Luxury Firsts
Choosing Your First Special Hotel
How to pick a hotel worth spending more on, and how to tell the difference between genuine quality and expensive decoration.
7 min readCategory
Luxury Firsts
Your first special stay, without feeling out of place.
There is a moment in most travellers' lives when they book somewhere noticeably nicer than usual. A boutique hotel with eight rooms, a resort with a proper pool, a lodge with a view worth the money.
The nerves are rarely about the price. They are about whether you will know how to behave. The honest answer is that good hotels are good precisely because they make that question disappear within ten minutes of arrival.
This section is about choosing the right special stay and getting the most out of it.
Guides in this category
Luxury Firsts
What to Expect at a Luxury Hotel If You Have Never Stayed in One
Arrival, tipping, dress codes, room service and the etiquette questions people are too embarrassed to ask.
7 min read
Luxury Firsts
The Small Luxuries Actually Worth Paying For
If you only have a little extra to spend, these are the upgrades that reliably improve a trip, and the ones that rarely do.
6 min readNot sure where to begin?
Start with the basics, then pick the guide that matches the trip you are actually planning.