 “RARELY go to casinos and this trip proved why – no soul, no feeling, just people with no life.â€
“They pushed me out the doorâ€
“A superb experience in every wayâ€
These are some of the words of wisdom from Australia’s most well-travelled man.
Aussie Ron Scott has travelled nearly three million kilometres, he’s visited 518 cities across 46 countries and with more than 3000 reviews under his belt he’s one of Australia’s top TripAdvisor contributors.
Ron, in his 60s (he won’t give any more away), has made more than 1500 restaurant reviews and last year took the award as Australia’s top restaurant reviewer.
“I have a thing about people who over-hype things,†says Ron, “I respect people who pay their own money to go somewhere rather than listening to a travel agent who has never been there before.â€
Ron’s path as a reviewer began in 2007 when he had a disappointing experience in Spain.
“I had a really bad experience in Segovia that is over-hyped for its suckling pig. It didn’t live up to the hype and I thought somebody should say this.â€
Ron says reviews must be “brutally honest†and his opinions vary from “a travestyâ€, “an eyesore†and “just another busy street in Bondiâ€, to “a hidden treasureâ€, “absolutely unbelievable†and “not enough words in the dictionaryâ€.
In fact, Ron’s reviews have struck chords with operators who have become savvy about the importance of online forums.
“I love the Park Hyatt in Melbourne but the power points were wrong for when you wanted to work on your computer, so I wrote this in a review and the hotel did something about it,†says Ron.
One of Ron’s favourite hotels is The Gritti Palace in Venice, Italy. He loves the old European hotels for their huge lobbies and ancient history.
“If you have a bit of imagination you can imagine what some of these were like years ago when they were defended by warriors under Roman power †he says.
He also says Lake Como in Italy is “absolutely wonderfulâ€.
Ron says if you really want to have a good trip you need to listen to people who have done it before.
“I wanted to go to Machu Picchu for 15 years and unbeknown to me I’d been booked into a hotel that was 300km away. One thing I’ve learnt is don’t rely on others. If you don’t do it yourself, it’s too late once you get there,†says Ron.
Together Ron and Lynn have had some incredible experiences. One Christmas Eve they were dining at Bouley restaurant in New York when the person at the next dinner table burst into song. It turned out to be Bryan Adams singing to his young daughter.
“I was wondering who would be brave enough to open their mouth in the middle of the restaurant,†says Ron.
Ron and Lynn are slowly ticking off the top 50 restaurants in the world. To date they’ve dined at Can Roca in Girona, Spain (number two), Central and Astrid et Gaston in Peru and Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy (number three), where Chef Massimo spent half an hour at their table working out a menu for Lynn’s birthday to avoid her allergies.
“Now that’s what I call a wonderful experience. This guy is an absolute legend,†says Ron.
One thing Ron doesn’t like about reviewers are those who “write for paybackâ€.
“I don’t think that’s fair. Most places try hard to give you a good service. It is important for reviewers to have an open mind about a restaurant or hotel. There is no point in going out looking for a bad time,†he says.
For now, Ron has no plans on retiring from reviewing, with months of travel already booked in.
“No time frame. I really enjoy doing it and it helps me look back on the meal or hotel or country or whatever. Some people take photographs; I find when I write that it stays etched in memories.â€
In April, they travel through the United States visiting the music trail of Route 66, have tickets to see Stevie Wonder in Nashville, and will then stop in New York.
In May, they’ll do an Aussie trip to Uluru, the Simpson Desert and Kings Canyon. And in July they’ll head to Fiji followed by the AFL grand final in Melbourne in September.
Most memorable destination: Cuba
Bucket list destination: Antarctica
Favourite restaurant: When in Australia they go to Nilgiri’s in St Leonards, NSW, for the best Indian in the world.
Favourite airline: Etihad and Emirates.
TripAdvisor started in 2000 and is celebrating its 15th year in business.
The most reviewed city in the world on TripAdvisor is London and the most reviewed country is the United States. There are now more restaurants than hotels listed on the site.
