is the internet really any good for booking holidays / finding hotels or is it just too much of a mess?

[hatwoman]

whenever I try to do this I end up spending hours and hours and wondering if it might just be easier to go and buy a good old fashioned guide book. I feel old and overwhelmed

I use lastminute.com a lot,
Work out where I want ot go and how much i want to spend and maybe cross reference with a guide book and perhaps Tripadvisor (although the latter is purely subjective)
Never do it any other way and I hate faffingon t'Internet.

why is tripadvisor subjective? it keeps cropping up and I haven;t even sussed what it is

for hotels in this country I use lastminute.com or activehotels. Always been ok so far...

People just say what they think about a hotel so it can veer wildly one way or t'other depending on whether stuff like having a Corby trouser press and a fruit basket in your room are important to you.

I also think that hotel staff enter multiple reviews on how wonderful the place is to improve it's rating.

Make sure you book on your cc so you have some insurance if the airline goes bust.

yes - I've seen "would never book anywhere else in [town]" and "will never come back" about the same hotel...