Before you plunk down a lot of money on hotels, airfare, gear, electronics or just a nice dinner, it always helps to read reviews. We thought we’d share our opinions on lots of different things. Airlines we’ve flown; place we’ve visited, stayed and ate; gear we’ve purchased and much more.
About Our Reviews
Many people are skeptical of reviews they find on the web. Are the reviews real? Is the reviewer getting something in return for their recommendation? Not here. On this site, you can be assured that our reviews are authentic. If it’s for a hotel, we’ve stayed there. For a restaurant? We’ve eaten there. A piece of gear? We use it. Here we share our honest feedback good or bad.
To make sure we give fair and consistent reviews, we try to apply the same criteria to each category. We remain anonymous. Why? Well, first because it allows us to stay under the radar when we’re traveling. You’ll notice in all of the photos and videos on this site, we never appear. OK, I guess you’ll have to trust us on that one, but it’s true. Second, we like it that way
Hotel Reviews
Let’s start with the Hotel Hypothesis. The price you pay for a place to stay does NOT necessary mean it’s going to be perfect. We’ve stayed in some dumps that were over $250 a night and great places that were less than $100. Here’s what we look for in a hotel:
- Cleanliness – after traveling all day, the last thing you want is a pit of a hotel room<
- Service – it doesn’t have to be “over-the-top”, but everyone you come in contact with should at least be friendly and helpful
- Value – while value is relative to most people, you should feel like you’re getting what you pay for
- Location – The hotel is where it is, so we’re assuming if you didn’t like the location, you wouldn’t be staying there. But, it’s always a bonus when it’s more convenient to things than you thought.
Dining Reviews
There’s nothing more we hate than the term “foodie”. We all eat food, so who isn’t a “foodie”? As you read our reviews, we should know we like just about every type of food out there. Now, I know what your saying. “All types of food?”. OK, some of us (not all of us) draw the line at eating things that are still alive and crawling, but for the most part we’re open minded. We’re just as happy eating out of a food stand in a fish market in SE Asia as we are in a 5 star restaurant in NYC. It’s all about the taste and quality of the food, not the surroundings or portion size. Here’s what we look for in a great place to eat (or drink):
- Food Quality– Whether it’s caviar or an Australian fire ant, the food should be fresh and taste good. Now, everyone’s pallet is different, but we know “good” food from “bad” food regardless of our like or dislike for it.
- Service– it doesn’t have to be “over-the-top”, but everyone should be friendly, know the menu and serve your food at a reasonable pace. It shouldn’t be glacial nor should it be rushed.
- Value– while value is relative to most people, you should feel like you’re getting what you pay for. We don’t confuse portion size for value. If we like what we eat and it’s worth the money, then that’s perfect.
- Cleanliness– You shouldn’t feel like you’re going to hurl, just by stepping inside.
Gear Reviews
We admit it. We’re early adopters and try to stay ahead of the curve. We’re not afraid to try or test new things. If it makes life and travel easier, we’re all about it. Everything we review on here we either own or have owned and have paid for with our hard earned dollar/euro/sheckle. If we’re testing something or have received something free to review, we’ll make sure it’s noted upfront. We’re all about full disclosure.
- Purpose– Does it do what it’s supposed to do and do it well?
- Value– For the price we paid, does it give us that level of performance we’re expecting
- Durability– Can it hold up to the heat of Dubai in July, being dropped from an overhead airline luggage bin or dropped from a car going 45 MPH?
Playlist/Bookshelf
When you’re flying from San Francisco to Singapore, airline entertainment can only go so far, no matter whether in “the back of the bus” or the “nose cone” of the airplane. It’s a great time to throw on the iPod or read a book. We’ll give you the 4-1-1 on some of the things we read and listen to while we’re traveling.