How to find 'The One': Step 4

How to narrow the search and find the hols that deserve to be in your Top 3

The Harsh Reality: loads of your saved holidays could be catfish

Most of us have been catfished by a hotel without even realising it.

A catfish hotel is one that looks unbelievable online - the glowing pool, the huge rooms, the perfect lighting - but when you turn up in real life, it’s… not that.

The good news? Catfish hotels are easy to spot once you know the tricks they use. Here are the biggest red flags to watch for:

🚩 Ignore the star rating - there’s no universal standard for hotel star ratings, so a 4* in one place might be a 2* in another.

🚩 Professional photos lie - some hotels only look good for about eight minutes a day… and that’s what you saw.

🚩 Hotels get renovated (a lot) - you could be looking at a picture from 2010. The photos don’t always tell the full story.

How to Catch a Catfish Hotel in Under 5 Minutes

Use the three-platform cross-check. It’s fast, it’s ruthless, and it tells you the truth.

This is where Step 2’s skills kick in - activate social sleuth mode.

TripAdvisor Traveller Photos

Real rooms, real pools, real lighting. If the vibe is totally different to the glossy photos, get it gone.

TikTok honest reviews

You’ve learned this already, but try these search terms:

• “POV + hotel name”

• “walk-through + hotel name”

• “honest review + hotel name”

Remember; influencers can do a great job of making any hotel look incredible, but you can't beat a walk-through to get yourself a more balanced review

Instagram Geotags

Another skill we learned in Step 2 - use Instagram’s ‘Places’ tab.

Normal people’s pics. Zero filters. If the geotag doesn’t match the brochure? Delete.

The three tiny tweaks that could save you hundreds

Okay, now you've filtered out the fakes, it's time to tweak your deals.

There are three things I always check before I commit to my final few, because they can potentially save hundreds of pounds. Check them out in action from my deal-hunting below...

Shift flights by 2-3 days

Tiny tweak, but watch prices drop. This might affect which one makes the top 3.

Try other nearby airports

For me, Birmingham instead of Manchester can often save a fortune on my holiday.

And on my next holiday, I found that if I make the journey to Gatwick I would save as much as £250...per person!

Try adding MORE nights

Test 7 nights vs 8, 9 and 10 nights. Weirdly, more nights can be cheaper.

Just check this out below - I actually added one night to my Corfu deal (from 7 nights to 8 nights) and it came in £150pp cheaper.

This is usually because flight prices differ so much, so it looks like this deal has a cheaper return flight one day later. Result.

The Power of Three: Turning Chaos Into Contenders

Once the catfish are gone, stop comparing every hotel on the internet. You only need three contenders:

• The Safe Bet - Crowd-pleasing, reliable, minimal stress.

• The Close Second - Nearly perfect, slightly different vibe.

• The Wildcard - Fun, bold, the one that might become your favourite story.
  

And just like that, you've whittled down your shortlist to just three potentials. Now, when's best to press book?

Your next steps...

1. Delete the catfish. Anything that flopped on TripAdvisor/TikTok/IG? Gone.

2. Choose your final three. Safe Bet, Close Second, Wildcard. No more than three.

3. Play with dates & details. Shift flights, test airports, compare 7 vs 10 nights. Prices move fast here.

4. Come back for Step 5. We’re getting into money-saving now. You’ll learn how to spot the price dips before everyone else.

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