Chicki

I need advise on my hotel picks in Italy.<BR>Has anyone stayed at the following hotels?<BR>Lake Como: Hotel Villa Flori<BR>Venice: Hotel Villa Luppis<BR>Florence: Marignolle Relais & Charme<BR>Rome: Villa San Pio<BR>Ischia Island: Hotel Miramare E Castello<BR>Sorrento: Villa Oriana B&B<BR>Capri: Hotel La Minerva<BR><BR>

travel nut

Let me guess ! These choices were made by a travel agent or a tour company. It just smells that way.

cm

We're staying at La Minerva too. Found it ourselves and it looks charming. Were originally going to stay at a different, more expensive hotel. Will be interesting to see if anyone has stayed there.

judy

I have stayed in the Villa San Pio in Rome, it exceeded my expectations.<BR>Outstanding hotel, in a great restful location.

jenny

"Restful location"???? Euphemism for out of the way ! LOL!!!!

arlene

I don't see the reason for the sarcastic answer, Jenny. I checked www.romeby.com and the hotel is very nice and the location is near the Colosseum so I'm not sure why you think this is "out of the way". Did you check the actual location before commenting or do you think the Colosseum area is too far for you from everything?

Chicki

Thanks Judy, I appreciate your review of Villa San Pio. We wanted an out of the way, quiet and restful place to stay in Rome. I've heard how noisy Rome can be and we wanted this trip to be fairly relaxing.

Chicki

Thanks Arlene, I also appreciated your input and makes me think that I chose a very good hotel in Rome at least.

Arlene

Hey Chicki, you're welcome. Some people here on this forum scan different posts and respond with snide remarks for whatever reasons they have. I'm sure your visit to Rome will be very nice. We enjoyed our visit last year and wish we could go back again soon. And have a great time while visiting the other Italian cities-I envy you!

Sherri

You will love the Minerva; I can't say enough good things about it- the staff is better then in most 4&5 star hotels I've stayed in in Italy.<BR>The only draw back NO POOL; but it's Capri and I'd rather swim in the ocean.<BR>I will advise you if you have not booked a superior room try to do so it's well worth the money. <BR>I had breakfast served to me on a private balcony and we had views from every room; including the bathroom.<BR>La Dolce Capri<BR>to the top for Chicki

Chicki

Thanks for the info Sherri.We don't really care about pools,we also prefer the ocean, however, we will be there the first week in October so the water will probably be chilly.I found the Minerva myself as I love to do my own research on the Web. I'm glad to find out that so far two hotels I've picked have outstanding ratings. Thanks again for your input.

Sherri

Dear Chiki; <BR>I like you do alot of my own reserch; I found the Minerva on the web. Just to let you know I am not sure how early or late in Oct. you will be in Capri but I have been there in early Oct. and it was in the mid 70's not too chilly.<BR>I hope it will be sunny and warm for you.<BR>la dolce Capri<BR>Sherri<BR>to the top for Chichi

belinda

I recently stayed at the Villa San Pio on the Aventine Hill. It is a lovely area and the hotel grounds are beautiful. It has good a/c, internet access in your room, a bar, garden breakfast room, and at times there was a lady singing and playing a piano in the lounge. The area is about a 15 minute walk from the Colosseum/Forum area. The walk home is uphill, so take a taxi if you are tired. Even though it is not in the center of town, I highly recommend the area. It is very easy to hire a taxi in Rome and not expensive. The walk to and from the Colosseum area includes a couple of decent restaurants and a great little grocery store where we picked up picnic supplies for the train ride back to Paris.<BR><BR>And although it was quite a walk, we did manage to walk from Villa Borghese back to our hotel one long afternoon. On the way we stopped at the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Capitoline Museum.

Chicki

Thanks Belinda for your review of Villa San Pio, it's much appreciated. I have a feeling we'll enjoy it a lot. Both of us don't mind walking either.