Guenmai

I agree Kathie as how many times, over how many years, have we heard such talk? And as far as the "cyber bullying" comment, I don't know where that is coming from. As far as cyber bullying, we've had plenty of that, coming from the other side, and from folks who probably have never stepped into a 5-star hotel, but come off to know all about them and that comment was NOT to you julies to make it clear unlike it not being made clear as to whom the "cyber bullying" comment was aimed at.

Happy Travels!

filmwill

julie, please don't be so passive. If you'd like to accuse me of being a bully just come out and say it (instead of making everyone else wonder if you're talking about them or not).

I find your assertions on what constitutes "real" travel holier-than-thou and beyond judgmental -- and they've been pervasive throughout this forum for quite some time. You can act surprised and shocked...that's well within your right. You can also accuse me of bullying if you feel that asserting my own opinion about that judgement is aggressive. But please just be forthcoming about it, since you have no problem asserting your opinion on just about everything else.

You say potato, I say let people travel the way they want and stop worrying so much about it.

LancasterLad

Kathie. You're cherry picking again. If you want to quote my comments then at least quote them in full before giving your counter comments.

hawaiiantraveler

No bullying that I see on this thread. I do see trolling by the one who trolls but hey, you always ask these type of questions. Of course the answer to this question doesn't matter its the response it brings that excites you so wont waste the time but did waste my time enough to bite into your little hook

Aloha!

Craig

Enjoying this thread - it's a debate that pops up from time to time, but it's a healthy one as we all have different travel styles...

Alistair_Rodrayguns

julies I hear you and I feel the same way when I drive my Pinto and some Hollywood type overtake me in their fancy Bentley!

simpsonc510

Interesting..... sorry I've "been away" from the Asia forums for a short time.

Put me in the catagory of to each his own. And there are days when I barely venture out of my hotel room/condo! No way the 8 hour rule applies to me!

Happy to be going back to my ~$275/night Bangkok panorama suite condo in April!

julies

filmwill--

Yes, it is you.

<I'm honestly baffled by your continual obsession with money and how other people spend it when they travel.>

<Shying away? You don't need to worry about that with this poster on this particular subject. It's the OP's assertion (sorry, "curiosity") -- here and on about 95% of the posts she comments on -- that staying in luxe properties alters (for the worse) the overall experience that one has on vacation. Moreso that one doesn't experience the "real" version of a destination whilst in "expensive" places. Or that it's somehow more authentic to stay in cheaper digs.>

Applying the politifact fact checker standards here, I know where you'd fall on the above statement.


<I find your assertions on what constitutes "real" travel holier-than-thou and beyond judgmental -- and they've been pervasive throughout this forum for quite some time. You can act surprised and shocked...that's well within your right. You can also accuse me of bullying if you feel that asserting my own opinion about that judgement is aggressive. But please just be forthcoming about it, since you have no problem asserting your opinion on just about everything else.>

To all--I asked a civil question and explained why I asked it. It is as simple as that. It is too bad when what should be a forum for open exchange of info devolves into this.

mrwunrfl

>>no hot water for showers for 2 nights out of 6, very erratic cleaning, a nice-sized but completely unusable balcony because it baked all day in the sun, and noise issues at night. It was just under $100 a night.

Thanks for answering most of my questions. So your $90-ish hotel had all those issues and you moved to a $59 hotel and were delighted. Great! Your shopping around paid off.

The question you didn't answer is: why didn't you find an even less expensive place?

I think that you need to realize this: there were other travelers in SR that day wondering why people would pay $59 when there was "decent" lodging for less.

>>A $59 room in SE Asia normally guarantees a decent 4* room.
Except that, in julies's experience, even $90 does not guarantee "decent".

I don't want "decent". I want nice and am willing and able to pay for it, even if I am only going to be in the room for 8 hours.

crellston

An interesting question. Seems like hotel rates should now be added to street food and tipping practices on the list of subjects likely to evoke strong opinions!

These places clearly exist because there is a strong demand for their product by people who are happy to pay for whatever rate is necessary. For me, CaliNurse's analogy re dogs/balls sums up the reason why people stay in these places perfectly.

I have stayed at some of the most expensive hotels in the world and some of the cheapest. Did I enjoy staying in $1000 pn plus room? Certainly. Did I enjoy it ten times as much as a $100 pn room? No. Which do I prefer? Neither - they each have there own pros and cons and are just completely different experiences. Not better or worse, just different. We each have our own perceptions of what constitutes good value.

Craig makes a very valid point regarding there being little added value above $300 (as well as some great points re locations and experiences).The same principal also applies at the lower end of the price scale. We spent the most of 2015 travelling in Asia and and averaged around $30 pn for an ensuite room - $59 would have been really pushing the boat out!! In Vietnam and Cambodia at least, we found that there was little difference in the $20-50 range. There was little point in paying much outside that range as there appeared to be little correlation between increased price and quality or service. Could I have stayed in places much cheaper? Of course I could, but my days of dorms and shared bathrooms are long gone.

To a certain extent I think there is, in some cases, a degree of snobbery involved at both ends of the price spectrum ( and I include myself in this) In many a hostel I have listened to backpackers who are exceeding proud of the fact that they have been able to travel SE Asia for months on $10 a day, sleeping on mats in rat infested rooms and existing on a diet solely consisting of pot noodles! Similarly, I have sat in club lounges listening to people wax lyrical about the square footage of their rooms, the view from their balcony, the quality of toiletries in their bathrooms all whilst making full use of the "free"bar.

Everyone has there own perception of what constitutes good value. Each to there own? Everyone's opinion is valid for them. Wouldn't life be boring if we all like the same things..

Lolazahra

I tried to not engage in this post, but I agree with Filmwell on this. The OP has for years used passive aggressive comments to “put down” any traveler who decides to stay in mid-range to luxury style hotels. She is constantly, no matter what the subject, somehow bringing it back around to money. She has commented, and I am paraphrasing, that she stays in cheaper accommodations to seek a truer or more authentic experience. There absolutely seems to be an obsession with other people’s money. The one thing that I love about Fodor’s is the fact that there is a community of like-minded people who travel to diverse places around the world because we have an absolute respect for different cultures, while also understanding the common humanity that we all share. We seek to learn about our cultural differences through language, art, food, and landscape, while also enjoying spending time with those living in the countries we visit to understand that we share more similarities than differences. We all want to live flourishing, participatory existences that allow us to enjoy family and community. There is really no one on this forum who does not seek to experience something extraordinary through travel. We are a group of people who endeavor to visit some of the most remote and wondrous places on earth. All of us have friends in our Western nations, who deem the exotic to be the Caribbean and going to Paris is a big adventure. And you know what??? That is okay too. But I find it demeaning for the OP to think that the hotels I choose to stay in with my family has anything to do with the cultural experiences that I seek out when I travel. I have stayed in 5-star hotels, as well as the cheapest accommodations based on the experience that I am seeking to have. An example would be staying in a 4-star hotel in Accra with my children while we did an ancestral cultural visit followed by a home-stay in a hut with no running water or electricity 7 hours outside of Accra to join an NGO to help rescue child slaves. Or staying at the luxurious Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania, followed by a $29 hotel in Lake Eyasi where we had bugs falling on our faces all night so that we could trek to the Dagada tribe, one of the most ancient tribes in all of Africa who have no written language. I could go on and on. My children and I have been all over the world and my 13 year-old has been to various countries on the continent of Africa 23 times. We have been all over Europe and many countries in Asia, seeking the most authentic cultural and volunteer experiences available. What difference does it make if we lay our heads in a room that cost $100 a night or $1000 a night? Furthermore, since over 1 billion people live on a mere $1.00 per day, including most of the countries we visit on this forum, the $60 per night that the OP spends on a hotel is like a million dollars to them. Do you want them to judge you? There is no one on the Asia forum seeking the ordinary. We are all global human beings with an innate understanding that travel is one of the most extraordinary privileges that we have on earth. I wish the OP would stop judging and continuing sharing what really matters about travel.

filmwill

julies, surely you're the victim here. the world's smallest violin is playing for you (it's small because small violins are cheap...and therefore more real).

Your claim that you are posing a simple, innocent question is directly contradicted by years of fire-poking people staying in any place other than a roadside popsicle stand.

Posed in a glass jar on an island frozen in time, the question is not loaded. Add in context, and, sorry--it doesn't hold up.

hawaiiantraveler

the person paying $1000 per night can afford it just as you can afford $59 per night. they are rich you are not....simple.
to that person the $1000 is like $20 to you and me. can you understand that? nothing wrong or right about it really just common sense.

your "astounded" feelings really seem more like jealousy plain and simple. I feel sorry for you actually, but that's just me

Guenmai

Lolazahra: Thumbs up!

Happy Travels!

Kathie

I enjoyed this article in the NYT about luxury suites: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/tr...av=bottom-well

This makes the $1000 hotel room look absolutely thrifty!

Amanda_B

Hello Members,

Please make sure not to post any personal attacks, offensive comments, and posts disclosing private information about third parties to avoid a comment or thread being deleted.

Thanks!

BostonHarbor

I stayed at the Oberoi in Agra for two nights with a balcony suite overlooking the Taj. It was expensive and I don't remember exactly what I paid, but to this day, I consider it just about the best money I have ever spent in my life.

I left my balcony door ajar, woke up to the "call to prayer", called room service for coffee and then sat out on my balcony with a blanket on my shoulders as the sun slowly came up, intimately and iridescently, exposing the Taj in the near distance. Breathtaking in the literally sense of that word. Yes, it was "priceless" and worth every. single. penny.

And, I only fly business or first class. Flying economy would ruin the trip for me. Sorry, yes, I'm indulgent, but geez, why not it it's how I roll?

For those who know my photography, know that I "experience" and feel the grit of those place I travel as much as anyone who stays in a hostel. I get filthy dirty and do things to get great images that most people wouldn't think of doing (even $40/night folks) I just like really, really good showers and really, really good pillows. : ) Ka-ching!

So, I'm not off to Tokyo (first class suite on ANA--miles : ) on March 30 to photograph Cherry Blossoms and Maikos (I have hired models in Kyoto) Will post pics.

So, bottom line. Yes, it's really, really nice to occasionally travel super- lux, but it's all about the person traveling, not the accommodation.

BostonHarbor

Sorry--last paragraph: "now off to Tokyo"

Kathie

Have a great trip, BostonHarbor. Experiencing the Sakura is still on my list - we were there for koyo a few years ago and it was spectacular.

crosscheck

Boston -- We stayed in that same suite in Agra. I think the rack rate might have been over $1000, but we got an amazing deal through Amex. I too can't remember what we paid, but we originally booked the room without the balcony and our trip planner (who also put us in small charming guesthouses) said the balcony was worth every extra penny...and she was right.

We too heard the call to prayer and in fact, the setting was so magical that we chose to stay there to watch the sunset rather than return in the evening Taj Mahal. Our experience included a personal butler who gave us a fascinating lesson in Indian politics when we asked about the government. When she heard we were film buffs, she brought us some Bollywood DVDs by her her favorite director, along with incense and snacks, and offered to get us on the set of a film that was shooting (sadly after we left).

As a contrast, when I saw this thread I thought about Poc Na, my first hostel experience ever, where I spent three weeks during an epic backpacking adventure in Isla Mujeres, Mexico at age 20. A hammock in a dorm room was about 50 cents a night, and a fabulous dinner was another 75 cents. They offered a discount if you helped clean up the beach and the backgammon area. While there, my friend and I visited the homes of local craftspeople and musicians, and also met a crowd of international archeologists who knew all about the Mayan ruins that were not yet documented in guidebooks.

I just did some googling and was delighted to see that my little palapa hostel still exists. It's now 150 pesos a night (about $15), so someone else can go there have a blast. Poc Na will always be one of my all-time travel highs, but now I'm grateful that I can stay at places like the Oberoi.