Oh...my...God...we're back!
Totally unplanned, we returned to Maine on the same day we left last year. 366 days on the road. 12 countries. 25 cities/towns. 28 different homes. That comes out to moving house every 13 days!
Imagine that. Every 13 days you have a different bed, stove, garbage/recycling, Internet provider, grocery store, bus stop, landlord, neighbors... Not to mention quite a few different languages.
I've been writing gargantuan posts lately. And I have to warn you, this one is no exception.
What follows is a pictorial summary of the 28 homes we stayed in and their cost, compared to our HK rent. It's not an economic comparison because HK was a long-term lease and these were vacation rentals. Also, when we had to rent a car or scooter, I added that in. With one exception, I chose all the places. Have to tell you...I rock. Our housing costs came in at 99% of what it would have cost us to stay in HK for the year.
Let's take a look...
San Telmo, Buenos Aires -- 87% of HK
Housing project for four families renovated into one luxury flat. Cave-like w/nice linens, wood floors. Crisp property manager with NYC cell #. If we had to go back to BA...we would rent from this guy.
Recoleta, Buenos Aires -- 104% of HK
This fridge door could be mounted on either side. ! Shabby furniture? Check? Noisy bedrooms? Check. Arrogant, LATE, and vindictive property manager who turned up in an old hoody? Check.
Hotel Legado Mitico, Salta -- 140% of HK
Ahh, the beautiful room with almost no furniture. Eventually, they found a table for E (I computed on the floor). Super nice staff. Glasses of Torrontés and nibbles in the late afternoon. Yum.
Villa Vicuña, Cafayate -- 105% of HK
Beautiful breakfasts on pressed linen every morning. Birdsong from the balcony. Stone threshold. Cowhide "rugs." Weak Internet. Light years better than BA. Gracious, but crafty staff.
Mendoza, Argentina -- 86% of HK
Beautiful house, strange experience. (Very nice) man rents private home, goes to sister's. Doesn't tell us we've rented a *portion* of house. Calls to ask why motion detectors are tripped!
Fast Internet, good kitchen, real art on walls, nice sheets, leafy, urbane neighborhood, funny doorman. A little far to metro, but otherwise great. One of our best VRBOs. Recommended.
Hi-tech hotel with unusable Internet. Happily, they upgraded us to 3 bedroom suite w/its own connection. Barely usable. Gorgeous interior. Scary taxis. Long walk to PF Chang's ;-)
Puerto Vallarta -- 125% of HK
Heroic VRBO owner, our favorite. We forgot a razor plug and he had his friend hand-deliver it to our house in SF. Amazing. Stunning views, totally central and spacious.
North Beach, San Francisco -- 128% of HK
Converted industrial space, good quality furnishings, cozy, blissfully quiet and clean. Nice lighting, real art, actually had an office, and...parking! Owner said I negotiated a really good price.
Phuket -- 132% of HK
Good location. Many sliding doors. Recommended to lock all of them, as laptop had been stolen off kitchen table. Rudimentary kitchen, abundant bugs, not so clean. Afraid of falling in pool!
Koh Samui -- 193% of HK
Loved the design, but man...you know what they say in real estate. Location, etc. In a deteriorating expat enclave behind a local slum. The Internet's not working and the interior's seen better days.
Chintakiri Resort, Koh Tao -- 103% of HK
I loved this, E didn't. Simple decor, jaw-dropping views (can you imagine waking up to this every day?). Came with a chest-thumping climb up a steep hill. Staff were on island time.
Frangipani Serviced Residences, Chiang Mai -- 32% of HK
Fantastic host, daily maid service, excellent location, fast Internet, 850 sq ft, for 1/3 our HK rent. Our long stretch at Frangipani offset a whole lot of high living elsewhere. Great value.
St. Kilda, Melbourne -- 130% of HK
Economic whiplash from Chiang Mai. Not clean (costs too much to hire someone good), daily charge for use of Internet device that doesn't work. Aging Ikea furniture. Excellent location.
CBD, Melbourne -- 117% of HK
Very central, near lots of restaurants, museums, running path. Elegant bathrooms, fun artwork (looked like chalkboard), more Ikea. No Internet and had to clean the flat ourselves. Good deal.
Wellington -- 95% of HK
Spacious, walkable, Internet worked...plus there were two desks. Thank you! A real kitchen. Tea and biscuits upon arrival. Rental company was easy peasy. E fascinated by wind shutters ;-)
Quest Napier, Napier -- 84% of HK
Wanted to punch the front desk guys. Misrepresented flat, charged credit card without permission. Internet broke. Pay parking in a town the size of a postage stamp? Stay in Havelock North.
Waiheke Island -- 209% of HK
The most expensive...and the best. Stunning views, out on a peninsula. Spacious, clean, with simple furnishings. Internet worked. An excellent wood stove. Beautifully maintained grounds.
Auckland -- 102% of HK
Spacious penthouse w/balconies in aging, not too clean business hotel. We made cooking show videos in kitchen ;-) Internet worked. Decent location. Same rental agents as Wellington. Good.
Honolulu -- 108% of HK
Elegant, thoughtfully-designed modern house. Stuffed with owners' personal stuff. Stunning views, 1.5 miles up a steep hill from anything. Hiking trail out the back, with homeless campers.
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong -- 83% of our original HK flat
Short-term housing in HK is insane. My plan was: max sq ft, tolerable furnishing, in a good location and tough it out. Near Times Sq., City Super, the race track (so I could run). Bumbling landlord.
San Sebastian -- 89% of HK
We were saving money while eating like pigs? Fast Internet, spacious, with a good oven, 2 blocks to the beach, 10 mins to old town. Noise like you wouldn't believe. I slept on the table!
Aix-en-Provence -- 124% of HK
Beautiful, but awkward. Quiet and light, fast Internet, good location, ok parking. White countertops, miniscule showers, toilet in center of it all, strange vibe from owner. Nocturnal 'roaches.
Paris -- 74% of HK
Fast Internet, 2 blocks from metro, near farmers' market, many good bakeries. Plus, it was reasonably spacious. Nice owner. Sinister house manager. Bed was breaking. Still, a steal!
Cannes -- 124% of HK
Cozy, homey, clean and quiet. In a nice building, one block from good markets and bakeries. Walking distance to train, no need for car. Owner was persnickety, but so are we! I'd go back.
Menaggio -- 173% of HK
The million dollar view that cost a million dollars! If this house were 100 meters down the hill, we wouldn't have had to rent a car. Loved, loved, loved the kitchen. Inside, my desk was a chair.
Munich -- 85% of HK
Really? 160 sq. meters in the heart of Schwabing, for so little? Close to cozy restaurants, the English Garden, U3 and U6 metro lines? Wow, what's the catch? A bizarre owner, crazy shabby.
To sum it all up...
Most expensive:
- Waiheke Island, 209%
- Koh Samui, 193%
- Menaggio, 173%
Least expensive:
- Chiang Mai, 32%
- Paris, 74%
- Santiago, 81%
Which were our favorites? Waiheke Island, but beyond that, it's hard to say. I loved the Paris place for being so cheap. I loved Santiago for being so complete. And maybe Wellington and Cannes did the best job all around.
So, whaddya say...France, New Zealand, and Chile?
