Italian Honeymoon Help! :)
 

I am planning my honeymoon for next June (am I too early?) and I wanted to get some advise on the itinerary I’ve set. This is what I have….

Day’s 1-5
Fly from BOS to Naples and on to Positano
Stay 4 nights at the Hotel Marincanto

Day 5
Take train from Naples to Rome
2 nights in Rome
Looking for a reasonable hotel in a good location for no more than $250/night

Day 7
Rent a car in Rome and drive to Tuscany
5 Nights in Tuscany
Looking for a place close to Siena but possibly in Chianti for no more than $150/night)

Day 12
Drive to Venice (Drop Car off)
3 Nights in Venice
Looking for a reasonable hotel in a good location no more than $200/night

Fly out of Venice back to Boston

I’m looking for any and all feedback….Also I’ve found flight for around 950/pp is this reasonable or should I hold off?

Thanks a million!

Beth

Pensione La Calcina in Venice with a front corner room (view of the Guidecca canal, breakfast included, private rooftop patio that can be reserved). www.lacalcina.com Reserve early as this hotel is extremely popular and often sold out.

What a nice well conceived trip---no pun intended. Here are some ideas:
Rome---Albergo Cesari, Hotel San Carlo

Tuscany--www.lasaracina.it or www.palazzodelcapitano.com

Venice---Locanda Oseolo or Pension Accademia

Buona fortuna !

Sounds pretty good, however, I would recommend at least one more night in Rome if you can swing it. It is a great place with LOTS to see and do.
Enjoy planning both honeymoon and wedding. Best wishes!

Great plan!! We also went to Italy in June 2004 on our honeymoon and then again for our first anniversary just a couple months ago.

Thw only thing I could do would be to add one more night to Rome (take one off Tuscany). Rome has a true wealth of worthy sites. The Colosseum/Palatine/Forum/Circus Maximus (ancient sights) deserve at least one full day. Then the Vatican (museums and St. Peter's) deserve another full day (or at least 2/3 of a day). If you want to see the Borghese Gallery (HIGHLY recommend) you need another few hours... and most people want to see the Trevi Fountain, hang out in Piazza Navona with the 3 fountains, stroll the Spanish Steps, explore the Pantheon, and look into the many amazing churches.
Hence, I'd add a day to Rome.

Also, just FYI, Venice and Positano are the two most expensive destinations on your trip. You might consider trimming your hotel budget in Tuscany to add a little to Venice or you might have trouble getting a decent hotel in a good location.

I have used the Karen Brown books to help me find reasonable rooms for our trip in October. Of course, I can't give first hand account of what the rooms were like, but she does great descriptions and I have had good responses from the people who run the hotels we are using. You can find her on the net - just type in her name.

Hi skiv --

Also a former Italy honeymooner here. If you're not concerned about a fancy room in Venice, but want a clean, large, nicely air-conditioned room in a good location, I'd highly recommend Pensione Guerrato. We paid E140/night in July and had a great stay. It is located steps away from the Rialto Bridge. No views, however. Their website is: www.pensioneguerrato.it/homepenen.html

For Tuscany, we enjoyed Montalcino. It's in the Val d'Orcia in the southern part of the area. You can easily visit Montepulciano, Pienza, and Siena from there. We had an amazing room at the Il Giglio for E85/night. It had a giant balcony with the most incredible view of the country below. You can actually see a pic of the balcony on their home page. Very romantic and quite a deal! http://www.gigliohotel.com/

Hope this helps... enjoy! - h.

Hi Heather,
That hotel looks incredible (Montalcino)!!! I just saved it so that we can stay there on our next trip to Italy.

Thank you all for your great suggestions! Heather...that hotel in Montalcino looks great! Did you feel that was a good "base" for tuscany? Thanks again!

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon - Rome, Positano and Sicily. Here are my recommendations:

-Have Giovanni or Giancarlo Gargulio drive you from Naples to Positano. They charged us 95 euros and are great. Website is www.tourofitaly.com. If you want to see Pompeii they will stop there on the way for you for 2 hrs. It costs a little more but is worth it.

- In Positano, take a day trip to Capri. We went on a trip that left from the beach - I think it was called Lucibello. The boat took us all around the island, to each of the grottoes and then gave us 4 hours in the afternoon to explore Capri. Worth it.

-If you have time, go to Ravello. It is beautiful. We took the water taxi from Positano to Amalfi and the bus up to Ravello from there. We actually walked down from Ravello to Amalfi afterwards - but it is a bit of an adventure. Only took 40 minutes though.

-Stay at Hotel Santa Maria in Trastavere Rome. Very romantic - great neighborhood. It seems out of the way but we walked everywhere and liked being in a less touristy more romantic little neighborhood. It is a great bargain too -about $200/night. See reviews on tripadvisor.com. If you stay in Trastavere, go to Dar Pieto for pizza. It was the best pizza we've ever had. And cheap.

Have a GREAT time!!

Hi S,

Good plan.

It's too early to buy your airline tickets.

Keep checking through January. The discounters will have their 2006 fares after the 1st of the year.

((I))

Hi s,

Yes, I like your itinerary! If you decide to stay in Chianti, I would recommend the Residence San Sano. I found it on Fodor's Hotels and Inns of Character and Charm. We loved it!

San Sano is about 20 minutes drive north of Siena just off the Chianti Hwy. VERY tiny village, just residential. The only commercial businesses are the hotel (14 rooms)and a family-run trattoria (which was excellent 5 years ago).

San Sano is the usual, ancient stone buidlings with wooden beams and terra cotta floors. Food excellent. They serve breakfast in the garden under the arbor. Dinner optional by reservation. The garden has beautiful flowers and herbs. Very nice pool and the village sits on a hill surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, of course! We had a very comfortable room and loved San Sano as the best place of all on a 3 week trip.

Congratulations and buon viaggio!

I have a related question, we are going to Rome/Florence, possibly Venice at thanksgiving and I'm thinking of renting a car from venice and leisurely driving back to florence and seeing verona and the tuscany countryside (I've been before, my husband has never been and this is our one year anniversary). Is this a good idea? If so, any suggested driving maps or itineraries for the drive from venice to florence? I figured we would leave early and plan on taking all day to get back to florence.

As others have advised, be sure to spend some time in Ravello - it is magical. We agree with staying at La Calcina in Venice - great location and everyone is very helpful. It has been 3 years, but we stayed at the Hotel Fontanella Borghese in Rome. It is a good location, not too far from the Spanish steps and a metro stop. The staff was just so gracious and helpful. After being in Tuscany this spring, I would suggest staying south or west of Siena rather than the Chianti area, more places to go that are close so you don't waste too much time in the car. Pienza is a beautiful town. Sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!