Travel Blog

Best Hotels in Tokyo

Best Hotels in Tokyo: 23 Top Picks by Category (2026)

Tokyo has thousands of hotels, and most “best of” lists are built from the same recycled twenty names without checking whether they are still open, let alone still good. This one is not. Every hotel below was checked against its own site, current listings and independent reviews, organised by what it actually does best rather than by star rating alone...

Where to stay in Tokyo? There are so many options to chose from!

Where to Stay in Tokyo: Best Areas and Hotels (2026)

Tokyo does not have one obvious place to stay. It has a dozen good ones, each built around a different train line and a different version of the city. Base yourself in the wrong neighbourhood and a trip that should feel effortless turns into an hour of transfers before breakfast. Base yourself in the right one and the whole city opens up within a few stops...

Bangkok by Boat

Best Hotels in Bangkok: 20 Top Picks by Category (2026)

Thailand’s reputation rests on more than beaches and street food — Thai hospitality is famous in its own right, and it shows up in hotels at every price point, not only the five-star ones. What sets Bangkok apart from most capital cities is how far your money stretches here: a proper five-star stay is realistically within reach, which is exactly why some...

Aerial night view of Bangkok's skyline with an illuminated elevated expressway curving past high-rise condos near the Chao Phraya

Where to Stay in Bangkok: Best Areas and Hotels (2026)

Thailand’s fame isn’t only about temples, food, and beaches — Thai hospitality has a reputation all its own, and it’s part of what makes staying almost anywhere in this city a good experience. Add in how affordable five-star comfort is here compared to most capital cities, and the harder question in Bangkok usually isn’t whether you can afford...

Rainbow in the mist at Barron Falls seen from Skyrail lookout

Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway: Why I Did It This Way Round

There’s a particular kind of decision fatigue that hits the moment you start researching Kuranda from Cairns. Cable car or train? Which one first? Do you need a car? I went through all of it before landing on the combination that turned out to be exactly right: Skyrail up, a wander through Kuranda village in between, and the Kuranda Scenic Railway back down...

Giant NAGOYA letter sculpture in the park

Where to Stay in Nagoya: Best Areas and Hotels

Nagoya doesn’t have a single obvious neighbourhood to base yourself in the way Kyoto or Osaka does — it comes down to what you’re prioritising. Nagoya Station (Meieki): the default choice, and the right one if you’re passing through on the Shinkansen the way I did. Everything — trains, department stores, an entire underground food and shopping city...

View from Cape Bruny Lighthouse balcony over the lightstation and bay

6 Best Day Trips from Hobart

Hobart sits close enough to the rest of southern and eastern Tasmania that most visitors end up choosing between five or six properly different days out, and every “best day trips” listicle online treats them as interchangeable. They are not. I did two of these myself, researched three more properly rather than guessing, and there is one that gets...

Nagoya Castle main keep with golden shachihoko ornaments

One Day in Nagoya: The Complete Stopover Itinerary

I got into Nagoya on a late Shinkansen from Tokyo, checked into a hotel two minutes from the station, and had exactly one day to see a city most people skip entirely. Nagoya sits on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto, and a lot of travellers treat it as nothing more than a place the train passes through. I wanted to know if that reputation was fair...