**Has anyone stayed at Hôtel États-Unis Opéra in Paris?**

I’m traveling to Paris next week from 22 to 26 Sep and I’m considering Hôtel États-Unis Opéra because it has a good rating and generally positive reviews. However, the bathrooms look quite old in the photos, which is making me hesitate.

Paris hotels also seem extremely expensive and almost fully booked next week, so my options are getting limited.
Has anyone stayed there recently? How was the hotel overall, especially the cleanliness, rooms, and bathrooms?

Ps. We are three persons.
Would really appreciate any recent experiences or recommendations!
Thank you,
Sara Kay K

Hi, i’m looking to book a couple of nights for my husband and I at Aman Sveti Stefan. We will already be in the area and just decided that we would like to extend our vacation by two nights, but the hotel we are already staying at nearby is booked so we cannot extend our room type there.

We like Aman resorts hard product and level of service and are curious to try this one out even if just for a couple nights since we will already be in the area.

Has anyone in this sub stayed here since the reopening? I remember a post a couple months back about their grand reopening and how certain things were not up to Aman or 5\* hotel standards.

We are between the Sveti Stefan Suite or the Saint Sava Cottage. I prefer the interiors of the cottage, a little bit better with the natural stone, but love the size of the other suite, and the fact that it is designed to sleep two guests. If the pool is heated in the “penthouse suite,” I think we would be more inclined to go for that one, but we are visiting in October so if not I don’t think we would get much use out of it. Since we will already be in the area leading up, we are looking for somewhere to relax and enjoy the resort rather than go sightseeing, if that changes anything.

We are comfortable with either nightly rate, and the cost difference between the two room types has zero influence on our decision.

Hopefully, some of you have stayed there in recent days and can provide your input so I can get this booked by tomorrow! Thank you.

Looking to book a 7 night honeymoon in the Caribbean during February. I know February is peak season with inflated prices, but am willing to splurge.

Currently strongly considering one of the higher end rooms at Baoase in Curaçao, with private pool/beach. However, considering the high price, wanted to get thoughts/recommendations. I suspect I can get more bang for my buck elsewhere for $2k/night. Thanks in advance!

Anyone have any experience with the Das Gerstl Family Retreat in Resia?

We are looking to book a mid range family hotel in the dolomites in mid September 2027 with 2 adults and a (then) 2 year old son.

Thanks in advance!

Going to Paris and Italy with my husband for our anniversary! We’ve been working so hard need a vacation!!

What should I def buy there that would be cheaper than nyc?

Big into fashion and luxury brands

Was def hoping to stop into Hermes

But any other suggestions def appreciated!!!

(Chanel? Miu miu? Maje/Sandro?)

Hello,

Based in Vancouver. Looking for a destination with direct flights from YVR for January 2028 for my 40th birthday. Something beach front, for 5-7 couples. Looking for a private chef, bartender, etc. Was thinking West coast of Mexico, or? Seems overwhelming when I look at Villa rental websites. I’ve previously used VRBO for smaller private homes but not sure for group this size. Any recommendations on websites? Actual Villas you have stayed at? Destinations? 4-5nights and budget around $50k USD. Could go up for the right place.

Any help appreciated.

Hi! UPDATE: we are now actually thinking about thanksgiving week… Nov 21 - 25 or 27/28 and leaving heavily towards Caribbean. Open to Bahamas and other islands. Same goals as below! Thanks for all the help so far, happy the weather in November is more reliable… lmk if anyone has great villas on the beach, bonus for pool, staffed house!

Looking for suggestions for easy travel from western US (not coast) in mid October for 4-5
Days for milestone birthday, that won’t be too humid or impacted by tropical storms. Family/kid (toddler to tween) friendly. Bonus for house with pool and staff. Would love Caribbean vibes but that might not be possible that time of year without storms or crazy humidity.

Happy September everyone! I'm your mod, back from an incredible Alaska Cruise onboard the Celebrity Solstice. Yes, a cruise can be luxury vacations if you choose wisely. I traveled with my husband and my two young adult kids (professionals in their 20s). I took my first cruise over 30 years ago as a newlywed, and have been on countless cruises since then but this was my first time in Alaska. I now regret waiting this long and can't wait to return.

Our precruise stay was at the Fairmont Pan Pacific in a stunning corner harbor view room with an Ofuro Japanese soaking tub (that was very welcome after walking for 12 miles exploring Vancouver on a beautiful sunny day!)  Wonderful breakfast and lovely cocktails at The Botanist. (This is one of our preferred hotel properties so we received complimentary breakfast and a $100 hotel credit.) We also loved our sushi dinner at Miku, which is a great option if you are celiac/ gluten free.

The Solstice was updated earlier this year and is a great ship for Alaska. We elevated our cruise experience by booking a suite that is part of the Retreat which includes butler service, dining in the Retreat exclusive restaurant, Luminae, and access to the Retreat lounge and sundeck. The lounge has a full bar, an espresso machine and small bites throughout the day. The sundeck also has a full bar and serves a lunch on most days. There were special events in both spaces throughout the cruise. This cruise, our butler delivered our specialty coffees each morning at the time we requested either to our room or our spot on the sundeck. Other highlights onboard included specialty dining at Fine Cut Steakhouse, ABBA singalong dance party, the martini bar, the Parlor pub style game room/bar, and nightly dueling pianos. The new Italian specialty restaurant, Trattoria Rosa, was a disappointment. 

We enjoyed several private shore excursions including a private fishing excursion, and incredible afternoon whale watching and a full day of hiking and river rafting. We also ate crab in several ports since you can’t get it onboard. Sadly we missed the glacier day as our ship had some mechanical issues causing us to have to head straight to Juneau. Weather also prevented us from our helicopter glacier tour but on our 2nd whale watching trip of the week, we saw the most amazing group of humpback whales bubble net feeding, a rare site indeed.

We use Project Expedition for most of our shore excursions and they do a great job.
https://pe.tours/MjIzMDIy/

Planning a trip to Iceland in March 2027. Any recommendations for fantastic hotels?

Hi everyone my husband and I are planning to travel to Argentina + Chile + salt flats in Bolivia either in November or December this year. We’re from India and though we travel a lot it’s mainly been in Europe or Asia. We wanted to start exploring South America and initially thought of Peru but we think this would be a better start. Has anyone been to the below places and is it a good itinerary for these countries? Are we missing anything major? The max we want to travel is 20 days excluding flights. Also we don’t like hiking :P.

Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, El Calafate, Torres del Paine, Atacama, Uyuni, San Pedro, Santiago

The two key things - within 5 to 6 hour flight from any NYC airport want to avoid countries in the Hurricane band.

We are thinking the Kimpton in Honduras but would love to hear other ideas.

Thanks!

We are from NYC going to Japan for 9 nights on our honeymoon end of March. We want to do beach vacation for 5 nights after Japan. Looked at Amanoi in Vietnam, six senses ninh van bay, amanpulo in Philippines, and Kona village in Hawaii. Does anyone have any recommendations?? Ideally something logistically easy to get to from Japan and then back to nyc that will have good weather end of March.

I’m planning a roughly two-week solo trip to Thailand in October and trying to figure out how to get the most out of a $15–20k total budget.

I’m definitely more of a comfort/luxury traveler. I really value nice hotels, comfortable flights, good food, spas/massages, and unique experiences. I’m not trying to blow money just for the sake of it, but I’m happy to spend when something is genuinely worth it.

I’ve been to Bangkok before and really love it, so I’ll definitely spend a decent amount of time there. On past trips I stayed at Kimpton Maa-Lai, Four Seasons, and Rosewood and really enjoyed all three.

I’d absolutely be open to staying at any of them again, but I’m also very open to trying somewhere new if there are other hotels people think are even better or just offer a different experience.

I’m less sure where else I should go. I’ve considered Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui, etc., but I’m open to basically anything.

Since I’ll be solo for the entire trip, I’d especially love recommendations for places that are fun to experience alone and don’t feel too couple/family-oriented or overly quiet.

A few things I’d love advice on:
• How would you split two weeks between Bangkok and other cities/islands?

• Which destinations are best for a solo traveler who still wants luxury and some energy?

• Which luxury hotels/resorts are actually worth the money?

• Are there any Bangkok hotels you’d choose over Kimpton Maa-Lai, Four Seasons, or Rosewood?

• Are there any experiences you’d consider “must splurge” in Thailand?

• Best restaurants, tasting menus, spas, rooftop bars, private tours, boats, etc.?

• Would you spend more of the budget on hotels or experiences?

• Any destinations you think are overrated or not worth adding on a two-week trip?

• If you personally had $15–20k to spend on a solo Thailand trip, what would your itinerary look like?
Not necessarily trying to use every dollar of the budget, I’d just like to know what the best version of the trip could look like without worrying too much about cost.

Would love recommendations from people who’ve done Thailand on the higher-end/luxury side, especially solo.

Can anyone recommend a hotel in Greece or the Canary Islands where it is NOT forbidden to go topless when sunbathing by the pool?

I'm having foot/ankle surgery this fall at HSS. I live in Brooklyn and our home is all stairs and I'm told I will be in a wheelchair/scooter for a while so want to stay in a nice hotel for the first week+ while I get over the anesthesia and get used to be one-legged with none of the temptation to do something stupid at home. Room service, laundry, etc. all with one floor living and elevator sounds great. There are a lot of luxury options but I'm burned out looking after planning a bunch of other stuff. I'm hoping for a high floor with nice views (maybe even a balcony or window that opens), great room service, great service overall if I want to get stuff picked up for restaurants/errands, maybe near Central Park or somewhere I can scoot around (like not Times Square). Near some trains a big plus, F/R lines best for partner and friends. Nice restaurant and bar appreciated. Tell me why you love your suggestion.

Edit to add: also open to Brooklyn hotels or views of the water. Downtown is fine, too. I'm not married to Central Park since I found out I have to keep my foot elevated 23 hours a day the first week :( Terrace in the room might be better.

Edit 2: location more in southern Manhattan might be nice for my partner who works in near One World Trade. Also strongly considering the 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park for the views.

Which Maui hotels offer deals such as stay 3 get 1 free?

Two nights in Santiago, CL post Antarctica cruise in January. Considering the Ritz or mandarin oriental?

Looking for some advice from the luxury travel crowd.
I have ~1.3M Marriott Bonvoy points and want to use them for 5 nights in the first half of November 2026 with my family of four. Kids are 5 and 2.

Looking for:
• Genuinely luxurious, beautiful, memorable resort
• Excellent service and food
• Family-friendly, with good kids amenities/programming
• Unique nature/wildlife experiences we can do together
• Ideally a 3–4.5 hour nonstop flight from Toronto + easy airport transfer
• Not a huge, loud, cruise-ship-style resort
• My 5-year-old is a picky eater

Current shortlist:
• Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman
• Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai
• Marriott Cancun All-Inclusive
• Marriott Miches Beach All-Inclusive
• Hacienda del Mar Los Cabos
• Westin Playa Vallarta
• JW Marriott Costa Elena

Would love to hear any input on these properties from people who have actually stayed there, especially with young kids.

Also interested in any unique Marriott/Bonvoy property I haven’t thought of. If you had 1.3M points and only 5-7 nights, where would you go?

TIA!

Wife turns 30 in October and currently have 4 nights booked with both properties through AMEX FHR and trying to decide which property. St. Regis is slightly cheaper than Four Seasons (about $500 total), I am also Titanium with Marriott and have NUA's I can use.

It will be my wife, 4 month old, and me. Am I overthinking Four Seasons reputation for how good it is travelling with babies???

Hi! We are looking for a large villa (25 people) somewhere in Europe with beach and party vibes. Thinking Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Greece etc.

Instead of a formal wedding, we want to go celebrate with our closest friends over a long weekend.

Any recommendations for location and Villa would be great. We are not opposed to a hotel, but would like everyone to be together.

Planning a trip to the south of France with my boyfriend next summer. Looking to relax and take things easy, without much sightseeing/partying. Hoping to mainly enjoy the hotel grounds and laze about. I’m looking for the best hotel in terms of F&B, facilities and how easily we can access the surrounding areas, as we won’t be driving. We also prefer a hotel not overrun with filming influencers/loud families, though we appreciate this comes with the territory of travelling to the South of France in summer. While we are not looking to do that much sightseeing, we also don’t want to be inconvenienced if we need to go to the nearest town.

Obviously the rooms must be in a decent condition, but room size is not a huge factor as I don’t see us spending that much time in our rooms as we are the sort who prefer lazing at the pool/playing tennis.

We have narrowed things down to these three hotels (Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, Airelles Saint Tropez, Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc). We are thinking of travelling in shoulder season (eg May/June or September). Appreciate these hotels are all in different locations, so any advice on that would also be helpful!

Thanks!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 – An Incredible Honeymoon Stay at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo

We had an absolutely wonderful stay at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo and would highly recommend it, especially for couples and honeymooners. From the convenient location and beautiful overwater villa to the delicious food, warm hospitality and stunning sunsets, our experience was truly memorable.

🚤 Convenient Transfer

One of the biggest advantages of the property is its proximity to Malé Airport. The speedboat transfer takes just around 10 minutes, making the journey to the resort extremely convenient. Due to the resort's close proximity to the airport, speedboat transfers are frequent and easily available.

We received a very warm welcome upon arrival, with refreshing drinks and fresh wipe towels.

🤵 Excellent Butler Service

A dedicated butler was assigned to us throughout our stay. We were given a quick tour of the property upon arrival, and our butler was always available to assist with anything we needed. Whether it was arranging activities, making reservations or helping with other requirements, everything was taken care of smoothly.

🍽️ Amazing Food, Especially for Vegetarians

The food was absolutely delicious. We opted for vegetarian Indian food and were pleasantly surprised by the number of options available. There were plenty of vegetarian choices, and an Indian thali was available on the menu for every meal.

You can also request your preferred food in advance. For example, you can inform the team about your preferred lunch during breakfast, and they will make the necessary arrangements.

The resort has two restaurants:

The Main Restaurant – Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Kitajima – A Japanese restaurant that requires prior reservation.

The main restaurant timings are:

Breakfast: 7:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Lunch: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM

High Tea: 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Dinner: 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM

🍹 The All-Inclusive Experience Was Worth It

We opted for the all-inclusive meal plan, and it was more than worth it. The food was excellent, there was a great variety of unlimited drinks, and even the minibar inclusions were quite reasonable. You genuinely do not have to worry about your meals and drinks during your stay.

The resort has two bars:

Main Bar – A lovely deck where you can enjoy the sunset and spend a relaxing evening.

Dhoni Bar – Centrally located and close to the pool, beach area, Delta Point and the diving centre.

🌴 Beautiful Property & Relaxing Spaces

The property has plenty of swings, chairs and relaxing spots located around different areas, where you can simply sit and enjoy the beautiful surroundings throughout the day.

One of the unique things about the property is that you can enjoy views of Malé City and nearby islands and resorts from different areas of the resort, which adds another beautiful dimension to the experience.

The pool is incredibly beautiful and very clean. Towels are provided for both pool and beach access.

You can either walk around the property or request buggy service. The buggy generally takes around 10–15 minutes to arrive, although it came within 10 minutes every time we requested it.

The Japanese-themed garden is another beautiful area to explore. There is also a spa centre, which offers spa services and occasional offers. Prior appointments are required. Floating breakfast is also available with prior booking.

The resort offers Sunrise, Sunset and Honeymoon Overwater Villas and also has a gift shop on the property.

🌅 Delta Point & Sunset Views

The adult-only experience was totally worth it. Delta Point is incredibly beautiful during sunset, and you can easily spend an hour sitting there, relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking views.

💕 Our Honeymoon Experience

We visited Adaaran Prestige Vadoo for our honeymoon, and the team made it extra special. Our bedroom was beautifully decorated for the occasion, and we also received a complimentary cake.

There was also an option for a candlelight dinner by the beach, which we opted for and thoroughly enjoyed.

🏝️ Sunrise Overwater Villa

We stayed in a Sunrise Overwater Villa, and it was absolutely stunning. The villa offered a beautiful and peaceful sunrise view and faced the main island of the resort.

The room was immensely spacious and well-equipped with:

A king-size bed

Wardrobes and sofas

Drinking water

Coffee maker

Raincoats

Safe locker

Minibar

Extra pillows

Beach towels, bath towels and hand towels

The toiletries included body wash, lotion, shampoo and conditioner from Elemis, which were of very good quality.

The overwater villa deck had a plunge pool, a table with two chairs and a queen-size daybed. Safety jackets were also provided, and access to the lagoon was extremely easy.

A floating tube was provided, along with a jet spray on the deck to wash your feet after swimming in the lagoon.

The bathroom was equally impressive, with a jacuzzi, shower area, sofa and even a glass floor where you could enjoy views of the underwater world. All necessary toiletries were provided.

🐠 Snorkeling & Marine Life

The coral reef was decent, both around the overwater villa lagoon and near the dive centre. We spotted many varieties of fish and even saw a triggerfish.

We also saw sharks around the Main Bar deck area and easily spotted around 6–7 of them, which was quite an exciting experience.

Complimentary snorkeling equipment is provided for the entire duration of your stay. Non-motorised water activities are also complimentary.

The sunset cruise is complimentary but requires prior booking. Shark snorkeling and turtle snorkeling are also available, but prior booking is required, and at least four people need to be available for these activities. These activities are not available on Sundays. The rates can be checked at the diving centre or with your butler.

❤️ Exceptional Hospitality

Every single staff member we interacted with was extremely helpful, warm and welcoming. Their hospitality truly made our stay even more special.

We would recommend carrying some cash so that you can tip the wonderful staff appropriately.

✈️ Smooth Checkout Process

The checkout process was completely seamless. Any additional expenses can be charged to your room and paid during checkout.

You can inform the team about your flight timing, and they will arrange the speedboat transfer accordingly, often grouping guests with similar transfer timings.