Reviews & advice
Collection
Hotel reviews
Holiday perfection: Traveller’s top hotels of 2024
From opulence in Monaco and Dubai to revamped hotels closer to home, here are the best properties reviewed by Traveller’s expert writers this year.
Opinion
Air travel
I’m a flight attendant and I don’t want to hear you whingeing about kids
You would be surprised by the number of people who treat the mere presence of children on flights as if they were being forced to sit next to a serial killer.
- by Paula Gahan
★★★1/2
Ship reviews
On board the cruise giant back in Australia for summer
One of the biggest ships to cruise Australian waters, Quantum of the Seas, manages to (mostly) not feel too crowded, despite having close to 5000 passengers aboard.
- by Craig Platt
Opinion
Travel tips
I just want to watch something on my hotel room TV. Why is it so hard?
This simple pleasure has turned into a palaver that makes me long for the violently expensive halcyon days of pay-per-view in hotel rooms.
- by Mark C. O’Flaherty
Opinion
Savvy traveller
My advice on drinking cheap spirits in Bali? Just don’t
Recent incidents in Laos and Fiji have stirred fears about alcohol safety in Bali, which has its own history of bar poisonings.
- by Jenny Hewett
The world’s 20 most overrated destinations
Some parts of the travel experience are massively overrated – nowhere near as good as they should be – and we’re here to call them out.
- by The Traveller team
Opinion
Travel tips
Step back from the carousel: My (unrealistic) travel wishes for 2025
On my 2025 fantasy wish list hotels will have easy-to-find light switches, Qantas will serve proper meals again and the Aussie dollar will strengthen.
- by Ben Groundwater
This trick can get you the best seat on the plane (but there’s a catch)
A new travel trend called “check-in chicken” could bring you free extra legroom - but it comes with some risks.
- by Greg Dickinson
★★★★
Hotel reviews
The verdict on Melbourne’s luxe new hotel with knockout dining
The 1980s called, and it wants its Jarrah back. But seriously, those deep, reddish tones are a beautiful base for design firm Kennedy Nolan’s vision.
- by Katherine Scott
★★★½
Hotel reviews
Central Sydney hotel gets a new life (again)
This property has gone through several iterations, previously as a Travelodge before becoming a Mercure and now a Novotel after a $20 million revamp.
- by Craig Platt
A $297 charge for OnlyFans? My card details were stolen on holiday
Credit card scams are on the rise and tourists are common targets. Here are five tips for avoiding what happened to me in Europe.
- by Kristie Kellahan
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/