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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
I've stayed in several 5-star hotels. Here are 6 mistakes I made in some of the most luxurious places I've booked.
I've stayed in five-star hotels in the US, Canada, and Europe. I've made mistakes at these luxury hotels that kept me from making the most of my stay. I regret getting laundry services, packing toiletries, and booking one-night stays. I never thought I'd find myself alone on the rooftop terrace of the Versace Mansion in South Beach, Miami. I never thought I'd stay in suites that cost $1,000 a night with closets as big as my bedroom at home. And I never thought I'd be standing on a private balcony in a lavish robe 21 stories above Vancouver, British Columbia. Being a travel reporter at Business Insider has given me the opportunity to stay in the hotels of my dreams. Since I started traveling for work in 2021, I've stayed in many luxury hotels, from the Four Seasons to Fairmont castles. Four years later, I'm still not used to the high-end lifestyle. I often make mistakes at these five-star hotels that leave me with regrets when it's time to check out. Packing my own toiletries for five-star hotel stays was a waste of space. Before my high-end travel days, I packed my own toiletries for trips. I thought I'd rather squeeze my shampoo and conditioner into tiny, reusable bottles than take a chance on the soaps available wherever I'm staying. But at five-star hotels, I've found toiletry brands I can't even afford on the bathroom counters. From Le Labo and Byredo to Floris, the hair products, body washes, and lotions I've used in these top-tier establishments have felt like a treat. Nowadays, I leave my bathroom products at home when I book luxury stays. Getting my laundry done at a five-star hotel left me over budget. When I arrived at one of Salt Lake City's only five-star hotels, the Grand America Hotel, in January 2025, I was fresh off a 15-hour train ride from Denver. My clothes were sweaty, and chunks of snow were on my pants, so I took advantage of the hotel's laundry service. I stuffed my dirty clothes into a provided bag and left it outside my door. The next day, three clean shirts, two pairs of pants, a single hoodie, a blazer, and a vest arrived on hangers. My six undergarments were wrapped in tissue paper inside cardboard boxes like a gift. It was the swankiest laundry service I'd ever experienced, and the most expensive. My 14 articles cost $115 to wash — enough money for a whole new outfit. Doing laundry was my most costly mistake during my trip to Salt Lake City. While the price tag may not faze some five-star guests, it wasn't worth the splurge to me. I've regretted sticking exclusively to room service meals. One of my favorite parts of staying in a nice hotel is ordering room service. Answering the door in a plush robe and slippers to have a cart roll in with cloches, condiments in tiny glass bottles, and drinks in stemmed glasses makes me feel like a VIP. But I've often missed out on what could have been exceptional dining experiences had I put on clothes and walked down to the hotel's restaurants. At five-star hotels, I've found that the restaurants typically have a luxe ambiance, award-winning cuisine, and different menus from the in-room dining options. In spring 2024, when I stayed at the Phoenician, a five-star mega-resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, I didn't try any of the award-winning dining venues — Mowry & Cotton, J&G Steakhouse, and Thirsty Camel. At the Grand America Hotel, I opted for room service breakfast, so I didn't get to experience the European vibe at the bistro, Laurel Brasserie & Bar. I did the same thing when I woke up at the Versace Mansion in 2021, and I missed out on a meal on the patio next to a 24-karat gold pool. At the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City in 2022, I didn't even see the rooftop restaurant, Eléa. Most recently, when I booked one night at the Fairmont Pacific Rim in May, I ordered dinner instead of getting a table at the Michelin-recommended restaurant Botanist, which was filled with live plants. Next time I stay at a five-star hotel, I'll eat in the hotel's restaurant. I've also regretted leaving my bathing suit at home during fall and winter trips. When I visited Salt Lake City in the winter, a swimsuit was not on my packing list. While packing my suitcase with scarves and thermals, the thought of swimming didn't even occur to me. Then I saw the indoor pool at the Grand America Hotel and instantly regretted leaving my bathing suit at home. The Mediterranean-style pool was in a cave-like room with curvy, white walls and plenty of windows leaking natural light. The room had a calming vibe and was empty when I visited, perhaps because others had made the same mistake. I should have known better. When I visited Jackson Hole in the fall of 2024, I wished I had brought my swimsuit to use the 75-square-foot heated outdoor pool at the Four Seasons. In the future, I'll pack a bathing suit — no matter the weather. Turning down turndown service was a mistake. Turndown service was a luxury I wasn't accustomed to before my five-star stays. In the early evening (usually), an attendant stops in to prepare the room for sleeping. They make the bed, adjust the shades and lighting, and sometimes leave treats. On a few occasions when I was in my room in the evening, I've said "no, thank you" to the housekeepers coming by my room, But I stopped saying no after my stay at the Bulgari Hotel and Spa in Milan in 2022. On my bedside table, I found a menu with a selection of pillows — lavender-scented, aloe vera-infused, and memory foam, to name a few. When an attendant stopped by for turndown service, I requested two and was thrilled to receive them five minutes later. I wondered if I'd missed out on this amenity at other luxury hotels. Since my stay at the Bulgari, I've noticed that pillow menus and complimentary essential oils are common offerings at five-star hotels. And they make an already lavish stay feel even more elevated. Now, I always say "yes, please" to the service. I always regret booking just one night at a five-star hotel. It's always hard saying goodbye when I check out after just one night in a five-star hotel. I've left longing for another bath in a deep soaking tub, another snooze in a king-sized bed with custom pillows, and more time to take advantage of top-tier amenities I didn't even get the chance to try — from gyms with Peloton bikes and group fitness classes to spas, pools, and pickleball courts. With a standard 4 p.m. check-in and 11 a.m. check-out, one night simply isn't enough time to enjoy all the luxuries five-star hotels offer. So, if you plan to book a stay at a five-star hotel soon, don't make the same mistake. When your friends ask you how the Mediterranean-style indoor pool was, you'll want to have something to say. Read the original article on Business Insider
Times
13-07-2025
- Times
Hotel Supetar Cavtat review: understated elegance on the Dalmatian Riviera
This classy hotel in the pretty town of Cavtat, on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, is housed in a handsome 1920s waterfront villa with the usual Dalmatian trappings of creamy stone and green shutters. Inside is a boutique lover's dream — it was transformed in 2022 from a humdrum three-star into an intimate, five-star bolt hole with a delightful garden, pool and sea-facing roof terrace. There is a definite sense of being looked after royally when you're offered a cold flannel and iced water immediately on arrival. The vibe is understated elegance throughout, from the 21 lovely rooms to the public areas with a changing roster of art exhibits. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue Score 8/10There's a calming mix of English and French country-house style and some bold design touches, including eye-catching (but not jarring) wallpaper in some of the rooms. Florals are fresh rather than chintzy, with hints of Englishness in the fabric headboards that come from Andrew Martin, based in Chelsea, west London. The whole effect is a soothing one, featuring light oak floors and marble bathrooms, with a touch of art nouveau in the tiling adding to a spacious and airy feel. There are 16 rooms in the main house and five in a neighbouring stone house, with views either of the seafront or the palm-shaded greenery of the gardens leading to the pool area. The smallest room in the main house comes with a little patio — if you'd like it ask for room No 107. • Discover our full guide to Croatia Score 9/10You'll eat well here. Not surprisingly, the restaurant's Mediterranean-Croatian menu is heavy on local seafood — crab, octopus, swordfish, dentex fish and scallops from nearby Ston — while Istrian beef, Pag lamb and wild rabbit satisfy the carnivores. But it's all done with a delicate and assured touch. The setting is very romantic: a wide roof terrace with views of the sea for those sultry Dalmatian summer evenings. Sink into one of the squashy sofas for a cocktail before you eat. Breakfast is just as impressive, with most produce sourced from nearby suppliers. An expansive buffet of salad, meat, cheese, seafood, fresh fruit and pastries competes with a tempting menu of eggs cooked numerous ways, plus sausages, bacon and courgette fritters. One of the hotel's cosiest spots is its ground-floor bar, a clubby, cocoon-like space that has an excellent selection of wines, including those made from local grape varieties such as grk, posip and plavac mali. There's also a lounge terrace in the area between the hotel's two buildings. • Best Croatian islands to visit• Best luxury villas in Croatia Score 7/10Behind the hotel are the gardens, where you can relax under palm and citrus trees before walking up stone steps to the pool and flopping on one of the sunbeds. It's not a very big pool, but it is certainly a peaceful spot to while away the hours. The hotel's neighbouring building has massage rooms and a sauna, and guests are able to use the extensive facilities at its five-star sister property Hotel Croatia Cavtat, accessed via a shuttle. Here you can swim in the saltwater outdoor and indoor pools before drying off in the sauna or unwinding in the steam room. The resort also has loungers on the nearby beach that Hotel Supetar Cavtat guests can use for free. Score 8/10The hotel is in a prime waterfront spot in the main harbour, discreetly back from the water's edge. There is a beach just a few yards away, and if you continue along the footpath you can wander around the pine-shaded headland that forms one of Cavtat's two forested peninsulas. The town makes an appealing alternative base to Dubrovnik: it's only a 15-minute drive from the airport and boat trips to nearby islands are offered just a few minutes' walk from the hotel. You can also sail to Dubrovnik — or just hop on the bus if you're not in a hurry (about 40 minutes). Price B&B doubles from £427Restaurant mains from £33Family-friendly NAccessible N Mary Novakovich was a guest of Hotel Supetar Cavtat ( • Best things to do in Croatia• Best beaches in Croatia
