sunshineboca

Thanks tuscanlife. Sure, I'm open to suggestions for Florence. I have friends who stayed at Hotel Hermitage in Florence.They enjoyed it, especially the rooftop terrace, and the location. It looks well placed near Ponte Vecchio and gets decent reviews. I have held a room there. Rate is 220 euro for superior double. Anyone with experiences there?

I found Montepulciano a bit more pricey then expected.
I've considered La Locanda Di San Francesco, Relais San Bruno and Relais Ortaglia. They are each about 230-250 euro per night. Both Relais are just outside the city, and Di San Francesco within the city. Does anyone have and experiences or opinions about those properties?
I'm somewhat torn regarding the location. The Tuscan farmhouse setting, or the convenience of returning from our day trips to a place where we don't have to drive to dinner every night. (More importantly, drive back from dinner after enjoying some vino.)


Back to Positano....I looked at the Hotel Poseidon. It looks lovely.

This feels like a stupid question because I usually book directly with hotels myself, but is Venere a reliable booking site? The rates look pretty good but I am always afraid I may get the "dumpster room." Silly, I know!!!
Many of the reviews on their site are quite dated.

Thanks again for all the tremendous help.

bobthenavigator

Look at Politian apartments for best value in MP.

Also look at Palazzo del Capitano in San Quirico--best location to tour south Tuscany

Booking direct to hotel is always better---use the booking sites to screen options.

The Poseidon is hard to beat--also look at Marincanto.

Uma

For restaurants, we really liked Alle Testiere in Venice(tiny place with great fish); enjoyed La Giostra in Florence; loved the food and ambiance at Glass Hosteria in Rome. Had a wonderful time -- and sampled wonderful food -- on an evening food tour with www.foodtoursofrome.com this past September.
If you are art lovers, don't miss the Galleria Borghese in Rome -- stunning Bernini sculptures. You need to reserve for a two hour block ahead of time. Would second Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento -- a little pricey but great location and incredible views of the bay.

mama_mia

Regarding booking sites: I have used Venere without problems. If you choose to use a booking site, I would suggest booking.com. The reviews are pretty up to date and are done by people who have actually stayed at the lodging (after the trip you get an email requesting feedback).

You can use either of these sites to book or gather information if you prefer to book directly with hotel.

wren

Hi Sunshine, have you decided what your itinerary will be? We are also going to the Amalfi Coast and Rome in May...

caralin

I can second bobthenavigator's recommendation for the Politian Apartments in Montepulciano. We just stayed there in November (on his recommendation - thanks again, bob!!) and LOVED it. Much cheaper than the Locanda San Francesco, which I also looked into. Opposite ends of town, but it's a small town, so no matter. I loved that the apartments had the convenience of town (with all the perks you mentioned), but being right on the edge of town we got the view that we wanted from a farmhouse. We were also very tempted by the Tuscan farm experience, but considering the time of year we were going, we opted to stay in town and it really was perfect. You can go to the countryside on your day trips and still experience everything you're hoping for. I also didn't find the town too steep, which I was warned about also - not nearly as steep as Positano (and the whole Amalfi coast!).

In Florence, we stayed at the Residenza d'Epoca in Piazza della Signoria, which I would also recommend wholeheartedly - it was beautiful, and could not have been better located. We had two nights/one full day in Florence, which I know was far too short, but we just accepted we wouldn't see everything and really enjoyed what we did see (we REALLY benefitted from our time of year in this case - we wasted absolutely zero time in lines, so we maximized our one day of sightseeing! Walked right in to the Accademia to see the David, etc... - but don't count on that in May, sadly!)

We were in Rome and the Amalfi coast for our honeymoon in 2011, which we also loved (really, I love everything about Italy!!). We stayed just outside the town of Amalfi itself (yes, there is a town called Amalfi on the Amalfi coast), at the Villa Scarpariello - AMAZING. Right on the gorgeous ocean, walkable into town for dinner and gelato... It's heaven. I want to go back right now. Definitely anniversary-worthy! Amalfi is further along the coast from Positano, but not too far - something to consider. We went into Positano itself on a day trip, and then at the end of our time there we took the ferry from Positano to Sorrento - a nice alternative to driving or taking the bus along those windy roads!

We did most of a day in Pompeii and loved it (then went up Mt. Vesuvius in the afternoon - very interesting combo to see the volcano responsible for destroying the city...). We also did a couple of hours the day before in Herculaneum, which was actually eve better preserved than Pompeii, but it's smaller - depends how into history you are (I'm a history teacher, so I was in my element!!).

Anyway, enjoy your trip. What a wonderful way to spend your 40th anniversary - I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!! Congrats!!

wren

The Politian apartments are great--we stayed there in 2008. An ideal location in a wonderful town. We have also stayed outside the town at La Manzinaie...another wonderful experience, though completely different from staying in a town.