When in doubt between going to a bad hotel in a far away, exotic location or a good hotel closer to home, people often pick the exotic option. This is fine, I suppose, but it’s not the option I would take. For me, the place where I sleep holds great importance in my holidays, especially because I tend to enjoy spending time at the hotel, having drinks by the pool, eating at the hotel restaurant, exercising at the gym and just taking some time to meet people that are staying there also. It’s always a good base for conversations and I find that I’d rather go out with people that are staying at the same hotel as I am, in case I have a little too much fun and forget my way back. Among other perks.

And although I would much rather stay at luxury hotels than in any other kind, truth is that isn’t always possible, so you have to work with what you’ve got. But I always make sure that the hotel I’m staying at has some kind of entertainment option, even if it’s just in case it starts raining or I don’t feel particularly well and decide to stay at the hotel.