Ben

My wife and I are returning to Rome/Florence next month, and I am just now getting around to booking hotels. Is Orbitz is the best place for booking online? Or should I look at some other sites?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for all your help,<BR>Ben

Rex

I have never used Orbitz for booking a hotel before, but on first glance, it doesn't look like the site of choice. <BR><BR>The web site www.venere.com starts you off with a map-based orientation, and generally offers more information in my mind - - and on more hotels (565 vs 196 on Orbitz). Also allows you to e-mail or fax (at no charge) many of the hotels it lists.<BR><BR>I have used it (and used it for cancellations as well, perhaps the more important test!) with confidence a dozen or more times - - for Rome and all over Italy.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Rex

topping for Ben...<BR>

Nutella

I second Rex's remarks. I've also done well with venere.com, for cancellations too. It is the first website I turn to.

Surlok

Ben<BR><BR>Have a look at:<BR><BR>http://www.charmingitaly.com<BR><BR>It does have hotels that Venere doesn't. And a lot of pictures, maps, everething that Venere has, but it plases me more graphically. However, I haven't yet used this service to book, but mostly to browse hotels.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Surlok

Rex

The charmingwherever.com collection of websites does have its attractive features. But it has fewer hotels, you can't pick FROM a map, you can't search on something like "only hotels with an elevator", for example and you can't select based on availability for given dates.<BR><BR>You should trust pretty pictures as the least re-assuring way to choose a hotel.<BR>

elaine

Ben<BR>I have used Orbitz for some hotel searches (recently London) and I found very attractive rates. Rex is right, they don't provide much info as to location or orientation. What I did was find a couple of hotels on Orbitz that interested me, I located them on my own map, and if I was still interested I found websites for the hotels to contact them directly<BR>via email. I asked each hotel if they would honor the Orbitz rate if I booked directly with them, and each agreed to do so. I imagine it might save their paying Orbitz a commission.

Lori

Ben,<BR><BR>I just booked Florence and Cinqueterre for the beginning of March. I tried Orbitz and a bunch of websites. I kept going through all of them until I found the cheapest. Do a search on <BR><BR>www.google.com<BR><BR>type in Italy hotels and just start weeding them out! Orbitz was not the cheapest for airline tickets. The key is to print out all of your confirmations and bring them with you. I have book trips for Italy, Spain, England and Ireland on the internet and have had great luck!<BR><BR>Have a great trip!<BR><BR>Lori

ellen

Besides venere.com, I've had luck with www.itwg.com. It's the Italian Tourist Web Guide

Carol

<BR>I used venere.it also and found the maps very helpful. But any good shopper goes to more than one site. Here are few others which might be helpful:<BR><BR>http://www.rome-italy-hotels.net/rome-hotels.htm<BR><BR>http://www.italy-rome-hotel.com/<BR><BR>http://www.netizen.co.uk/italianholidays/properties.htm<BR><BR>As suggested above, do a search for "Rome Hotels" or "Florence Hotels" and lots of good stuff pops up.<BR><BR>Have fun.<BR>