We are two non romantic couples (4 in all) who are leaving for Italy next month. I was wondering if anyone could tell us if 4 can sleep in a double room.

We want to economize. Please suggest what we can do.

Thanks

You may be "non romantic" couples now, but if you really plan to sleep two to each single bed, you may well be "very romantic" couples by the time you return. Are you really suggesting that you plan to sleep two to a single bed?

The short answer is no. A double room is for two people. Sometimes the hotel will let you pay extra for a rollaway bed for a third person, but you will not be able to *fit* four adults in a double, and the hotel will not allow you to try!

Try searching for "quad" rooms - they do exist (mostly at budget hotels!), and they will almost always be cheaper than two doubles.

Venere.com is a great website listing tons of hotels all over italy, and will list both double rooms and quads if they're available - you'll be able to see the rate difference. You can search by dates, and it will show what hotels have availability and at what total cost for your stay.

if you want to economize, why not stay at youth hostels? few have more than 6 beds in a room, and you can always request private and/or smaller rooms. and you have full run of the common kitchen which would save a lot of money for food

B&B's are considerably cheaper than hotels and they include breakfast!!!! Many have quad's and some have triples and singles. I was also confused by the European listing of a "double" but a double refers to two single beds or one double bed. Two double beds in a hotel in Europe do not exist!!!

The other possibility if you are staying somewhere three nights or more is to rent an apartment. It is definitely less expensive than hotels and many will allow three days stay. Good luck. Sandy

Please do not say that there are no European hotel rooms with two double beds because there are. However, I doubt the original poster is willing to pay the money to stay at such establishments. There are a lot of ways to "economize" but this isn't a very smart one.

I agree that an apartment might be the least expensive route to go. We've found some very affordable apartments in Italy. You'll also save money on dining out.

Good luck.

I would describe the group as a family of four and look for a quad room as suggested, keeping in mind that bed configurations vary, so you need to ask what kinds of beds they will provide--
a double plus two singles?
a double, a single, plus a rollaway?
etc

Look for hotels with quad rooms at
www.venere.it
or specify which cities you are visiting and people can make suggestions
with time so short, and quad rooms few and far between, I'd hurry on this
good luck

We're a family of with 2 teens. Apartments are available through a lot of web sites. Saving on the cost of meals (especially breakfasts and packing lunches), plus laundry facilities and room to stretch makes traveling a lot less stressful & less costly. Some of the websites I have come across are VENICE - www.dimoraveneziana.com; rentvenice.com Florence - www.rentflorencecity.com; Rome Bestinrome.com; b-b.rm.it; romesweethome.it; Italy -www.fwhat.vrbo.com

You don't say where you are going or how long you intend to stay in an area. I agree that apartments are the best bang for your money, but most rent Sat. to Sat., especially the ones in the countryside. I have a wonderful book I purchased ($5) from Travel-italy.com, phone # 1-800/664-8259, Cuendet, Letting of Charming Homes, with all kinds of very affordable apartments, farmhouses, villas, and castles for rent, with beautiful colored photos of the accomodations. I suggest you give them a call and see if they have anything available in the areas you want to travel to. One and two bedroom apartments can be as cheap as $400 for the week and most have kitchen facilities, and some even come with breakfast in the host house. Have a great trip.
P.S. You may think you are non-romantic couples, but I gaurantee you will become very romantic in Italy! There is not a more romantic place in the world!

Re: Former message about apartment rental.
The site travel-italy.com has changed their number to order the catalog with apartments, farmhouses, villas,etc. The new number is: 1/888/284-8259. The cost is $18, not $5. I remembered that I had purchased it on a year end sale. Worth it if you plan to go this route.

I'm laughing as I remember some of the double rooms we have had in Italy, where just opening a suitcase required planning. No, you couldn't get another pair of shoes in those rooms, much less a pair of people!
And then there was a wonderful room in Venice, very large, with a fold-out sofa.
But I agree, four-in-a-room is no way to economize.
Byrd