Grand Shaqilla Syariah by Cocotel

With just 4% phone battery and only a vague idea where the next bus station was, we took a chance on this hotel in Sumatra. It ended up being the best place we’d stayed in the whole last month, and very affordable: 250,000 for the basic double room, their cheapest option, or 270,000 for a twin. It was clean, had hot water, AC, a TV if you want one, and breakfast was included. The man at the front desk was lovely, spoke great English, and helped us a lot. There’s also a large, well-kept indoor courtyard, though it was dark and pouring while we were there. The beds were comfortable, although one mattress was still in its plastic cover and made some noise at night. We just couldn’t stay longer because of the early bus.