Until recently, few Parisian hotels dared to distract from the classic aesthetics of the city itself. The décor of its gilded palace hotels, single-minded embassies of French heritage, was, largely, fussy and excessively impersonal, as if a misplaced streak of color could break the city’s spell. Today the capital is finally overcoming its self-seriousness, thanks in part to its vibrant post-Brexit ascendancy in the contemporary arts and culture scenes. Many of its new hotels seek to delight rather than simply impress, and often conjure other worlds, as in the Marais’s Maison Proust, a candlelit Belle Époque fantasy half-hidden behind tasseled indigo velvet curtains, or the nearby Le Grand Mazarin, fashioned by the London-based Swedish designer Martin Brudnizki from contrasting styles and eras, all in a swirl of candy colors. “It took longer than New York and London,” says the Italian architect and designer Fabrizio Casiraghi, “but Paris is at last discovering the kind of small hotel that has something to say.”
I'm a lifelong Disney fan, and I don't think the same-day Disneyland Park Hopper ticket is worth it
20.10.2023 - 18:10 / insider.com
To hop or not to hop is the question when trying to plan the ultimate Disneyland experience.
A standard Disney ticket will give you access to one theme park per day, even though there are two Disney parks in California: Disneyland and California Adventure. But there's also the Park Hopper Ticket, which allows you to do both in one day.
In my experience — as a lifelong Disney fan who visits annually — if you're planning a one-and-done trip, a single day just isn't enough to take full advantage of both parks. Instead, I suggest setting aside one day for each park or just picking one park.
Having tried the Park Hopper myself, I feel it works best for me as a California resident and frequent Disney-goer, because I already know the highlights I want to hit.
Guests who buy the Park Hopper Ticket can visit their first park and then move onto the next park starting at 11 a.m. They can then go between the parks until each closes, according to Disney Parks.
The cheapest one-day ticket to one park currently costs $104, while the cheapest one-day ticket with the Park Hopper-option added is $169, according to Disney Parks. Depending on the park and day, the Park Hopper tickets can cost an additional $60 to $75 per person — that's up to $300 extra for a family of four.
There are further expenses to consider if you want to get the most out of each park in a single day, such as the line-skipping privileges that come with Genie+. According to Disney Parks, the Genie+ option starts at $30 per ticket per day. That's $120 for a family of four, in addition to the Park Hopper option and the standard ticket.
And while you are getting access to two parks for the Parker Hopper price, other factors lead me to think it's just not worth the cost.
You're not the only person or family who wants to experience Disney, and with so many people visiting the park, you — like most — are likely trying to find the time of year with the best balance of the least expensive tickets, smallest crowds, and best weather.
Since those times seem universal, as travel agents have told Insider, it means that, even with Genie+, you can spend hours stuck going between the rides.
Plus, to get the full experience, you also need to make time to enjoy the extras, such as the parades, fireworks, photo-ops, and Disney-themed food. And I just don't think you can fully enjoy all of that in any less than a day.
If you plan on park hopping, there is the possibility that your desired park is unavailable to hop to that day if Disney reaches park capacity. This is rare, but visitor numbers spike during certain seasons, like spring break or on Christmas Day.
Should the ability to switch between parks be unavailable, visitors will be notified in real-time through
WTM London 2023 – Day 1, Wrap Up
The first day of World Travel Market London 2023 – the world’s most influential travel and tourism event – kicked off with some key international gatherings.
I visited Los Angeles with my 60-year-old mom. Here are 4 things I'd do again and 2 I'd skip next time.
Recently, I visited Los Angeles with my semiretired mom.
Electric Planes, Once a Fantasy, Start to Take to the Skies
Chris Caputo stood on the tarmac at Burlington International Airport in Vermont in early October and looked to the clouds in the distance. He had piloted military and commercial aircraft over a long career, racking up thousands of flight hours, but the trip he was about to take would be very different.
My wife and I sold everything to become nomads and discovered ferries were the best way to travel — except for 2 downsides
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Norm Bour, a 69-year-old nomad who prefers ferry travel. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I'm an American who left hustle culture and moved to Croatia. Now I could never go back to a 9-to-5 life.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Niav Konno, a social-media strategist and content creator for small businesses, who lives in Makarska and runs the popular TikTok account @mylifeincroatia . It has been edited for length and clarity.
Hotels Celebrate The Holidays With Festive Activities
Over 112 million Americans traveled during the Christmas holiday last year, according to AAA Travel, a number that’s expected to be matched or surpassed this year. The first day of December is a popular air travel date for people who take extended, even month-long holiday vacations as airlines often offer discounted rates at that time of year. These hotels and resorts offer travelers all the bells and whistles one could desire from a vacation along with festive holiday activities.
Southwest Just Added 24 New Routes—Including New Caribbean, Mexico, and Costa Rica Service
Die-hard fans of Southwest Airlines (you know who you are) recently got a welcome boost in service. The low-cost airline last week unveiled an expanded flight schedule that includes two dozen entirely new routes—six of them to international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America—and six pre-existing routes that the airline is bringing back next year.
Southern California Beyond the Freeway
Perhaps nothing defines Los Angeles like the freeways: ribbons of asphalt and steel (and traffic jams) tying coast, valley and mountains together in a multilane, limited-access web. These highways were considered so essential that planners nearly jammed one right through the center of swanky Beverly Hills.
The tourism free-for-all is over
Picture it: After years of fantasizing and months of planning, you finally arrive at the destination you've always dreamed about. Except, it's just not how you pictured it.
Ghosts Haunt Hollywood At Halloween And All Year Round
Los Angeles has long been viewed as a new city, spring up and sprawling out from downtown to the Pacific Ocean to the San Fernando Velley. But the city of angels has had almost 250 years of haunted history since it was founded in 1781.
The mysterious California mansion that spawned a haunted house craze
Soon after the death of Sarah Winchester in San Jose, California, in 1922, the new owners opened her mansion as an attraction for tourists drawn to tales of the bizarre. Winchester was the heir to the gun manufacturer’s fortune, and rumors swirled around her constant home building and renovation. She constructed elaborate extra rooms (more than a hundred), stairs that led nowhere, and empty corridors that turned the house into a bewildering maze.