Karen

My husband and I will be traveling to Italy this fall. There are several tour companies - some more structured than others. Can anyone recommend one in particular? One tour company offers a package with certain hotels but we can't find information on them - Rome (Villa Torlonia Hotel) Tuscany (Francia & Quirinale Hotel) Italian Lakes (Splendide Hotel) Venice (Continental Hotel) Assisi (Subasio Hotel) Sorrento (Vesuvio Hotel). Has anyone stayed or heard of these hotels? Thanks.

Susan

Hello Karen, <BR>The answer to this question depends on your personal preferences and comforts with independant vs. group travel. That said, I have nothing but praise for Caravella Italia, a small tour company based in NYC that specializes in Italian travel (they have a web site). My husband and I have taken three Italian vacations without a tour company and had no problems, including driving. But I tend to do alot of research ahead to plan what we wish to see and how to maximize our time. This last visit, I traveled with 6 women, all friends from younger days. We selected this tour company for convenience and for the special activities they arranged, that we would not have easily done on our own. For instance, we had a local walking tour guide in each city we visited for the first 2 hours of the morning, and then were on our own to spend the rest of the day. On this trip, it was nice to have someone do the driving between towns, and to have all the hotel arrangements made for the group ahead of time. Since I haven't used other tour companies, I can say our selection criteria for a tour was: 1) small tour group size, 2) itinerary that wasn't overly programmed - not too many cities in too few days, 3) emphasis on less typical tourist sites, more emphasis on getting to know the city, history and culture, 4) staying in small, attractive hotels. Hope this helps you in your decision making and best wishes for a wonderful trip.

howard

You also might want to consider what is usually called an "independent" tour of Rome, Florence and Venice, where the company takes care of hotel (with breakfast), first class train fare and a half-day tour in each of the three cities. Amex and Delta (and others, I'm sure) offer it. We took it with Amex, because we were using frequent flyer miles for the airfare. We were very satisfied. If you want more details, email me. <BR>By the way, like the previous poster, I also did a lot of pre-trip research.

Rex

www.untours.com is another source for less structured (but not completely independent) traveling. <BR> <BR>and Karen, you might find it worthwhile to search for small group tours here.

elaine

Karen, whatever your decision re tour or independent travel, I suggest to never book travel until you have located the hotels on a map of each city. Many tour companies use hotels in out-of-the way locations, requiring much time lost getting to and from the city center. <BR>I don't know how many cities you want to see and how much time you will have, but if it's just two or three major cities, the trains can easily get you there on your own.

karen

Thanks for all of your wonderful advice. We've decided to go with an "independent tour" - it offers a lot of flexibility. I'm looking forward to getting some really great ideas over the next couple of months. Thanks again!

richard j vicek

Good evening, Karen <BR>I have to agree with Elaine, relative <BR>to knowing the location of your hotels <BR>before you book the trip, some tours <BR>do not get near the centers and you are <BR>on the outskirts... One the main data <BR>bases for IT hotels is www.enit.it/., <BR>however this will give you hotel information and addresses and you will <BR>then need a city map to find the locatiion. If you wish I will check <BR>out these hotels listed and get back to <BR>you asap. Richard of La Grange, IL... <BR>write me direct e mail..

howard

Karen, based on our experience, I think you made a wise decision. We were totally satisfied with our independent tour. We felt it was pretty much our itinerary. A couple points: <BR>1.Our tour started in Rome. Since we used frequent flyer miles for our air tickets, we had the flexibility of going to Rome three days earlier, staying at the same hotel. The extra three days made the trip even better. <BR>2. All of our hotels were near railroad stations. The advantage is that we never had to go too far with our luggage. Though you may hear that these areas are not great and/or are inconvenient, we had no problems or complaints in any city. In Rome, we walked almost everywhere, and when public transportant was needed two metro stops and several bus lines were close by (we never used buses). In Florence and Venice, we walked everywhere from our hotel. <BR>If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

Linda

Karen, My husband and I went to Italy 2 years ago with Perillo. We opted for the 12 day trip we flew to Rome and left via Milano. We had a wonderful time. We saw so much, met wonderful people and had nothing but good hotel experiences. We, also, had the freedom to explore each city on our own as well as individual tours that were offered to us in each of the cities we visited. I know I sound like an advertisement and I wish they went to more European Countries but I would use them again in a heart beat...

Rex

Frome the daily newsletter today of that "other" travel book publisher, f*o***rs.com - - <BR> <BR>Rooms in Rome Revisited: A Web Site That Offers Some of the Cheapest Lodgings You’ll Ever Find in the Eternal City <BR> <BR>It was nearly two years ago (June 5, 1998, to be precise) that we first called your attention to a then-fledgling organization called the Bed & Breakfast Association of Rome, which then acted as a clearinghouse for around 50 owners of apartments and B&Bs in the Eternal City. In the intervening time, that number has roughly doubled, and its prices have remained among the most refreshing for a city whose hotel rooms have traditionally been on the pricey side. In this Italian Jubilee year, when the city is expected to be bursting at the seams (and, from the early reports we’ve heard, these predictions may not even remotely resemble hype by the time 2000 is finished), there’s no way to guarantee yourself a room in Rome; however, the Bed & Breakfast Association (and its invaluable Web site) could turn out to be a useful arrow in your quiver. <BR> <BR>The site is located at www.b-b.rm.it, and there you can get a capsule description of each lodging available; you can also reserve online. <BR> <BR>And a P.S. to lindahess - I won't take the step of writing to (spamming) you directly without your permission, but I think it would be a great (and lofty) goal to create a "Perrillo" like experience on a trip to France, involving a small group. <BR> <BR>You would be most welcome to write directly to me if you want to talk about it. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

kam

The Subasio in Assisi is very well located near the cathedral and with a lovely restaurant terrace. The rooms are a mixed bag, however, some are quite small and not luxurious. Would stay there again just for the location and the bar/restaurant. Sorry, don't know any of the others, and I am an advocate of independent touring in Italy, but we speak a bit of the language and have been there many times. If this is your first trip and you are not adventurous, take the tour. Good advice to check on location of all hotels as posted above. Be especially cautious about Rome and Venice--you don't want to be stuck in no man's land in either place.

Karen

Now that we've decided on an independent tour I'm trying to get some hotel suggestions. My travel agent suggested the following - has anyone ever stayed at these hotels - if so, what are your thoughts? <BR> <BR>Rome - Savoy Rome or D'Inghilterra <BR>Florence - De La Ville Firenze or G.H. Baglioni <BR>San Gimignano - Leon Bianco <BR>Venice - Luna Baglioni or Giorgione <BR> <BR>Thanks.