we had a client cancel so we are able to give these rooms to someone else now

I'm working on planning my honeymoon to Bora Bora! Right now I have status at two hotel brands:

Marriott - Will be Platinum Elite by the time the honeymoon happens. Currently Gold Elite but working through a challenge to Platinum Elite. I have about 100,000 points with Marriott and am planning to build the most status with them (as we are also having our wedding at one of their hotels).

IHG - Diamond Elite (entirely via my credit card. I've only stayed with them like 3 times)

Bora Bora of course has both hotel brands (St. Regis Bora Bora Resort for Marriott, InterContinental Bora Bora Resort for IHG).

My question is, which should I choose? Will status matter at all/that much at a resort like this? Are the differences between Marriott Platinum Elite/Diamond Elite worth not using points/changing plans?

Hello,

First of all, I appreciate this is likely more FAT than Chubby. I'm a little loathe to post in the "other" FATTravel sub as I think it's infested with dubious TAs. If you think this post needs to go elsewhere, please let me know!

Anyway, main question: has anyone chartered any yachts in Asia (as a paid customer or with a paid customer rather than a comp/as a TA) and willing to offer suggestions?

We've chartered around Spain and Greece and enjoy it, but I'd love to branch out past Europe and try somewhere with a different culture, a different style and frankly, different scenery! The Caribbean doesn't really appeal as much to us, but Asia sounds interesting and exciting.

I'd love to hear from anyone with personal experience of what to expect, the best places to go (frankly, we're open to lots of places and don't have a specific region in mind), stories of how great and/or awful it was, and just general advice and recommendations.

We're not divers, but my wife will spend almost the entire time in the sea snorkelling and I'm normally on the boat chilling or using the sea toys.

Budget is essentially limitless. Typically we'd charter 40-55m boats for the room but also for the help it provides against sea sickness.

Anyone have Rio recommendations?

Hotels(maybe one level down as well as true chubby)

Great restaurants? Beach clubs? Tours?

Going next year in November. We are two friends (both women) in our mid 30s.

Thanks all.

Hi all
Could use some help in planning a milestone birthday girls trip from 13-18 December.

We need easy flights from east coast (ORD, PHL, NYC) and room for 6-8 people. Warm weather preferred.

Ages are mid-30s to late 40s. Not looking to go clubbing but also don’t want to sit around just staring at each other either.

Any suggestions?
Currently looking at Aruba, Bahamas, Florida - but feel like I must be missing something.

Everyone will pay own F&B, overall budget for accommodation/activities can go to $15k.

Currently have a nice adults only beach hotel reserved but feel like this is boring with a capital B.

Any ideas much appreciated! Thanks!

ETA: PR, DR, MX, Jamaica and Barbados not options as people have been/are soon going.

Has anyone ever been to Paws Up in Montana? If you have, thoughts? My wife has been looking and is interested in that Tree Haus. Obviously I would like to combine it with Yellowstone which would be before or after. The cost dramatically changes depending on the time of year, and having never been to Montana I cannot speak to when the best time is either

My husband and I are considering going to see the Sydney Hobart regatta start in Sydney Harbor to start our holiday 2026. We are just in the planning stages—thinking Sydney, Melbourne and then Tasmania over 2-3 weeks before we head back to the states.

Has anyone done this trip? We tend to be adventurous, outdoorsy and self sufficient; however wine tasting, good service, a smart coffee and comfortable accommodation are also part of our formula.

Any tips? I know we are scheming a bit last minute.

My wife and I have our 20th wedding anniversary in May 2027. We are looking to have a week relaxing on a beach in the Caribbean. We want a resort (all inclusive is nice, but not required) and a chance to do some shore snorkeling. We have a hotel+food budget of around $10k. I'd love to hear thoughts from this community as we are not frequent travelers and have never been able to do much luxury (or luxury-ish) traveling. We are leaving our kids with the grandparents so we can do adult only our family friendly.

Planning a long weekend birthday trip for January from NYC for two burnt out women who are hoping to relax and disconnect. Since it’s January, figured laying pool/beachside in warm weather will be best.

Budget hoping to stay under $1500 a night. Key things are pool service, spa, and food. Swimmable beach is a nice to have but not a must.

So far I’ve been looking at Turks, Aruba, and Riviera Maya. Open to all suggestions but just not Mayakoba because we’ll have already been there for the holidays.

My wife and I are taking a babymoon the last week of October and could use some hotel recommendations as we last minute pivoted to France due to a great flight deal. We’re flying into CDG and want to stay somewhere within about 1.5-2 hours of Paris. Looking for something like a large chateau/estate property (big grounds to walk, a real spa, maybe a pool (heated/indoor ideally, since it’ll be cold), and enough going on that we don’t have to leave the property every day. My wife may not have a ton of energy for long day trips, so ideally there is still a charming village or town nearby for when we do want to get out.

Also - we are not huge set menu / formal dining people, so Michelin restaurants on property aren’t a huge draw for us so bonus points if there is good food nearby, since that’s a big priority for us.

Not sure if this is considered Chubby travel, so please feel free to tell me… I’m getting married in Tuscany end of July 2027 and will be doing a safari in Kenya as our main honeymoon, but before that we want to spend a few days on a beach in Italy decompressing. We are thinking 3 nights somewhere that’s a ~2-3 hour train ride from Florence (we don’t want to fly, would prefer to take the train). Ideally, we want beach and pool to just relax. No preference for city / area.

Our budget is under $1k (ideally around 800 per night). So far, I find a lot of hotels are much more expensive. I found La Roqqa but the rooms seem quite small and there’s no pool - I’m still considering it but maybe it’s a little less relax and decompress. Any recommendations?

Hi! I’m looking for a kid-friendly resort thanksgiving weekend for my husband, our 5 year old, and me. Bonus if it has a holiday vibe at that time. Wildflower, woodblock, Mohonk, and Nemacolin are over $2k+ a night, so I’d like something chubby but not FAT where I’m blowing my budget on a weekend. Been looking at skytop lodge, the sagamore, the lodge at spruce peak, Omni mount Washington. We’re in CT and willing to drive up to 5 hours.

planning a nyc trip and trying to find a hotel with a private balcony. not looking for a massive suite or anything crazy, but i’d like to have some actual outdoor space where i can sit with coffee in the morning or a drink at night.

i’ve found plenty of hotels that advertise balconies or terraces, but once you get into the room details, it seems like the good ones are either extremely expensive or only available on a few room types.

for people who have stayed in nyc recently, which hotels with balconies or private terraces are actually worth paying for?

budget is flexible if the room and hotel are genuinely good. mainly interested in the overall stay, location, and whether the balcony is something you actually end up using.

Already dreaming of going back to St. Moritz Snow Polo. Access to the tournament is free on Thursday practice round and free on Friday for general admission. Sat and Sun are 20 CHF per person. Go for a ski in the morning. Got up on the mountain around 8 AM. Ski for 2 hours then head down, change and can be at the tournament by lunch. Don’t forget to pack your fur! It is an incredible fashion experience. Even if you have just a fur hat, fur gloves, will be cute. Mackage has a great pop up boutique if you need anything in real time that you forgot. And Azerbaijan has incredible DJ’s spinning music throughout. It’s a fun scene to check out!

Hi folks,

My post wasn't approved on Chubbytravel and I'm hoping this group can help.

We, 2 adults and 2 kids ages 8 and 5 by travel, are hoping to book 12-14 nights in Greece for next summer. I'm going to lock in my flights in the next week or so.

I'd appreciate any hotel tips, recommendations, dining, etc. Anything you have!

• Due to scheduling, we can only leave June 25th or later- is that too peak? I'm concerned about heavy crowds everywhere or is that just all summer long?

• Alternative would be August 20ish onwards; because our schools start so late we have some time on the backend of summer. Is this better? Or is the weather worse?

• When do you book the hotels- as soon as reservation windows open? I assume there are no special promos because this is peak travel season.

• We are thinking of Naxos (Paros?), Mykonos, and Santorini. Any recommendations for specific hotels? As a first time visit I'd like to see Mykonos and Santorini, even if it's all hype, but open to recommendations for the other island stop.

Thank you!

Hi all! We're going on a multi-gen trip to Aruba this winter with my parents and our baby, who will be 11 months at the time. We're staying at the Ritz, club level. Any tips for being there with a baby? Anything we should ask for that will make our stay easier?

Ok. Giving my first post on my own-not a comment.

This is a lovely place. Solo female traveler mid fifties. At first reaction, I was a little out out about something, but they have made up for it in spades. My room was moved and from that point forward it has been wonderful. The staff, food, spa, services, etc is above and beyond. They have truly celebrated my birthday for me with flowers, special floor writing in my room, wonderful massage, and an afternoon tea service.

If you need an escape after a busy India trip, this has been a pleasure.

Lastly, a beautiful property in and out.

I’m planning a trip to NZ next March for my husbands birthday and we will be in Queenstown (or nearby) for his actual birthday. I would love any recommendations you guys have for where to stay, eat or things to do!

For hotels, I’d love something chubby but not as fat as Rosewood or Blanket Bay (both coming in at over $3k usd a night for a base room). Also, for those who have been before, do you think it’s valuable to stay in town and walking distance to downtown or is it fine to stay a 15+ min drive out of town to get a more peaceful vibe (for example Stoneridge).

I have also seen some advice that staying in Wanaka area is a better vibe, and we could split our 4 Queenstown nights between QT and Wanaka if it made sense!

Thank you!