Hi, I am going to Venice, Florence and Rome. Do I play it safe and stick to the "brand name hotels" OR do I go for the B&B's ?? Need clean, bathroom "ensuite", close to attractions and want to pay 150 - 200 a night... please advise!! Thanks, SophieD

Hi

Do you have any places in mind?

Hi
I'm not sure exactly what distinction you are making, but you can easily play it safe and go for a charming hotel or B&B and also pay $150-$200 per night.
Is that for a single or double?
Either way, you'll have lots of choices, unless you are going very soon--popular small places tend to fill up months in advance.
You can browse for hotels at
www.venere.it
www.roughguides.com
and also browse elsewhere here at fodors.com under Hotels, and read the Rants and Raves comments from past hotel guests.
that might help you narrow your choices down.

My favorite is venere.com so I second the above poster, also like www.intaly.com and romeby.com, venice.com for comparisons.

In Rome, the Albergo Del Senato, which is just across from the Pantheon seems like a great place, and has gotten excellent reviews here on the forum. We just returned from the Hotel Pantheon,a 4-star around the corner from Albergo Del Senato, same proximity to major sites, and a double there went for about $180 a night. I recommend it highly. Also, you might want to look into Casa Howard, which again has received good recommendations here, and also was recently written up in a travel magazine I was reading ( don't remember the name-- Conde Nast Traveller, maybe?). Casa Howard is near or at the Spanish Steps, and offers some rooms with ensuite, and others where the bathroom is down the hall. It's supposed to a very cool place.

Good luck, and have fun!

You will get alot of suggestions. Here is my suggestio for Venice: Locanda Orseolo nearby San Marco-I belive just behind it. Anyway, this hotel says it is a B & B. It has gotten many favorable reports here and if you check tripadvisor.com no one has rated it less than the maximum allowed. My family and I plan to stay there next year. I've corresponded with the husband & wife who own it-very patient, helpful, welcoming!

My family of 5 stayed in an independent apartment in Rome near the Vatican. It was 2 bedrooms, bath, and foyer area with refrig. A market was located across the street. Breakfast was easy and inexpensive. We paid 600 Euros for 4 nights. The air conditioners worked very well! If interesed ask about Properzio, independent apartment at [email protected]
Ciao!

We spent a week at the Locanda Barbarigo last January, www.locadabarbarigo.com. Beautiful, great location, wonderful hosts and staff. We loved it!

Sophie, whenever I'm picking hotels in cities I never been to before, I aim for what fits our budget, and then what looks the most appealing to me. Then I go to Yahoo or Google and type in that hotel's name and see what I come up with. Usually I can read a review about it from tripadvisor.com or slowtrav.com. or the rants and raves at fodors.com. I know it's tedious to cross-reference, but we've hardly ever been disappointed, and we hardly ever stay at "brand name" places. We like charming little B&Bs and boutique hotels so much better--more character and personal attention there.

What is your comfort level? My friends husband insists on holiday inns and best westerns in europe. My DH and I prefer smaller (less than 9 rooms) unique B&B's, farmohouse, rental rooms or albergos. I think you miss the experience by staying in a "brand name hotel". HOw different is a Marriott in Rome from a Marriott in Chicago? And you can get rooms in your range either way I think.

Albergo del Senato in Rome gets my vote.
Their rooms are small in size but charming. And the location is superb.

For a more general reply to your question, on our recent trip we ended up rotating between American chain hotels and private European hotels. We were really happy with that arrangement--we got to enjoy the best of both (American chain hotels tend to have bigger rooms and more dependable amenities, while European hotels can be quirkier and full of charm).

We went to Italy in May and I was VERY concerned about the bathrooms at our hotels too. I did extensive research through this site and many others and booked hotels that people had written about online. All of our hotels had NEW/VERY CLEAN baths. Some of the baths were small, but how much time do you spend in there anyway? Here are the hotels we stayed at:

Venice: Locanda Antica Venezia (very quaint, like a B&B with a great rooftop terrace - located in San Marco) 3 star hotel.


Florence: Hermitage (great rooftop terrace. We upgraded to a more expensive room with a jacuzzi tub for $230 euro...they do have other room types though. Located right next to the Ponte Vecchio - THE BEST gelato we had in Italy right outside the hotel). 3 Star hotel.

Rome: Barberini Hotel - not in the huge tourist area - just a few minutes from Via Veneto and a metro stop a few minutes away. 4 star hotel - shop on Travelocity/Expedia...we paid $180 euros. This was a 4 star hotel.

I hope this helps...Have a great trip.