Ode to the odd hotel

Not talking about the sinister hotels and motels - the ones where the drug deals go down, in the seedy parts of town, where rooms are rented by the hour and the sheets never get changed. No, I'm talking about the odd, personalized, owner-run places; sometimes serving breakfasts, always with strange quirks. Wallpapers from the last century; framed pictures of children's Scottish kilts; sheets and covers of various colors and cotton counts; owners of interesting backgrounds that somehow have ended up in these funny little backwaters all over the world. They transcend their cultural locations. When you check in, you spend a night inside the mind of their creators. Never dull. Always interesting. Next time you're in Puyuhuapi, Chile be sure and stay with Ursula Flack at her Hosteria Alemana - and by the same token, next time you're in Springbok, South Africa don't go to the Scottish Nights Guesthouse. Oh, and also don't forget to stay at the Espacio y Tiempo (translation: Space and Time) in La Junta, Chile.