Travel publications are not as independent as they sometimes claim to be. Press trips, comped stays, sponsored content, and the implicit pressure to stay friendly with the properties they cover all shape what gets written and what gets left out. This page exists to be clear about how Boutique operates, so you know what you are reading.
What we will and won't do
We will write reviews of properties we have actually visited and write comparative articles based on serious research and lived knowledge of the country. We will recommend properties because we believe they are worth recommending. We will be honest about what works and what does not. We will tell you when we have not yet visited somewhere and are writing from research alone.
We will not accept paid placements. We will not publish sponsored reviews dressed up as editorial. We will not let a property's PR team review or approve our copy before publication. We will not write about a place in a deliberately favourable way because we want a future press trip. We will not pretend a stay was paid for when it was comped, or vice versa.
Affiliate links and how we earn
Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. When you click one and make a booking, the platform pays us a small commission. This costs you nothing extra. The commission is the same regardless of whether we recommended the property positively or critically.
Affiliate revenue funds the writing of this site. It is not a small consideration. But it does not, and will not, shape what we say. The shortest version of how this works: we write what we genuinely think, then add affiliate links to properties we have already decided to recommend, never the other way around.
Articles that contain affiliate links carry a clear disclosure at the foot of the piece. You should assume that any link to a booking platform (Booking.com, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, GetYourGuide, lodge direct booking pages) is, or may be, an affiliate link.
Editorial policy
Our editorial standards are simple but binding.
Accuracy
We check facts before publication. Rates, room counts, locations and operational details are confirmed against the property's own materials at the time of writing. Travel pricing changes constantly, so all rates carry an explicit disclaimer about being correct at the time of publishing.
Opinions as opinions
Where we express a view about a property, region, or trip, it is our view. We make it clear when we are giving a recommendation rather than reporting a fact. Disagreement is welcome and can be sent to contact.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we will correct it. Notable corrections to published articles will be noted at the foot of the article with a date and a short note. We do not silently edit articles to revise history.
AI and writing assistance
We use AI tools as a writing aid in the same way most modern publications now do. Outlines, drafting, editing assistance, fact checking. The editorial decisions, the opinions, the recommendations, and the lived knowledge of the country are human. The voice is human. We do not publish AI-generated content that nobody has read.
Images
Photographs on Boutique come from a mix of sources: our own photography from travels across South Africa, properties' own press materials used with permission, and licensed stock imagery from platforms like Pexels and Unsplash. We do not claim photographs were taken at properties they were not. Images used as general illustration of a region or theme are not represented as documentation of a specific stay.
Property visits and press trips
Where we have visited a property at a discounted or comped rate, we will say so in the article. Acceptance of a discounted stay does not guarantee positive coverage. Properties offering visits in exchange for guaranteed positive reviews are politely declined.
Get in touch
For corrections, complaints, or questions about how we work, the best route is the contact page. We aim to respond to all editorial enquiries within a few working days.