Staying at the Boutique Hotel Man Tess in Old Town Riga, Latvia

My return to Latvia demanded a decent hotel. You might have read that first time around I didn’t warm to the Latvian capital city of Riga. That time I also stayed a wee bit outside the old town. So this time, I knew I’d be arriving by bus from Siauliai in Lithuania so I wanted Read more about Staying at the Boutique Hotel Man Tess in Old Town Riga, Latvia[…]

Staying at Litinterp Guesthouse in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania

Backpacking in Lithuania in wintertime is ice cool. Less icy tourists about, fresh cold weather and some chilling sights to see without crackloads of tourists. I looked up a few hostels and hotels in the capital city of Vilnius and decided to stay at Litinterp Guesthouse. I had already had a cosy hostel experience in Read more about Staying at Litinterp Guesthouse in Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania[…]

Staying at the Monk’s Bunk Hostel in Kaunas, Lithuania

I arrived into Lithuania and decided to hang out in the city of Kaunas the first few days. I had a quick look online for hostels and the one which shot out the most was the Monk’s Bunk. This was the very first hostel to open in Kaunas! Kaunas is a very under-rated city and Read more about Staying at the Monk’s Bunk Hostel in Kaunas, Lithuania[…]

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One of the Last Customers to Stay in the Windsor Inn, Royal Hotel, Bangor, Northern Ireland

My recent travels in Northern Ireland have proved something to me – you can travel in your home country and love it, and get surprised by it. After my adventures on the north coast of Northern Ireland, I returned to my home town of Bangor, which is in County Down, just 12 miles from Belfast Read more about One of the Last Customers to Stay in the Windsor Inn, Royal Hotel, Bangor, Northern Ireland[…]

Staying at the Old Plovdiv Guest House in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

As a handy stop over city on route from Veliko Tarnovo (a splendid city where I stayed in the Hotel Comfort) enroute to Sofia, I decided to do the obvious touristy thing for a change and stay in Plovdiv. Plovdiv is a classic Bulgarian city with a real ancient Roman feel about it. Despite the Read more about Staying at the Old Plovdiv Guest House in Plovdiv, Bulgaria[…]

Staying at Cairn Bay Lodge, Bangor, Northern Ireland

I’ve stayed in some obscure places during Christmas and New Year down the years. I’m talking homestays in Iran, sharing rooms in Parramatta Australia, camping in the mountains of Peru or hiking in China. In 2014 however, I was in Europe at Christmas for the first time in 6 years. I decided to spend some time Read more about Staying at Cairn Bay Lodge, Bangor, Northern Ireland[…]

Staying at the Abbey Court Hostel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland

“In Dublin’s Fair City where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone.” I’ve been to Dublin a fair amount of times down the years. Rock concerts (including Oasis in 1996 and 1997), nights on the town and more Guinnesses than Arthur ever expected to sell. These days I Read more about Staying at the Abbey Court Hostel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland[…]

The Chaise: Staying in the Best Guesthouse in Sunderland, England

When I decided to spend a couple of nights in Sunderland instead of Newcastle, a few people around me raised eyebrows. This only made my heart grow more eager to visit Sunderland, without doubt the stronger beast of the two north east cities in terms of exceeding expectation. We all know about Newcastle – the Read more about The Chaise: Staying in the Best Guesthouse in Sunderland, England[…]