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Days 74-77: What a grand old place this is. With an creaking elevator operated by an attendant, rooms that have not been updated since Winston Churchill’s time and an in-room telephone that connects only with reception, it was everything that we had hoped for in a central place to stay in Cairo.
When we asked […]

Day 69: After a shocker of a bus trip, this place really fit the bill. Kate described it as a budget option trying to do everything that it could to attain mid-range status.
This included staff with uniforms, daily room cleaning, inexpensive in-room wireless internet access, a safe, a fridge, a rooftop “pool” and a […]

Day 68: As our evening in Hurghada was unscheduled, it was a relief to be able to turn up at this budget place at short notice, even if it was on the grotty side. As an indication of the character of this place, breakfast was included however tea refills came at an extra charge. We […]

Days 65-68: Dahab, on the east coast, of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, was our first stop in Egypt, and it sure was a nice place to relax. Apart from our one evening of exertion, climbing nearby Mount Sinai, the rest of the time was largely spent sitting in our waterside restaurant drinking delicious fruit juices and […]

Days 61-63: After a few nights in cheaper places we decided to treat ourselves in Petra, where we stayed at the Amra Palace, which immediately impressed us with its clean rooms and swimming pool. However the best was yet to come: our shower was the best that we could remember in more than two months […]

To afford these guilty pleasures, we stayed at the Sydney Hostel, where the adequate double room was a meagre 15JD a night. Reasonably close to downtown, this sleepy place wasn’t going to win any prizes but it was definitely cleaner and more amenable than the LP-recommended Cliff Hostel, which we checked into and quickly left after the communal showering facilities did not pass the P-test.

Central to the main drag of Antakya, this was a one-night-only affair as we were on our way to Aleppo in Syria the following day. Our room enjoyed mosque views. Breakfast was extremely basic.

A restful spot, well-run by Dawn, who came to Cappadocia some twenty years ago and never apparently left, we were extremely happy at the Kose pension. On our final morning, we took Dawn’s dog Spot out for a walk through Rose Valley and he acted as our guide. Highly recommended.