World’s weirdest hotels

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 06/11/09 at 11:11:04 am

Have you ever wanted to live with giraffes or sleep with the fish in the sea? Or do you simply wanna try something weird like sleeping in an open sewer or an escape pod? Now you can, because Dohop has found you the weirdest hotels in the world!

Giraffe Manor in Langata, Kenya, is arranged so that roaming giraffes can poke their heads into any open window or doorway and lather guests with their sticky, prehensile tongues. Talk about a friendly wake up call! Your guesthouse is their guesthouse, so the silly creatures pop up everywhere, including over the breakfast table, in the lobby, and through the curtains.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Florida, USA, is a former marine lab, 21 feet underwater, close to the bottom of the mangrove-filled Emerald Lagoon, in Key Largo. Guests will have to scuba dive to reach their room, and if you don’t have the mandatory certification you must take a course at the hotel. Once in your room, you’ll see angelfish, anemones, barracuda, oysters, and other creatures through your 42-inch window.

Das Park Hotel in Linz, Austria consists of three unadorned, 10-ton segments of drainage pipe, each 6.5 feet in diameter and barely long enough to accommodate a double bed. Artist and designer Andreas Strauss punched the pipes with skylights, added doors with electronic locks, and placed it by the Danube River. Amenities are skimpy, as you might expect: You get a lamp, a mattress, and a few sleeping bags. On the bright side, the hotel has no fixed rates. You leave whatever amount you think is fair.

Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho USA, is a two-story, beagle-shaped B&B. Guests enter the structure from the deck that lines one side of the pup’s rib cage. The main quarters are in the belly of the beast; the sleeping loft is in the pooch’s head. And, yes, pets are allowed.

The Capsule Hotel consists of bright-orange ’70s-era escape pods for easy visibility and rotates its fleet around the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. At the moment, two are in the western Dutch town of Vlissingen and another is in The Hague. The pods once hung outside oil rigs, ready to be deployed in case of an evacuation but these are different times and now you can opt to book your pod with a disco ball and all the James Bond movies on DVD.

The Igloo Village can be found at multiple locations in Switzerland. The Swiss have plenty of snow but no igloos, so an enterprising hotelier in Scuol built one. The beds are made of snow and price of a night’s accommodations includes a down-filled sleeping bag rated for North Pole expeditions.

Don’t worry if you budget is tight or if you would like a fancier experience… Das Park Hotel is ideal for backpackers and Harlingen Harbour Crane suits those looking for something extravagant.. this list is just the top of the iceberg!

Wellington in one day…on a budget!

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 28/10/09 at 10:10:44 am

Should you find yourself with a day to spare in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, you should consider yourself lucky as there is plenty of things to do and see… and the best of all is that most of them are free!

One of the coolest things about Wellington is the national museum, Te Papa. What? You don’t like museums? Not to worry, I don’t really like them either…  but this one is no ordinary museum. It is colourful and interactive and there is a house where you can experience an earthquake as well as see a colossal squid recently caught in the South Pacific. You have nothing to lose but time since entrance is free!

Another must-do is a walk down Cuba Street which is a lively and vibrant street with small boutiques and restaurants from all over the world. Don’t be hesitant to chat with the staff, kiwis are one of the friendliest nations there are! When you’re at the bottom of Cuba Street, you can keep on going by walking past Manners Mall and to the end of Willis street where you’ll find the Old Bank Arcade, an old charming building with shops and boutiques. As soon as you step your foot inside, you’ll immediately feel like you’re 100 years back in time!

From Lambton Quay (where the Old Bank Arcade is located) you can take the cable car up to the Botanical Gardens for a great view over the city centre. If you want a better look of the whole city, the view from top of Mount Victoria will give you just that.

Hungry? Malaysian cuisine in one of the many Malaysian restaurants downtown will fill you up without burning a hole in your wallet (6-8 USD). You can also try Burger Fuel which has the best burger and fries I have ever had. Another thing to indulge in is coffee and cake, since Wellington has the highest number of cafés per capita in the world! Cubita, a small and cozy café on Taranaki street that serves cuban coffee and the most amazing chocolate cheesecake is a safe bet.

These are just to mention a few… so start exploring and don’t be scared to ask the locals for advice, they will be happy to help!

The Coffee-chase!

Posted by Júlíana Björnsdóttir - 27/10/09 at 09:10:29 am

Last Friday morning was rather unusual for me, I found myself roaming around Kringlan, Iceland’s first shopping mall, and actually purchasing a couple of items. Kringlan is an excellent place to do your shopping when visiting Iceland during winter or on a rainy day.  On this particular occasion though, my initial plan, to which I stuck eventually, was to hang out at my favourite cafe, Kaffi Roma.

Ever since my Paris years coffee has not been just coffee.  A good cup of coffee is made with passion by baristas who themselves (with few exceptions) are quite particular about what makes for good coffee.  I always order the same single-shot latte with extra milk;  to me consistency in quality is the exception with most cafes, but Kaffi Roma always gets it right!

Kaffi Roma is located on the second floor of Kringlan; its location is not the quietest but to me that’s not an issue. A second branch is supposedly located on Laugavegur 118 in the centre of Reykjavík (although I am convinced the actual location is Rauðárstígur, across the street from the Kaupthing ATM).  I would most definitely recommend with Kaffi Roma if you are as particular (and passionate) as I myself am where it comes to good coffee. Not to mention that occasionally I even get a chance to refresh my Spanish a bit as the cafe in Kringlan is run, or at least managed, by a native Spanish-speaker!

What I would appreciate is if those of you who read this blog take a minute and let us know what your favourite cafe is where you live, and where it is located.  I for one would find that very useful!

Massaging South East Asia

Posted by Erna Eiríksdóttir - 26/10/09 at 09:10:55 am

When traveling in Asia, long flights, hours on trains, more hours on buses, hours on foot while exploring something new, uncomfortable beds and even an upset belly are bound to follow you. A good massage seems to fix all of the world’s problems – the problem is that there are too many of them. The following is a list of the most common massages to have.

Khmer Massage: Your body will be massaged with a body. After changing in to pajamas your tiny masseuse will stretch you in all directions and massage your body with her entire body. For a sore body that needs to be set straight, this massage is terrific. The masseuse frequently puts all her body weight on one spot of your body to help the muscles loosen up. My favorite part of the massage is when the girl sort of kneels on your back and puts her hands under your arms (your hands locked behind your head) and holds your neck. She proceeds to swing you around, slowly at first, until she really cracks it and you think your back is going to break in million pieces. However, you do feel like a million bucks afterwards.

Thai Massage: similar to Khmer massage except you need to participate a bit more. The massage is quite yoga-esque and differs from South to North. In S-Thailand the main focus of the massage is acupressure while in the North stretching is the focal point.

Balinese Massage: a soft aromatherapeutic oil massage from the Indonesian island of Bali. Your muscles are kneaded in a wonderful relaxing with warm, lovely smelling, oil.

Hilot: a therapy from the Philippines. As so many Asian massages it is to relieve sore joints and kneads muscles. But, Hilot is so much more, the technique is often used to reset dislocated shoulders and help with childbirth, amongst others.

Fish Massage: It is exactly what it sounds like. Tiny fishies massage you by eating you, mostly your feet and callus. Tickles a bit and feels a little odd at first, but your freshly eaten and smooth feet will love you for it. You can have fish massage in other parts of the world but this seems to be very popular in the region.

Foot massage: as the name says your feet will be massaged. Sometimes it is infused with reflexology but generally your toes and heels will be very happy campers. Best thing is that most often you get a hand massage, and a short but revitalizing head, neck and back massage too.

Lulur: one of my favorites is this lovely massage and scrub from beautiful Indonesia. Traditionally, brides to be have this treatment for 40 days before their wedding to sweeten and soften their skin. First you are massaged with coconut oil mixed with pandan leaves and cempaka flowers. Followed by a soft scrub made of rice, turmeric, jasmine and sandalwood. To end the treatment is a flower bath filled with aromatic flowers such as frangipani and jasmine along with astringent leaves. During the bath you should drink a liquid remedy called jamu which is made of turmeric, ginger, egg yolk and herbs. After the three steps of Lulur your skin will be rejuvenated and so sweetly scented

A tip for the ladies, they will, most likely, massage your breasts, especially if you have a non-traditional massage and there is no way to stop it in most cases, as the masseuses normally don’t speak English except for a few words.
Unless you go to a spa where the staff knows what they are doing I suggest that you just go with the traditional massage. I’ve had some very interesting massages through out the years in Asia, claiming to be Swedish and whatnot ended up being the same as the traditional but more expensive.

Damascus – a historical wonder

Posted by Júlíana Björnsdóttir - 20/10/09 at 10:10:16 am

When I was 21 years old I had a sense of being invincible! I wanted to experience a proper adventure, and found my solution in an overland trip.  4 months of camping, driving all the way from London to Cairo, and from Nairobi to Cape Town.  The purpose of the trip for me was to get to know the continent I had dreamed of seeing since I was a little five year old, looking at pictures from the dark continent (as Afeica was once called).  I did not want to be staying in hotels away from the nature; I wanted pure exposure to the elements.

Prior to arriving in North Africa, the trip took us through an enchanting part of the world, the Middle East.  Ten days prior to the departure date two planes flew into the World Trade Centre, changing the world as we knew it.  My plan of going to the Middle East certainly concerned my family a great deal, but I was determined to go.  And so I did, along with an equally adventurous friend of mine!

We passed through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordon, and Egypt.  My favourite city in this part of the world, is without a doubt Damascus.  Damascus is the city in which I felt utterly miserable health-wise but the one city that fascinated me the most.  It is a wonderful city.  Unlike other cities I had visited, the buildings and the narrow streets told a story of a great city; first sign of inhabitation can be dated back as far as 8-10.000 years.

But what I loved the most was the people, the Damascene.  Syrian people are the friendliest I have ever encountered.  Being an olive-skinned brunette I did not feel like an outsider wearing my shawl to cover my hair, a long skirt to cover my legs, and a long-sleeved shirt to cover my arms and middle section.  I remember a conversation I had with a store-owner in the market by the Umayyad Mosque where he asked me why I was not married.  I was not offended in any way, I understood that in their culture that is simply a tradition.  He even offered me tea, and I politely accepted.

But I was not invincible! This city is so remarkable that yours truly, suffering from a nasty case of diarrhea, walked around on a hot day, all covered up, until I had no choice but to go back to the campsite.  Imagine looking for toilet facilities every 15 minutes!  The diarrhea part was my fault, but it was worth it… The street vendors do after all make the best kebab!

The little extras

Posted by Eliza - 20/04/09 at 04:04:38 pm

As a user of Dohop’s search engine, you probably already know there are some fantastic deals to be found on flights anywhere in the world. The explosion of low cost carriers offering flights for as little as GBP 1 (USD 1.40) has generated a huge increase in global air traffic and made previously obscure destinations affordable.

But in an effort to make sure people only pay for what they use, are low cost carriers charging fees for “additional services” that, for the majority of passengers, are in fact just the basics of air travel? (Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary made headlines recently when he suggested creating a fee of GBP 1 (USD 1.40) for passengers to use the toilet on-board the aircraft.) A recent article highlights some of the items low cost carriers are charge for (this list is not exhaustive):

Easy Jet:

Hold luggage GBP 6 (USD 8.50) for up to 20kg

Excess weight charge for hold luggage GBP 36 (USD 50) for every extra 3 kg

Extra charges for booking with a credit card

bmibaby:

Checking in online GBP 3.99 (USD 5.60)

Credit card booking charge GBP 3.50 (USD 4.90) per passenger per flight

Ryanair

Checking in at airport GBP 4.75 (USD 6.70)

Hold luggage up to 15 kg GBP 9.50 (USD 13.30) for first bag (more for others), one-way

GBP 14 (USD 20) for every extra kilo of luggage

On-board sandwich GBP 5 (USD 7)

The lesson? It’s possible to find great fares to fly, but be aware of the small print ….

Award-winning (erm, award-nominated) travel blogs

Posted by Eliza - 14/04/09 at 10:04:13 am

The Bloggies are the web’s longest running blog awards. This year’s winners, selected by popular vote, were announced recently. One of the new categories was “Best Travel Weblog”. If you want to check out the goings-on of the travel world, look no further some of these sites:

Winner: Camels and Chocolate: These self-described “tales from a travel addict” are the entertaining ramblings of San Francisco-based writer, editor, and photographer Kristin Luna. Check out her great photos too.

Traveling Mamas: Those making trips with wee ones will want to check these travelling mamas, who share their tips and titbits on making family vacations the best ones of all (but they also cover grown-up trips too – everyone needs a break sometimes!) It’s heavily geared to the North American market, but lots of their advice is applicable worldwide.

Gridskipper: Witty and comprehensive (for the destinations it covers), Gridskipper, “the worldwide travel blog”, has great writers and great insider information.

Without Baggage: Check out this magazine-style blog, with essays on various trips taken by LA-based Hank Leukart, a freelance journalist. Good for backpackers and others who like to travel without baggage (or with limited baggage), all presented in a layout refreshingly like one of those old-fashioned paper publications we used to read before the web came along.

Travellious: Travellious, a “rebellious” travel site, advises its readers to ditch the guidebook and follow their instincts more. Written by three people, mostly based in the US, the site is also a good source for other travel-related links.

Press Release: Dohop.com launches a low-cost airline

Posted by David Gunnarsson - 01/04/09 at 02:04:49 pm

Reykjavik, April 1st, 2009 — Dohop, a leading flight search company, backed by the optimistic Icelandic government, today announced the launch of a new low cost airline, Dohop.com Airlines, to fly under-served routes all over the world. To celebrate this announcement, 1.000 flight tickets will be given away today April 1st on a first-come first-served basis at the website http://www.dohop.com/ .

Until today, Dohop’s business has been focused on providing a flight search engine to help travelers find cheap flight tickets and the most convenient connecting flights. Dohop searches over 600 airlines and now also offers hotel search that finds the best price for a given hotel room see http://www.dohop.com/hotels/ .

“We see this as the logical next step.” said Frosti Sigurjonsson, Dohop’s CEO. “The search business has allowed us to analyze important travel trends and identify routes that are in demand but not being served by any low cost airlines at present. With this knowledge, as well as access to Icelandic funds and with aircraft prices at record lows, we believe now is the time to expand our business model.”

Dohop.com Airlines has placed orders for ten new Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets with the option of ordering 50 more. The details of Dohop’s cooperation with Boeing will be released later, but a Boing spokesperson said that the company was obviously very pleased with this arrengement, and applauded Dohop’s initiative in trying times. Dohop’s vision is to provide passengers with low prices while traveling in the comfort of the latest aircraft technology.

Travel guides you’ll like

Posted by Eliza - 30/03/09 at 09:03:47 am

Popular British travel magazine Wanderlust recently announced the winners of its annual Travel Awards. Winners are decided based on readers’ responses and are awarded in categories like “Top TV programme” (Amazon, followed by Long Way Down and Tribe), “Top country” (Japan, followed by Namibia and New Zealand) and “Top rail journey” (Scotland’s West Highland line, followed by Cuzco-Puno / Lake Titicaca, Peru and Cuzco-Machu Picchu, Peru). Click here for the full list of winners.

Perhaps one of the most useful categories is “Top guidebook series”. In somewhat of an upset, the DK Eyewitness Travel series claimed top spot, ahead of last year’s winner Bradt and perennial favourites Lonely Planet.

You can learn all about these books and their top destinations by clicking on the websites, but in advance of that, here are a few subjective comments on the top ten, prepared by your helpful Dohop scribe.

1. DK Eyewitness Travel: Beautiful guides for beautiful people. Well, for any people really. The great thing about these guides are the “Top 10″ sections and the many stunning colour photographs. The downside: the photos on high quality paper make for a pretty hefty tome to lug around.
2. Lonely Planet: The granddaddy of budget travel guides. Been receiving a bad rep of late, and have even had to lay off a large number of the head office staff. However, they’re always comprehensive, and they cover almost every inch of the globe.
3. Bradt: A personal favourite, the Bradt guides cover less visited regions of the word. They have great guides to Benin, Belarus and Ethiopia, but you won’t be able to purchase one exclusively on Italy. Authors get good leeway to write in their own style, and these guides are heavier on the text than the photos. But for out of the way spots, they’re hard to beat.
4. Rough Guides: Similar to Lonely Planet, some prefer them to LP, some don’t. Good coverage of the globe as well, and comprehensive listings printed on lightweight paper, which don’t make them too cumbersome to carry around. Excellent maps.
5. Footprint: I can’t comment on Footprint, as have never used one of their guides, but I’ve heard good things.
6. Insight: Same goes for Insight, I’m afraid.
7. Time Out: Time Out guides are great for specific aspects of a city (e.g. dining in Paris). Written by resident locals, they have top notch information that “parachute” authors (those who just fly in and out to research a guide) just don’t have the time to find.
8. AA: Another guide with which I am unfamiliar.
9. Cadogan: And yet another. Perhaps I need to arrange a few more trips….
10. Blue Guides: A friend once recommend the Blue Guide to China because of its unmatched commentary on Chinese history and architecture. The Blue Guides are renowned for their extensive background knowledge of a region or country.

Personal Recommendation: Trailblazer guides didn’t make Wanderlust’s cut, but I have always been a fan of these books. Their guide to the Trans Siberian rail is the best on the market, and they have a very creative way with maps. They are especially strong on walking and overland guides.

Where to rest your head

Posted by Eliza - 13/03/09 at 11:03:12 am

Tired of accommodation options that offer those boring old “bed with en-suite, mini-bar and satellite television”? Looking for something you can really write home about? Check out some of the world’s wackier hotels….

Bottoms Up!

If you’ve always fancied a night cap before sleeping, you might enjoy staying at the new Hotel De Vrouwe van Stavoren in the Netherlands where you can spend the night in a 14,500 litre wine vat.

It’s a bird, it’s a ….

Cheeky marketing folks have dubbed it your chance to join the mile high club. Opened in December last year, the Jumbo hostel in Sweden provides you with the chance to sleep in a renovated jumbo jet.

Live like a monkey

If you’re not afraid of heights, we recommend the Parrot Nest Lodge in Belize where rooms are in thatched huts up in the trees – just like the parrots!

Throw away the key

The big plus about the The Jail in Mount Gambier, Australia is that it’s now a haven for law-abiding and fee paying guests. Hey, the rooms at this former prison now lock from the inside!

Woof woof

If you ever find yourself in Cottonwood, Idaho, USA, consider yourself lucky. This is, after all, the only chance you will have to sleep inside the world’s largest beagle. That’s right. This giant, 12-foot tall wooden structure can sleep a family of four and is known as the Dog Bark Park Inn.

Get booking now!

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