I found Italian Bed and Breakfasts to be very noisy!
 

After years of insisting on staying in larger hotels when traveling in Europe I finally took the advice of my friends and made reservations at a number of bed and breakfasts in Rome, Florence and Venice. I wonder if I will ever get back the sleep I missed.

Bed and Breakfasts and sleep did not go hand and hand. I got so tired of hearing the noise from my neighbors, from the lobby and the street below. I missed sound proofing. And where did they find these beds. They were rock hard! Airconditioning was another problem. Few rooms in the various bed and breakfasts had individual controls so we were forced to sit in hot stuffy rooms wit no air moving.

Bed and Breakfasts reminded me of staying with relatives we did not know well who made lots of noise. What did you think of your stay at Italian Bed and Breakfasts?

Never had a problem with noise and I don't travel in months when A/C would be required.

Stay in hotels if you don't like B&Bs.

You stayed in ALL the Italian B&Bs?! ;-)

Seriously, as a Canadian B&B owner, I don't think you should dismiss all Italian B&Bs because of your experience with a few. The worst bed I ever slept on was in a hotel in Paris - should I never stay in a Paris hotel again?

The best thing you could do is inform the B&B owner of anything you found lacking - it's their livelyhood afterall. The second best thing to do is to post a report with SPECIFIC details here and/or on TripAdvisor.

Please tell us the names of B&Bs where you stayed.

When we stay in B&Bs, we make as much noise as we can to drown out the noise from other rooms. Try that.

Some people need American-style hotels with "heavenly beds" and individual A/C. You sound like one of them.

I agree that all B&B's should not and cannot be "lumped together" based on your experience.

Although I do have some favorite hotels in Italy, I have stayed in a "guest house" (breakfast isn't included, but they'll serve it for a fee, in your room as they didn't have a breakfast room) and thought it was great, and not too noisy.

Better luck next time,
BC

I had no problem with B&Bs in Florence or Venice.

I have stayed in B&B in several countries in Europe .Only had one i wouldn't go back to .Hotels i could think of quite a few i wouldnt go back to usually more expensive and not as friendy as the B&B .Only had one that was a little noisy and that was in Scotland but it was no big deal it was a man next door snoring really loud we just laughted about it.
To me B&B are the way to go .Don't judge them all by a bad experience.

Travel with ear plugs in the future.

We were in Italy for the first time last year (Venice, Sirmione, the Dolomites). I have to say that in all of these places the beds were rock hard. And flat pillows. We stayed hotels in Venice and Sirmione. So maybe it's just Italy?

I think that one is basically either a hotel person or a B&B person. I am a hotel person. I have stayed in a few B&Bs over the years but have concluded that they simply not for me. I prefer the anonymity of a hotel as well as some of the services generally provided.

I have stayed in some noisy hotels so that is not so much as factor for me but I do require quiet as I am a light sleeper and once wakened, can rarely get back to sleep.

I do enjoy small, boutique hotels but would not likely choose to stay in a B&B again.

Many people love them but they are not for everyone.

Your post is faintly ridiculous. Almost laughable.

There are luxury B&Bs and there are budget B&Bs. And everything in between.


As I remember from your earlier posts on the Asia board, your values might not be shared by many on this forum and your concerns such as carpeting and "foreign" airlines are certainly not shared by many here.

Let us know where you stayed..

Noise is an issue I research very carefully before booking any type of lodging because I need a quiet room to sleep. Noise can be a problem anywhere at any price point.

If I think we'll need A/C, I research that as carefully as the noise issue. We've never encountered rock hard beds.

My only bugaboo with most lodging (again, anywhere at any price point) is the dim lighting from low-watt bulbs. I now bring a booklight that I use for reading and applying makeup, but on more than one occasion I've been tempted to bring my own 100-watt bulb.

One person's rock hard bed is another person's pleasantly firm back saver. And pillows? I never use pillows in hotels (or at home, for that matter) because of back trouble. I simply fold a bath towel and put it in a pillowcase so that my neck stays straight when I rest my head on it.

Does this mean I am wonderful and you are not? No, just different strokes for different folks (and maybe different cultures).

WorldTraveler, my impression has also been that the beds in Italy tend to be firmer than the beds in other countries where we've stayed. Maybe it's just the places we've stayed, or maybe Italians tend to like firmer mattresses?

Otherwise, our experiences at B&B's in Italy have been very positive overall.

Whether it's a B&B or a hotel, I've found it very helpful to read the reviews posted online, especially on Tripadvisor, Venere, and SlowTrav. Things like noise and hard beds tend to be mentioned by reviewers, so we can judge whether it will be something that would be an issue for us....

Ah yes, worldtraveler1024. From her/his posts on the Asia board:

"What is it with hard mattresses and traveling in Asia? I am talking about high end hotels and in many cases Western Hotel chains. What gives? "

I think we can conclude the WT is hyper-sensitive to firm mattresses. And WT - did your Chinese visa turn out to be worth it? Did you really book two rooms to get over jet lag? We're still waiting for your trip report.

Yes, hard mattresses is a problem in both Europe in Asia. I can take a firm mattress but not a cheap hard one. The B&B's I stayed at were expensive but all had no sound proofing. While lying in bed I could hear people in other rooms and in the lobby. Rooms were super small and there was no privacy.

But then you didn't like Italian hotels either, did you? See http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-6165497 Didn't like the beds, didn't like the noise...

I note that you say "At home we sleep in a king bed that is very soft and comfortable." In that case it's no surprise that you're finding other beds hard.