Swannee

Hello,

We have a chance to go to Italy in May and June for a few weeks and for one of the weeks can stay at a place just 5 km from Assisi. Has anyone has ever stayed at or heard comments about this Residence (Hotel) called the Carpediem Assisi Club. Is it OK? Is is worth it? We are planning to visit other parts of Italy too but we need to decide on this first and then plan around it if it works

Thank you.

sandi_travelnut

Look here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...si_Umbria.html

Personally I wouldn't stay there. Why don't you stay in Assisi? There are some great hotels there. If cost is an issue, look at La Fortezza Hotel, which is a no-frills but nice hotel next to the Piazza Commune.

Swannee

Thanks for the info sandi_travelnut.

No cost is not an issue (too much anyway) The issue is that we own a timeshare ans have soem weeks to use up or lose. We have been trying to get a spot in Italy for 3 years without luck and Assisi was one of our destinations. This just came up and the location seemed Ok. My idea was to use it as a base for one week and visit all around on day trips. However, we would do a more extensive trip to Italy and this one week would only be a part of it -- I would hoep to stay in charming places -- villas, B&Bs, inns, etc.

I was just hoping that we could get one decent timeshare for one week of a 3-4 week trip. So far we have been quite fortunate in our time share choices -- but I have also rejected a whole bunch.

I'll look at the web site that you suggested

thanks

sandi_travelnut

there are lots of great hotels in Assisi and all price ranges. Assisi is small so staying anywhere in the city proper is a great location. Do a search here in the search field for "assisi hotels".

aprillilacs

We stayed at the Assisi Living Club (instantly nicknamed the Assisted Living Club) for a week at the end of May this year, as guests of friends of ours who had traded one of their U.S. timeshare weeks for the week outside Assisi. I just read the TripAdvisor review and can say that it is an accurate summary of the place. On the good side, it was free (need I say more?), clean, simple, and adequately equipped (two bedrooms, bathroom, small living room/kitchen combo, television, OK cooking facilities and dishes, nice front patio with a table and chairs where we spent most of the time we were actually at the site). Rooms are small; furnishings are simple. Not far (though not walking distance) from a good local restaurant. Some beautiful views of the Umbria hills, but in our case interrupted by a view of another apartment (if you sat in the right chair on the deck, you could avoid the bad view). If you were on the second floor of the 2-story building, it would be better. Close enough to Assisi to get there in about 10-15 minutes (you MUST have a car while you are there--there are no services at the site or even within walking distance), and a good base for touring (we drove far and wide in Umbria and Tuscany during the week we stayed there). On the negative side, I'll admit it wasn't up to par with the small houses we have rented elsewhere in Italy--there was nothing wrong with it, but it was just adequate. If we had to do it again for the same price (free ), we would stay there! So if you have a week of your timeshare to trade in, I would go for it. But if you have to pay, I'd look elsewhere.

Swannee

Thanksso much Aprililacs.

This is exactly our case, we have a week that we have been trying to get in Italy forever and we kept on being told that there is never anything in Itlay and if there were, it would always a downgrade from what we own. I read sandi_travelnut's posts and yours plus others doing some research on the web and gather very much what you stated. Yes our week is sort of free --considering the fact that it's a use the week or lose the week situation -- and we only have the idea of using this place as a base. It is evident that I would prefer a charming historical type B&B or villa. However, we had stayed in a time share in the south of France near the Spanish border and also used it as a base after a long trip around France where we had also stayed in a variety of gorgeous B&Bs. We were lucky with our room in that timeshare however, it seemed to match the description that you give the Carpediem.

We looked at the Carpediem's pictures on the web site and there seemd to be a similarity with the French timeshare. However pictures can often be showing only a portion of the truth.

The photos of the rooms at the Carpediem looked actually quite peasant on their web site. I don't know if you have looked at their site - but I wonder how true the photos are.

We have every intention of having a car and touring, in fact that week would only be part of a more extensive trip in Italy which we can now plan around that week. I will be doing more research and probably more postings.

Do you have any good recommendations for day trips? We want to go into Umbria, Tuscany. Also (not necessarly on day trips, we want to see Venice, the Italian Lakes, Rome , Capri, Positano, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast and maybe one of the islands (Sicily or Sardignia).

You also mentioned that you had rented some nice villas or samll houses. Any that you can recommend.

Thanks again and Ciao for now

aprillilacs

To answer some of your questions: first, our friends (who owned the timeshare) were disappointed with Carpediem -- they said it wasn't up to the standard they are used to. However, it was adequate, especially if you're not planning to spend a lot of time there during the day. In late May there were no open amenties (swimming pool, etc.) that would keep you there.

I just checked the pictures on their web site and have to say they made the rooms look nicer than they really were. But then again, all the apartments are different, and the one we had may not have been as nice as the others.

We did day trips to Gubbio (lucked out because it was a festival day--fabulous!), Spello (lovely town, great wine-and-olive-oil tasting in the square), Montefalco (low-key, beautiful views), Montalcino and Pienza (kind of far to drive, but on the way we saw the best poppy fields ever!), and Orvieto and it's near neighbor, Civitas. Spent a couple of evenings in Assisi, after the crowds had gone. All in all, a lovely week.

We've rented houses in many places in Europe and have always been satisfied; obviously, some have been better than others. In Italy, we rented from Cuendet and were very happy -- our house was a wonderful ancient tower (Cercinavecchia) in Cercina, in the hills about 5 miles from Florence. Right next to the owner's home, but that didn't matter to us.

travel52

We also stayed there in 1997 as a part of a trade on our timeshare. It was fine. Plain, clean and free (in a matter of speaking) because we were able to trade for it. You need a car in Assisi anyway, so it's not as if you're not able to leave. We've had better timeshares and worse. I would take it again, if offered. We are returning to Italy May 2006 and have not been offered it though.