Bangladesh is not a major tourist destination (thank God), therefore finding good accommodation can be an issue. Keep in mind that all the prices mentioned below are the “Ramadan prices“. During this time of the year, people stay with their families and don’t go on vacation. Prices are up to 50% cheaper than regularly.

Dhaka.

Hotel 71.

Out starting point was the capital city, Dhaka. We arrived at around 2pm, so this still a good time to look for a hotel. Yet we recommend to always pre-book the first night just to have a bit of a breather.

We booked ourselves into “Hotel 71” (Address: Kaizuddin Tower, 176, Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam Sarani, Dhaka). The hotel is not far from the Grand Mosque, with great infrastructure in the area. The rooms are clean, spacious and have excellent Wi-Fi connection (very important for a travel photographer). The reception guys speak good English and help out with any kind of information you need.During our trip, we stayed there three times in total and were happy with our rooms.

Costs per night per room: Approx. 30,00 US$ (with A/C)

Fars Hotels & Resorts Limited.

Nearby, we spotted another nice place called “Fars Hotels & Resorts Limited” (Address: 212, Shahid Syed Nazrul Islam Sharani, Purana Paltan, S S. Nazrul Islam Sharani, Dhaka). We went to check it out for our next visit and it looked really nice as well. Biggest bonus: This place even has a rooftop swimming pool, which can honestly be a life savour at 45° Celsius in the summer!

Both two places are budget friendly with Western standard and if you’re “lucky”, you might even come across another fellow traveller in the lobby…

Costs per night per room: Approx. 50,00 US$ (with A/C)

Chittagong.

Ambassador Residency.

There is the stretch of hotels right near the train station, but we opted for something more quiet called “Ambassador Residency” (Address: Road No 2, Chittagong). Also because out fellow Bangladeshi friend recommended it. This hotel offers clean & spacious rooms with big bathrooms and very reliable Wi-Fi connection. Overall, we were happy with this place. Don’t expect to meet any other travellers here though, because it’s a bit out of the way.

Costs per night per room: Approx. 50,00 US$ (with A/C)

Ambassador Residency in Chittaong, Bangladesh.

Cox’s Bazar.

Nilima Resort Hotel.

Cox’s Barar war the next place we visited. we checked ourselves into the “Nilima Resort Hotel” (Address: Sughanda Point Rd, Cox’s Bazar). Arriving at Cox’s Bazar was a bit of a disappointment at first, since most of the hotels are not located right on the beach. Only after we drive along the beach for a while, we came across this place. It’s as good as it gets here. There are some others along the beach as well, but the majority of hotels are further inland. But from Nilima Resort Hotel you can start exploring the area and get your evening beach stroll without having to go far. The rooms have small balconies and decent Wi-Fi connection. The owner is very helpful and the price is negotiable. It’s clearly not the poshest place to stay at, but pretty cheap and we didn’t spend much time in the the room anyway.

Costs per night per room: Approx. 20,00 US$ (with A/C)

Nilima Resort Hotel in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Mermaid Eco Resort.

30km further out of the city is a lovely place with bungalow accommodation called “Mermaid Eco Resort” (Address: Marine Drive, Pechardwip, Cox’s Bazar). It’s a nice spot if you want get away from it all, there is no Wi-Fi and you depend on them with everything. We will consider this place for our next visit to Cox’s Bazaar and then we’ll come prepared.

Costs per night per room: Approx. 50,00 US$ (with A/C)

Sreemangal.

Nishorgo Lichibari Ecoresort.

Sreemangal lies in the East of Bangladesh, located near the Indian border. The area is well-known for its tea plantations. We stayed in a little hotel called “Nishorgo Lichibari Ecoresort” (Address: House 13/B, Road 54, Gulshan 1212). It’s a bit outside of Sreemangal, near the tea gardens and in a small village where you can either walk around or rent a bicycle from the hotel. Overall this is a good place to stay at, with bungalow accommodation or rooms (with Wi-Fi) in the main house, an English-speaking owner who will pick you up from the train station when you call him, as well as great food (only available with pre-ordering).

Costs per night per room: Between 15,00 US$ and 30,00 US$

Nishorgo Lichibari Ecoresort in Sreemangal, Bangladesh.

Sylhet.

Hiltown Hotel.

From the train station we headed straight to “Hiltown Hotel” (Address: VIP Road, Telihaor, Sylhet). As we had only one day in Sylhet and didn’t stay overnight, we had our lunch here and were really impressed. We came across a modern, cool and air-conditioned restaurant with amazing food, good Wi-Fi and very friendly staff. We almost felt under-dressed because we simply didn’t expect such a restaurant in Sylhet. Afterwards we had a look at the newly refurbished rooms. Definitely a fantastic place to spend the night, which we unfortunately were not able to due to our overnight train to Dhaka.

Costs per night per room: Approx. 50,00 US$

Turns out, I was wrong. My thought on Dubai have definitely changed. Among other things because of my stay at the XVA Art Hotel.

Finding a good hotel in Dubai is easy, but finding a charming hotel and not wanting to spend hundreds of dollars for one night can be a bit of a challenge.

Location.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The XVA Art hotel lies in the stunningly beautiful Al Fahidi Neighborhood (formerly Bastakiya), next to Dubai Creek. When visiting for the first time, you might find it tricky to find it, simply because cars can’t drive right in front of it. My taxi driver wasn’t sure where the hotel was located, but a phone call solved the problem. After getting out of the taxi, you just have to walk through some small alleys of the old town (for about 90 seconds) before reaching the entrance. When booking the hotel, you’ll receive a detailed paper with directions for the taxi driver which is helpful.

The area great for explorers and the next metro stop is just a few minutes away, so getting around is easy. But there are no glamorous shops on this side of Dubai, so don’t stay here is you’re after this type of experience.

• Address: Al Fahidi Neighborhood, Bur Dubai, United Arab Emirates (opposite Al Musalla Post Office, Near Al Faheidi Roundabout)
• Telephone Number: +97 14 353 538 3
• Website: xvahotel.com

Comfort Level.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Definitely a hotel with great atmosphere – like an oasis. I loved the rooms which are small but very charming with lots of character. They’re situated around a beautiful courtyard in a converted Dubai mansion. I was upgrades free of charge, so my room was slightly bigger than the regular ones with A/C, great facilities, as well as some books and guides to read. If you have a lot of luggage, a room on the ground floor is advisable.

The entire setting of the XVA Art Hotel reminded me of an old fort and I really felt like home.

Big Plus:

• XVA also offers an art gallery with interesting pieces.

Food & Drinks.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Since the hotel is also a café and restaurant for visitors, the food is really delicious. Breakfast in the courtyard in the mornings was excellent and filling. It was a delicious combination of breads, hummus, fruits and eggs. Fresh juice and coffee/tea as well of course. Exploring the yummy Pakistani restaurants in the area is definitely something I’d recommend, but if you’re lazy, don’t feel bad because the food at the XVA Art Hotel is very authentic and delightful.

Service & Hospitality.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The staff was very nice and accommodating. Nothing more to add to this. Free and reliable Wi-Fi as well as a good literature selection are the reason for the full 5 points.

Price Range.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Dubai has hundred of great hotel, but most their prices are out of this world. At the XVA Art Hotel, you can expect approx. 150-250 US$ per night. I’s a very fair price. Food & drinks are also affordable and not overpriced.

Overall Feedback & Impression.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

This is probably the best place to stay in Dubai if you’re looking for an area off the beaten path and actually stay somewhere that’ll show you the more curious side of this city. There is a reason why it’s often listed as a ‘not to miss’ place in Dubai. Thumbs up!

The courtyard of XVA Art Hotel in Dubai is really lovely.

Art pieces in the courtyard of XVA Art Hotel in Dubai.

The XVA Art Hotel in Dubai offers beautiful and authentic food

The XVA Art hotel lies in the stunningly beautiful Al Fahidi Neighborhood (formerly named Bastakiya) of Dubai.

Location.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Siem Reap is by far not a large town, yet you’ll find hotels located all over the place; many of them out of reach from the city centre (at least by foot), which doesn’t make them attractive for us (5 stars back and forth).

The Golden Banana hotel is located perfectly – not right in the centre, but still in walking distance. This will give you peace & quiet during the night, yet freedom to roam the streets of Siem Reap without having to rely on tuk-tuk drivers or hotel chauffeurs.

• Address: Golden Banana Lane, Phum Wat Damnak, Kum Sala Komreuk, Krom 10, Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Telephone Number: +855 (0)12 654 638
• Website: rambutans.info

Comfort Level.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Arriving in the small alley that leads to the hotel, wouldn’t make you think that any minute now you’re stepping into a little city oasis. But that’s exactly what happens.

The Golden Banana has four different hotels, all located next to each other. Depending on the room you booked, you’ll be living in one of these. We were at the Golden Banana Boutique Hotel – the smallest place out of the four – with about 7 double-decker villas, a lovely pool, as well as a dining/cocktail area.

Greeted with a friendly smile by one of the staff members, we took a seat while writing down our details and zipping fresh lime juice. Afterwards, we were lead to our apartment for the next 3 days.

Just to be clear, I did have some expectations of the way the hotel & its rooms looked, since we already stayed there 6 years ago (even though back then there was only one Golden Banana Hotel) & I was the one who booked the hotel. So I knew what it should look like … but you know how it is with hotel photos found on the internet … photoshop ahoy! This time our expectations where definitely exceeded; lots of space, lovely furniture and decorations, great balcony and amazing bed & bathroom – all set on two floors. It couldn’t get any better than this.

Big Plus:

• Guests can use all 4 facilities. You can sleep in one hotel, dine in the other and go swimming in the next – and all of this within approx. 50 metres!
• The hotel is located in a side street, so you won’t be bothered by loud noises during your sleep.
• Very gay friendly.

Food & Drinks.

Rating: 5 out of 5

We never understood why anyone would dine in their hotel when travelling. That is until we stayed at the Golden Banana hotel in Siem Reap.

After an exhausting day of 6-8 hours temple running at Angkor Wat, we weren’t able to walk another metre when returning to the hotel, so we decided to give the house kitchen a try … and we were (again) not disappointed. The food was delicious. The Cambodian cuisine like Fish Amok or Cambodian Curry was exquisite and we decided to eat here every night. After stuffing our bellies, we always treated ourselves to a couple of nice & refreshing cocktails – amazing cocktails that it! Best Mai Tai ever!

Service & Hospitality.

Rating: 5 out of 5

A lot of times when someone is really friendly to you, they want something; whether it’s money or something else – a hidden agenda is very common. Not at the Golden Banana Hotel. The staff is trained very well and you can see & feel the Western influence behind it. No one will try to rip you off and you will always get a fair price.
Example: we asked for a private taxi down to Phnom Penh and staff didn’t even charge any commission or tried to add a couple of dollars for themselves.

Big Plus:

• Free & working Wi-Fi

Price Range.

Rating: 5 out of 5

One would think that with all the amazing services mentioned above, the price must be the big downer. Think again! The Golden Banana Hotel offers a great & very fair overall package.

Here’s a quick overview of the most important:

Sleeping.

• 1 night per villa (including breakfast & free Wi-Fi): Starting at US$ 52

Food & Drinks.

• Dish: US$ 2.50 – 6.50
• Soft Drink: US$ 1.50 – 2.50
• Cocktail: US$ 4.00

Overall Feedback & Impression.

Rating: 5 out of 5 – well deserved!

Everything was perfect and there’s not a single thing we could complain about. It’s the best place to stay at in Siem Reap. Thanks for a lovely time! Also, there’s a new hotel in Phnom Penh, the Rambutan Resort, which we need to check out next time for sure!

The Golden Banana Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Pool Area.

The Golden Banana Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Pool View from Room.

The Golden Banana Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Room View.

The Golden Banana Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Bathroom.

The Golden Banana Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Balcony.

The Golden Banana Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia – Breakfast.