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Traveller Awards: Bang for Buck
Every seasoned traveller knows the feeling: the unexpected thrill of a trip that delivers far more than you paid for. It’s an airline making high-flying accessible to the masses or a hotel offering a slice of luxury at a price that doesn’t sting – in one of the world’s most expensive cities, no less. Our global team of writers and editors have been busy unearthing these value-for-money gems. Read on for our Traveller Awards 2025 winners in the Bang for Buck category.
Azerai Hotels, Vietnam
Want to stay in an Aman resort, but the bank balance says no? Aman founder Adrian Zecha brings his cultural luxury concept to his far more affordable Azerai Hotels group. There are two properties, the Azerai La Residence, Hue, set in a 1930s building that was built for the French colonial government, and the tropical modernist Azerai Ke Ga Bay, west of Ho Chi Minh City. The Hue property, on the Perfume River, is an inter-war beauty that provides a base to explore Vietnam’s last royal city and you can snap up stays from $200 a night. The seaside property Ke Ga’s experiences including visiting a dragon fruit farm and Vietnam’s largest reclining Buddha, atop Ta Cu mountain, for around $300 a night. See azerai.com
Hilton Al Seef Hotel, Dubai
It’s the best little bargain in Dubai – a hotel close to the airport, on the waterfront, with Emirati design, for around $100 a night. The car-free Al Seef district on Dubai Creek mimics an old Emirati village, and the 190 hotel rooms are dotted among 10 mudbrick houses within its souk. The hotel has an excellent restaurant and a shisha bar, if you haven’t found something you like among Al Seef’s many restaurants and cafes, and little boats called abras ply the creek crossing over to the gold souk for about a dollar. If you need a rooftop bar and pool, jump a hotel e-buggy to its sister hotel, Canopy by Hilton Dubai Al Seef, a kilometre further along the creek, where its facilities are free for hotel guests. See hilton.com
Berliner Unterwelten Tours
You can come face to face with the past on virtually any street corner in Berlin but to find the most fascinating traces of the city’s history, head underground. The not-for-profit Berliner Unterwelten (Berlin Underworlds) preserves and leads tours – in English and other languages – through some extraordinary subterranean spaces. Walk through a sprawling World War II air raid shelter and learn how civilians coped during bombing raids that destroyed up to 80 per cent of the city centre, or see for yourself one of the many tunnels dug beneath the Berlin Wall by East Germans desperately trying to escape the Communist regime. At less than €20 a ticket, it’s a bargain. See berliner-unterwelten.de
Hotel Marianna, Nafplio, Greece
Nestled below Nafplio’s historic Acronafplia fort, the bright yellow, Venetian-style Hotel Marianna stands out for more reasons than its colour. Run by the Zotos family, the Marianna serves up old-style Greek filoxenia (hospitality) and delivers both charm and comfort. The family goes out of its way to ensure guests have the best stay possible. The spotless and simple rooms have everything you need, including tea- and coffee-making facilities, while the views from the expansive terrace of terracotta roofs, Ottoman domes and glistening port waters beyond, are among Greece’s best. The breakfast buffet includes home-made spanakopita (spinach and cheese pie), tyropita (cheese pie), rice pudding and Greek cakes. Understandably, repeat clients are a thing here. Double rooms €100-€125 ($175-218) a night. See hotelmarianna.gr
Moxy Brooklyn Williamsburg, New York
New York City may be one of the planet’s most expensive cities, but you can stay adjacent to it for a fraction of the price. Set in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – a short subway ride from Manhattan – Marriott’s Moxy Brooklyn Williamsburg offers rooms from $219 a night, depending on the time of year. While the rooms are on the small side, nothing else about the hotel is. Occupying 11 storeys and one street away from the East River, there’s six-metre-high ceilings in the foyer, huge art installations all over and Mesiba restaurant on the ground floor. But the real drawcard is the hotel’s rooftop which features indoor/outdoor bar, Lillistar, with views to the Manhattan skyline. See marriott.com
Inspiring Vacations
There’s a big difference between cutting costs and getting true value for money. That’s where the Australian-owned company Inspiring Vacations shines; well-priced itineraries that don’t compromise on comfort or experiences. Look at a Classic tour, which may include the following: international airfares, three and four-star accommodation, private transportation, dedicated tour leader, daily breakfast, some lunches and dinners, entrance fees. Then grab a calculator and rough out how much it would cost to do similar. The answer will have you shaking your head and asking, where do I sign up? All with the peace of mind that comes when someone else takes care of the logistics. Want luxury? Try the Platinum collection. Not a fan of group travel? There’s the Independent option. See inspiringvacations.com
The Winfield, Los Angeles
Once the former flagship of men’s retailer Foreman & Clark, this impressive 13-storey Gothic-style building in Downtown LA has been reborn as The Winfield, an elegant 125-room hotel by Sonder. With accommodation in more than 35 cities, Sonder’s key point of difference is that almost everything, from check-in to your room key, is delivered via the Sonder app – a tech-driven efficiency that allows it to provide stylish stays for reasonable rates. Budget-friendly rooms include a well-equipped kitchenette, a laundry and free streaming services, plus there’s a communal lounge, gym and luggage storage. Conveniently located near Grand Central Market and The Broad, the property offers spacious, practical accommodation from less than $US160 a night. See sonder.com
Singapore
Thanks to its myriad five-star hotels and designer malls, Singapore has a reputation for being one of South-East Asia’s most expensive destinations. But the city also has an abundance of wallet-friendly attractions, including two spectacular free nightly light shows at Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay, the fabulous UNESCO World Heritage-listed Botanic Gardens and several awe-inducing places of worship, from the Tang dynasty-style Buddha Tooth Relic Temple to the deity-smothered Sri Veeramakaliamman Hindu temple. Art-lovers will find laneways ablaze with colourful murals, hikers can enjoy splendid coastal views on the 10-kilometre Southern Ridges trek and frugal foodies can feast on famous Singapore staples, such as Hainanese chicken rice and chili crab, at numerous low-cost hawker centres. See visitsingapore.com
Silverland Yen Hotel, Vietnam
In Ho Chi Minh City, a destination renowned for its unbelievably affordable food scene and year-round warm weather, your accommodation only really needs two things: a cool, comfy sleeping quarters and a location near the action. For our money, Silverland Yen Hotel and nearby attractions such as Ben Nghe Street Food and Ben Thanh Market, ticks these boxes and more. The crowning glory is the lush ninth-floor rooftop pool and bar with daily happy hours. Part of Vietnamese-owned Silverland Hospitality Group, the slim, mid-rise boutique property may not be scooping design awards, but when clean, air-conditioned rooms start from $104 a night, and include extras like Wi-Fi, select minibar items and airport pickups for stays of two nights or more, you’re on to a winner. See silverlandhotels.com
EasyJet
If you’ve flown in Europe, chances are you’ve flown EasyJet, which is often given the harsh nickname of SleazyJet. For just like a cheap date, the costs keep adding up, it’s obsessed with baggage and has been known to keep you waiting. However, there’s no denying that EasyJet, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has helped democratise travel by making it more affordable (carrying almost 90 million passengers last year alone). As it perfected the low-cost flying model using “city adjacent” airports and breaking costs into pay-for-what-you-need units, easyJet has grown from a two-route wonder to one of the world’s largest airlines with 355 planes flying more than 1000 routes to 38 countries. Plus they make zero-frills, easyJet wannabe Ryanair look like a gangster in comparison. See easyjet.com
Traveller Awards contributors: Kate Allman, Kate Armstrong, Flip Byrnes, Justine Costigan, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Jenny Hewett, Belinda Jackson, Kerry van der Jagt, Julietta Jameson, Trudi Jenkins, Brian Johnston, Ute Junker, Katrina Lobley, Catherine Marshall, Chrissie McClatchie, Rob McFarland, Justin Meneguzzi, Julie Miller, Jane Reddy, Jane Richards, Katherine Scott, Craig Tansley, Lee Tulloch, Sue Williams, Riley Wilson.
