Jaunted

Travel Tips

Avoiding the Authentic Experience of Sbarro

August 22, 2006 at 10:05 AM | 0 Comments

It's not paranoia: Your concierge really is secretly working against you. Maybe not against you, per se, but certainly a concierge can be working at cross-purposes to what you want in a vacation, which isn't going to make anyone happy. Monica Hesse describes such an experience in the San Francisco Chronicle when she was in Panama; her concierge wanted her to visit places like the local mall, and she wanted to (understandably) visit more exotic destinations. She puts it this way:

In matters of food, adventure, and discovery, striking out on your own can lead to unexpected delights. In matters of scratchy throats and sinus infections, it's best to listen to the concierge.

Very true. In more expensive cities, concierges can be great, useful sources of information and procurers of reservations and the like. But in rougher spots, better to try it on your own and pick the brain of locals. Otherwise you'll end up eating at the food court.

[Image via Daragh/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Confounding the Concierge [SF Chron]