MITCH

📝 DRAFT v38 — Home page copy updates

Solo travel · Europe

Solo stays, shared.

A travel map of Europe built and vetted by women who love to holiday on their own.

Places that somehow, discretely, put solo-travelling women front and centre. (Except, perhaps in the restaurant, where we might rather be 'back and corner'). Wherever we choose to seat, these hotels will treat us with swathes of silent respect, a little savoir-faire, and absolutely no single supplements. Ever.

Anyone can search our map for inspiration and encouragement, read reviews from the women who have been before us, and ask (in our 'lounge') about thoughts and experiences from fellow solo travellers. You can also submit your recommendations (and maybe receive a gift).

Small hotels, family-run hotels, swanky big hotels, we'll liaise with these gems to check that they understand the latest safety best practices, are updated with women's varying travel preferences, and, importantly, they want our business so entirely that they've offered us some perks.

How It Works

1

Women share their recommendations

If you had a great solo experience, tell us what you loved about it. You don't have to write much, and you certainly don't have to write creatively, just tell us what you liked, we'll do the rest.

2

We'll contact the hotel

Every submission is verified. We'll chat with the hotel and check that they practice, where possible, our recommended safety standards and other best practices for solo female travelers. We'll also see what perks they can offer you.

3

It goes on the map

Approved hotels get a pin on our map and our readers can read your review along with our own comments (we'll show you before posting). If you wish, you can be alerted when readers post a question about the accommodation, and add to the chat (solely on the MITCH site, your private details are not shared). Your name won't appear on the review either, just your alias for this site, and photos if you've submitted some (but none that identify you).

4

Thank you gifts

Every 20 submissions enters you into a £50 prize draw. If you've sent a photo of yourself, we'll also sketch or generate a portrait which will look nothing like you. You can choose whether we add it to the listing.

The Map

Find Your Place

An interactive map of Europe pinned with hotels that you've recommended. Click any pin to read a real review (no AI) and vetted by MITCH.

Explore the map →

Submit a Hotel

Tell Us Everything

Stayed somewhere wonderful? Submit your hotel. Every 20 submissions enters you into a £50 prize draw. If you've sent a photo of yourself, we'll also sketch or generate a portrait which will look nothing like you.

Submit an experience →

Articles

The Art of Going Alone

Practical guides, honest essays, stories that are funny afterwards.

Read the articles →

Solo stays, shared.

— MITCH

📝 DRAFT v38 — About

About

About MITCH

Did you know that solo female travellers above 35 are the most underserved in the travel industry? The paradox is, whilst advertising is overwhelmingly targeted at families, couples and businesses, hotels LOVE solo female travellers. I'd like to say it's because of our instagrammable elegance, infinite patience and staggering class, but — thinking only about me — it might be that we spend a lot in the restaurant and are unlikely to start a bar brawl.

I discovered my love of being totally alone in a hotel at a fairly early age. It started with work trips. I'd be doing everything humanly possible to avoid breakfast with colleagues and then tacking on a few extra days of annual leave to maximise the experience. Soon it became an addiction — I'd be arriving on holidays with friends three days ahead because 'flights were cheaper', 'making a week-long holiday' of people's stag and hen weekends, and 'visiting friends' in faraway cities but I 'didn't want to infringe' on their families.

To be completed.

📝 DRAFT v38 — Map

The Map

Find Your Place

Every pin is a hotel recommended by a woman who stayed there alone. Click any pin to read a real review (no AI), vetted by MITCH.

Interactive map coming soon · Pins added as hotels are submitted

Search & Filter

Location

Price per night (before MITCH discounts)

Sociability rating (how much do they chat?)

📝 TODO — Sociability categories to be finalised by Mel. Fountain pen icons for contributor reviews, different icon for MITCH-selected hotels.

📝 TODO — Replace with live Mapbox or Google Maps API.

Hotel Vincci Mercat

Valencia, Spain · Weekdays · Last stayed July 2025 · £250–300/night

Why I took this trip

I've actually been to Vincci Mercat twice — the first time for a few days alone after a rather exhausting few days in Ibiza! Eight years on, at 48 years old with two small children, I found myself daydreaming about that same alone-time. Still tired but for wholly different reasons!

Why I love Vincci Mercat

It was exactly what I needed, both times — large enough to be anonymous when I want to be alone, small enough to give a personal service and make me feel safe. It has a tiny bit of a business-hotel feel (for which there is a special place in my poor cluttered heart) — it is clean and crisp and practical but warm.

Best of all, they have a tiny roof terrace, bar and pool. Exactly what I needed — I had the best margarita and some meaty cheesy treats. It was midweek and I was more or less alone up there, but for the bar staff who would speedily appear when I rang for them. It was so small and perfect I felt like it belonged to me.

The staff also brought me many coffees to my room and gave me a very late checkout. It's so quick to the airport, and they organised my taxis.

Where I ate

Both times, I found small Spanish restaurants on strips in Old Town Valencia to be friendly, welcoming and delicious — just walked by them and took my pick. I went for brunch at La Más Bonita in El Cabanyal, which is by the beach and a 40 minute taxi from Old Town Valencia. I also walked from the hotel to Ruzafa quite a lot — it had more laid back Spanish vibes, with so many great bars. Cafe Berlin was my favourite for a solo drink, and runs language exchange nights which are not just for students. I had brunch and a platter in the hotel — both gorgeous.

What else I loved in Valencia

Valencia is just perfect for a relaxed break — there's culture if you want it, amazing and great value restaurants and an (admittedly far away) beach and harbour. Besides the usual tourist sites (which are easy and remarkable) what I most love is that Valencia feels very 'normal Spanish' — local people just going about their lives — not picture postcard perfect scenes, but much more beautiful. On the second stay I met with a friend who lives in Ruzafa (and was greatly annoyed that I chose to stay alone in a hotel). Ruzafa is maybe 30 minutes walk from the hotel and has bars and authentic Valencian breakfast spots worth exploring.

MITCH says

A sanctuary that happens to have a very good bar. Small enough to feel like yours. Well-placed enough that you never have to try too hard.

Discounts & Offers for MITCH users

TBC — to apply these, either book through MITCH (you'll need to fill in our confidential questionnaire first — we won't share your details, we use only group statistics for market research) OR fill in our questionnaire to generate a discount code which you can use on their website. This discount code applies for all bookings and is personal to you.

View on Google Maps → Ask a question in The Lounge → Book through MITCH →

📝 TODO — Add itinerary builder link when ready

📝 DRAFT v38 — What We're After

Our criteria

MITCH Standards

We're not just looking for a nice hotel. We're looking for hotels that get it — places where a woman travelling alone feels genuinely welcome, not merely tolerated.

What Women (Might) Want

We're not a homogenous group, but women who have responded to our questionnaire tend to express certain preferences. Some will be shared by other travellers, others can be specific to solo travelling women. Similarly, the respect and consideration that women have enjoyed in some places can vary wildly according to local culture. If staff are briefed in our hotels to respect solo travelling women — women new to travel may just feel a little more comfortable taking those first steps.

A Market Worth Knowing

Solo female travellers over 35 are one of the fastest-growing segments in European travel — and one of the least catered for. We're experienced, decisive, we book direct, we share word of mouth experiences, we can often travel outside peak days, we like to use hotel facilities like the bar and restaurant more than couples, we spend well, and we come back. Also, we don't often cause trouble!

MITCH exists to match hotels that understand all this with prospective guests.

The Basics

Small hotels and family-run guesthouses are very much our scene — and the good ones often do all of this instinctively, but it can be a mixed bag and that is why we make sure that all our featured accommodations provide the following:

Room numbers written down at check-in, never announced aloud
Adequate lighting at entrances and corridors
Female staff available for housekeeping and room services (if available) on request
No singles supplements — you'll never pay more than a couple would for a room

The Add-ons

Each listing will also show whether the following is provided (in small hotels it's sometimes not possible, but that doesn't mean the hotel isn't MITCH friendly):

Solo guests placed away from ground floor
Keycard access to guest floors
24-hour staffed reception
Breakfast brought to room for solo women guests if requested
The offer, if needed, to arrange taxis, discuss plans and be aware of expected arrival home time — say, after a hike

Maybe, in the Corner?

Eating alone, especially dinner, is still the moment many solo women dread. We love hotels that solve this quietly and well — bar seating, counter dining, a restaurant where solo diners are genuinely welcomed rather than tucked behind a pillar with a sympathetic look.

📝 TODO — Add "Maybe, in the Corner?" illustration here.

The Room

The single room is often the worst in the house. We flag the hotels that give solo travellers a genuinely lovely room — even if smaller. Good blackout curtains and a quiet floor matter more than the brochure suggests.

The Little Things

Spa and wellness that doesn't feel designed exclusively for couples
Fast, reliable wifi and somewhere decent to work that isn't the bed
A concierge who actually knows the neighbourhood — not a laminated sheet
Gracious handling of early arrivals and late check-outs
A lobby or bar that feels welcoming to a woman alone
Reliable arrival logistics — well-lit entrance, honest taxi advice

Hard to quantify but instantly felt. Our reviewers know the difference.

📝 DRAFT v38 — Submit

Share Your Story

Submit an Experience

Tell us your recommendations. For every 20th recommendation we receive, we award one contributor a £50 voucher — drawn at random. So don't worry about how strong your writing is or how much your hotel impresses. Just fill in the template below.

We're looking for real experiences — the style of your writing doesn't matter, we want your authenticity to show through. Please don't use AI!

Town & Country

Hotel name

Google Maps link (optional)

Days of the week

School holidays? (optional)

When did you last stay?

In the sections below, write as little as you like. Don't feel the need to be creative, witty or use fancy words — this is an authentic site of real women sharing tips for other real women. We might suggest some small amendments, we'll share the final text and you can accept or decline it.

Why did you take this trip? (optional)

What did you love about this hotel?

Where did you eat? (optional)

What did you like about this destination? (optional)

Other tips for this trip (optional — we'll remove this section if blank)

Price per night (GBP, hotel website, cheapest room, before MITCH discounts)

Discounts or offers for MITCH users (optional — leave blank if unsure)

Would you be happy to be alerted when someone posts a question about this destination in The Lounge? (no pressure to reply)

Your email (for prize draw only — never published)

Or email us directly: contributors@mitchtravels.com

Every 20 submissions = one £50 voucher, drawn at random. Your name never appears. Your story always does.

📝 DRAFT v38 — Booking through MITCH page.

Book with us

Booking Through MITCH

If you book through MITCH you'll be entitled to whatever gifts and discounts we've negotiated with that hotel.

You'll also be able to specify some requirements at booking and, of course, the hotel will be alerted that you're a MITCH customer, and thus prized and respected! There is no cost, but we ask that you fill in our short research questionnaire. (You may have already completed this if you've submitted questions in our lounge chat).

The questionnaire helps us provide feedback to our hotels and negotiate discounts. The information is never individually shared — it is combined into research essays and stats, and never associated with your name.

Your Preferences

Make sure you add the following when you book:

Whether you'd like a room away from the ground floor if possible — the hotel will let you know what is possible after you've made this request

📝 TODO — Add full preferences list and booking form/link here.

📝 DRAFT v38 — Your Questions page.

FAQs

Your Questions

What if I don't want to be on the second floor?
That's okay — when you book you will be asked to submit your preferences.

📝 TODO — Add more FAQs here.

Get in Touch

Hotel enquiries: hotels@mitchtravels.com

Submit a recommendation: contributors@mitchtravels.com

Community, booking & questionnaire: community@mitchtravels.com

📝 DRAFT v38 — The Lounge. Placeholder for chatroom/community feature.

Community

The Lounge

Ask questions, share experiences, and swap notes with fellow solo travellers. Everything stays on MITCH — your private details are never shared.

Anyone can search our map for inspiration and encouragement, read reviews from the women who have been before them, and ask here about thoughts and experiences from fellow solo travellers.

📝 PLACEHOLDER — Live chat/forum goes here.

This will be a community chatroom where MITCH members can ask questions, share tips, and connect with other solo travellers. Suggested features: topic threads, hotel-specific Q&A, pinned tips from regulars.

Integration options: Circle, Discord embed, or custom forum.

📝 DRAFT v38 — Articles

Articles

The Art of Going Alone

Travel

10 Best Cities for Solo Female Travellers

Our pick of the European cities where a woman alone is not a curiosity but a perfectly normal Tuesday.

Hotels

Small but perfectly formed — our favourite family-run hotels in the sun

The ones where the owner knows your name by breakfast and the pool is never too crowded.

Dining

On the quiet pleasure of eating alone in a very good restaurant

A table for one is the best seat in the house.

Kit

Noise reducing, chafe reducing, faff reducing — your favourite travel items, shared

The things our readers actually swear by. Unglamorous, indispensable, occasionally life-changing.

📝 DRAFT v38 — MITCH Rewards Summary.

Rewards & Prizes

MITCH Rewards Summary

This site depends on you — sharing your experiences and supporting other female travellers. So we want to reward you when we can.

Prizes & Rewards

Every 1 in 20 shared experiences will receive a £50 gift voucher (regardless of creative writing skill — we do this by randomised raffle!). Everyone that shares an experience and a photo will receive a MITCH style drawing of their photo, posted to the site with your permission. If you submit a picture of yourself we will make you unidentifiable!
Every month, we'll feature our favourite shared experience — the contributor will receive a gift
Best photo also receives a gift
Discounts and offers at MITCH hotels — to apply these, fill in our confidential questionnaire (we won't share your details with advertisers or anyone else, we just use group statistics for market research), and then contact the hotel with the user number we'll give you. The number applies for all bookings and is personal to you.