RSS
Home
Where to stay with kids 4: Trekaroo
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
If you’re like me, you appreciate getting a “concensus” on places to stay before dragging your family to stay there. I’ve long-appreciated TripAdvisor.com for that reason, and often cross-check recommendations with recent customer reviews of hotels on the site, which can be a great way to get the inside scoop on everything from current construction
projects waking guests at 7 a.m. to the untold jellyfish season which explains the real reason why you may be getting an unadvertised special.
Of course, the positive reviews from like-minded customers can also help you find some real gems and great hotel values out there, and that can be the best advantage of a growing user rating system for hotels and resorts.
The only problem has been that I can sift through numerous reviews of a certain property before finding a hotel review from customers that have stayed there with children—particularly toddlers and young children. And what the honeymooners or retirees experience at a resort (enjoying the adults-only pool, night club, and restaurants perhaps) may be entirely different from what a family of four with young children may encounter (promised a portacrib that never came and finding the beach too littered for their toddler to play).
That’s why I was so pleased to hear about the launch of a new site called Trekaroo. Although it is just in “Beta” at this time, with family-friendly travel information for destinations in a mere eight of the United Sates, I think it has real promise for families planning travel—particularly with young children. What I like best is the user rating system, similar to what you’ll find for products on Amazon.com and TripAdvisor.com that makes it easy for parents to share their own tips and experiences at a given destination with their personal rating of hotels and more. As more parents weigh in on their favorite (and not-so favorite) places they stay with their families, the user rating system will help loads of us make better informed decisions about where we spend our travel dollars on family vacations.
For each destination, you’ll find tips about “Things to See and Do” as well as “Places to Sleep.” For example, the Central Florida (Orlando and Disneyworld) section will lead you to user ratings and notes on five popular places for families to stay in the area. As I browsed, I was happy to find a note from a user who stayed at one resort with an 18-month-old and 4-year-old, plus Grandma as babysitter, and gave it a 5-star rating. As I read the review of the 1 bedroom/2 bath suite with Jacuzzi, kitchen with dishwasher, washer and dryer, I could see how the family arrived at the 5 star rating.
To find recommended hotels on Trekaroo, or to recommend one yourself, go to the destinations already included at Trekaroo. Popular destinations already on the site include: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Yosemite and the Sierras, San Diego, Orlando and Disneyworld, and the Florida Keys. You’ll also find more family vacation destinations in Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia—and the site is growing.
Bookmark http://www.trekaroo.com to help with your family’s travel plans. Good luck, Trekaroo!
More articles in this series
For more help planning family vacations and road trips: Visit www.trekaroo.com, and don't miss the sections of Travels with Baby on "Travels by Automobile," the "Checking-in Safety Checklist," and "Choosing Your Accommodations."
Related Articles:
Comments
Families planning vacations with a baby, toddler, or preschooler—or any combination thereof—already have good reason to stay at Franklyn …
Those who enjoyed the “Moms Around the World” series I ran in this column through early summer may be interested to know that the first in …
- Airline Toll-Free Phone Numbers
- Airports Guides (U.S.)
- Airport Conditions / Delays
- Airport Security Rules: Babies & Children
- Baby Gear Rental Directory
- Baby Supplies Delivered Worldwide
- Cruise Port Destinations Worldwide
- Passport Applications (U.S.)
- Passports - Expedited
- Trains - Best European Route Planner
- Trains - U.S. Routes and Service
- Travel Insurance
