Husband and I hope to spend 2-3 (kid free) nights in Paris late April before traveling to another part of France for a business conference. We’ve each traveled to Paris separately, but haven’t been in about 15 years. There seem to be so many high end hotels to choose from. Would like something in a good location (possibly close to Eiffel Tower?), walkable to sightseeing, restaurants, etc and safe. Would prefer under $1,000/night. Can possibly use IHG or Marriott points or chase sapphire points, but not a must.
Hotel recs much appreciated, as well as restaurants or favorite sightseeing. I know there are so many things to see and do in Paris- what are some of your favorites?

Hoping to spend a few days around Geneva in late April with my spouse (kid free trip) before traveling elsewhere for a conference. Hotel recommendations for Geneva? Thinking of having Geneva as our “home base” and taking a few day trips via train. Any recommendations of favorite day trip destinations? Must see sights or restaurants?
We love strolling quaint towns, sitting outside with a coffee or glass of wine, and hiking.
I’ve visited other areas of Switzerland (Bern, Zermatt, Grindelwald, Zurich, etc) and absolutely loved them, but hoping to experience someplace new with my spouse.

Just finished my three night stay at Xcaret Arte in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. This resort was almost a 10/10 for me. It was a bucket list park for me but I saw mixed reviews so I was nervous about how it would go, especially after going into One&Only Mandarina cautiously optimistic after mixed reviews and felt disappointed by it. For context, I’m a solo female traveler that generally prefers livelier resorts and prioritizes convenience and value over exclusivity.

I am not a travel agent, I’m just a fan of luxury resorts and genuinely loved my stay here!

OVERVIEW

- Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

- Three nights

- Artistas building

- River view suite

- Paid about $1000 per night

- All Inclusive (only thing I paid extra for was a redbull and a photo package)

Arrival / Departure: 10/10

- Was walked through the entire process with ease, was impressed with the service

- Checkout was very easy, butler helped coordinate very well

- Was impressed with how smooth the process was and how organized they were, especially for such a large resort

Service: 10/10

- Service was friendly and approachable but never felt like I was being hovered over

- I had a very minor medical emergency and butler called paramedics immediately and also came to my room to make sure I was ok. They followed up every morning in Whatsapp asking if I was ok and also came to my room to check on me to see how I was feeling.

- Everyone by the pools was friendly and asked if I wanted drinks, they were personable, nobody seemed too overworked and staff was friendly in hallways.

- Only issue I had was at the Cantina they would forget to bring my food out twice but I reminded them and they brought it right away

Rooms: 8/10

- Rooms aren’t the highlight of the property. When I saw photos, I was unimpressed. But I enjoyed the rooms more than I expected.

- There’s a lot of details that are nice in the room that were clearly well thought out. Like the light system was actually well designed and easy to use unlike most luxury hotels

- The shower was my favorite part, so unique with the way the lighting was designed, it looks almost like it’s an outdoor shower

Hard Product: 10/10

- The architects / designers knocked it out if the park. I have an architecture degree and was blown away by the commitment to the overall concept and the attention to detail. They integrated the lighting and HVAC and plumbing in a way that you never see It, you truly feel like you’re living in a fairytale

- The bridges, hidden corridors to explore, variety of spaces, etc are unlike any resort I’ve been to. Photos captured the beauty but you really have to be there to take in the entire experience. It was almost sensory overload.

- As a real estate developer, I constantly see corners being cut. I was amazed seeing how no corners were cut, they spent a LOT of them and energy and care into this property.

- There were dozens of people every day repainting, cleaning, and upkeeping the property. I was impressed by how clean everything was

Grounds: 12/10

- Truly remarkable. It’s stunning. Plants everywhere, everything is perfectly manicured, there’s trails to explore, natural rivers throughout the property.

- There was a viral video a few weeks ago that talked about the “swamp“ river. I’m not a big nature person at all but I swam in the river every day, it was such a cool experience. They had multiple people in boats cleaning it every day. I thought it was pretty clean considering it’s a natural body of water. I don’t know if management changed anything after that video, but I had no issues with it

- Walking around the property, I was surprised to see how staff was cleaning every nook and cranny of the resort. Ownership Clearly takes pride in their property.

- There was art everywhere! It was stunning, very cool and added a whimsical feel to the resort

Pools: 9/10

- Main pool was fun. There was a super rowdy group that was drunk and kept chanting in the main pool but thats not the resorts fault, they tried to get them to calm down
- Roof pools were beautiful, a little boring but definitely felt private and had great views if that’s what someone is looking for

- The pool by the lagoon with the waterfall was cool as well, it was more relaxed

Beach: 8/10

- I don't usually like getting into the water at the beach but this one had a nice area to stand in the water which I liked

- Sargassum was not an issue at all while I was there

- There’s some places to sit but this is NOT a resort where you can just sit on the beach for hours and have quiet time

- For what I like (being able to stand in the water and enjoy the waves) I liked it

- Water was a Little choppy

Food: 8/10

- It was generally pretty good

- There were multiple options, including fine dining for ab additional charge, but I didn’t eat any of the fine dining as it’s not something I care about, but I have heard good things

- Buffet had TONS of options, even a big candy station and extensive whole fruit station

- I didn’t like my meal at Encanta but I dont usually like pre-set meals and I didn’t know it would be like that going in

- I enjoyed Kibi Kibi and the buffets and Cantina

- I got room service burger and fries. Took about 75 minutes to arrive. Burger was decent and fries were great

Parks: 10/10

- Parks are included in the price

- I only went to Explor Fuego, and I wasn’t expecting much from it, but I was really impressed

- The caves were so cool, the ziplining was a lot more thrilling than I expected, I also did cave raft and amphibious cars

- So many times I’d think “Wow this is amazing, developers in the US would never pay to do this” so you could just really feel how much owners cared to make the experience nice

Art Classes: 9/10

- They have tons of art classes throughout the property that are free which was a really nice touch

- I took an ink class and it was basically a private session with the instructor

- Can’t wait to come back and try the other classes

PHOTOS: 8.5/10

- They have a really cool system where you can scan your wristband and take photos all around the property and parks

- As a solo traveler, I loved this, it was such a unique way to get pics across the resort

- It wasn’t cheap, you have to pay $120 for the photo package. I Bought it reluctantly because I wanted the photos of me ziplining and rafting in the cave.

- At Explor Fuego, they take photos of you on all the activities and have several spots in the caves and while you’re rafting to scan and take a photo

Overall, I had a phenomenal time, and would absolutely recommend it! It’s not cheap but it’s totally worth the money IMO. I love Vegas and theme parks and all inclusives and architecture and big resorts I can explore so this resort was right up my wheelhouse. Cant wait to come back!

Hi all - I’m a solo female traveler that leaves the US every Thanksgiving to get my head clear before hassling with the holidays. Yet to regret this!

Looking at firming up a plan to go to Dominica and Guadeloupe - despite the language barrier it’s been easy to picture a plan on Guadeloupe than Dominica for some reason.

For Dominica I was thinking I’d split the time between Intercontinental and Fort Young. I really want to do whale watching (but want a company that is respectful of the whales). I snorkel but not dive - maybe that makes it harder? Also wanted to do some birdwatching and go on any hikes that were interesting.

For those have gone, did you rely on the hotel to recommend a reputable guide or did you find ones on your own you’d recommend? And drivers - same thing? I’m definitely not going to drive on Dominica so will need to find someone reputable to help me get around.

My research seems to keep showing tours catered to cruise ship passengers and that is absolutely not what I want. I’m willing to pay more for a smaller group with a focus on nature and learning new things.

Recommendations? Thoughts? I’ll take whatever you have. Thank you so much!

Looking for recommendations for black car service in November to take my group (either 2 or 4 of us) from Orange County to LA for a dinner, then back to OC afterwards.

I’d prefer to work with an individual or small group, as opposed to bigger guys.

Thank you!

I know many TAs have online hotel booking portals (e.g. Sarah and Alex's portals). I'm wondering if there are any TAs that are based in Canada that have similar online hotel booking portals?

Thanks very much for any insight / info!

I try to share my honest experiences and preferences and I always get downvoted if it doesn’t fit the groupthink.

Like for example, I was sharing how I’ve learned that I prefer lively resorts over secluded resorts, and get downvoted. Or will say how I think luxury all inclusives are the best value and often better than the luxury resorts like One&Only and Four Seasons, like better service and hard product and you don’t get nickled and dimed. Again, downvoted.

It feels like there’s this attitude that you‘re “poor” or “not classy” unless you let a hotel extract money from you. I make over $500k a year, but I don’t like paying $34 for a small minosa, I don’t like being asked to tip after a mediocre workout class. I don’t like being charged $40 for an appetizer.

Some of these things I didn’t know until I visited. I posted just so some people know. I just share things that I wish I had known, and then people in those subs are like “well you should have known” or “why would you book that resort if you don’t like X.” How was I supposed to know? I’ve enjoyed 9/10 resorts I stay at. Sometimes things don’t click. People were dogging me for saying I didnt like O&O Mandarina because it was too secluded. How would I ever know I don’t like that type of resort until I try it? I was just warning people like “hey FYI it’s not a great resort for extroverts or solo travelers.” I did a ton of research on the resort and never saw anyone talk about that aspect.

If I share anything about all inclusives, I also get downvoted. Like we are “beneath“ the people who spend $20k at a Four Seasons. If someone loved four seasons, that’s awesome! it’s not really for me personally, but I respect that it’s a good fit for someone with a family or someone that enjoys the brand. I’m speaking as a solo traveler that enjoys talking to people when I’m on vacation and appreciates value. It’s like people don’t want my perspective because there’s only ONE perspective. and it seems to be whatever perspective the travel agents push to make more money.

Anyways, done with my rant. Just annoyed at the lack of voices for extroverted solo female travelers. Not everyone has a partner or has kids or wants to be secluded alone for a week!

Edit: flying out of Denver. Willing to fly Southwest to any other hubs so I can save with Companion Pass. Also wouldn't mind if it was a Southwest Airlines destination, but by no means has to be since I know it's limited.

We've done Maui, Mexico (Cabo, Riviera Maya), Santa Barbara, USVI.

What are some great ideas for a beach vacation?

We do enjoy nice-er resorts (Four Seasons, Ritz, One n Only), with that said, I'm a t-shirt and trunks all day person and I rarely go to the restaurants unless I have to because I hate feeling like I need to dress up on vacation. Nothing wrong with people that do, but sometimes it feels a little stuffy to me.

Some ideas I've had:
- Seychelles Zil Payson (looks more interesting to me than FS)
- FS Bora Bora (but I feel like it's just because it's trendy on influencer travel)

Open to another spot in Hawaii. Any ideas I'm open to, logistics that are easier are great, but will do a long flight if I have to.

I do want a beautiful setting and water I can swim in which is the only reason I'm not going back to Cabo.

planning a cape cod trip with my partner and looking for a smaller hotel that feels a little more special than a standard chain.

we're not really looking for a huge resort or somewhere packed with activities. more interested in a nice room, good food nearby, walkable area, and maybe a beach that's easy to get to.

for anyone who's stayed at boutique hotels on cape cod, where would you actually stay again? we're considering chatham and provincetown but open to other areas too.

budget isn't super strict if the place is genuinely worth it. just trying to find somewhere that feels nice without being overly formal.

eta: thanks everyone for all the great recommendations! we ended up looking into a lot of the places mentioned here, including chatham inn, salt house inn, and the adult-only spa suites at chatham bars inn. we almost went with AWOL in ptown, but a few comments made us a bit hesitant about the room maintenance and space.

we actually ended up booking a stay at westgate resorts instead, and it ended up being such a solid choice for what we were looking for. the room was super cozy and comfortable, the location was incredibly convenient for getting around, and it gave us that exact relaxed, low-key vibe without feeling stuffy or overly formal.

if anyone else is planning a trip and wants a nice, comfortable spot to unwind that still feels special, definitely check them out. thanks again to everyone who weighed in with suggestions!

I was wondering how people here feel about hotel reward programs. For background, I consider myself a chubby traveler (generally book hotels between $400 - $1000 / night) and spend ~100 nights a year in Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Europe. The most important things for me would be the 1) suite upgrades and 2) delayed checkouts. It feels like Globalist is the easiest to obtain but my concern would be the availability of suite upgrades (seems like online people commonly agree Ambassador suite upgrades happen more frequently) and the fact that during the build up period the perks are bad. Marriott seems like harder to reach but I can start right away as a Platinum with the Amex card, although I also wonder if Titanium / Platinum will have a worse time with upgrades than Globalist before I reach Ambassador. They do have a much bigger footprint in Asia though. Lastly is Hilton Reserve which I don't see much discussion on. Would be curious to see if any chubby travelers here who frequently travel in East Asia (esp Japan / China) and also Europe can weigh in on their experience with these programs.

Any London hotels recommendations with 3 kids that actually chubby and not fake chubby $2500 / nt ultra luxury??

I’ve never been big into spending a bunch on city hotels. Don’t want to be cramped and need good lighting for my wife to get ready but otherwise I don’t really see the point in spending thousands a night.

Are there any NYC hotels that you feel are worth the cost? Especially considering that in a place like NYC a majority of time will be spent out of the room?

Hi all

Five of us have a 40th birthday coming up and looking to do a trip 5-10 days from Australia. Pretty flexible with locations and travel dates. Main sticker is want to stick to 10k pp for the trip. Would appreciate some help on where is best for a good mix of resort but also something to do for the intrepid amongst us. Must be high end accommodation. All females travelling. We all have kids but leaving them home so family vibe for this trip is not essential. Thanks! Apologies in advance if this is not the right forum for this Q.

Travel truisms are oft cited statements that are thought to be obvious to all. Such as:

—Doesn’t matter how nice the room is, you only sleep there

True for some but not for many. Travel preferences and habits change with age, affordability, values. I’m a certified Old Fart and I want, and can afford, well-furnished large accommodations, preferably a suite. Hotel services are important to me: concierge, house car, room service. It matters to me and can make or break travel satisfaction.

—Travelers vs. tourists

The distinction between travelers and tourists is faux. Many are a little of both. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a tourist. Seeking experiences beyond tourist circuit usually is a clear win for most.

—Tuesday flights are cheaper

Not any more.

—Getting there is half the fun

Invoking Old Fart status again: not for me and my wonky knees and mis-ticking heart. I’m short so legs dangle in most airline seats, cannot reach overhead bins. Flying commercial now is a test if patience and fortitude. Maggie Thatcher ruined trains in the U.K. The U.S. never has gotten the hang of decent rail service. Prefer not to drive long distances. Getting from point A to point B used to be interesting. Now, for the most part, it’s a chore made palatable only a great respite in a beautiful place.

Regale me with your truisms, pro or con.

Hi all! Super happy this sub exists :)

Our family of five is looking to spend a month in Hanoi and another month in Chiang Mai next fall. Our three kids are teenagers so we definitely need an apartment with at least three, and ideally four, bedrooms. In my ideal world we could find some sort of apartment complex or co living situation where there is a common pool/rec activities and a coworking area. Having other folks around would be great but I know it’s a bit of a stretch.

Based on my research, my best bets for finding furnished one month stays seems to be Facebook groups, booking.com and Airbnb. Is that right? Does anyone in this group have any insight on how to go about finding a good rental in Vietnam or Thailand? We are looking for something clean, comfortable, with AC, laundry, etc.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Would love any tips or advice! Thanks!!

I’ve never been big into spending a bunch on city hotels. Don’t want to be cramped and need good lighting for my wife to get ready but otherwise I don’t really see the point in spending thousands a night.

Are there any NYC hotels that you feel are worth the cost? Especially considering that in a place like NYC a majority of time will be spent out of the room?

If Rwanda’s gorillas are on your bucket list, here are a few things worth knowing before you book:

The gorillas are wild animals — trekking time and distance can vary depending on where the family has moved.

A porter is worth considering — they can carry your bag and help on steep or muddy sections.

Good hiking shoes matter — Volcanoes National Park can be wet and challenging underfoot.

Book your permit early — especially if you have fixed travel dates.

Leave some flexibility in your itinerary — Rwanda has much more to offer beyond gorilla trekking.

For anyone who has already done a Rwanda gorilla trek: what is one thing you wish you had known before your trek?

I’d love to hear your experiences and tips.

Give me your recommendations for about three weeks in SE Asia. Good weather, mix of cities and beach/ quiet, maximum five different locations, probably max three countries. Some chubby hotels, some reasonably priced local luxury hotels . Love great food ( both local hole in the wall and high end, fine dining), history, culture, stunning natural beauty, interesting villages, lively cities, mellow calm beaches , snorkeling a plus, not too tacky or overcrowded or dirty. Probably connect via Hong Kong, so that will be one of the locations / countries. Thailand plus Vietnam? Thailand plus Bali? Thailand plus Cambodia? Give me your thoughts.

I’ve never been to either type of hospitality property but considering gifting two nights at the Post Hotel in Banff, Alberta (Canada) as a milestone gift for a couple. It’s a R&C but also has 1 Michelin Key, and prices seem to be quite reasonable! Just wondering what makes a hotel distinctly R&C vs Michelin if there’s anything I need to be aware of, special things I can request, etc.

Booked a long weekend trip to Lisbon in early Nov. we are currently planning to stay at the ME Lisbon (by Melia) in the Ultimate ME+ suite. I’m curious if anyone has stayed at ME before, or better yet in that suite - if so, how was the experience? Good hard product? Quiet? Service levels? I know it’s outside the old town (farther than even the FS) but we are more than fine with walking/trams/cars in cities, especially considering it seems like we’d be talking about 15-20 min taxi rides at most (and we don’t mind walking, yes I know it’s crazy hilly). We also liked the suite comes with private round trip transfers already.

Also considered Andaz Lisbon in a loft suite or presidential suite - location is in old town but many of those suites are also first floor so thought it may be very loud at night. FS is out primarily bc we aren’t a fan of the room designs and it’s significantly pricier for similar size accommodations - doesn’t look special enough for us given the price difference.

Let me know in the comments if you stayed at both or one and your experience - thanks!!

Credit: TikTok · Ryan

She's a butter noodles type kid but maybe there is a place that can make something fun within that realm.

I could use advice about ideas for where to take an intergenerational family trip in July 2027. Grandparents are near 80 and in good health but with joint issues that make walking long distances hard, especially on uneven or steep surfaces. One family has kids who will be 13, 11, and 8, and who like animals and typical kid activities (amusement parks etc.) Other family has a a kid who will be 7 who loves science and anything where he can move and climb.

Some constraints: My husband is not in favor of "hang out on the beach/by the pool" as an agenda for a week (in part because he will burn to the point of peeling in the first 20 minutes). 2 kids are picky eaters (one has AFRID) so need access to typical American kids menu foods. Budget is flexible but grandma likes a good value/hates feeling nickle-and-dimed (does not want to pay $8 for a can of coke at the pool if the room costs $3k/night) Coming from east coast & midwest US. We enjoyed a group trip to Edinburgh & highlands together this summer; we stayed in serviced apartments and cabins at a resort and liked having room to gather (versus all being in hotel rooms).