There are many moving parts in any trip that can either make the experience miserable or a memory of a lifetime. Personally, one of the most important cogs in my travel machine are the places where I decide to spend the night.
Over the years I have stayed in everything from the dumpiest of hostels to some of the most posh hotels in the world. Expense and prestige though does not necessarily a good experience make and some of my best lodging experiences were also the least expensive.
I have two nominees for my most memorable lodging experience. The first was at the 4-U Hostel in Munich, Germany. It was 2003 and my partner and I thought we were still the hostel types. We were horribly misguided in this supposition as it would turn out. We arrived very late at night and were exhausted; all we wanted to do was sleep. We entered our private room to find that while private, it was bunk beds. We turned out the lights and suddenly the hostel seemed to come alive. Through the paper-thin walls, we heard, um, a lot of amorous encounters and from the bathroom down the hall we could hear someone who was apparently quite ill. The whole experience was a complete and total nightmare and we ended up leaving in the middle of the night, tripping over passed out teens in the hallway on our way out. That was the last time either of us stayed in a hostel, and I have never looked back.
My second nominee is on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Bangkok Marriott Resort. While absolutely every aspect of this resort was perfect, what truly made this a memory of a lifetime was my morning ritual. I would awaken in our spacious, Thai inspired room, take my coffee to the balcony and sit and watch the city come alive. The hotel is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya, and the sounds and smells of the river mixed to combine a completely unique and enchanting experience.
Ok, now it’s your turn. I want to know your most memorable lodging experience. It can be at a 5-star resort, or someone’s couch, it can be positive or really negative – it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it must be an experience that you will never forget. If you have pictures, please link to them!
I will pick some of the best responses and highlight them in a post next week.
