To ask about the best hotel you’ve ever stayed at?

[CoffySalon]

I’m planning a trip and I’m curious about people’s experiences with hotels. What’s the best hotel you’ve ever stayed out and what made it stand out? Whether it’s the service, location, amenities, or something else, I’d love to hear your top recommendations!

Think I’m on the wrong thread, £2k a night some of these places. I pay that for a family 10 days in Turkey 😂 how the other half live!

Overwater bungalow at the Four Seasons, Bora Bora.

Absolutely incredible - amazing location, fantastic facilities, lovely staff. Seriously out of this world. Pricey but worth it.

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi. Fab rooms, wonderful staff

Hotel Indigo, Bath.

Initially they put us in a room with only a shower, but when I said I'd been looking forward to a bath they moved us to a different room, and the bath was amazing. Comfy armchairs in the rooms, complimentary mini bar.

Resident's lounge was very comfortable for spending time with our daughter (who we were visiting while she was at university there).

Breakfasts were very good, and the restaurant quite fancy, but the only thing I can fault them on is not having a vegetarian option at dinner, which was very surprising. We all eat meat, but it's nice to have the choice.

Location is right in between the train station and the city centre, so could hardly be better.

Oooooh, thats about 30 mins away from where I live. Going to check it out, thank you.

The Phoenicia in Valletta, Malta.
Just loved every minute there.

Udaipur is beautiful. I stayed in the Lake Pichola hotel which was in no way luxurious but had its own charm. Seems to have been done up now…https://www.lakepicholahotel.in

This one near Kotor in Montenegro is gorgeous. Tiny, quiet, staff are lovely. https://casadelmare.me/cdm-vizura.html

Also came on to say the Datai. It’s years since we were there and I’ve stayed in a lot of nice places since but I’ll never forget it

@Benmac You and me both! I love the Chester Grosvenor, it's not anywhere fancy (although Chester is one of the nicest cities in the UK I think) but the hotel is perfect. It just whispers luxury but everything is understated charm, smart and old fashioned in a good way. Beautiful rooms and the BEST shower water pressure. Makes me feel relaxed and calm and happy and if I could take one of the beds and pillows away with me I would. And possibly one of the doormen because they are wonderful and I like having a beautifully dressed man open doors for me with a smile.

I'm there next week <gives herself a little happy hug>.

PS Don't go for the spa though, it is NOT a spa hotel. It's a go spend money in Chester then drink a strong martini, eat in the brasserie then sleep like the dead hotel.

Out of all the fancy hotels I’ve been lucky enough to stay in, the one I enjoyed the most was Disney’s Grand Floridian. The service and attention to detail is great, and from peace and tranquility to buzzing excitement, everything you could possibly want is right there.

I've not stayed anywhere uber-contemporary, but my two favourite classic ones are:

Beau-Rivage on lake Geneva, love the very spacious rooms, bathrooms, the whole peaceful vibe on the lake, and the superb food at main restaurant.

Villa D'Este on lake Como, just a charming setting and something a bit magical about it, .quite grand but manages to be cosy and relaxed.

I won a weekends stay in the Bridal/Presidential Suite of this hotel in Cologne. It was a former castle and the bathroom was bigger than the downstairs of our house...

https://www.lhw.com/hotel/Althoff-Grandhotel-Schloss-Bensberg-Bergisch-Gladbach-Cologne-Germany

Lucknam Park near Bath - I was recuperating from a nasty emergency op and my then dp paid for a week's R&R. When I was feeling pretty low they couldn't have been kinder, the service was outstanding.

Or the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. Just Glorious.

My favourite luxury hotels are both Canadian.

Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City.
Jasper Park Lodge, in Jasper National Park - damaged but thankfully not destroyed during the recent wildfires.

I’ve stayed in several of the other big-name hotels listed here. I will say though that my absolute favourite place to stay was a tiny, remote cabin. No TV, no internet, basic kitchen, comfy bed and a simple but decent bathroom. The real magic was outside - your own campfire, the river running past, loads of wildlife and millions of stars - even the aurora borealis one night. Just incredible. One of those places that enriches your soul.

Bodmin jail hotel. Just all round amazing.

Stayed at the Oberoi in Agra, was awesome but the only place I got food poisoning in India!

Hilton Jakarta, 6 months of everything paid for by DH's employer whilst we waited for our house contents to arrive from UK by ship.

Le Quartier Français, Franshoek, SA. Amazing food (was one the 10 best restaurants in the world at that time) and beautful mountain views from the windows from two sides of the room. Franshoek is in a wine growing region and wines were superb.
Meisters Hotel Irma in Merano (Meran) in the Alto Adige, northern Italy. Family run. Knockout service, wonderful pools (three) and spa, gorgeous corner room with wrap around balcony with loungers, mountain view, fabulous breakfast in a huge conservatory (more like the palm house at Kew Gardens) but on the top floor of the hotel. Incredible food including the best apfel strudel mit schlagsahne I have ever tasted, served at afternoon tea.
It's in the German speaking part of Italy but the manager made a point of telling me they have double the number of loungers around the pools for the maximum number if guests. It's the kind of place where they polish your sunglasses while you laze around the pool, offer skewers of fresh fruit mid afternoon and a pre-lunch aperitif.

The town of Merano is lovely too.

Snap. Fabulous hotel with impeccable service.

This little boutique hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia was pretty incredible. www.sokkhak-boutiqueresort.com/

And a lovely little hotel in Yangshuo, China: www.yangshuoteacozy.com/

DH and I have travelled a lot and these were probably our favourites, both with amazing food too.

The best hotel I have stayed in for pure fun was Pikes in Ibiza! What a history that place has!

For luxury the Mena House in Cairo.

Just come back from there - the outdoor pool by the bastion is glorious.

Ivory lodge at Lion Sands, Sabi Sands in South Africa - I can’t put into words how amazing it was - from the safaris with stops for G&Ts in the bush to the amazing luxurious villas where monkeys jumped in your plunge pool whilst you viewed elephants close by at the river - it was unbelievable

The Shangri-La in Singapore. Stayed there for a month for free! Amazing! (ExH was running a course there, so his company picked up the tab for our luxury hotel room and his daily expenses budget was so generous it covered meals for both of us. (I only had to pay for my flights.)