This is a fun item. A website called Radical Storage took a look at nearly 100,000 Google reviews from the top 10 most-reviewed tourist attractions in 100 cities around the world and looked for words like “overrated” or “disappointing.” They then came up with a list of the ten most underwhelming/disappointing/overrated destinations around the world. They also published a list of the ten most surprising/underrated destinations. Here’s a look. OVERRATED/DISAPPOINTING Cancun, Mexico Antalya, Turkiye Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Beijing, China Orlando, Florida Mumbai, India Honolulu, Hawaii Johor Bahru, Indonesia Kyot0, Japan Playa del Carmen, Mexico UNDERRATED/SURPRISING Guangzhou, China Lima, Peru Read more
Hawaii
We might be seeing some of the first data that shows Canadians are, indeed, avoiding travel to the United States. Global News reports that numbers provided by a company called Cascade Gateway, which also provides border wait times, shows that in February this year so far, there have been on average 3,500 cars heading to the U.S. through the Peace Arch border crossing between British Columbia and Washington State. That compares to nearly 5,000 a day last February, and represent a significant 30% drop. Weather could be an issue, but officials in Washington State say the threatened, on again/off again tariff Read more
U.S. News and World Report has come out with its annual list of top hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada. The Four Seasons Hualalai on Hawai’i Big Island earned twin awards by being named best hotel and best resort in the U.S. The Four Seasons Hotel Toronto was named Canada’s top hotel and Four Seasons Resort in Whistler, B.C. was named Canada’s top resort. Hawai’i had four spots in the top ten resorts list and three places in the list of top ten hotels. South Carolina had two resorts in the top ten and California had two hotels Read more
PRINCEVILLE, KAUAI – I almost thought I was in the wrong place. My wife and I recently pulled up in front of 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on the lush north shore of Kaua’i. I stayed at the property eight years ago when it was a St. Regis hotel. I have a pretty good memory for places and hotels, but this didn’t look remotely familiar. As it turns out, there’ s a very good reason for that. The former hotel, which featured a pretty, enclosed lobby with a nice Hawaiian feel, was purchased by Starwood Capital in 2018 for USD$225 millon. Read more
KAUAI, HAWAII – Hanalei is a sleepy, laid-back town on the lush, north shore of Kaua’i. Hanalei Colony Resort is 10-15 minutes down the road, reachable by a curving road with several one-way bridges, surrounded by breathtaking beaches and luscious mountain scenery with hills so green they’d make the Irish weep with envy. If you’re looking for an ultra-quiet, almost throwback-style place where you can experience the tranquility of what may be Hawaii’s most beautiful island, this is your kind of place. There are 13 two-storey buildings on the five-acre property, which is fronted by beaches on two sides and Read more
