<i><font color=blue>"Here's hoping us peons"</font></i>

You're only a "peon" if you believe you are one. If you refer to yourself as one, then maybe you are one.

I think most experienced travelers have a snob side, even though many won't admit it. Most people, regardless of income, have strong opinions about what they do and don't like. If you offered chocolates from Pierre Hermé and Hershey's to everyone on this board, most Fodorites would choose Pierre Hermé. Being middle-class does not automatically mean you lack exquisite taste.

<i><font color=blue>"Both "reality" and "best" are subjective."</font></i>

That's true. But views of the Pantheon from the terraces at Albergo del Senato are a reality that everyone enjoys. I've never heard anybody say, "This view sucks."

<i><font color=blue>"So, you see yourself as a primadonna travel snob"</font></i>

You betcha! But I don't see my taste and style of travel as something for everyone. As for my online personality, well, you either love me or you hate me. I say what's on my mind and I enjoy watching all the insecure hypocrites preening and pretending. Humor is a valuable tool for travelers and this board delivers.

<i><font color=blue>"We don't all live in your world (and you are thanking your lucky stars for that, no doubt)."</font></i>

Less competition does leave a shorter line but you don't have to live in my world to love travel and offer great travel advice. The best travel tips often come from Coach class passengers who know how to save and spend wisely. First Class-ters tends to be a little stingy and selfish. Too many snobs like to keep their travel secrets secret. Generous people are always more fun. Fodor's offers some of the most generous travelers on the internet.

"But views of the Pantheon from the terraces at Albergo del Senato are a reality that everyone enjoys. I've never heard anybody say, 'This view sucks.' "

I sent your comment to my husband. He had questioned my mind when I insisted on booking us at the del Senato for our last night in Italy. It was expensive and not a good value at that time. Our reserved room had no view (but still: location, location, location and it WAS just one last night in Italy). To make matters worse, our room was not ready by six p.m. We had arrived at 3, had been promised it would be ready at 4 (no) and then at 5 (no). Luckily, we had been in the country for a week by that time, so we were totally out of our American efficiency mindset, could just go with the flow, and our family members kept saying to each other with dramatic sighs, "Well, I guess we're just going to have to taste test ANOTHER gelato place." When we came back at six (looking like gelato) the manager said, "No more gelato! I have upgraded you!

Whoa! Room faced the Pantheon with a terrace. As we sat sipping wine with our feet up on the railing, my husband said (totally tongue in cheek), "You know, the room isn't bad, but the view sure sucks."

I like TripAdvisor and use it a lot.

One thing you need to do is to click on the names of the reviewers to see how many reviews they've written. I once saw a hotel that had incredibly good reviews, but when I clicked on the reviewers' names, almost all of them were one-time reviewers--and this was the only review they'd written. Seems suspicious when a person becomes a member to review hotels, then reviews only that one hotel. So it pays to be careful.

Tripadvisor is one useful tool among many useful tools available to travellers. But you do have to look at both the positive and negative comments critically.

<blue>What I like best about the hotel reviews on Tripadvisor are the candid photos. A picture tells a thousand words.</blue>

<i>What I like best about the hotel reviews on Tripadvisor are the candid photos. A picture tells a thousand words.</i>

I agree that the traveler's photos are extremely useful. But a picture taken by a professional photographer is often worth only two words "No Way" LOL!

brotherleelove, I have read many of your posts and did not find them to have an agenda whereas pakanfau sounds like she/he has a big agenda. I found her/his posts to be those of a snob/know-it-all.

Keep posting as you seem like an intelligent person who is trying to be helpful. pakanfou needs lessons in kindness and humility.

I actually find TA to be useful but MORE for the comments then the "ratings" For example, we did a trip to Jamaica last year. The All Inclusive we wound up staying in did not get great ratings, but when I read the comments I realized that the reasons were the very things I was looking for (negative two beds instead of a king... it was me and my mother that works! Negative... kids Once again... works for us. Negatives... not romatic WELL LOL!) So the information is something you have to work through. You also have to realize that sometimes reviewers didn't seem to understand what or where they were going and take things with a grain of salt in those cases. (Complaints about seeing poverty in Jamica for example ????)

The other thing I watch for the same words over and over again. I once met a woman who told me about her "horrid" stay at a hotel in Orlando. The real problem was with USAir but she decided that it was the hotel's fault the the plane trip was a disaster.... The hotel in an attempt to help make her happy upgraded her, that didn't work because none of her friends were upgraded and so on. I found out that every quarter or so she posted a "new" review on TripAdvisor. I went and looked and could figure out which one's by the 'same issue' LOL!

I find the message boards fairly helpful too! Just like here there are folks who give good advice and those that.....