I’m Ben Berry, and I run The Resort Report. I review hotels and resorts for families and couples, on YouTube and here, and every review ends with a straight answer to the only question that actually matters: would I stay again, or stay away?
If you’ve landed here trying to work out whether a hotel is worth your money, your week off work, or your kids’ summer holiday, that’s exactly who this site is for.
Why I started this
Friends and family kept asking. Every time we got back from a trip, the same conversation: where did you stay, what was it actually like, would you go back? After enough of those, I started filming proper walkthroughs and writing up what worked and what didn’t. That became the YouTube channel, and now this companion site.
The other reason: most of what’s online about any given hotel is either a brochure, a five-star review from someone who got a free stay, or a one-star meltdown about a single bad breakfast. There’s a gap in the middle for someone who actually paid, actually stayed, and is willing to say what they really thought.
Who I’m reviewing for
Two audiences. Families looking for a resort that genuinely works with kids, where the pools are good, the kids’ club isn’t an afterthought, and dinner doesn’t turn into a nightly ordeal. And couples who want a proper holiday without ending up in a hotel that turns out to be 80% children once you arrive.
Plenty of resorts do both well. Plenty don’t. Part of every review is a clear “who is this hotel for?” section so you don’t waste time on places that aren’t right for your trip.
How I review
I personally stay at every hotel I review. Usually for the full week, occasionally a long weekend, never a quick walkthrough or a press tour. I’ve stayed at around 25 resorts over the last five years, mostly across Europe, Turkey, the UAE and theme park hotels in Spain and Florida.
Every review covers the same things in the same order, so you can compare hotels properly: first impressions on arrival, the rooms, the pools, dining, the kids’ offering where relevant, and any specific gotchas worth knowing about. Each one ends with a verdict – stay again, or stay away – and a clear “who is this hotel for?” answer.
I don’t take payment from hotels for reviews. The vast majority of stays are funded out of my own pocket, like any other guest. If that ever changes, a comped stay, a press trip, anything, it will be disclosed clearly at the top of the relevant review and in the YouTube video itself. The verdict won’t be for sale either way.
The verdict system
Every review ends with one of two answers:
- Stay again – I’d go back, and I’d recommend it to a friend who fits the audience for the hotel.
- Stay away – I wouldn’t go back, and here’s specifically why.
There’s no five-star scoring system, no half-marks, no hedging. A hotel either earned a return visit or it didn’t. The detail of the review explains the reasoning. The verdict is the takeaway.
Where to find me
The full reviews live on YouTube at @TheResortReportReviews, with a written companion version of each one on this site. If you want to ask about a specific hotel, suggest one for a future review, or get in touch about anything else, head to the contact page.
Thanks for reading. I hope the reviews save you from a bad week away.
– Ben Berry