I haven't been on many Exotics, but Patagonia and Puglia had wonderful hotels. Still, not the most important element, though now that Tauck has spoiled me, I check out their hotels before booking on my own. In the end, I usually choose smaller properties, particularly during covid. In Europe stars do not necessarily refer to quality, but rather amenities offered, such as bar, restaurant, gym, spa, elevator, etc.
Wish I could agree with Claudia Sails comments that the Crown Jewels of Switzerland had the best hotels. In fact, some were pretty bad. At the Mont Cervin 'Palace' hotel in Zermatt, we not only didn't stay in the Mont Cervin, but we didn't even stay in the annex to the Mont Cervin. Instead, were were placed in the annex to the annex of the Mont Cervin which was similar to a smelly, stinky Homewood Suites (meaning no disrespect to Homewood Suites & yes, it was actually a bad odor there). Yes, I had a lovely view of the youth hostel/lodge next door. It wasn't even next door to the Mont Cervin but rather across the street and down an alley. Other rooms were on the tour were okay. However, the lovely room (and view) from Lausanne Palace in Lausanne was quite nice.
Caveat - we have not been to India….Hands down Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for us. The Metropole in Hanoi, Chaing Mai 4 Seasons and Raffles in Siem Reip were fabulous. Runners up : Australia and New Zealand for the Silky Oaks Lodge and Auckland Sofitel ; and Switzerland Crown Jewel for Lausanne Palace; Victoria - Jungfrau; Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola in Lugano and Kempinski Palace, Engelberg. Heading to Morocco next week and will report on the 4 Seasons and air conditioning situation ( it is supposed to get hot in the middle of the tour),
We just returned from A Week in... The Amalfi Coast, Capri and Rome and must report that the Le Agavi Hotel in Positano was nothing short of phenomenal. I think we may have had the best views possible at any hotel (and all rooms have sea views). The daily breakfast was also delicious with incredible sea views. Staff was friendly and helpful. Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri was also lovely, but nothing topped Le Agavi. My favorite hotel on any of the 3 Tauck tours I've been on and also my favorite tour - by a long shot.
Comments
BSP51 - A very "cog"nitive response!
I haven't been on many Exotics, but Patagonia and Puglia had wonderful hotels. Still, not the most important element, though now that Tauck has spoiled me, I check out their hotels before booking on my own. In the end, I usually choose smaller properties, particularly during covid. In Europe stars do not necessarily refer to quality, but rather amenities offered, such as bar, restaurant, gym, spa, elevator, etc.
Wish I could agree with Claudia Sails comments that the Crown Jewels of Switzerland had the best hotels. In fact, some were pretty bad. At the Mont Cervin 'Palace' hotel in Zermatt, we not only didn't stay in the Mont Cervin, but we didn't even stay in the annex to the Mont Cervin. Instead, were were placed in the annex to the annex of the Mont Cervin which was similar to a smelly, stinky Homewood Suites (meaning no disrespect to Homewood Suites & yes, it was actually a bad odor there). Yes, I had a lovely view of the youth hostel/lodge next door. It wasn't even next door to the Mont Cervin but rather across the street and down an alley. Other rooms were on the tour were okay. However, the lovely room (and view) from Lausanne Palace in Lausanne was quite nice.
Caveat - we have not been to India….Hands down Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for us. The Metropole in Hanoi, Chaing Mai 4 Seasons and Raffles in Siem Reip were fabulous. Runners up : Australia and New Zealand for the Silky Oaks Lodge and Auckland Sofitel ; and Switzerland Crown Jewel for Lausanne Palace; Victoria - Jungfrau; Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola in Lugano and Kempinski Palace, Engelberg. Heading to Morocco next week and will report on the 4 Seasons and air conditioning situation ( it is supposed to get hot in the middle of the tour),
We just returned from A Week in... The Amalfi Coast, Capri and Rome and must report that the Le Agavi Hotel in Positano was nothing short of phenomenal. I think we may have had the best views possible at any hotel (and all rooms have sea views). The daily breakfast was also delicious with incredible sea views. Staff was friendly and helpful. Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri was also lovely, but nothing topped Le Agavi. My favorite hotel on any of the 3 Tauck tours I've been on and also my favorite tour - by a long shot.