The World's Your Oyster

Picture this... you are so exciting about booking a trip you've dreamed out only to arrive and discover that the accommodations are less than desirable. Sadly, sometimes the photos used on hotel and resort websites have been edited to the point that they are no longer accurate. Check out http://www.oyster.com/ to see actual photos that have not been photo shopped to get a better idea of where you're headed.

You can search the site by destination and narrow your search to find hotels with the best guestrooms or nicest bathrooms. Keep in mind that the site is continuing to grow and don't have information for many popular destinations yet. You can book your stay through the site and they promise to price match should you find a lower price somewhere else.

Take this photo for example. It is published as an advertisement for a resort in the Bahamas. How luxurious to be on a secluded white sand beach! It looks as though the location is very private. You can grab a lounge chair right by the ocean and relax.




Look again... This is an actual photo taken of the same location where you can clearly see that the beach draws a few more folks and you'll have to do some careful maneuvering to get to the ocean due to the abundance of lounge chairs.

Seeing is believing...