low cost hosting for elgg - share your experiences here

i've been reading through the offers and reviews and chat at www.lowendbox.com
and clearly there are many hosting offers (vps with root access) available that are waaayyy better value than the commonly used/known ones.

i have seen several that offer 2 or 4 times the RAM & CPU + SSD storage and just generally more of everything than my current host does.. and for less money!

my current host is not so great presently, so any recommendations are welcome.
ideally i would like a host that is not USA or UK based due to the excessively disgusting invasions of privacy enacted there.

any tips welcomed and sharings of experience with elgg on great hosts warmly appreciated.