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Hostels? Here in the U.S.? Yes indeed!

By RM | November 16, 2009 | Comments 3 comments

For those of us who mainly associate hostels with budget backpack trips in Europe, It’s good to remember we have some great hostels here at home to choose from, as I recently discovered on a weekend trip to Charleston.

A little internet research turned up good reviews for the Notso Hostel, about a 10 minute walk from Charleston’s King Street, and just a couple of blocks from world class shrimp and grits at the Hominy Grill. Sure, at $21 for a bunk in a dorm room, the price is definitely right! Especially when that includes breakfast, free parking and wi-fi.

But what really sets a hostel apart is the friendly camaraderie. A hostel is a great place to meet other travelers of varied ages and nationalities, exchange travel tips, and seek advice, and we found that the aptly named Notso Hostel more than lived up to its name. We asked another traveler, who told us he had been in Charleston for 3 weeks already, for a good breakfast spot. Along with his recommendation, he gave us his cell phone number in case we needed more info later in the day – and yes, we did call later with more questions! (Thanks Rod!) That’s the sort of friendliness that sets hostels apart…

Southern charm, in Charleston…

By RM | November 12, 2009 | Comments 0 Comment

Charleston, grand old houses and elegant porches. — Charleston: grand old houses and elegant porches.

In October, I took a quick trip to the East coast, and spent a weekend in Charleston. The pace of life definitely seemed slower, and people had more time to chat. Asking for directions to a restaurant produced a spirited discussion as to which restaurant to recommend. But it was in walking the streets of the oldest neighborhoods that the city started to share its secrets.

The architecture varied from old, ante-bellum style mansions, to very European looking townhouses, hinting at the city’s rich and varied history. Periodically attacked by the French and Spanish, and warding off raids by pirates, Charleston thrived from its founding in the mid-1600s, becoming the largest port city in the South, and signs of trade with the islands are still reflected in some of the architectural detail.

And did I mention the food? Shrimp and grits at the Hominy Grill, Southern fried Chicken and Green Eggs and Ham (by special request) at Virginia’s on King were all truly delicious, but required a lot of walking to mitigate their effects!

Green Eggs and Ham (really! With pesto...)

Yellow House, Antigua

By RM | July 15, 2009 | Comments 4 comments

On our recent trip to Guatemala, we passed thru the incredibly scenic town of Antigua a couple of times: just after we arrived we spent a couple of nights there prior to heading up to Lake Atitlan. Then on our way from Lake Atitlan to Flores, we broke the journey in Antigua, spending another night there.

Since Antigua was our first stop in Guatemala, we wanted to book somewhere in advance, especially since our plane was arriving into Guatemala City in the evening, and we knew we’d arrive in Antigua well after dark. My daughter liked the description of Yellow House in the Lonely Planet, and we found some pictures and an email address that actually worked at guatemalastory.com. Once we had the right email address, we got a prompt and friendly response confirming our request for a room.

Outside the Arrivals hall at the airport, there were a number of shuttle (minibus) drivers with signs for Antigua, and soon ‘Henry’ had us loaded in his shuttle for the 1 hour trip to Antigua, where he dropped us right in front of Yellow House. We had an upstairs room with a hammock right outside, the shared bathrooms were clean, there were 2 computers in the lobby with free internet access, and more hammocks and comfy seats on the rooftop patio. All for $18 a night for a double room, which also included a huge breakfast – what a deal!

Yellow House also has dorm rooms, and we met and chatted with other travelers, many traveling solo for months at a time, from all over the world: Australia, the UK, France, Canada. Many of these travelers had just been to some of the places on our itinerary, so it was great to get ‘hot off the press’ feedback and recommendations.

The staff at Yellow House were also very helpful in booking shuttle and bus transportation for us, giving us tips on where to eat, and answering all our questions. So much so that on our 2nd visit there, it almost felt a little like coming ‘home’.