Hello,

There are four of us planning a trip to Italy in April. For cost saving we would like to just purchase one room and share beds. I was wondering what the best approach for this would be. Would a "Double" room be large enough. (or do we need to find quadruples not to get in trouble by the hotel) We have two couples going, so sharing beds wont be a problem.

What is the best way to search hotels for this scenario.

We are staying in venice, florence, siena and rome.

any advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks !!

Yes, you will want a quad room. In Rome, our family of 4 stayed at the Hotel Miami and in Florence at the Casci Hotel. Both were great. In Venice we stayed at the Hotel Miami and I would not recommend it. The room itself was fine, but the private bathroom across the hall (I have no problem with that part of it) was at the top of the stairs so it didn't feel very private, and the bathroom itself was horrid.

I posted too soon. I forgot to ask if you had considered renting apartments. With two couples you might want a place with 2 bathrooms. That would give each couple more privacy, and would be a lot faster as far as everyone getting ready each day. Just a thought

A double room will either have one double bed or two twin beds. Do you think four people will fit in one double bed? Hotels in Italy are generally small and more personal than in the US. They will know how many and which guests are in each room. You can't put four people in a room for two because there won't be enough beds. A quad room will likely have four twins or a combo of twins and a double.

If you want to save money, stay in convents, monasteries or hostels. Many have curfews, but it's often midnight. In Siena you might try www.hotelalmadomus.it A quad with breakfast is 95€ per night. All rooms have private baths and I think most have a balcony. It's about a 3-5 minute walk to the Duomo. Their curfew is 1 am.

I just want to stress the point made by kybourbon:

In Italy, a double room has one double bed, or two twin beds. That is always the case.

You need to book a quad if you all want to stay in one room.

To search for hotels, try venere.com. I believe they give you the option of searching for quad rooms.

You need a "quad" room, both so as not to get in trouble with the hotel, but more importantly so everyone will have a place to sleep.

A "double" is normally a small room with two twin beds or one double NOT big enough for 4 people regardless of their marital status!

Oh my goodness - there are lots (and LOTS) of better ways to economize than sleeping 4 to a double bed!

Or did you somehow assume that a "double" means 2 queen sized beds?? nope . . . .

No you can't sneak 4 adults into a room for 2. There won't be enough room, enough bath linens, enough sleeping space, enough closets/hangers. Just would not work at all.

How does a family of four (mom dad and two teenage /children) stay in hotels in europe? surely they cant purchase two seperate rooms. if we would stay at best westerns or holiday inn (american type hotels, have two double beds in their rooms)

<i>How does a family of four (mom dad and two teenage /children) stay in hotels in europe? </i>

Did you read the responses you got above? A QUAD room, or family room with enough beds for 4 people.

Even an American chain hotel in Europe does NOT guarantee it will have 2 double beds in a room. I have stayed at Best Westerns and Holiday Inns in Europe, and many of them only have 2 twin beds in a &quot;double room&quot;.

Only in the U.S. can a double room possibly sleep four people. In most other countries, double still means 2 and quad still means 4.

I agree with the suggestions to consider apartments and/or convents. You can do a search here to find many threads on apartments. Here's a website for convent stays (note the links for several cities):

http://www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html

You don't even get a guarantee of two double beds in NYC or any other major city. Families book &quot;family rooms&quot;

In my experience, European hotels list their rooms as:

1) Single room - 1 twin bed (sometimes a full) for 1 person use
2) Double room - 1 &quot;double&quot; bed (likely Queen, but can also be just a Full, and rarely a King) for 2 persons
3) Twin room - 2 twin beds for 2 persons
4) Triple room
5) Family room/Quad room

Again, 4 people will NOT fit in one double room.

To answer your question above, most people in your situation would probably book two double rooms for two couples.

Best Western in Europe is nothing like Best Western in the US.

I have always done best by just calling ahead in the morning, telling them what I needed &quot;budget room for four people, bath down the hall is okay&quot; and letting them suggest what they had available to fill our need.

As a family of 4 we had to book 2 rooms at a Best Western in Wales because each &quot;double&quot; room meant a room with one bed for 2 people. It is a matter of terminology - so as others have said, if you really want only one room then you need to book a Quad Room which will have 2 double beds.

Also, if you are booking ahead don't be afraid to email directly to the hotel/B&amp;B and ask them what they can offer. I have found that I sometimes get an answer about a room type that is not listed on their website - i.e. a &quot;family apartment&quot; or a room where they can fit another bed or beds.

Finally, have to say, consider breaking up the &quot;all stay together&quot; rooms some nights with times that you do book 2 rooms. We do this on our family trips - i.e. having the Quad room in Rome &amp; Venice where it is more expensive, and then 2 rooms in Tuscany, Lake Como, etc. where it was a little cheaper. It was VERY nice to take a break from my own children, much less another couple.

thank you all so much. this information has been very helpful.

i agree, its prob best to split up in the less expensive cities, and try to see if we can get a quad in some of the more expensive cities.

thank you all !!!

As you are thinking of smaller, less touristy towns, you also need to know the phrase for the &quot;quads&quot; spoken of here is often expressed in less traveled areas, esp. resort towns as &quot;camera famiglia&quot;. This just means a 'family room' and it might have a number of different configurations including a suite of two rooms with a shared bath...still cheaper than two rooms.

Yes - many families of 4 do reserve 2 rooms - in the US as well as in europe.

First, we all like a little privacy.

Second, there was no way I was sharing one bath with 2 tween/teen girls.

Third - no one can spend 24 hours a day together for a couple of weeks without wanting to commit murder.

I can't imagine sharing a room - and one bath - with another couple. (I have no problem showering while the beau shaves - but I'm not doing it with another man - even a close friend.)

And yes - a double room is for TWO people. It has one double bed or two twin (single) beds. And very likely not enough floor space for 2 more (even if the other couple didn't mind sleeping on the floor). If the rooms are large enough to fit in 2 temporary beds - it will probably cost more than 2 separate smaller rooms in a perfectly pleasant but more modest hotel.

Renting an apartment is a nice way to go when there are two couples. We have done that with our married grown children. Some B&amp;B's may also have accomadations for 4 adults. Often B&amp;B's are a cheaper alternative than a hotel.

Greekgazoo, how long are you guys going for?

What kind of budget do you have (just ballpark figure)?

Depending on the amount of time you have and what you want to do, one or two apartments might well work out best for you.
dave