. He has lived on the island most of his life so he has perfect knowledge of the dive sites. Dayet also has some of the cheapest prices for diving and all the equipment we used was in great condition. I did 2 dives at 250,000 ($20.80 US) each. However they were realy close to the beach so it might cost more to do other dive sites. My 2 dives were at Dharma Point & off the end of the Derawan Resort Jetty (Dock). I saw: 3 Hawksbill Turtles, 1 Juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips, many different kinds of Parrotfish, 1 Clownfish, 2 Lion fish, 8 Titan Triggerfish & a few other types of Triggerfish I don't know, 2 Pufferfish, many Moorish Idols, 2 Blue-Spotted Stingray, a school of Large Batfish and a few Beaked Coralfish & Squirrelfish. Dayet also comes in handy if you need someone that speaks english or if your interested in buying some whisky & vodka because you can't find any on the island unless you know someone or want to pay 96,000 ($8.00 US) per drink at the overpriced resort. Ask him where you can find some BBQ for dinner. They can grill a fish on a little metal grill that will make you want to move there.
April's Resto 0813-5058-2483 is the best place to eat and April can speak pretty good english so you shouldn't have any problem ordering what you want. They can also get you large Bintangs at 30,000 ($2.50 US) and will help you with any questions you might have. If your looking to go to Malaysia after Derawan island ask April about catching the ferry for 200,000 ($16.70) per person to Tarakan (2 hours). You'll have to pay the 250,000 ($20,80) for the little speed boat back to the mainland first (30 min). From Tarakan, depending if you want to catch the morning boat to Tawau (Malaysia) you can stay there for a night or take another ferry to Nunukan (2 hours 30 min) is 170,000 ($14,20 US) and stay at Hotel Melati Indah +62-556-23453 with rooms from 108,000 to 170,000 ($9.00 to $14.20 US). There are electric problems in Nunukan all the time so the Hotel Melati Indah will turn on their generator at 5:00 p.m. After all the places I've stayed in, this hotel comes in like an oasis, with it being close to the peer, having friendly english speaking staff, with a free tour of the city and real toilets, & showers with the best water presser in Indonesia it's the best option to recover for your trip onward to Tawau (Malaysia) 1 hour and cost 100,000 ($8.30 US).
I stayed at Lestari 0554-23723 when I was on Derawan Island. Stay in room 13 or 14. They are the last rooms on the end of the Jetty (Dock) and give you the best views. With so many turtles swimming around the island all day long your going to really enjoy having a room out on the water. We even saw a large manta ray swimming right next to our room one night. We payed 150,000 ($12.50 US) a night and it's been our favorite in Indonesia so far. There is only electricity on the island at night when they turn on their generator, but this helps you to get out and have fun during the day. Bring any liquor if you want to drink any. There is only one resort where you can buy drinks and its expensive, around $8.oo US a drink.
If your looking for someone that speaks great english and can direct you to where you want to go and how best to get there you should call Datu Bambang. He works with a tour office here and was really helpful. The tour office is closed on Saturday and Sunday, only God knows why, But he was nice enuft to meet us at our hotel and give us all the info we needed even after we told him we were not looking to hire a tour guide. He was a life saver and with that type of help here, in a place that does not speak english you can't go wrong. His number is 0541-6291142 or 08-1258-78738 and you can email him @ punanbatu@yahoo.com The office according to the card is at SMAN 5. JL. lr. H. Juanda, Samarinda Phone # 0541-733597
Labuhanbajo, Nusa Tenggara Islands (Lesser Sundra Islands), Indonesia
Added Mar 7, 2009
Besides a jumping off point to go to see the Komodo Dragons there is not much to do in Labuhanbajo so if your there and want a really good party night go to Paradise Bar.
Ask any of the locals if they are having a party and try to make it. It was a great time.
