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The term “boutique hotel” can be applied to a host of very different properties — whether quaint or trendy, traditional or avant-garde. But they all have at least one thing in common: They’re intimate, and fewer rooms means fewer guests get to experience them, so staying at one can feel like discovering a secret hideaway.…
by Anne Baras, SmarterTravel If you’re aware of the euro weakening considerably against the dollar in recent months, you’ve likely contemplated a trip to Europe. But one question remains: In which destinations will your dollar go the absolute furthest? The short (and quite welcome) answer is that all of the 19 Eurozone countries are virtually…
Airfare has been killing us recently. Fuel prices may be plummeting, but that simply means more cash for airlines, rather than more savings for passengers. So unless consumer demand drops (which we don’t expect anytime soon), flying just about anywhere in the world will remain a costly affair. But that doesn’t mean you should put…
Who doesn’t love something shiny and new?! We’re constantly on the lookout for hot new hotel properties, and we’ve noticed a recent trend: boutiques are in. While the definition of a “boutique hotel” varies slightly person to person, even within the hospitality industry, boutiques are part of a special hotel category that attempts to create…
Many of the most iconic hotels in the world are housed in historic buildings — which means they’ve had plenty of time to rack up a story or two. We’ve told you about hotels with storied pasts, but there’s a fine line between what’s storied and what’s plain disturbing. Here we bring you six hotels…
Launched in October 2010, Instagram (if you’ve been living under a rock) is the extremely successful photo-sharing app acquired by Facebook in 2012. The social networking service lets you take photos and short videos, and apply filters or alter the brightness, contrast, and saturation of them, before posting them under your handle for all of…
Chain hotels often get a bad rap. Admittedly, some of them, with uninspired beige decor, industrial carpeting, and airline-quality breakfasts, have earned it. But they’re not all that way. Some chain hotels are building their brand as hip and stylish, with restaurants that attract foodies and rooms that look straight out of Dwell magazine. Here,…
We here at Oyster are all about honesty — honest photos, honest reviews, etc. So we’re going to give it to you straight: you’re going to stuff your face on Thanksgiving. Fear not; we fully support uninhibited feasting on holidays. After all, a mouth full of sweet potato casserole might even save you from telling…
Let’s play a game of “would you rather.” Would you rather stay in a cute boutique in Istanbul or a dated (but canal-side) hotel in Venice? A historic country estate in Ireland or a stylish, woodsy hotel on the fjords in Norway? Everyone’s preferences are different, but one thing is for sure: Not every destination…
Every vacation should leave you with a certain bounce to your step, but at the Solar Do Castelo Hotel in Lisbon, you’ll actually get to learn from example. The property’s resident fowl friends — read: a friendly family of peacocks — strut about the courtyard, gardens, and alleyways, hoping to impress guests. This ostentation (yes,…