Hello everyone,

We thought it would be helpful to list our top 10 hotels we have stayed at over the last few years during our summer European vacations that we found special and memorable and would highly recommend to others. They are in alphabetical order by city.

1. Arles, France - Hotel Spa Le Calendal
2. Barcelona, Spain - Hotel 1898
3. Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy - Hotel Florence
4. Lecce, Italy - Risorgimento Resort
5. Munich, Germany - Louis Hotel
6. Rhodes, Greece - Rodos Park Suites & Spa
7. San Gimignano, Italy - Hotel Pescille
8. Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Italy - Antiche Mura Hotel
9. Trieste, Italy - Savoia Excelsior Palace
10. Venice, Italy - Aqua Palace Hotel

All of these hotels had great locations, wonderful service and most importantly, reflected the places we were visiting. If you need to know more about our experiences at each, please do not hesitate to ask.


Andrea

It would be helpful to have links to the hotels and prices.

How did these hotels reflect the places you visited?

Hi Adrienne,


These hotels all had an intimate feeling to them (even the larger ones) and retained an old world charm, reflecting the culture and people of the places they were in. As with most things in life, it was the people that worked at these hotels that made each stay special, as they were warm, helpful and added to the overall beauty of the hotel and its surroundings.

We stayed at many other hotels during our travels in Europe, but these were our favorites.

You can simply Google the name of the hotels above and their official website links come right up.


Andrea

I think that's an interesting way to do it, by city. I guess I don't see how Hotel 1898 reflects "old world charm," though (one of those you name that I am familiar with). It's modern. It is nice, but it isn't old world in style. Most hotels in Bacelona are modern, it seems to me. I usually prefer period style but couldn't find one there that I liked, those tend to be either super expensive or old-fashioned.

I don't usually stay in real expensive hotels so don't necessarily have super special hotels to list, but my list of hotels or inns that I would gladly return to, and stand out, are:
Marseille -- Hotel Beauvais
Provence, Pernes-les-Fontaines -- Le Hermitage
Paris -- I always stay in Hotel Aiglon, HOtel Raspail or Hotel Langlois, mixing it up
London -- Millenium Bailey's
Lucerne -- Schiller Hotel
Montreux -- Hotel Suisse Majestic
Prague -- Hotel Pariz
Krakow -- Pod Roza and Hotel Grodek
Barcelona -- Hotel Jazz or NH Calderon, really like them both
Madrid -- Intur Palacio San Martin

that's about it for me. Some of those are period or "old world" (like the one in Madrid) but others are more modern, and these are just hotels that are in good locations, with good staff, and where the rooms are "comfortable" in my terms.

Why not just rent one apartment and you have more spase, not just one hotel-bed

Because some people (including me) like to be pampered.

on the hotel-bed ? i love to see that

Hi everyone,


We do not stay at the most expensive hotels either and some of the above hotels on our list are 4/5 star rated but were at less than 4/5 star prices.

And while renting an apartment may be ok if you plan on staying for a week or more in one place, we feel that when we travel we never stay more than 5 or 6 nights in any one place before moving on, so a hotel better suits our needs as we have a feeling of more security, there is help if you need it and you get an overall more pampered experience.

We did not find the Hotel 1898 in Barcelona modern. We felt it had some Spanish influence and although pricey, it was a memorable experience staying there.

I wonder if we should post our 10 worst hotel experiences as well. lol


Andrea

Unless one stayes in luxury 5 star hotels there is very little pampering:
someone makes your bed, supplies a new small soap every day and , if you need it,
gives you a wake-up call.
Most hotel rooms are small - one has to sit on the bed when in the room.

My favorite hotel is in Madrid - Jardin de Recoletos.
The rooms are huge( some overlooking the garden) and Retiro is minutes away.
I will not stay in a room smaller than 20sq meters.( except in Paris)

Sorry to disagree but there are many hotels - not just 5* but also 4* or even 3* that have rooms of all different sizes and you can easily get a junior quite in one to get more room (we almost alway do). And also I agree with the pampering - including rooms service/breakfast in bed, a bar on the premises, a concierge to help with tickets/reservations and bellmen to handle the luggage.

If your hotels aren;t providing this - you must have picked ones on purpose that don;t have these services.

Breakfast in bed may be pampering for some...we like to sleep in and get out.
I would rather have a drink in a local bar than with hotel guests / tourists like me.
In all our travels, I was able to make reservations for restaurants on the Internet.
Understandably, everyone has a different style of travel . Many travelers depend
on hotel services because they only speak English and feel insecure too far from
the hotel.
I stayed in a five star hotel in Lisbon last week that offered all the " pampering " -
the main reason I booked it was the size of the room ..30 sq m.
Yes, I asked them for a wake up call. That was it.

A few of our favorites-

Capri- La Minerva
Ravello-Palazzo Avinos
Beaune- Hostellerie Levernois
Rome-Albergo del Senato
Paris- Relais St.Germaine
Parma-Relais Antica Corte Pallavicina

TTT

We don't book high end Ritz-Carlton-style hotels either, but, like nytraveler, we have had all sizes of hotelrooms. Sometimes small, sometimes large with a nice balcony. And the pampering consists of more than making beds and changing towels.

I don't mind staying in an apartment but not for just a few days.
When we are touring we stay in a place for 2 or 3 nights, then move on.

AirBalloon, I am really happy that you were happy with all of the hotels you have listed.

I am absolutely convinced that you posted the list trying to help other people out and for no other reasons whatsoever.

Thank you for your kindness and please don't get angry or mystified if not everybody agrees with your choices. Their reasons are just as valid as your own.

Dukey, where did you get the idea I was angry or mystified? I think you should reread my posts or maybe you meant it for another member.

Do not get confused about the difference between posting a respectful opinion and being angry.


Andrea

Amsterdam - Hotel Estheréa
another favorite

Although it did not make our top ten, here is another small hotel we found just wonderful. We stayed for 3 nights on our way from Bologna to Nice this summer.

Noli, Ligurian Coast, Italy: Hotel Italia

Another of our favorites, also in Noli, Palazzo Vescovile, a former Bishop's residence set high on the hill. No walking down though as they have an elevator to the seafront.

Two months ago, I stayed at the Landgasthof Osterseen in central Bavaria. I had planned to stay at another hotel (this was a business trip) but my colleague in Bavaria said...hmmm, no, you don't want to stay there, and booked me into LO instead. Everything about it was delightful: a pretty hotel in a charming village with views of the Alps and a lake. Very comfortable room and delicious food and wine at the hotel restaurant. Free wifi. A few cafes and galleries down the street showcasing local artists. An ATM if needed ;-) Moderately priced -- about 80 euros for the room, including breakfast.

http://www.landgasthof-osterseen.de/