Hotel Reviews

We loved the chart on the different hotel review websites that the Washington Post featured in Sunday's paper, but the writer left off our favorite site: Trip Advisor. Trip Advisor relies on user reviews, so you get more than one person's experience and feelings on the hotel. It does require a little reading between the lines--one person's expectations and concerns may not be the same as yours--and a suspiciously glowing review among one-star ones may have been written by management.

On our upcoming trip to L.A., we're considering a stay at the Beverly Hills Montage. What we learned from the review on TripAdvisor: It's pricey, even for those who aren't cheap--think $10 for a banana; everyone loves the location, and some people loved the service, while others seem to hate it. It also appears to be quite popular with the Brits.Verdict: We haven't ruled it out yet, but will keep looking. That's the pool, as photographed by TripAdvisor user SoCalTravel, who warns us that the pool is smaller than it photographs.