Explore hotel guides with practical notes on what to verify before booking. Search live hotel rates and availability on hotels.dealstays.co.uk.
Resort and island guides for the destinations DealStays focuses on, with named hotels and booking links where we have them.
A Maldives hotel is worth checking when the transfer time and type, board basis and resort fees all line up with your budget and trip style — not just when the room photos look good. Two resorts at a similar headline price can end up hundreds of pounds apart once Green Tax, service charge and transfer cost are added.
A Dubai hotel is worth checking once you've matched the area to your trip — beach, marina, downtown or Palm Jumeirah all create a genuinely different stay — and budgeted for the Tourism Dirham fee and day-to-day spending, since most Dubai hotels aren't all-inclusive.
Turkey resort hotels are worth checking when you want strong facilities, pools and all-inclusive value. Compare resort area, board basis and transfer time before choosing.
Spain hotels are worth comparing by location first — and by whether your region actually charges a tourist tax. There's no nationwide tax: Costa del Sol and Madrid charge none at all, while Barcelona's combined regional and city tax is now among the highest in Europe after April 2026 increases. From late 2026, UK travellers will also need an ETIAS authorisation to enter Spain.
Greece suits travellers who want a proper island feel — real beaches, characterful hotels and good food — rather than a single mega-resort strip. Crete and Rhodes have the widest hotel choice and the most all-inclusive options. Corfu, Zakynthos and Kos suit families who want green scenery and a shorter flight. Santorini and Mykonos are pricier and work better for couples than families. Most island hotels only open from around April or May to October, so Greece is not the destination to check for winter sun.
Egypt's Red Sea coast suits travellers chasing reliable winter sun, large all-inclusive resorts and good-value diving or snorkelling, generally at a lower price than the Maldives or Dubai. The main decision is Sinai resorts such as Sharm El Sheikh versus mainland Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada or Marsa Alam — and the visa rules genuinely differ between the two, which catches a lot of travellers out.
Cross-destination guides for family trips, honeymoons, luxury stays and all-inclusive resorts.
A genuinely family-friendly hotel is judged on room layout for kids, pool depth and shade, food options beyond a basic buffet, and how far you'll actually be from the beach — not just whether the listing uses the word "family" in its description.
A luxury hotel earns the price tag through service level and food quality, not star rating alone — and because the deposits are bigger, the cancellation terms matter more here than at a budget stay. Check what's genuinely included before assuming a higher price means a more flexible booking.
All-inclusive hotels are included on paper, but the real value sits in what's excluded. Premium drinks, à la carte restaurants, excursions and spa treatments are common upsells even at resorts that market themselves as fully inclusive — and the destination matters as much as the hotel, since some countries do all-inclusive at a much bigger scale than others.
Romantic hotels are worth checking when privacy and a proper arrival experience matter more than the headline rate — adults-only pools, villa or overwater setups, and honeymoon perks worth asking for when you book, not after. The best choice depends on whether you want quiet resort time on a private island, city luxury with restaurants outside the hotel, or a boutique all-inclusive resort.