Meet the Curator
Hi, I’m Sonya!
I’m a passionate travel enthusiast and web professional who has been
exploring the digital world since 2007. As a wife and mom, I know how
important it is to choose the right destination — one that’s
truly worth your time, money, and memories.
📍 Top 10 Lists
⭐ Rating Tracked
🌐 Since 2007
My Story
Where It All Started
Honestly? It started with a terrible trip. Back in 2012, I booked a “highly recommended” beach resort for our family vacation — you know the type, lots of glossy photos, glowing descriptions. We arrived and the place was a total let-down. Broken air conditioning, a pool closed all week for “maintenance,” and a breakfast buffet I’d rather forget.
I came home frustrated — not just at the resort, but at myself for not digging deeper before booking. I’d been working in the web industry for years at that point. I knew how to research. Why hadn’t I? Because there was no single place that cut through the noise and just told me straight: here are the ten places actually worth your time right now, based on what real people are saying.
So I built it myself. What started as a personal spreadsheet I kept for our family trips slowly turned into Best Places — a site I now update regularly with the destinations genuinely earning the highest ratings and most glowing reviews across the web. No fluff. No filler. Just the good stuff.
Our Mission
Why Best Places?
There are thousands of travel blogs out there — but Best Places is different. I don’t just share beautiful photos. I track real ratings, read through hundreds of genuine reviews, and compile only the top 10 destinations that consistently earn the highest praise. My goal is simple: save you time and help you discover places that will truly take your breath away.
How It Works
My Curation Process
🔍
Research
I dig deep into travel platforms, gathering thousands of real visitor reviews.
⭐
Rate & Rank
Places are scored on ratings, consistency, and overall traveler satisfaction.
✅
Top 10 Only
Only the best of the best make the list — no sponsored picks, ever.
What I Believe
A Few Things I Stand By
🧳
Travel shouldn’t be a gamble
You save for months, take time off work, pack the bags — the last thing you need is to land somewhere disappointing. Every list I publish exists to protect your trip.
💬
Real reviews beat pretty pictures
A photo can lie. A thousand reviews can’t. I always follow the ratings — not the Instagram feed — when deciding what makes the cut.
👨👩👧
Family trips matter most
As a mom, I think about families first. Is it actually kid-friendly? Easy to get around? Worth the effort? I ask those questions so you don’t have to.
🚫
No paid placements. Ever.
Hotels and tourism boards have reached out asking to be featured. The answer is always no. A place earns its spot through reviews — not a cheque.
By The Numbers
A little of what goes into every list
18+
Years in the web industry
500+
Reviews read per destination
10
Only the top 10 make each list
$0
Paid or sponsored listings
A Little More About Me
Life Outside the Screen
When I close the laptop, I’m just a regular 32-year-old woman trying to keep up with a curious kid, a patient husband, and a very full schedule. We love weekend road trips — nothing fancy, just packing snacks, picking a direction, and seeing what we find. Some of those spontaneous stops have ended up on my lists.
I’m also a big coffee person (necessary, not optional), obsessed with planning future trips we may or may not ever actually take, and I genuinely enjoy rainy Sundays spent reading other people’s travel reviews. Some call that strange. I call it research.
This site is a little bit work and a whole lot of love. I hope it helps you find somewhere truly wonderful.
“Traveling changed my life — and became my greatest passion. As a working mom and web professional, I created Best Places so every family, couple, and solo adventurer could find destinations worth every moment away from home.”
— Sonya, Founder of Best Places
Stay Connected
Never Miss a New Top 10
New lists go live regularly. Whether it’s beaches, hidden city gems, mountain escapes, or the best spots for families — you’ll want to be the first to know.
Made with ♡ by Sonya · Best Places · Curating the world’s finest destinations since 2007