Destinations
The places we have spent real time in: what they are, what to do with a week, which hotels are worth the money, what it cost, and whether it was worth moving the dates for.
The calm oasis in the southern part of Germany
A grand-tour spa town where the good hotel costs USD 182 in its low season - and where a free loyalty club knocks another tenth off, on every single online booking.
2026-09-21 · Baden-Baden, Germany
Lake Como without the Lake Como price
The famous names on this lake now start around USD 1,800 a night, and a new wave of luxury openings is pushing that higher. Five minutes from the station, the same water and the same light go for under USD 241 - and the quiet western shore is a ferry ride away.
2026-09-24 · Como, Italy
Gran Canaria: the resort that started the list
Lopesan Villa del Conde is a five-star resort that costs USD 185 in the right week and USD 1,304 in the wrong one.
2026-09-21 · Meloneras, Gran Canaria
Lausanne: four palace hotels, and the one that undercuts them all
Lake Geneva's grandest hotels sit within two kilometres of each other, and the cheapest of them runs at a third of the dearest. All four share one free rewards club that we have measured cutting up to 10.7% off the public rate.
2026-09-23 · Lausanne, Switzerland
Munich on foot: three hotels and a Bavarian table
Munich has loosened up. Three good hotels in the centre, the sights worth the walk, the Bavarian dishes to order - and picks from our two Munich experts, Peter and Christina.
2026-10-12 · Munich, Germany
Athens: a city to stay in, not pass through
Most visitors give Athens one night on the way to the islands. The neighbourhoods reward three, and two design hotels in the centre run at about USD 352 a night with breakfast.
2026-09-24 · Athens, Greece
Istanbul: three palaces on the Bosphorus, and a one-dollar boat
Istanbul's best hotels line the European shore of the Bosphorus. We track three of them, all around USD 600-720 a night. The best boat trip in the city costs about a dollar.
2026-09-24 · Istanbul, Turkey
London: two sides of the city, and where to sleep for under USD 480
Nobody does London in a weekend, so pick a side. The West End and the South Bank, or the East End's markets and canals. And the hotels we track that still come in under USD 480 a night.
2026-09-25 · London, United Kingdom
Know before the prices move
One email a month: where the shoulder season is about to start, which hotels have quietly dropped, and the occasional place we have just come back from.
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