Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Manyoftheultralow-budgetaccommodationsinthistownareusedforprostitution,which
is rampant in this sweltering coastal town, so backpackers beware. For Caribbean atmo-
sphere and antique charm, you can't beat the 100-year-old
Hotel del Norte
(7a Calle
and 1a Avenida, tel. 7948-2116, $20-33 d). Its quaint, crooked wooden floors evoke an-
other time and have a certain dilapidated charm. Rooms in the original building cost $20
d and have cold water, fan, and fluorescent lighting. Newer rooms in a separate build-
ing cost $33 d and have hot water, ceiling fan, warmer tungsten lighting, air-conditioning,
and hot water. The restaurant, housed in a pleasant open-air thatched-roof building over-
looking the hotel pool and sea, serves seafood, grilled meats, pasta, and other international
dishes for $5-10. Just 1.5 blocks from the municipal docks,
Hotel Europa 2
(3a Aven-
ida and 12 Calle, tel. 7948-1292, $13 d) is friendly and family run with clean rooms with
bathroom around a parking lot/courtyard. Next door is the friendly and family-run
Hotel
Miami
(tel. 7948-0537, $12-20 d), containing clean rooms with or without air-condition-
ing. Another budget option is
Hotel La Caribeña
(4a Avenida between 10 and 11 Calles,
tel. 7948-0384, $11-20 d), with bare-bones but clean rooms with bathroom and fan and/or
air-conditioning.
