As I mentioned in another thread, I'm planning a 4 week trip to Italy during the month of October. Because the trip was something that I just decided to do, I'm just now starting to look for hotels and lodging. But it seems like everything (everything affordable, anyway) is sold out at this point.

When in Rome, I was hoping to stay at one of the many convents there. However, every single one that I have emailed has responded to tell me that they are already filled up for those dates.

Likewise, I was hoping to visit Perugia for the chocolate festival. And again, everything in the 3-star range is completely sold out.

Have I waited too long? I'm starting to get really nervous (not to mention frustrated).

Any help/advice at this point would be much appreciated. Would a travel agent have any better luck helping me find what I'm looking for?

No, you haven't waited too long. I can understand the convents but there should be plenty else available. Have you tried Priceline for Rome? Bid for a 4 star, though. Your odds of being satisfied will be much higher.

Just did a quickie search on Venere.com. They show many hotels with availability (all star ranges) for the chocolate festival week.

Thanks SloJan... I'm still not so sure about Rome (even the stuff on Priceline seems to be $145+ and up for 2-3 star rooms), but the venere site was very helpful. I just booked a room in Perugia! Grazzi!

why not see if there are any cheap apartments on www.romanreference.com ?

Starbuck, I was referring to the bidding part of Priceline, not the booking part. I bet that you can get something much less expensive than that. If you have never done it before, you must read www.biddingfortravel.com and it spells it out. Also, they will give you a ball park bid.

Ok...I just read it for Rome. Looks like the Rome wins are few and far between. Not a good option for Priceline. I left the rest of the post in b/c it stands for other cities.

Good news on your Perugia find!
Cheers,
Jan

starbuck - what are your dates in Rome and what is your budget?

Hotels in Rome have escalated in the past year, so even some of our old favorites may be high now.

Two suggestions for saving the budget: the apartment route; and staying slightly outside the center. Even looking just outside the the wall you may find some bargains. See to it that you have access to transportation, of course. It's especially worth looking at apartments on the Janiculum, or north or south suburbs. A ten minute subway ride can snag you a real bargain.

Hazel,

I will most likely be in Rome between October 20-26. I had hopes of spending approximately $100 (dollars) per night, but I realize now that may be unrealistic.

Try cross-pollinate.com .

I think you will find options there.

Here's one option I had considered in Rome, although it's not in the most central location. It's certainly cheap, though:
http://www.casalasalle.com/uk/chi_siamo.php

I've mentioned Hotel Julia before - have you tried that?

It's impossible to tell whether "starbuck1105" is a man's or a woman's name, but you might want to look into the International House for Women at

http://www.casainternazionaledelledo...esteria_uk.htm

- if you're of the right gender!

WT =
Casa Lasalle looks like a great option - particularly for a single person in Rome for the short term. Certainly economical, and no doubt clean and quiet - and includes breakfast. I didn't notice anything about being "in by x:00 o'clock at night" either. Which might be an advantage, especially for those who like to take in some "live" culture = muisc, opera, etc.

starbuck, once you get a little further with you plan, be sure to visit www.inromenow.com for musical events, good ideas for restaurants etc. For one thing, their restaurant page has a nice list of rooftop spots for anything from breakfast to a glass of wine to dinner. Their entertainment pages has lots of venues for music, as well as updates every week for what's happening that week.

Thank you, WT. After reading your message, I went to the Casa Lasalle web site and submitted a reservation request. I took a nap and woke a couple of hours later to find that they had responded with an acceptance form. So I just need to confirm the reservation and send it back to them. Thanks so much for this suggestion. Even if I do not end up staying there, is is a big weight off my shoulders knowing that this portion of my trip is now taken care of.

Well done, starbuck! For anyone else in this situation, Budget Travel just posted something about EuroCheapo (a site that reviews cheap, but nice hotels)... apparently they have rooms near the Campo di Fiore for $83-$193/night. Here's the link - http://current.newsweek.com/budgettr...referrer=email

Starbuck, I hope it works out for you! I did notice something about an advance deposit (which wasn't previously there), so double-check what their terms are.

Which convents did you contact?

Yes, there is an advance deposit required to confirm the reservation. I need to include my credit card information on the form and then fax it back to them before October 3.

slangevar...

Thanks for the link to the Budget Travel article about Eurocheapo. I had not heard of that website...it will be a great resource!

My pleasure, LowCountryIslander - happy my BudgetTravel newsletter subscription paid off!