Splurge vs. Save for Couples: Where We Spend on a Trip for Two

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We don't do every part of a trip at the same level. Some things we'll happily pay more for, because we'll be talking about them for years. Others we've learned to save on, because they make no difference to how the trip feels for two. Here's how we decide, with the real examples behind it.

Our one rule

Splurge on what you'll experience together. Save on what you'll only pass through.

A private day out, a view you'll wake up to, a dinner you'll remember: those are the trip. A room you only sleep in, an upgrade you won't use, a transfer you could have booked yourselves: those are just logistics. Once we started sorting every booking into one of those two piles, planning got easier and our trips got better.

Where we splurge

1. A day that is entirely ours

If we're going to spend more on one thing, it's a private day. The private boat day around Antiparos was, hands down, the best part of our entire Greece trip: lagoons, sea caves and a captain who made it feel small, personal and completely unhurried.

Our private day in Chianti was the same story. A group tour gives you a lovely half day in the hills at a friendly price. A private day gives you something different: time, a long lunch and the freedom to stay for one more glass. We compare the two in Group or private? Choosing a Chianti wine tour.

2. Small groups at the big sights

At the places everyone wants to see, a small group changes everything. In Rome, we walked out onto the Colosseum arena floor on a semi-private tour, and the small group meant we could actually hear, ask and linger. If you only book one Colosseum tour, make it that one.

The Vatican is busy, very busy, and still one of the most beautiful mornings we've spent in Rome. A small-group, skip-the-line tour on the earliest start we could get made all the difference.

3. A view of our own

We'll pay for a view when it's one we get to keep to ourselves: a private pool facing the caldera in Oia, a room that opens onto a rooftop terrace near the Trevi (if you can, book the room with the private terrace), or the Colosseum outside the bedroom window in Rome.

4. One unforgettable day at the water

In Mallorca, a beach club day at Gran Folies, above the turquoise water of Cala Llamp, is still the one we describe as the best beach club we've been to in Europe. Pricey, but worth every penny. If you do one, book your loungers ahead and ask exactly what's included, since many beach clubs set a minimum spend per sunbed or daybed. More in our Mallorca for two.

5. Arrivals

This one surprised us. Of every arrival on our Spain trip, Mallorca was the one where we were most thankful we'd pre-booked a driver. Walking out to someone already waiting felt like the biggest luxury of the day, and it's a small cost for starting a trip calm instead of frazzled.

Where we save

1. The view room, when the rooftop has the view

Our favourite saving tip comes from Barcelona. The Sercotel Rosellón has a terrace that looks straight at the Sagrada Família, and our first drink in Spain was a sangria up there. Our room faced the basilica too, but honestly, we didn't need it. Save on the view room. The rooftop has the view, and that's where you'll want to be at golden hour anyway.

2. Small and perfectly placed over big and famous

Some hotel views you have to pay a fortune for. La Terrazza sul Duomo, a small B&B in Florence, honestly feels like a steal: espresso at the window above the Baptistery, and a rooftop terrace face to face with the Duomo. In Athens, the real luxury of The Pinnacle Athens was the location. We walked almost everywhere.

3. A night in

One of our favourite evenings in Greece cost less than any dinner out. In Paros, our villa was so comfortable that we made it a movie night, with dinner delivered to the door. It felt like the most luxurious thing we did all trip. We now plan one big night, then one slow one, and the slow ones are often the ones we remember.

4. The simple romantic things

Some of our best moments were almost free. A rowboat on the lake in Ciutadella Park in Barcelona. A pink bench at the water's edge in Amoudi Bay, where we sat for a long time, just the two of us and the sea. An open-air screening of Mamma Mia under the stars in Santorini, the highlight of that whole trip. It doesn't need to be expensive to be the best night of your trip. There are more like these in Romantic ideas for two.

5. A group tour for a first taste

Saving doesn't mean skipping. Our first time in Chianti was a small-group afternoon from Florence, with two estates, tastings at each and someone else doing the driving. It's a wonderful introduction, it fits around everything else you want to see, and it's the right call if it's your first visit.

A quick way to sort your own trip

• Splurge: private days, small groups at the big sights, a view that's yours, one standout day out, a smooth arrival.
• Save: the view room when there's a rooftop, big-name hotels over perfect locations, going out every night, anything you'll only pass through.

Every couple's piles will look a little different. The point is to decide together before you book, so the money goes to the moments you'll both remember. For the bigger picture, read what luxury actually means to us now.

Photo credit. Cover photo by Travis Fish on Unsplash (Unsplash License); cropped. It is a mood photo, not one of our trips.

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