Choosing the Perfect Hotel for Your Dream Vacation
Choosing the perfect hotel for your dream vacation requires careful planning. You want it to be everything you wished for. Location is very important but service and guest amenities can make your stay special. You need to walk through the lobby door and smile knowing that you made the right choice.
Consider what is important to you. Search for hotels that match with your travel style and budget. It could be a luxury resort, a family-friendly hotel, or a boutique property.
Do you want a contemporary room with high quality interior design in the heart of a major city? If you are traveling as a family, do you need ample space to store your suitcases? After a long day of sightseeing, do you like relaxing on a comfy sofa with a good book?
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You might appreciate a more traditional, atmospheric hotel room in the countryside. Wooden floors and farmhouse furniture done in floral and plaids can add to the charm. A fireplace or wood-burning stove enhances the experience at a mountain resort.
Do you need a spacious bathroom with a walk-in shower featuring multiple shower heads? Do you prefer the luxury of a large tub to soak in? Some hotel rooms are even more special, with their own private sauna.
Let’s not forget a wonderfully comfortable bed. It promises deep, restful sleep. Will you need a king size bed? Or will a queen size bed be just fine? You might want a family room with two separate beds if you are traveling with children.
A room with a view is always special. Maybe a balcony looking out at the mountains or beach is an important feature to you. If traveling in warm climates, a swimming pool is a top priority for many people. In cold regions, a heated indoor pool is greatly appreciated.
A hotel with a bar or lounge is nice amenity. It’s a place to relax after a long day of walking. It’s also a great spot to meet friends you are traveling with for drinks before heading out for dinner.
I prefer a hotel that also has a restaurant. It is a nice convenience if the weather turns bad. If you are too tired to go out for dinner, you have the choice to dine in.
Today, many hotels around the world feature wonderful restaurants that are on many people’s bucket lists. If you are a food lover, it may be the main reason you want to book a particular hotel.
When you are ready to make a reservation, you might want to avoid using a booking site. Try to reserve a room through other methods. While the price may fit your budget, there is a chance it is not for one of their better rooms. Instead, I suggest contacting the hotel directly.
A front desk manager can answer your questions about the room size and its location. They are also more likely to accommodate any specific requests and let you know about special room rates. They can also help you obtain that hard-to-get dinner reservation if they have an award-winning restaurant.
When my husband and I travel to Europe, we enjoy exploring small towns and villages. These are off the main roads and are places that lots of tourists never get a chance to experience. We prefer family-owned hotels in the smaller towns as they offer a more authentic experience than corporate hotels.
After years of travel, we have some favorite hotels. They include the Bareiss in the Black Forest of Germany. We also love BollAnts, a spa hotel in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. Both hotels have Michelin star restaurants.
Two more of our favorite hotels are in Austria. One is the Post Hotel in Lermoos. Das Edelweiss is another favorite, located in Grossarl. Both are spa hotels surrounded by wonderful mountains views.
In the large European cities, you should pick a hotel that is convenient to most of the sights. We prefer staying at one of the distinctive European hotels rather than an American chain hotel. It’s important that the hotels have their own parking garage if you happen to be driving.
We have several favorite large city hotels. They include the Bristol in Vienna, which is next door to the opera house. There is also the Adlon Kempinski Hotel in Berlin. It has a great view of the nearby Brandenburg Gate. We also like the Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich. It is within walking distance of the city’s impressive main square, the Marienplatz. It is also close to the Hofbräuhaus and the Residenz.
When traveling in the US, we try to stay at hotels with character and we have a few favorites. They include the historic Biltmore hotel in Miami-Coral Gables and the St Regis Atlanta in Buckhead. We also enjoy the small boutique hotel called The Pillars on the intracoastal waterway in Ft. Lauderdale.
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What features are important to you when choosing hotels for a dream vacation? Is it the location? Are the facilities a priority? Do you consider room size? Or are guest amenities and services crucial? Do you use review sites or travel forums? If you have any advice, please share your tips for selecting the perfect hotel.
You’d make a good hotel reviewer for Condé Nast Traveller!
I hope you are going somewhere lovely soon.
Some great tips, Karen!
if all goes well, my husband and I I will travel to Germany in the near future. Maybe we have a chance to stay in one of these wonderful hotels you suggested . Thank you Karen, and I hope your husband‘s health is improving
Loved reading this as the post brought back memories so many lovely previous sends from you. I do hope you will soon be making your own bookings again. We agree on ‘Bristol’ in Vienna and I have stayed at ‘Vier Jahreszeiten’ in Munchen . . . my very favourite in Europe being ‘Villa Hassler’ atop the Spanish Steps in Rome. I have always made my own bookings straight with all the hotels . . .as you say, you can discuss your needs for your ‘home away from home’ more easily. Trust your husband iis slowly but steadily getting stronger.
Karen, we haven’t stayed in a hotel (other than riads in Morocco) for decades. It is because I always want to cook when we travel. If I found a nice hotel with a fully equipped kitchen, I would be down for it. The ones you picture look so inviting — it does have great allure to be in a nice hotel! I do love the bars in nice hotels, and we seek out them whenever we travel.
This is so good – “When my husband and I travel to Europe, we enjoy exploring small towns and villages. These are off the main roads and are places that lots of tourists never get a chance to experience. We prefer family-owned hotels in the smaller towns as they offer a more authentic experience than corporate hotels.” In total agreement with you!
You’ve posted some great hotels; I especially like the one with the view of the mountain in the background (Matterhorn)? We usually stay in AirBnb’s when we travel because I like to cook, but this might not be convenient in smaller towns! https://www.gdaysouffle.com
Excellent post from a travel pro. Thanks for the tips Karen.
If I plan on being a sight seer, but hotel matters less to me. I like high traveler reviews and great location. I will happily take a smaller room to be near public transit. If I’m going someplace exotic I might pay more attention to hotel room. When we went to Santorini we stayed in a hotel built into the cliff so the walls were like a cave and windows in front. We also wanted an Infiniti pool. When we went to morea we wanted a hut over the water. But for the most part it’s location
Great travel info, Karen and lovely places to consider! Wishing you a lovely week!
We always use booking.com as I have found this to be more reliable, and with better options for us. For our upcoming trip to Amsterdam we booked an hotel within easy walking distance of a restaurant we want to go to. And for Paris we chose something that offered both the convenience of an hotel, and self catering 🙂
You have traveled extensively Karen, and I always love the beautiful hotel/resorts where you stay~ these are valuable tips from an expert like you!
Jenna
Fabulous travel tips! Great pictures!
Have a wonderful week!
Having just traveled to Japan, I concur on all of this, plus the recommendation on finding a hotel near a train station. It will save you precious time and steps when you need to haul your luggage to catch a train.
Great travel tips Karen. I prefer a hotel with a restaurant. A resort often has several. Travel forums are also helpful when reading reviews. Happy summer
Super informative and helpful read on how to choose the perfect hotel. You have Europe sized up and ready to go for our next flight away! Healthy World Cuisine
I usually select based on location, especially if it’s a short stay, Karen. I read the reviews on my selected hotels but often treat them with a pinch of salt. I prefer character but sometimes convenience wins xx
I totally agree that finding the right hotel can really make or break a vacation. I’m all about thoughtful amenities and food options, if the hotel has a great in-house restaurant, that’s a huge bonus for me.
So many fabulous recommendations, Karen. You always do such a great job reviewing these places and it helps so much. Can’t wait to pass these along. Big hugs, CoCo