The problem we have with online reviews of hotels, hostels, and other accommodation types is the same issue we have with many recommendation services - we don't know the person who gave the review. Aside from the cases of the always positive and always negative, it is hard to sort between listings containing both positive and negative reviews, especially for those who pursue budget travel. This is where bloggers come in to fill the void.In reading articles from a travel blogger, you not only come to understand the destination, but the viewpoints and travel styles of the authors themselves. Without knowing the person giving a recommendation, you can never be certain if a hotel, attraction, or city would be right for you. To help with this, we've compiled a list of every single hotel we've ever stayed at while traveling in the last few years, rated them, and commented on the pluses and minuses for each. In knowing us from reading our blog, you will have a better idea of our opinions when put into context to our own travel style to see if a hotel match is right for you.
As this feature expands, we hope to include other travel writers to have a more encompassing review system in place, for hundreds of hotels from around the world, from bloggers you know and trust to have a similar travel style to your own.
Rating System
For all accommodation reviews shown in the list below, the ratings will be illustrated on a one star (*) to five star (*****) scale. In order to have continuity in this feature, the following is the breakdown associated with each star rating:
* - Awful. Nothing good about the location. Avoid at all costs.
** - Pretty Bad. A few plus sides, but would not stay again.
*** - Acceptable. Would stay again but may consider other options to see what is out there.
**** - Pretty Good. Worth the money for the amenities, location, or other offerings.
***** - Exceptional. Above and Beyond what was expected.
Anything above three stars (***) is generally considered good. Four stars (****) corresponds to a place we'd recommend checking out and five stars (*****) is a place that we continue talking about to this day and highly encourage you to look into if the price is within your budget.
Hotel Review Directory
When applicable, the hotel names listed below will be linked to their full review. For now, the hotels are arranged by continent and subsequently arranged by date visited in each region. Please note that pricing has likely risen for most hotels proportional to how long ago they were visited and reviews are only applicable for these specific dates visit (although rare, some hotels do get better and others get worse!). If you are interested in any that are recommended, we encourage you to find other reviews closer to your travel date to ensure the positive rating is still valid if the original date of stay is more than a few months in the past. If you have any questions about any that are listed, feel free to comment and we'd be happy to respond!
To keep updated with this on-going feature in the future, check out the "Hotel Reviews" link on the drop-down menu above under the category "Plan a Trip."
Hotel Name - Location - Date - Cost/Night - # of Nights - Rating (*****) - Comments
Europe
Royal National Hotel - London, England - May 2008 - $55 / Tour - 3 - ** - No A/C, good location. Paid nights were discounted triple accommodation
Nieuw Slotania - Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - *** - Leaking shower
Wombat's Berlin - Berlin, Germany - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - ***** - Cheap bar, clean, top spot
Plus Prague - Prague, Czech Republic - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - **** - Large, great dining area and bar
Haus International - Munich, Germany - May 2008 - Tour - 1 - *** - Indifferent on provisions
Haus Schoneck - Hopfgarten, Austria - May 2008 - Tour - 1 - * - Much to be desired (Contiki Tour owned accommodation)
Camping Fusina - Venice, Italy - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - ** - Far away, cheap campsite
Seven Hills Village - Rome, Italy - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - * - Far away, poor facilities
Camping Panoramico - Florence, Italy - May 2008 - Tour - 1 - *** - Smallest cabins ever, perfect view of Florence
Camping Jungfrau - Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - **** - Okay rooms in chateau, quiet location, beautiful
Camping Du Tremblay Champigny - Paris, France - May 2008 - Tour - 2 - ** - Far away, poor facilities
Le Village - Paris, France - May 2008 - 24 Euro - 3 - **** - Great location, decent facilities
THC Bergantin Hotel - Madrid, Spain - 2012 - 58.5 Euro - 4 - Coming Soon
Hotel Amadeus - Seville, Spain - 2012 - 112 Euro - 3 - Coming Soon
Carmen de la Alcubilla del Caracol - Granada, Spain - 2012 - 140 Euro - 2 - Coming Soon
Solyk Guest House - Barcelona, Spain - 2012 - 55 Euro - 4 - Coming Soon
North America
Imperial Palace Hotel - Las Vegas, Nevada - October 2008/March 2011 - $49-$99 - 3 - *** - Perfect location, cheapest on strip
Sheraton City Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - July 2009 - ~$100 - 2 - **** - Great downtown location and views from upper floors, pricier hotel
Sheraton Centre - Toronto, Canada - October 2009 - ~$100 - 2 - **** - Great downtown location and views from upper floors, pricier hotel
Da House Hotel - San Juan, Puerto Rico - March 2010 - $80 - 2 - **** - Great rooms, bring ear plugs. 303 is good
HI Lake Louise Alpine Center - Lake Louise, Canada - May 2010 - $30 - 3 - ***** - Did not seem like a hostel, clean, great staff, and sauna!
YWCA Banff - Banff, Canada - May 2010 - $32 - 2 - *** - Rooms were noisy and dirty, but great location and price
Africa
Wake Up! Cairo - Cairo, Egypt - August 2009 - $17 - 1 - *** - Middle of Cairo, decent rooms
Santana Hotel - Cairo, Egypt - August 2009 - Tour - 3 - ** - Hard to find, ok facilities
Pyramisa Isis Corniche - Aswan, Egypt - August 2009 - Tour - 2 - ***** - Beautiful, on the Nile, great facilities
Felucca (generic sailboat) - The Nile, Egypt - August 2009 - Tour - 1 - **** - Bare bones, relaxing, facilities with provided support boat
Susanna Hotel - Luxor, Egypt - August 2009 - Tour - 2 - ***** - Beautiful, on the Nile, great facilities
Morgenland Saint Catherine - Saint Catherine, Egypt - August 2009 - Tour - 1 - ***** - Amazing pool, middle of nowhere
Elaria Resort - Nuweiba, Egypt - August 2009 - Tour - 1 - **** - Decent resort, beach needs work
Asia
Aquamarina III - Aqaba, Jordan - August 2009 - Tour - 1 *** - Great views from room, okay facilities
Al Zawaideh Desert Camp - Wadi Rum, Jordan - August 2009 - Tour - 1 - **** - A great experience, cot + tarp = room however. This is "camping"
Petra Diamond - Petra, Jordan - August 2009 - Tour - 2 - ** - Not a diamond, mediocre but ok location
Salome Hotel - Madaba, Jordan - August 2009 - Tour - 1 - *** - Good enough, central location a plus
Gardens Palace - Amman, Jordan - August 2009 - Tour - 0 - **** - Better rooms of all Jordan stops, sad I couldn't stay the night
Asakusa Smile - Tokyo, Japan - August 2010 - 2000 Yen - 4 - **** - Thin walls, good location, cheap cheap cheap
Nikko Tobu Park Lodge - Nikko, Japan - August 2010 - 2990 Yen - 3 - ***** - 8 beds, kitchen, bath, common area all included in room. Very nice
Zenkoji Kyoujin - Nagano, Japan - August 2010 - 4000 Yen - 2 - *** - Private room, 100 year old temple, nasty bug bites
Hostel Ann - Nagoya, Japan - August 2010 - 2500 Yen - 2 - **** - Not best location, nice room and great price
K's House Kyoto - Kyoto, Japan - August 2010 - 2500 Yen - 3 - **** - Large building, cheapest bar in Japan, noisy sometimes due to size
Hana Hostel - Hiroshima, Japan - September 2010 - 2500 Yen - 4 - *** - Small room, cramped shower. Free sake tasting on sundays
Akari Hostel - Nagasaki, Japan - September 2010 - 2500 Yen - 3 - *** - Decent Location, Nice Staff, Semi-See Through Shower Windows
Osaka Guest House Koma - Osaka, Japan - September 2010 - 2500 Yen - 5 - ** - Okay location, owner sleeps in dorm and hits snooze 8 times at 7am. Bugs too
The Phoenix - Shanghai, China - September 2010 - 100 CNY - 3 - * - Hard beds, semi-rude staff. Poor all around
9 Dragons Hostel - Beijing, China - September 2010 - 60 CNY - 5 - *** - Decent rooms, mosquitoes, only 1 shower per floor non en-suite rooms
Han Tang Inn - Xian, China - September 2010 - 40 CNY - 3 - **** - Great beds, central location, cheap cheap cheap, okay wifi
Mix Hostel - Chengdu, China - September 2010 - 40 CNY - 3 - *** - Poor wifi, very little networks (so many people on it), okay facilities
Guilin Backstreet - Guilin, China - September 2010 - 30/40 CNY - 2/1 - **** - Good room, good shower, faster wifi.
Monkey Jane's - Yangshuo, China - October 2010 - 80/100 CNY - 2/1 - ** /***** - Put in a dirty room first two nights, squat toilet and shower together. Helpful when missed bus and needed a room and sold out
Yiu Fai Guest House - Hong Kong - October 2010 - 250 HKD - 4 - ***** - A bit pricey, but great location, clean, and fast wifi. Raymond is the best
Augusters Lodge - Macao - October 2010 - $12.50 USD - 2 - **** - Hard to find but amazing location, free wifi, cheap! Kind of cheap accommodation but price wins
Hanoi Rendevous Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam - October 2010 - ~$7 USD - 4 - *****(*) - Best. Dorm. Ever. Feels like a resort, free wifi, free amazing breakfast. Great location!
Sapa Global Hotel - Sapa, Vietnam - October 2010 - Tour - 1 - ***** - Great private room, booked with a tour so unsure of the rate. Great shower especially after getting muddy while hiking.
Princess Hotel - Cat Ba Island, Vietnam - October 2010 - Tour - 1 - **** - Good private room, wifi only in lobby. Not bad for a tour inclusion.
Hong Thien - Hue, Vietnam - October 2010 - $12 USD - 2 - *** - Wifi in room, privates ($6 pp), decent quality
Nha Trung Hotel - Hoi An, Vietnam - October 2010 - $25 USD - 3 - **** - Good room, wifi, decent breakfast, but expensive for what you get
Viet Hai Hotel - Nha Trang, Vietnam - October 2010 - $7 USD - 3 - *** - Good enough, employee who works at night speaks little to no English, good location
Ly Loan - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - October 2010 - $16 USD - 2 - **** - Great location, tons of touts nearby however, amazing family
Bun Kao - Siem Reap, Cambodia - November 2010 - $3 USD - 4 - * - Okay facilities, staff tries to nickle and dime you for everything. Hostelworld description lies!
Lub D Siam Center - Bangkok, Thailand - November 2010 - 320 Baht - 3 - **** - Near perfect. AC setup in the room goes off under too many circumstances though
Mojito House - Chiang Mai, Thailand - November 2010 - 150 Baht - 5 - **** - Basic, very basic. Extremely basic. But great location, hot shower, wifi. Would go again
iBed - Koh Samui, Thailand - November 2010 - 500 Baht - 4 - ***** - Discount on bookings.com, resort quality. Amazing shower, bed, room, complex. By beach!
Ko Tao Backpacker House - Ko Tao, Thailand - November 2010 - 200-250 Baht - 5 - *** - Good and basic dorm. Discount on diving days. Okay wifi and great location
Haad Thian Resort - Koh Phangan, Thailand - November 2010 - 450 Baht - 4 - **** - Private bungalow, private beach, wifi in restaurant, quiet, discount in low season (4 nights for 3)
Heart Inn Hotel - Koh Lanta, Thailand - November 2010 - 720 Baht - 3 - **** - Great room, semi-luxurious, Good wifi, TV. A bit pricey.
Billa Beach - Koh Lipe, Thailand - December 2010 - 400 Baht - 4 - *** - Basic bungalow with squat toilet semi open to creatures. Just fans. Wifi and Private Beach
Sweet Inn - Langkawi, Malaysia - December 2010 - 80 Ringgit - 4 - **** - Good enough private room, AC, Hot Water, Off & On wifi, Sometimes Poor Desk Workers
Red Inn - Penang, Malaysia - December 2010 - 32 Ringgit - 4 - ***** - Good location, wifi, hot showers, common area. Bit expensive otherwise. Liked a lot
Kang Guest House - Cameron Highlands, Malaysia - December 2010 - 14 Ringgit - 3 - *** - Basic, limited wifi range, 14 bed dorm, hot showers, good location. Very cheap!
BackHome Hostel - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - December 2010 - 38 Ringgit - 4 - **** - Good location, wifi in rooms sometimes, great staff, luxurious. Bit expensive otherwise.
Ringos Foyer - Melakka, Malaysia - December 2010 - 11 Ringgit - 2 - ** - Basic rooms with very little amenities. Owner was too talkative and wanted to hang out.
Pillows and Toast - Singapore - December 2010 - $20 US - 3 - **** - Great room even if 10 per room. Great location in Chinatown and good amenities
Rucksack Inn - Singapore - December 2010 - $55 US - 3 - **** - Private room was good and great amenities. Loved the staff a lot!
Villareal Heights - Phuket, Thailand - January 2011 - $70 US - 3 - ***** - The owner, Phil, was amazing and gave us a private tour of the area (free) and had a great room!
Ivory Phi Phi - Koh Phi Phi, Thailand - January 2011 - $80 US - 4 - **** - Great location, a bit expensive for what you get but a wonderful private room (high season price)
Railay Princess Resort - Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand - January 2011 - $110 US - 4 - **** - Absolutely epic. Buffet breakfast, perfect location, amazing room. Splurge and stay here!
Want to help us add to this great list? We are currently seeking other travel writer's hotel/hostel recommendations from around the world to make this resource even better! If you have an absolute favorite or horror story, please e-mail us to be featured in this list with a back link to your website and/or posted review for each review. To be added to this list, be sure to let us know the following pieces of information (all must be provided in order to be listed):
- Your name / website address
- Hotel name
- City and country of hotel
- When you visited (month and year)
- How much the room was (in local currency)
- How many nights you stayed
- Star rating following our standard rating system
- A short description of what was good or bad (a few words up to one sentence). Give preference to location, price to value, wifi, or unique/terrible features.
