When I was backpacking, one of my favorite things to do was to find some sort of location that wasn't massively on the tourist trail and the find some beach bungalows that can be acquired for normally under $20 a night. These tend to be very basic, and almost always only with fan.
They will usually only have cold water showers, and a lot of the time the bungalows aren't even completely sealed off from the outside world. However, they offer an experience like no other, and it is difficult to explain exactly what it is that makes them so amazing.
This is pretty typical of what one can expect for a low price and normally they are all relatively the same. Just a basic room with a toilet out the back and a deck on the front. They are lined up in a row all kind of facing the beach, and in a short walk down a sandy walkway you will find yourself at the beachfront restaurant and bar and of course, right on the ocean.
There isn't really a whole lot to NOT love about this if you enjoy peace and quiet as well as appreciate a good value.
There is never anything particularly fancy about these places, but that isn't the point: The point is to have a quiet location with access to something that would normally cost an arm and a leg. This particular location was on an island off the coast of Thailand but I have been in similar places in Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and a number of Central American countries. They never deviate very much from the price of around $20 for some reason.
I suppose it could seem a little bit boring to some people doing the same thing every day for a week, but that is exactly what I appreciated about it. I think that just lounging around, reading books, having a few beers (or a lot of them) is exactly what people come to these areas for.
Oh and of course there is always this too.
Does that seem like it is worth $20 to you? It does to me. I have stayed at super fancy resorts in the past, and I think I actually prefer these cheaper places. It just seems so much more authentic.
The only downsides of these places is that they generally are not very secure. Any of these bungalows can easily be broken into and the locks on the windows and doors are something that a child could get around. I have heard many stories of things being stolen from bungalows so it is very important to take advantage of the safes that the front desk normally will have available. Also, bugs and lizards kind of come and go as they please in these kinds of places, so if that sort of thing gives you the willies, this might not be the right kind of place to stay for you. If you want to stay in the jungle, you have to accept that the jungle is going to be there as well.