Solareclipse

Hi all,

I am soon to be heading off travelling on my own on a whim and at the moment I have no idea where!

Does anyone know of any other websites that provide honest reviews of hotels all over the world as I will be booking them along the way and don't want to end up at risk, just want to have a second source for peace of mind. Obviously other than here and the usuals like trip advisor.

Thanks!

SeaUrchin

why not here and trip advisor? At least from Fodors Travel Talk you have real people telling their real experiences, as far as we know, lol.

Why don't you narrow your choices down and then ask here? And why ask here for opinions on opinions if you don't like this place for opinions?

suze

Here on Fodor's forum and Trip Advisor (both their forum & the hotel review section) are the two I use most and feel I get plenty of info to make an informed decision. I also once got a good specific hotel recommendation from a poster on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree.

both Thorn Tree and TA have a feature where you can email/correspond privately with posters & I have both helped others and received good advice that way also.

suze

Solareclipse, I think the decision about WHERE you want to go it much more important than choosing a hotel.
buena suerte, Suze

toedtoes

It sounds like you're planning on doing a "road trip" style vacation - visiting several unknown destinations along the way.

I would do searches on Fodors in the destination forums and find recommended hotels in various places. Then write down the specifics (name, address, phone number, website). Then as you travel, use that list as your guideline.

Write down hotels for any location you MIGHT want to stay.

Be sure to have several for each location so if one's booked you won't be standing there clueless.

To me, this would be easier than trying to sort through reviews at 6 p.m. the night you're looking for a room.

suze

Even traveling on the fly, some people use email to make a hotel reservation in their next city, before arriving.

toedtoes

But do they want to spend their trip continuously checking out reviews of hotels?

If you don't do the research ahead of time, then you have to spend time identifying a decent hotel and emailing to get a room. If they're sold out, you have to do the research all over.

If you do the research ahead of time, then you email the first hotel on your list. If they are sold out, you email the next on the list.

Even if I didn't want to pre-arrange my schedule, I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time identifying decent hotels during my trip.

suze

No, I'm agreeing with you Toed. To have a narrowed down list of favorites pre-trip. I'm just saying if you aren't sure your schedule and arrival date, the email a few days ahead can keep flexibility, yet avoid you wandering around a strange city suitcase in tow.

toedtoes

Oh OK. I misread your post.