HOTEL REVIEWS
i can be brutally honest…
Looking for honest hotel reviews you can actually trust? You’ve come to the right place. This is your go-to spot for unfiltered, no-nonsense reviews of hotels I’ve personally stayed at around the globe. From luxury resorts to budget-friendly stays, I’m here to share the real story—no sponsors, no hidden agendas, and no fluff.
My honest hotel reviews are based on my own firsthand experiences, so you’ll get the good, the bad, and everything in between. If a hotel has paper-thin walls, a subpar breakfast, or misleading photos, I’m not afraid to call it out. And when I find a gem that exceeds expectations, you’ll know it’s a place truly worth booking.
In general, I love staying at hotels! I don’t do AirBnBs for a bunch of reasons, so when I’m traveling, it’s almost all hotels for me, with some campgrounds mixed in here and there. I also lived in a hotel for nearly two years(!) – which I’ll write about one of these days, so I know what I like and what I don’t like in a hotel stay.
My typical hotel choices are mid-range (think Fairfield Inn by Marriott or a Holiday Inn Express). I avoid low end chains like Red Roof Inns and Days Inns.
With my honest hotel reviews, I’ll always give you the low-down and dirty. You could even say I’m too ‘picky’ but that’s the point of writing a hotel review – to be detailed and honest. I can guarantee you that every one of those places I’ve written about below thinks they deserve a “5 star review” from their guests but the majority of them don’t warrant it — my philosphy is “if everything is 5 stars, nothing is 5 stars”.
I paid for all of these hotel stays with my own money. I am not sponsored, so I will freely give you my opinion on each one – I’ll tell you the pros and cons, in hopes of letting you be the judge if the accommodation is right for you or not. Go ahead and dive in to my honest hotel reviews below!
Buffalo Bill Cody’s Irma Hotel review in Cody, Wyoming. This historic hotel features a restaurant and saloon right in downtown Cody. Here is my review of our stay at the Irma
Geneva Marriott hotel review – honest and unbiased. Hotel near the Geneva Airport – is the Marriott a good location for exploring Geneva?
The Gardur Stay Inn at the Secret Lagoon was one of my favorite places to stay on our 14-day Iceland Ring Road trip and I 100% recommend it if you’re looking for hotels along the Golden Circle area of Iceland….
We stayed at the Sangaiwe Tented Lodge for one night — the last night of our actual safari — in Tarangire National Park Tanzania. And this was it — this was our last safari lodge before ending our Kenya &…
Honest hotel review of the Fosshotel Stykkisholmur. Is the Fosshotel Stykkisholmur a good base for exploring Snaefellsness Peninsula? This review will go over everything you need to know before your stay
Honest review of the K16 Apartments in Akureyri Iceland. Should you stay here? Is it worth it? Are there laundry facilities? I’ll tell you everything you need to know, as I stayed here on my Iceland Ring Road trip!
Hotel review for the Sel Hotel in Myvatn Iceland. Honest hotel review – everything you need to know before booking a stay here on your Iceland ring road trip
I stayed at the Desert Quail Inn for two nights when visiting Sedona to do some hiking. I chose this hotel because it gets great reviews and the price was right. The Desert Quail Inn was considerably less expensive than…
Honest review of the Royal Zanzibar Resort in Tanzania. What’s included, pool and beach information about the resort. Honest post-safari beach hotel review!
Honest review of the Staybridge Suites in Tucson Arizona hotel. What are the rooms like? Is this a good place to stay in Tucson? I’ll give it to you straight!
Honest review of the Lake Nakuru Lodge — my sister and I stayed here for one night while on safari at Lake Nakuru National Park. I’ll review the Lake Nakuru Lodge and tell you everything you need to know!
I stayed at the Towneplace Suites by Marriott in Chandler, Arizona for three nights. I chose this hotel due to its location, price and the fact that it had a kitchen, as I was staying for three nights and preferred…
Honest hotel review of the Fosshotel Westfjords, in Patreksfjordur Iceland. Is this hotel a good base for exploring the Westfjords in Iceland?
Located just outside of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, is the Lake Munyanyange Caves Lodge. This is one of the many safari lodges in the area in which visitors stay during their visit to this national park. Our safari…
We stayed at the Vid Lonid Guesthouse in Seydisfjordur Iceland for one night on our Ring Road trip. This was one of the best places we stayed on our trip and I highly recommend it if you plan on staying…
When it comes to hotels and free food, nothing beats a Drury. NOTHING. If you’ve never stayed at a Drury Inn, you’re missing out. Especially if you’re cheap like me and love to take advantage of free meals at a…
Honest review of the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik Iceland, near the airport. Is this a good hotel to stay in Iceland?
Rushaga Gorilla Lodge review in Uganda – honest review of the safari lodge when going on a Bwindi gorilla trek
Review of the Sleep Inn and Suites – Page Lake Powell Arizona. Honest blog review of the hotel, is it worth staying here when visiting Horseshoe Bend?
Milk Factory Hotel Iceland honest review. Is this Hofn Iceland hotel worth staying in on a ring road trip?
Oof. Let’s have a talk about the Woodspring Suites Tucson hotel chain. Because I’ve never stayed there before until now. And now that I have, I’d love to tell you all about my experience staying at a Woodspring Suites Tucson…
I stayed at the My Place Tucson South hotel in Arizona and here is my honest review. When I first heard of this “My Place” hotel chain, immediately what pops in my head is Nelly’s song, “My Place.” You know….“Come…
Located on the outskirts of Reykjavik, Hotel Vellir provides a great location for anyone arriving in Iceland and not wanting to stay in the throes of a city (yet be nearby). We stayed at the Hotel Vellir Iceland for one…
What is it like to stay at the Angaata Seronera Camp in Seregenti National Park? My sister and I stayed here for two nights while on safari, so I’ll give you an honest review of this safari camp – because…
During my quick weekend getaway to Sedona, Arizona, I stayed at the Arabella Resort in Sedona. This hotel was recommended by my realtor in Phoenix as this was my first time visiting Sedona and I was pretty overwhelmed on where…
During our two-week trip around Iceland, we had to switch hotels almost every night, which can be pretty draining, but to do a Ring Road trip like this, it’s pretty much what you have to do. When you get outside…
My sister and I stayed near the Ngorongoro Crater – here is my Ngorongoro Coffee lodge review in Tanzania. In a nutshell, the Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge was the best place we stayed at during our East Africa safari through Kenya…
The Kibo Safari Camp was our accommodation for two nights we spent in on safari in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. During our trip to East Africa, we stayed in several different safari lodges. And in this blog post, I’ll…
Masai Mara Sopa Lodge review – honest hotel review of this safari lodge when staying in the Maasai Mara in Kenya
So of course I made it a point to stay at the Best Western Space Age Lodge Hotel when we visited Organ Pipe National Monument. We absolutely loved the quirky alien theming and thought the rooms were very nice.
Wigwam Motel Route 66 Arizona review – in Holbrook, AZ. What’s it like to sleep in a wigwam?