We’ve already looked at the cheapest places we stayed on our round-the-world trip, so now let’s look at the reverse. In general, we didn’t actually stay anywhere that expensive when compared to fancy hotels, but in certain countries the budget accommodations are still pretty pricey. We think you might be surprised at where some of the most expensive were! The price shown is the total cost for the two of us.

10. Khmer Surin, Phnom Penh, Cambodia – $50.80/night

We stayed at this boutique guesthouse on the recommendation of a friend who stays here when in Phnom Penh working for an NGO. It is definitely out of our normal price range, but it was nice to get to stay in the same place as him and experience a little luxury. The included breakfast was great as well! Spoiler alert: this is the only actual hotel on the entire list, and the only place in Asia.

9. Airbnb Flat, Český Krumlov, Czech Republic – $57.50/night

We shared a cozy space with Eric’s parents for two nights in this charming town. It was a little small, but the location within walking distance of the castle was superb.

8. Halali Campground, Etosha National Park, Namibia – $57.66/night

What?! A campground?! Surprisingly, this is not the only campsite on the list… the ones in Botswana were even more expensive.

The campsite itself was a little sparse, but the amenities: lodge with restaurant, watering hole, and hot showers were all nice.

7. Airbnb Studio Apartment, Nafplio, Greece – $58.60

Renting our own space was more expensive than staying in a guesthouse, but food in Greece was relatively expensive, so we wanted our own kitchen to cook our meals. We found this nice space just outside the tourist area of Nafplio and ending up eating in every night.

6. Room in Townhouse on Airbnb, Dublin, Ireland – $61.67

Dublin really had no good cheap lodging options. Most of the hostels were booked, so we decided to try Airbnb again. We ended up having to settle for just getting a room in someone’s home (versus having the place to ourselves like on our other stays). Our host was kind and accommodating, but we decided we still preferred having our own space.

5. Apartment from HomeAway, Athens, Greece – $62.40/night

We met up with Della’s parents and sister for a few days of sightseeing in Athens. Finding a place for 5 proved to be a bit of a challenge, but we eventually found a fancy two-bedroom place on HomeAway (which is basically the same as Airbnb). Whereas some places felt like they were designed for rentals, in this case we were clearly living in the place that was the primary residence for the elderly owner: the decorations and fixtures seemed to match her personal tastes.

4. Third Bridge Campground, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana – $79.05/night

We had heard that the campgrounds in Botswana were expensive, and the reputation turned out to be true. Granted, the facilities were nice, with hot water showers and flush toilets, but it still seems pretty outrageous.

This campground had a nice location in the middle of the park. We were a little annoyed that the management company messed up our reservation and we ended up having to share a site with another group on our first night. Luckily, they turned out to be very nice people who gave us a lot of great advice which we followed various times throughout the rest of the trip!

3. Khumaga Campsite, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana – $101.37/night

That’s right, a campsite here cost just by itself cost more than our daily trip budget. Still, if we wanted to do our self-drive safari and stay in the best parks, we didn’t have many other options. We have mixed memories of this park: it was in a pretty setting, but we struggled with our first introduction to driving our 4×4 truck on sandy roads.

1 (tie). Khwai Campsite, Moremi Game Reserve and Savuti Camp, Chobe National Park, Botswana – $101.90/night

Not to beat a dead horse, but who would have guessed that the most expensive place we stayed around the world wouldn’t have a roof?

Both of these campgrounds were pretty nice, although the Savuti site was mostly sand, and we did have our encounter with a hyena at Khwai.

 

We are pretty surprised that the expensive places were almost all Airbnbs and campgrounds, but we had good reasons for choosing to pay the amounts we did in each situation. Airbnbs provide savings by allowing you to self cater, and there just aren’t many alternatives for most campgrounds inside the parks. Luckily having to pay as much as we did at these places turned out to be an exception and not a rule!