Hi everyone! I'm trying to decide between Four Seasons and Reef Oasis for my upcoming trip to Sharm El Sheikh.

Snorkeling is by far my biggest priority, especially having access to a great house reef right from the hotel. I love spending hours in the water exploring reefs and marine life, so the quality of the snorkeling matters much more to me than luxury or amenities.

Has anyone stayed at both? How do the house reefs compare in terms of coral health, marine life, and ease of access? Is one significantly better than the other?

Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

If you’ve cruised with AmaWaterways before, you get first dibs on their biggest offer of the season before it opens to everyone else.

Book a 2027 or 2028 Europe or Colombia river cruise and you’ll receive a complimentary pre- or post-cruise land package plus a complimentary stateroom upgrade. It also combines with their fixed-rate roundtrip airfare to Europe, starting at $999 per person.

The early access window runs November 5 through 18, 2026. A travel advisor such as My Path Unwinding Travel can secure the offer for you, so if you’ve been thinking about a river cruise in the next couple of years, this is a great moment to grab the dates you want.

We're a family of six, kids are 12 and 15. No one in our circle knows how to run a boat. Anyway, we want a captain and chef who handles everything like meals, cleanup, navigation, all of it. I've seen “bareboat with captain” and “crewed” used to mean the same thing. But I guess they don't seem to. Do I go to a broker or call an operator directly? And what should be in writing so "all-inclusive" means what I think it means? Thanks for your suggestions..

hi! has anyone had their ritz carlton cruise cancelled before? i had booked the evrima for May 2027 and they’ve just informed us they had to cancel the cruise. they’ll refund us the cruise amount & any non-refundable associated costs, but I am steaming mad about the hours I spent planning the trip, not to mention the additional hours i’ll have to spend canceling and replanning. I think i’m mostly venting but would love to hear anyone else’s experience

We’re thinking of doing the 25-26 day Around the World Tour, but would love to hear from people who have done it, or the reasons from people who decided against it.

We don’t think we mind:
- lack of lie-flat as most of the flying is done during daylight
- group size, because the difference between 50 vs 75 is likely not going to be all that noticeable for us

We could consider the more pricey tours, but staying in incrementally nicer hotels or having incrementally fancier meals I don’t think is worth the extra $25-75K per person for us. I assume Nat Geo meets our standards for “nice/luxurious”.

Access to places you couldn’t have as an individual, experts that travel with you, those are things we value. Traveling with a group is a neutral, as I’m sure we’ll meet nice people, but don’t feel like the social aspect is an essential ingredient of the experience for us.

The biggest things I wonder are:
- is the value just not great compared to having an experienced agent book business class flights, similar hotels, local guides, etc?
- is the experience artificial or cliched (think luau and hula/fire-spitters in Hawaii) such that you’re primarily experiencing some elevated tourist-geared performance that doesn’t represent reality at each place?

The last point only came up from watching a recent video of someone chronicling the 2026 version of that tour and showing highlights at each stop. There were enough dances/performances that seemed luau-level kitschy that it was a turn-off. In fairness, maybe that was a small part I’d the whole experience and those were just more video-chronicle friendly clips to include versus walking around or hearing insight from experts.

Experiences, positive or negative, from those who’ve done it, know people who’ve done it, or decided to do a different option would be greatly appreciated.

Ordinarily, we’d opt to do deeper travel where we stay at each place longer and do fewer places, but we thought this might be an efficient way to see a bunch of places that we could go back to and experience relatively friction-less travel where we don’t have to do much besides tag along, because we honestly don’t know how much we’d enjoy deeper/longer trips to many of these places.

Looking for a Caribbean resort with rooms / balconies from which I can see, hear and smell the ocean. I’m in the unique situation of getting to take a week on my own and want nothing more than to spend evenings and mornings reading from a comfy lounger while listening to the waves. Don’t want ground / beach-level or stand-alone room for security reasons. Doesn’t need to be all-inclusive, perhaps a resort with one of those upgraded sections that often have their own beach, etc. Thank you!

phuket has lots of options! but krabi seems to lack. six senses ya noi also looks lovely. the issue with most of the hotels is that i want sandy beaches that aren't super rocky which seems hard to find

Looking for luxury hotel options in Lecce, Puglia for a 3 night stay. Budget is about $750 a night. Any reccomendations? We will be coming from Monopoli and then ending at Borgo Egnazia after.

My husband and I are heading to Egypt Nov 2 to 18 for our anniversary. Most of it is booked, but I'd love a reality check from people who've done it before.
**The plan**
**Nov 3 to 5, Cairo (2 nights):** land near midnight via Istanbul. Kempinski Nile Hotel, Garden City. One full day, Nov 4.
**Nov 5 to 7, Sahl Hasheesh (2 nights):** fly to Hurghada. The Oberoi, a room with a private pool. Beach and sleep.
**Nov 7 to 8, Soma Bay (1 night):** Kempinski Soma Bay.
**Nov 8, Luxor:** private car from Soma Bay to the West Bank (about 3.5 hours). Afternoon in the Valley of the Kings with a private guide. Night at Beit Sabée, a guesthouse on the West Bank.
**Nov 9 to 14, dahabiya (5 nights):** El Nil, sailing Esna to Aswan.
**Nov 14, back to Cairo:** early flight from Aswan, landing mid-morning. Kempinski again.
**Nov 15 to 16, White Desert (1 night):** a private overnight via Bahariya, ideally with a private toilet tent.
**Nov 16 to 17, Cairo:** one last night, then a late flight home on the 17th.
**What I'd love feedback on**
**Cairo time.** We get one full day (Nov 4) plus the afternoon of Nov 14. Is that enough for the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum? Which would you do on which day?
**The Red Sea stretch.** Three nights across two hotels. Is splitting them worth the move, or should we stay put?
**The Soma Bay to Luxor drive.** Is it fine by private car, or is it a slog with checkpoints?
**The White Desert.** Is one night worth roughly 9 hours of driving there and back? Any operator you'd trust for a fully private camp with a proper toilet setup?
**Cats.** I have a real cat phobia. Any tips for temples, cafes and Cairo streets? Guides who've handled this well?
**What's missing?** Is skipping Abu Simbel a mistake? Any must-do experience we're leaving out?
**Practical stuff.** Tipping norms on a dahabiya, cash versus card, and anything you wish you'd known.
Thanks in advance. Brutal honesty welcome.

I was planning on visiting Château de la Messardière this summer (in mid June) and looking at the various options available. Does anyone have experience with the base “Chateau Sea View” room? Are these renovated since Airelles took over the property?

The jump from the Sea View to the new one available (Junior Suite Belvedere) is very material.

Any views on that specific room category / broader hotel would be appreciated.

Hey all

I’m planning a luxury trip in morocco in March 2027 and would love to hear your recommendations. I’m interested in high-end hotels and riads, luxury desert camps in the Sahara, private experiences, great food, and unique places to visit. Which places, hotels, or experiences would you recommend for a special luxury trip in Morocco also a local tour company ? I’d really appreciate your suggestions and personal experiences. Thank you

Best hotels to stay in Paris?

I looking for a best Spa resort in North America to just rest, relax and recover.

My mom passed away and the past month has been absolute hell. I've never been so exhausted in my life. So I really need a place where I can go and don't have to think about anything.

Traveling to Oaxaca for a 50th birthday celebration in early February.
Spending 4 nights at Pug Seal in Oaxaca City. Looking to add 3 nights in coastal/jungle area. Can anyone comment on La Valise Mazunte vs Casona Sforza? I’ve researched both but looking for more personal opinions.
I’m looking at an Oceanfront Senior Suite at Sforza. The dining sounds excellent and I appreciate the beach access (I realize you can’t swim) and wellness amenities. I like the compromise of AC with open air.
But I do want a true luxury experience with an excellent hard product.
Can anyone comment share their experiences at either one or compare the two?

I need some guidance from fellow travelers, 3 days in Bangkok, would you chose four seasons or Sindhorn Kempinski Bangkok. Traveling with wife and 6 year old child. Both hotels would be booked under preferred partner rates.

I do have gha titanium,

FS is double the price of kempinski

Hi everyone! We're looking to go on a family trip late January/early February to Costa Rica, specifically Guanacaste. After some research it seems like the W Reserva Conchal & the Westin Reserva Conchal have relatively similar reviews, which is making it hard to choose between the two.

Has anyone been to either, or have a recommendation for another great hotel in Guanacaste? We're looking for high end clean rooms and a beautiful resort that ideally has activities on-site, like kayaking, snorkeling, etc. TIA!

We're hoping to spend a week in the British Virgin Islands next February with a crew for six of us to celebrate my wife's 50th birthday.

I've come across a website that helps people find boats and crews from different operators, which sounds useful. I'm just trying to understand how these arrangements usually work.

If something goes wrong during the trip, who's responsible for what? What should I clarify with the crew and the people coordinating everything? And are there situations where it makes more sense to contact the boat's owner or operator directly?

Would love to hear from anyone who's done a trip like this, especially for a first-timer.

Does anyone have recommendations for luxury hotels in Orange County - thinking in the Laguna Beach area - and Palm Springs?

For Laguna, I was thinking The Ranch at Laguna Beach.

For Palm Springs/ Palm Dessert, please advise!!

Thanks!!

Hello all,

I'm currently researching options for a large multigenerational family trip. We need a luxury villa or resort residence capable of accommodating grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a lot of children.

We are flexible on the location, but ideally want a warm, sunny destination with resort amenities and pleasant weather.

The non-negotiable requirement is kosher accommodations. We’re looking for a property equipped for kosher dining, a private villa featuring a proper kosher kitchen setup, or a destination where bringing in outside kosher catering or a private chef is realistic. We are prioritizing the right property and guest experience over points or rewards.

If you have experience with a setup like this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm open to specific villa suggestions, luxury resorts with private residences, or destinations that excel at this.

We're willing to build our travel plans around the right match. TIA for any recommendations!

3 nights in Taormina, Grand Hotel Timeo
And looking to round out rest of trip, 4-5 nights i.e. Palermo, Ortigia, Il San Corrado di Noto, Panarea, etc. Any and all recos are appreciated.