The Holiday "Cost of Enjoyment" Index

Your Guide to Maximising Travel Satisfaction

Introducing the Holiday Cost of Enjoyment Index

Like most travellers, over the years we’ve relied on TripAdvisor, Google Maps reviews, and the ratings you see on booking sites like Booking.com or Hotels.com. The problem? Many reviews are biased by a single traveller’s opinion—and sometimes, we’re not convinced they’re even legitimate.

But can you really measure “enjoyment”? We believe you can, if you:

Set a budget and frame your holiday around it
Prioritise your style of travel—whether that’s adventure activities, fine dining, historical sites, or pure “flop & drop” relaxation
Research the competition—do you really need that 5★ property, or would a 4★ hotel’s best room give you more value?
Balance your spending—invest in the things you love most, the ones that create lasting memories

That’s why we created the Holiday Cost of Enjoyment Index (HCEI): an open-source scoring system anyone can use to assess hotels fairly, across five key categories:

Accommodation – comfort, amenities, location & value for your room type
Activities & Experiences – uniqueness, variety, and those unexpected “wow” moments
The Cost of Doing It – actual costs of rooms, food & drink, and travel
Food & Beverages – on-site dining, à la carte quality, and drinks
Relaxation & Rejuvenation – Zen factor, wellness opportunities, scenic beauty

Each major category is scored out of 5. We then weight each category to get an overall score, shown as a percentage. You then get a clear picture of whether a hotel or resort is truly worth the Cost of Enjoyment.

Ever wanted to analyse your past vacations to find the perfect balance between what you spent and how much you enjoyed it? Or maybe you need a reliable way to choose the best options for your next adventure?

At HindlesWorld, we’ve crafted a unique Holiday “Cost of Enjoyment” Index to help you focus on the factors that directly influence your satisfaction and the emotional impact of your travels. With this tool, you can pinpoint what truly matters to you and make better-informed decisions for future holidays.

Furthermore, this “vacation scorer tool” is FREE and you can use it yourself.

See how we rated some hotels on our self-guided tour of Costa Rica.

What is the Holiday "Cost of Enjoyment" Index?

The Holiday “Cost of Enjoyment” Index is a comprehensive scoring system that evaluates how various aspects of your vacation contribute to your overall enjoyment. Using our interactive Vacation Scorer Tool, you can easily compare up to three hotels or resorts based on their performance across five key categories:

Accommodation
Activities & Experiences
Cost of Doing It
Food & Beverages
Relaxation & Rejuvenation

Each category is further broken into three sub-categories, allowing you to provide detailed scores from 0 (hated it) to 5 (loved it). The combined scores reveal the overall value and satisfaction level of each hotel or resort.

Why Use an Index?

Sometimes it’s just easy to rank something from 1 to 5, where 5 is the best you can get. By creating an index based off multiple categories, it makes it easier to capture all the components that are essential for a great vacation, but think about them in an easy way and then make it possible to compare different options.

Further, you can:

Gain Clarity: Break down your vacation into measurable factors to identify what worked and what didn’t.
Plan Smarter: Use past experiences to guide your decisions for future trips.
Set Realistic Expectations: Understand what’s achievable within your budget.

Holiday Cost of Enjoyment Index Multi

Holiday Cost of Enjoyment Index

Select Number of Hotels to Compare:

Category	Sub-Category	Hotel A	Hotel B	Hotel C
Overall Score		0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Adjust scores above to calculate results.

* if you are using the tool on your phone, tilt it to landscape mode and you can see the full table 😃

How Does the Vacation Scorer Tool Work?

Using the tool is simple:

Select or Enter Scores: Use the toggle or type your ratings directly into the table.
Rate Each Sub-Category: Assign scores to sub-categories like comfort, location, and value within the Accommodation category or evaluate cost, convenience, and quality in others.
See Your Results: The tool calculates category scores and weights them based on their importance to the overall holiday experience. The final score reflects the overall satisfaction percentage for each hotel or resort.

Examples of how you can use the tool

Here are two examples to illustrate how the scoring works:

Example 1: Accommodation

Comfort: Score 5 (Loved the room and premium bathroom products!)
Location & Accessibility: Score 3 (Far from the beach and dining options.
Room Category Value: Score 3 (Overpriced for what it offered.)

Example 2: Cost of Doing It

Hotel Cost: Score 1 (Extremely expensive, saved for special occasions.)
F&B Cost: Score 2 (Costly food and beverages.)
Cost of Getting There: Score 1 (Took 24 hours to reach!)

You can also score more affordable or inclusive options:
– Hotel Cost: 5 (Great value, budget-friendly.)
– F&B Cost: 5 (All-inclusive package.)
– Cost of Getting There: 5 (Cheap flights made it an easy decision.)

Comparing Hotels and Resorts

The tool enables you to compare scores for up to three hotels or resorts. By visualising their strengths and weaknesses, you can identify which option aligns best with your preferences and budget. For instance, you might discover that a slightly more expensive hotel offers significantly better relaxation amenities, making it the better choice overall.

"Cost of Enjoyment" scores of the hotels we've recently stayed at:

Does planning a holiday give you a headache?

Read our full review of Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa

We stayed at Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa for the first time in November 2024. What a great resort it was too. For an honest full written review, take a look here: Emerald Faarufushi or alternatively, watch the YouTube version here.

You can then make up your own mind whether the Holiday Cost of Enjoyment Index score we gave reflects your views.

Like all resorts in The Maldives, the final score is heavily influenced by the Cost of Doing It, which in this instance scored only 1.33 out of 5.00. When you pay up to $1,000 a night, and you can get the same colour of water hues in Thailand, Bermuda or even parts of Scotland, you really have to wonder whether it’s truly worth the cost.

Notwithstanding the cost, we loved the Emerald Faarufushi – why not book through Hotels.com?

Cost of Enjoyment - Zero!

I'm used to talking to myself, but it's more fun in a group.

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Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, a holiday is what you make of it. We’re lucky enough to have travelled across the globe and had some incredible adventures. And you could argue that a beach is a beach.

However, when the trip is over and the bills start rolling in, you may wonder—was it worth it? With the HindlesWorld Holiday “Cost of Enjoyment” Index, you’ll have the tools to answer that question confidently.

By comparing the colours of the ocean in Thailand, the Caribbean, or the Maldives, you’ll set higher expectations for your next resort – especially if you’ve visited them all. And with our scoring tool, you can ensure those expectations align with reality.

Discover what makes a vacation truly unforgettable. Try the HindlesWorld Holiday “Cost of Enjoyment” Index today and take the guesswork out of travel planning!