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Best places to stay in Hanoi 2012

Hanoi may not be the bargain it once used to be, but there are still some great deals to be had, from budget right through to luxury. It's a jungle out there, with so many options; here are our picks for the best spots to stay in Hanoi to help you narrow down what might be best for you.

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Ko Lipe's best budget guesthouses 2012

Over the past ten years the tiny southwest Thai island of Ko Lipe has gone from being a little known blip of sand in the Andaman Sea to one of Southeast Asia's most heavily touristed small islands. While a decade ago there were just a few simple resorts, today Lipe boasts close to 50 accommodation options to choose from, with the trend going persistently towards expensive, upmarket spa resorts.

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2011 Best places to stay in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur boasts an abundance of accommodation, from basic hostels through to luxurious hotels. Finding a room you like may not be a particular challenge, but being able to afford it is another matter entirely. Going by hotel rack rates, KL is undoubtedly one of Southeast Asia's most expensive cities to stay in.

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2011 Best places to stay on Ko Phi Phi

A lot of mediocre guesthouses and hotels are available on Ko Phi Phi, despite its popularity (or perhaps because of it). Booking in advance, sight unseen, can often yield unpleasant surprises. But the alternatives aren't much more promising: tramping around the island on your first day trying to find a decent spot, or trusting one of the touts who greets you at the pier. But never fear — we've done the tramping for you.

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2009 Top Phnom Penh guesthouses

Phnom Penh's French colonial roots coupled with today's plethora of aid agencies based here have conspired to create a glut of accommodation for such a small capital city. Gated old mansions-turned-hotels with saltwater swimming pools and lush vegetation dot the city, while three backpacker hubs lure the budget-conscious: The riverside has rooms ranging from opulent to gritty, with a multitude of mid-range places between, shoestring travellers head lakeside to snare US$3 rooms and the BoeungKeng Kang 1 (BKK1) area, commonly called "NGO-ville", offers slightly more subdued low- to mid-range accommodation within walking distance to plenty of bars and restaurants.

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2009 Top guesthouses in Bangkok

In February 2009, we spent just shy of a couple of weeks wandering the streets of Bangkok, knocking on doors and checking out rooms looking for the best guesthouses in town. The scene has changed a lot since our previous story on this and there's no shortage of fine places to stay, especially in the flashpacker bracket. While Khao San Road remains the epicentre of the backpacker scene, there is an increasing selection of places to stay elsewhere in the city that fit the backpacker and independent traveller mold. So read on to discover our pick for the 10 best guesthouses and hostels in Bangkok.

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2008 Top spots on Phu Quoc Island

With warm turquoise waves and coconut palm lined beaches, Vietnam's Phu Quoc is easily one of the most idyllic islands in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, not every hotel takes advantage of the island's beauty and tranquillity -- too many resorts offer lacklustre rooms and crowded beachfronts. While it isn't advisable to show up in peak season without having booked a room, getting around the island is tricky, and dragging your luggage around muddy roads would be an awful start to your vacation. So how do you avoid booking a mildewed room at an unfriendly resort? To help you out, we've complied a list of our favourite hotels and guesthouses on Phu Quoc Island.

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2008 Top Luang Prabang guesthouses

As the most popular tourist destination in Laos, Luang Prabang is filled with a wide range of guesthouses and hotels to choose from. Finding one with the right blend of comfort, style and value can make or break your visit. Here's an updated-for-2008 version of our old story titled "What's a good guesthouse in Luang Prabang?"

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2008 Top Bangkok airport guesthouses

You're passing through Bangkok and need just a few hours sleep in a cheap guesthouse not far from the airport, but when you Google "accommodation near Bangkok airport" all you get are listings for hotels that cost per night what you budget per week. Don't fret! There's no need to sleep at the airport or on the street, nor to pull an all-nighter at the closest karaoke parlour you can find. You can find a cheap bed close to each of Bangkok's airports -- here's Travelfish's pick.

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Five special hotels in Cambodia

Cambodia's guesthouse and hotel scene is really developing, with some outstanding places to now stay at across the country. Here are five very special places that caught our eye on a foray through the countryside in 2007. If you'd like to factor in a splurge or two during your trip, these all belong on your short list.

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Cheap Phuket guesthouses & hotels

If you're trying to stretch out your funds -- maybe living in cheap guesthouses, fan rooms, washing your laundry in the sink, walking 3km when it'll save you 20B and generally travelling on the cheap, then you've probably heard that Phuket province can be a real budget-buster. This is true, but it would be a shame to skip this beautiful and unique island, so we thought we'd point out some ways for the frugal wayfarer to see the whole island, and stay within budget. Read on to learn how to see Phuket on the cheap.

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2006 Top guesthouses on Ko Phi Phi

We have a more recent version of this story, updated in September 2011: The best places to stay on Ko Phi Phi in 2011/12.

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2006 Top Luang Prabang guesthouses

As the most popular tourist destination in Laos, Luang Prabang is filled with a wide range guesthouses and hotels to choose from. Finding one with the right blend of comfort, style and value can make or break your visit.

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2006 Top guesthouses in Phnom Penh

There are many great places to stay in Phnom Penh -- whether your budget is a couple or a couple of hundred dollars a night -- and, with a bit of diligence, you should have no problem finding a place that meets your needs. You can stay on the shores of Boeng Kak Lake, near the river, or in the heart of the city -- each location with its advantages and disadvantages.

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2006 Top guesthouses in Hanoi

You can find a fully updated for 2012 version of this story here: The best places to stay in Hanoi in 2012 When it comes to finding a good guesthouse in Hanoi, making the right choice is a bit like making an omelette -- one mistake and you've landed in a right sticky mess with egg all over your face. What follows are some of our favourite Hanoi picks to hopefully make finding the right guesthouse that little bit easier for you.

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2005 Top guesthouses in Chiang Mai

Of all the holiday destinations in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is one that has seen the emergance of some truly outstanding guesthouses and hotels. Regardless of if you want to spend 200B or 10,000B, chances are you'll be able to find a guesthouse or hotel that not only represents excellent value, but that is also comfortable, charming, friendly and quiet -- yes it is true -- cheap places like that really do exist in Chiang Mai.

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2005 Top guesthouses in Bangkok

With hundreds of guesthouses spread across the city, Bangkok can be one of the trickiest places in Thailand to decide on a place to stay. Although the Khao San Road area is popular, other parts of Bangkok are just as good, if not better. So don't rush to follow the hordes to Khao San Road -- do your research -- there are a lot of other options out there -- and pick a guesthouse that will fit in your budget, suit your style and let you do what you need to do easily. An updated version of this story, for 2009, is available here

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The changing face of Khao San Road

The first time I stayed on Khao San Road was after a trip through Nepal and India in the early 1990's. I remember arriving late at night, new to Thailand and climbing out of the cab, dazed and confused straight into the arms of a tout who led me to a flophouse in the back of KSR. Windowless with cardboard walls, a filthy mattress and a never-ending racket from the rooms that surrounded mine, from memory it cost about 50B -- in those days about US$2 -- what a bargain I remember thinking.

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