Want the best possible value on a hotel room? Pack your bags, you’re going to…southwestern Slovakia.
Just yesterday, we wrote about how travel site Orbitz is in the news for showing Mac users more expensive hotel rooms than Windows users.
Its competitor Expedia just released a list of the World’s Best-Reviewed Hotels, based mostly on user input last year—and only three of the top 10 are in the United States.
Before we get to the top picks, here’s some of the stats Expedia offered about the hotels on its list…
- World-class. The top 650 hotels are spread across 295 cities in 74 countries—with 28 percent in the States, 25 percent in Europe, 19 percent in Asia, and 3 percent in South America. The “elsewhere” category represents 25 percent, but Expedia doesn’t say where that is. Africa? Antarctica?
- Fancy doesn’t mean best. Only 35 percent of the hotels are categorized as “luxury.”
- Green is growing. Expedia says “green/sustainable” hotels had “an outsized presence” on this year’s list—17 percent.
- Running hot and cold. There are 11 “ski-friendly” hotels, and 116 “beach hotels,” with more of the latter in Mexico than the United States.
- Pack light. Just 87 hotels on the list are “family friendly”—that’s about 13 percent.
And here are the 10 hotels topping the list. Since Expedia only gives names, stars, and locations, we poked around their sites to hazard a guess why these top the list. Make sure to click through the hotel names and look at the pretty pictures, since words can’t do all these justice…
Marrol's Boutique Hotel (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Rating: 5 Stars
Marrol's Boutique Hotel is a luxury hotel in a colonial-style historical building. Free breakfast buffet, gym, newspaper, and Internet. Egyptian cotton sheets. And 46 activities onsite or nearby, including rafting, skydiving, snowboarding, hunting, and helicopter rides. Price: $120/night for a queen bed this weekend (with a free welcome drink).
Hotel Al Codega (Venice, Italy)
Rating: 4 Stars
This hotel in the middle of Venice—“200 metres from St. Mark’s Square and 300 metres from Rialto Bridge,” in “traditional style with antique furnishings and wooden floors.” Enough said, right? Free breakfast, free newspaper, but no free Internet. Price: About $180/night for a king or two twins, but booked solid for at least the next three weekends.
Hotel Royal Corin (Costa Rica)
Rating: 4 Stars
Hotel Royal Corin is a romantic destination…next to a volcano that’s visible from your private balcony. Free breakfast, Internet, parking, and newspaper. Price: $263/night for a king bed, sold out this weekend.
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