Italy
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Italy in September of this year. Orgionally it was to be a girlfriend and I going and splitting the cost. Now that it is my husband and we need to cut the costs somewhat. These were the origional hotel accomidations and we would still like to stay nice but just not this nice. However i f someone tells me that one of these places is the one you would stay no matter what the cost we will see if we can do it. We will only be in Italy one time and want to make it a memorable trip. Venice=Londra Place Hotel-----Florence=Hotel Lungarno-----Siena=Grand Hotel Continental-----Rome= Inn At The Spanish Steps. We would appreciate any input. Thank-you

Assume you do not have an income of your own...if you DO then tell the husband to pony up HIS half for these hotels just as that girlfriend of yours was prepared to do. If you are really self-actualized and not some wimp you'll hand the list and this message string to him and let him do some planning and cost-cutting. If you've got the nerve you might be amazed at the results. I wouldn't change any of the hotels including the Londra Palace or the Inn; do less shopping and cheaper eating..in a year your "extravagant" trip will seem like it was a bargain.

Wow JonJon! way harsh man...love the"self-actualized" are you stuck somewhere in the 1970s? Perhaps she and hubby are saving up for something like a house or a baby and her going alone would have been cheaper than the two of them going together. She wasn't asking for marriage advice.

Sandralee you will find many good hotels in slightly less or even much lower price ranges. Run a search here as well as looking at the Rants and Raves above.

I am guessing that Sandralee's money is coming from the same pool as her husband's money, and the issue is that there is not some outside party contributing to half the costs.

Everyone travels differently. I am a pretty serious foodie and spend very little time in my hotel, so I would not "eat cheaper" in order to have an expensive room in which to lay my head at night. (Which is not to say that some of my most memorable meals haven't been in simple trattorias, but I wouldn't eat only pizza and pannini, nor would I give up my wine!)

Although your list is nice, I think there are plenty of charming, well-located hotels in each of your cities at significantly lower rates, and in your postition, I'd log onto venere.com, plug in my dates, and see what was available and at what cost. A savings of even 50E/night, times 14 nights at the current exchange rate is significant.

You're going to Italy to see Italy, not the inside of your hotel, right? So there is no reason to strain your finances when there are plenty of other options available to you.

Many, if not most of us here are perfectly happy in 2-3 star accomodations, and/or small B&B type places. See Rants & Raves on this site - some of the most positive feedback is for moderate and inexpensive properties.

Can you post the rates you were quoted? Then, respondents have the opporunity to compare with other hotels that might better for the Euro.

I don't know exactly how the rates compare, but I see your picks area all 4* and mine are 2&3* so most likely less.
Rome: Santa Chiara 3*, also frequently recommended here (but I haven't stayed) is Albergo Del Senato, 3*
Florence: Hotel Casci 2*
Venice: Hotel Flora 3*

All of these are frequently mentioned here. You can search my their name to get more info.