Tripadvisor

A great site to help you form your own judgement...

I really like using the site. It has a lot of great information on it, and I use it to help me when going on vacation. The photos of the travelers put up are really great and I also like the advice that they give. I have used this for pretty much every trip and I have not been disappointed. Any hotel that has over four stars should be really solid, provided that you like its overall type and amenities. I have less experience with excursions, but I would provide the same advice.

Having said that, there are definitely some things that I would look out for. Some travelers will use the site to post negative reviews in order to try to get their money back. sometimes the reasons for wanting a refund seem legitimate, but other times they do not. Since hotels often respond to these reviews with a rebuttal, you can make your own judgment about these situations. So while you should look at the more critical reviews, you should also keep in mind that some customers have a motive or an ax to grind when posting. Overall people are very helpful and review their trips because they genuinely want to help others and because they use the site themselves.