How we rank places to stay

Commission never affects the order

We earn a commission on some bookings made through links on this site. That commission plays no part in which properties we list, or in the order they appear. We do not accept payment for placement, and we do not raise a property’s position because it pays a higher rate.

What determines the order, and how much each factor counts

• Fit for the stated reader (about 40%). Each page is written for a specific decision. The property that best suits that reader goes first.
• Location relative to what you came for (about 25%). Walkability, proximity to the sights or trailheads, and how far it sits from transport.
• Reliability of the basics (about 20%). Heating in shoulder season, power, water, and whether the room matches what was promised.
• Whether you can actually book it (about 15%). Properties bookable online are easier to recommend. We still name better properties that are not bookable online, and say so plainly.

These weightings are editorial judgement applied by one person, not the output of an algorithm. Every listing carries one honest drawback, and the date we last checked it.

What we do not do

• We do not publish guest review scores from booking sites.
• We do not show live prices next to a link — prices change, and a stale price is worse than none.
• We do not list a property we would not send a friend to.

Tell us we got it wrong

If you stayed somewhere we recommended and it did not match this page, tell us on the contact page. We will check it and update or remove the entry.