u/Key-Dragonfruit-4590

We stayed one night here with 2 children/2 adults during a recent Japan trip. Husband booked directly as a Diamond Elite Member, 2 twin classic with Advance Saver Member Exclusive With Breakfast.

The hotel is beautiful, newly opened in October 2025! Very modern inside. Lovely lobby but they use an odd musty perfume, and this odor pervades the entire property and was really not our thing!

The room is great, we had two double beds (they call it twin classic but the twins are fairly spacious) and a small sitting area. The view is amazing. Bathroom was great - the tub is so comfortable and water fills at a fast rate, shower is also very spacious.

We used the pool in the morning - beautiful space and view, heated water, no complaints here. There's not a lot of room for sitting as the pool takes up most of the space. Also note they have morning poolside yoga so we had to leave after 30 minutes, but we were given warning ahead of time. No hot tub but the pool is quite warm!

Breakfast was stellar! Again, beautiful space. Many many options (classic Japanese options like chirashi & make your own udon/ramen, eggs to order, pastries, small fruit selection).

Location - next to Nakajima Park and along riverbank. We were only here one night so not much to say but everything was quite convenient for us.

All in all, happy with the stay here before we flew out of CTS and would definitely come again!

Mini review of this awesome property. We only stayed for 1 night but it was amazing and I highly recommend a night here if you are in Hokkaido.

We booked a Lake Toya lake view suite through their website. The website is a little hard to navigate, but for 2 adults/2 children, it seemed like we needed to book a suite. The suite was HUGE - two full (?) size beds plus a room that was made up with tatami for the kids, plus a large living area that overlooks the lake, 2 toilets, 1 shower, several sinks, and a fun nest swing. We also did not realize this, but if you book a suite, you have access to their lounge which has a beautiful lakeside view and abundant Hokkaido snacks and beers. They also check you in there so you can relax while they do their business.

The best part of the hotel is the onsen (hot springs). Onsen are single-sex hot springs (no clothing either), and Nonokaze has unbelievable outdoor onsen at the top of the resort. You just look straight out at the mountains and lake. There is also an indoor onsen with several different temperature baths, sauna, plunge pool, etc.

Dinner and breakfast were both buffets and spectacular. Dinner is set against the backdrop of the breathtaking lake, with more options that you can imagine - seafood, pastas, steak, grilled whelk, tempura, sushi, etc. Kids enjoyed mixing their own sodas.

And to top it off, there are nightly fireworks over Lake Toya over the summer. You can see them perfectly from the room!

Recently completed a 3 night stay at The Peninsula in Tokyo. Loved it so much and will definitely stay here in the future. We were 2 adults and 2 children (ages 9 and 13), booked through u/alex_travels, and were upgraded from a Premier Corner Room Twin to an Executive Twin Suite (thank you Alex!!). Peninsula offers this stay 2 nights get 1 night free deal, so we opted to stay 3 nights. The main reason we booked the hotel was for the Peninsula Time, which allows you to check in as early as 6am, a huge perk when your flight arrives in Tokyo at 4am!

Room & Hotel: 10/10

The room is, as others have stated, not the most modern but we loved it. First of all, the suite is amazing. We had a living room/dining room with a twin bed set up, a powder bathroom, dressing area with large vanity, bedroom with 2 "twin" beds set up, and a bathroom with 2 sinks/lovely tub/shower. The bed was super comfortable - a little firm but with nice plush pillows and comforters. There are these funny anachronisms that we all loved - like a fax machine (had to explain that one to the kids), a DVD player, a valet box, nail dryer. There are hidden panels and switches everywhere that were fun to find. View was of the city and fun to look out.

The pool & hot tub (vitality pool) were amazing. Really nicely done. The vitality pool looks out at the Imperial Garden and has a bench for you to sit on and relax inside the water. Lots of bubbles and perfect temperature. The pool is similarly at a great temperature and excellent for laps. We meandered through the gym and it was nice. There is a full sauna with ice/hot and cold rooms but I didn't spend much time there. (Note the facilities are single sex and sauna/gym do not allow children.) The changing rooms have everything you need including a dryer for the swimsuits and wet garment bags.

Location: 9/10

We loved the location, right in the middle of Ginza and outside Yurakucho station. There is the upscale Ginza shopping area and tons of fun local shops/businesses/restaurants. You are one stop from Tokyo Station and also next to the Imperial Palace.

Food/Dining: 8/10

We had free breakfast courtesy of u/alex_travels and it was pretty good. I am always partial to a an amazing breakfast buffet but the Peninsula breakfast is a la carte. You can choose from the Peninsula breakfast (western), Japanese, or Chinese - or you can choose off the menu. The menu is a little sparse if you stay there multiple days but it was just right for us. The Japanese breakfast has the most variety and everyone enjoyed all the offerings. The eggs were done well, and we had eggs with smoked salmon and avocado with toast as the western breakfast. My only room for improvement - I wish there were more fruit included with the breakfast! Note that breakfast is served in the lobby, which we enjoyed because you can people watch while eating, but it is a little different from the norm.

Service: 9/10

Japanese service is lovely. Housekeeping is very conscientious - they have a million different toiletries and amenities (think slippers, yukata, razor, cotton buds, bubble bath, bath salts, exfoliating pad, kids toothpaste & toothbrush, comb, brush, etc), and they refill them with incredible alacrity. There are bags for wet garments and liquids for the airport. The desk is always stocked with sharpened pencils and erasers. A waiter spilled coffee on my husband at breakfast one morning, and there were so many apologies and lovely gestures - they offered to wash them for him but we were leaving so they drove us in the (amazing) courtesy car to the train station. The only reason service is not 10/10 is because 1) I think they should give you a little welcome drink or something (after traveling 20+ hours I would have loved something, even water!) and 2) I love turndown snacks/gifts. But those are minor complaints.

Overall: 10/10

The Peninsula Time alone was such a big win for us that I would stay here again, no questions asked. We were able to have a full day in Tokyo because of it, and were able to rest in the room when we were tired. With that, and the upgrade and the special 3rd night free, the pricing was actually quite good! The service is lovely and we cannot wait to go back again someday!

Where we went: Relais Christine, Paris

When we went: February 2026 (3 nights)

Who went: Family trip - 2 adults and 2 children (ages 13 and 8)

Property: 8/10

The hotel is super charming, but the decor is not for everyone. I usually prefer more modern, clean lines, etc. and this is not that, yet I still appreciated it. This is plushy fancy ornate sofas, brocades, sitting chairs, busy wallpaper, etc. Chess board and backgammon board in the main sitting area.

There is a beautiful hot tub downstairs but the water was lukewarm. This was the one time we complained but it didn't seem like they were ever able to get the water temp higher.

Location: 10/10

This is where the hotel shines. I loved the area, in the left bank right by Saint-Germain-des-Prés. We were tucked in this alleyway but immediately could walk out to great restaurants. As a previous reviewer notes, the hotel is right next to a small movie theater, and people do queue outside it, but we didn't have any problems, maybe because our room was an interior one?

Room: Suite 8/10

1 Queen bed – From 40 to 60sqm / From 430 to 645sqft, plus pull out sofa bed.

We booked a suite for the family, which was very cute. This is a two story room. The first floor has the sofa bed, full bath, and a small desk. The sofa bed was very comfortable. The second floor has the main bed and another bathroom. Both bathrooms are split into the toilet in one room and the tub/shower in another. The bottom floor was a bit cramped with the sofa bed out but we didn't have any issues with it.

The room is pretty high tech. There are switches for the window shades, and the TV rises out of the furniture in front of the bed (I don't know how to describe it but the kids enjoyed it).

Service: 9/10

Everyone was very friendly. Turndown service left different chocolates every night. We all got roses for Valentine's Day.

Breakfast: 7*/10*

My soft spot in life is a great hotel breakfast buffet and delicious treats at turndown :). That being said, I'm a bit of a harsh critic of hotel breakfast. This one is pretty good but not the best I've ever had (oh Mandarin Oriental in Taipei, how I miss you). You could order an egg dish and then there are pastries (the pain au chocolate was warm & crispy one day but soggy the next), lots of different spreads and breads, cucumbers/tomatoes, charcuterie. Plates were very cute but often they were out of them! Hot chocolate was delicious!

Bottom line - we would stay here again because it was a nice family space, and the location was superb. I like the feel of a small boutique hotel. We didn't notice any issues with other guests, nor did we feel out of place even though we were dressed in mostly athleisure (I'm sorry, we are light packers!).

Overall: 8/10

Where we went: Portrait Firenze

When we went: May 2026

Who went: Family trip - 2 adults and 2 children (ages 13 and 9)

Room: Family Suite (58 sqm)

We were in town for a wedding so this was just a very quick stop. What an amazing hotel this was. Location, service, room, food - all done so well. Booked through u/alex_travels. If I'm ever in Florence again, I will definitely stay here again (provided I can afford it - it's not cheap!).

Property & Location: 10*/10*

I love the decor and look of the hotel. Modern, clean lines, but not too corporate or stuffy feeling. Felt very Italian. The location is right by the Ponte Vecchio and right in the middle of all the action.

Rooms: 10/10

Our family suite was so well done! There are two gorgeous full bathrooms, a kitchenette bar, incredible closet space, a large living area where the kids slept on a pull-out sofa, cute little terrace. The views from our room were pretty lame (think some construction and alleyways), but I wasn't there for the view so it didn't bother me. The room has all the modern conveniences too.

Service: 10/10

Amazing service here! Our room had lovely gifts, including berries and a Ferragamo perfume for Mother's Day. They also provided bite-size pastries and sparkling wine The kids were given gifts like Legos and origami sets.

Food: 8/10

The breakfast buffet was great. You could order eggs a la carte, and the buffet had excellent pastries, mini sandwiches, and this amazing tomato bar. We also ate dinner at the restaurant and had a wonderful time - we sat outside looking over Ponte Vecchio. I had the squid ink pasta which was excellent.

Hi all!

I know many people have discussed Rosewood Mayakoba before, so I'll just leave you with a few thoughts and pictures. We booked through u/alex_travels, which gave us lots of perks including a room upgrade (thank you!). I have also been to Fairmont Mayakoba and Banyan Tree where we booked one of the newer beachfront rooms with the plunge pool.

Where we went: Rosewood Mayakoba

When we went: June 2026 (3 nights)

Who went: Family trip - 2 adults and 2 children (ages 13 and 9)

Service: 9/10

Service was great, very friendly and personable. We are not heavy butler users, but the butler made reservations for dinner and excursions. My daughter lost her sunglasses while biking around the property, and the butler somehow found them in the lost & found and returned them! I didn't give 10/10 only because housekeeping was always cleaning when we came back from breakfast, and then we had this awkward dance of quickly changing into swimsuits and leaving the room while they finished.

Pool service was always prompt. Dinners sometimes took a long time.

Property: 8/10

The property is gorgeous, very well-maintained. The pools are great and were not crowded during our stay. The family section by the beach was recently renovated and very lovely. Always enough chairs! Plenty of kids but never felt loud or too rowdy. Only points off are for the beach. If you are really into beaches, there is definitely sargassum problem at this time of year, and the Rosewood beach is also kind of small. The BT beach seemed nicer, but it might not be a fair comparison because we went in October.

Rosewood also had great bikes, including trailers for toddlers, training wheels for slightly older kids, and small bikes for kids like my petite-sized son! Everyone bikes around, and it was super fun to get around by bike. Huge highlight.

Rooms: 10/10

The suites at Rosewood are amazing. We booked a lagoon studio suite and were upgraded to a deluxe lagoon suite (thank you Alex!). 1 king & 1 sofa bed, 1,103 ft² (interior) + 1,057 ft² (exterior). They brought a rollaway for one kid, and the other slept on the sofa bed. We had two full bathrooms, an outdoor shower, beautiful bathtub, full changing room, living room, master bedroom, and outdoor space with plunge pool. We all loved the outdoor shower. (Count - there were THREE showers and one bathtub!) We loved lounging around in the room. There was plenty of space and all was well laid out. Bed was super comfortable.

If I had to be super picky, I would say I preferred the plunge pool at BT because there was more shade over the outdoor space. The view here is of the lagoon, and the kids enjoyed checking out the turtles in the morning.

Turndown service was always done well. They gave cute little Mexican alebrijes every night. (I personally love getting food but I appreciate anything at turndown :))

Food: 6/10

OK, so this is my main gripe about Rosewood and maybe Mayakoba in general (yes, yes, you say, but you've been 3 times now!). The food is SO EXPENSIVE (and I come from NY, so I know expensive food!) and while it is pretty good, it's just not amazing. I don't want to spend so much money on non-authentic sushi. I want to spend money on great tacos. We ate at Punta Bonita a few times and Zapote once or twice. The variety was ok but not amazing. We are big foodies though, and love being adventurous, so maybe next time we just need to drive out of the complex to try new things.

We did get free breakfast every day. This is ordered a la carte, with some continental buffet options (fruit, juice, etc). It is a good breakfast but not the best (pastries, pancakes, waffles, etc. are all just so-so).

There was this outdoor garden dinner that looked awesome, but it was adults only.

Extras & activities: 

We booked a kayaking trip with our 'free Mayakoba experience' and this was great. We used two double kayaks and went around the lagoon with a guide. The guide guided only in the literal sense of the word, and did not talk much about what we were seeing, but we had a good time nonetheless.

All in all, it was a relaxing lovely experience. I loved the room and the grounds. I probably wouldn't stay here if you are a beach person, but I am happy with the pool. If I had stayed more than 3 nights, I probably would have even more gripes about the food :) Happy to answer any questions! I also have lots more pictures of the pool area, etc. Let me know if you want to see more - just didn't want to overwhelm!