Comments on our hotel choices: London, Rome, Venice, Lucca and Paris.
 

Hello, Any input, suggestions, tips on the following hotels and any nearby restaurants, attractions, etc. will be GREATLY appreciated. (excuse any misspellings) <BR> <BR>London: Reubens Hotel <BR>Rome: Scalinata di Espagna <BR>Venice: Calle Specchieri San Marco <BR>Lucca: San Marcos <BR>Paris: Hotel Colisee <BR> <BR>Thx

Hello Virgin, I am not a virgin in Europe--having done 17 trips myself and <BR>helping to plan more than 50 others. <BR>I have never seen any of these hotels, <BR>where did you find them??

The San Marco in Lucca is outside the walls of the city. So, you should check to see if there is a bus to town in which case you can avoid taking your car only to park it in the lots outside the walls. Haven't stayed there but seems to be OK. (for Bob: cousin used to have a travel agency in Lucca and I have her old listings)The best restaurant in Lucca, I think, is the Buca Sant'Antonio. Other good ones are Puccini, Giglio and Da Giulio. If you have a car and want to eat outside the city book at La Mora, about 4 miles outside in Ponte a Moriano which is in the general direction of your hotel, also Antica Locanda di Sesto in same area, but be sure to book ahead for either. Follow the road signs marked "to Abetone". The Scalinata di Spagne has received good reviews on this Forum and I was intending to look into it for our next trip. The location is supposed to be excellent--near the Spanish Steps--surprize!!The other ones, I've never heard of and can't find in my notes. Are you sure that the Venice hotel you've indicated is not the address of the hotel rather than the name? It reads like an address. A calle is a little footpath or passageway in Venice. Couple of suggestions for Venice are the Hotel Flora, San Stefano, and the Pensione Seguso which is near the Accademia Bridge--half board about $150. Good luck.

Euro, <BR>The Scalinata, as Kam said, gets lots of positive press here and is in a very good location. I wonder if the Venice hotel is actually the Montecarlo which is on Calle Specchieri. If so, my friends stayed there in March and I checked out their rooms. They were very nice, and again, very centrally located. If you find out that it is a different hotel, let us know. <BR>Ciao, <BR>luigi

EuroV, <BR> <BR>I stayed at Hotel San Marcos last Nov. '99. The hotel is quite nice and has a modern, sleek "Philip Stark" feel to it. The staff was young and extremely helpful. Typical breakfast buffet. If you have a car, the hotel is only a couple of miles, at most to the city center. You can park just inside the city gates. You must try Guillio's for lunch or dinner. A very casual family-style trattoria. The "bean soup" was soooo good that we came back the next day and I got it again. Have fun!!

London we stayed at the Rubens hotel and had two rooms. It is near Buckingham Palace and Victoria station. We liked the location. Nice rooms but ask for air conditioned, remodeled rooms. They were very nice. As suggested by a Fodor Forum message, we took the # 11 double decker bus from Victoria Station to Liverpool Street Station (and back) and saw Westminster Abbey,Parliament, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and St. Paul's Cathedral. This was a nice quick way to see London since we arrived in the late afternoon. Purchase the train/bus pass for zones 1 & 2. Be aware, however, that you can only use these after 9:30 am. Excellent value and the tubes are phenomenal. Clean, fast and not too crowded. Better than the buses. We did not buy the British heritage pass. Do get to the Tower of London around 9 am. and see the jewels first, then take the Yeoman Warden's tour (be prepared to tip) and then see the rest of the tower. We were there over 3 hours. Good for everyone. Also go to Windsor Castle. We went to Waterloo Station and took a 50 minute train ride to Windsor and then a 5 min. uphill walk. An amazing place. <BR>We would recommend Bumbles Restaurant for dinner (on Buckingham Palace Road) diagonally across from the Rubens. Good food at a very reasonable price. Also recommend the Stock Pot which is in the Fodors guide. We did notlike Maxwells (also in the guide)- too loud - young drinking crowd and expensive (8 pounds for hambergers).

Scalinata di spagna is very close to the spanish steps. The outside looked a bit run down. I personally don't think it's in the best location, ritzy yes.

hello, I have a reservation at the same Paris hotel, BW Hotel Colisee. <BR> <BR>Anyone else been there?

to the moon, alice

Hello - I have not stayed at the Scalinata di Spagna, but I did stay one night at the Hassler (across the way) and didn't love that area. It's good if you want to be near shopping, but very crowded and not as charming as the Piazza Navona neighborhood. Also I have read (I believe in Fodor's review!) that the rooms can be extremely small, so you may want to ask about that when you make your reservation. I know it's a favorite honeymoon spot, so it must have something going for it! <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip, <BR>JB

My sister and her husband stayed at the Colisee in Paris in 1997 and liked it. And a couple I know just came back from a stay there -- loved the location. It really couldn't be better. I think it's hard to beat for the price.

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