Italy- wing it or make reservations?
 

I posted before about Sicily vs Puglia for where to spend the bulk of my honeymoon and since we haven't been to Southern Italy, we want to go everywhere of course, though I realize staying in one or two spots would be a more rich and relaxing experience. However, we won't know where we LOVE and want to stay for a week or so until we are there, so if we reserve hotels and cars and all that right now, then we won't have the option to move on if we don't love a place or to stop and stay if we pass through someplace we love!
Is it a bad idea to just go...with no reservations and wing it?

We will have about 3 weeks total in Italy, from June 18-July 10

Also, any recs on towns and hotels etc, will be soo welcome! We want a local, not too touristy experience where we can be exposed to local culture and speak some Italian.
Good wine and food!

Thanks!!

That's high season, so if you don't reserve, you face the risks of (a) spending a lot of time trying to find suitable accommodation, (b) spending much more than you might if you book in advance, and (c ) ending up in some serious dives.

Have you checked the rooms available through booking.com? Many of them can be cancelled with 24-hours notice (pay CAREFUL attention to the cancellation policies!), so you might be able to reserve ahead while still giving yourselves a little bit of flexibility. (Although that, of course, doesn't deal with the problem of finding suitable accommodation at the last minute.)

Southern Italy includes a HUGE area -- Sicily, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Puglia.... I think we would need to know a LOT more about your interests before we could comment on where to go. The good news is that you should encounter good food and wine in any of these locations. :-)

Congratulations and best wishes on your marriage!

It's high season, but it's not anywhere near as high as August. I think the idea of making flexible reservations using Booking.com is a good one. They clearly note which reservations include free cancellation; usually you pay somewhat more for these reservations. Each hotel has a different deadline for canceling, so you have to read that carefully. If you do have to cancel a reservation, or just change the number of nights you want to stay there, Booking.com has an excellent reservation management page.

Keep in mind that late June and July in Sicily can be very HOT. You will want air conditioning. I would take the advice above and book with booking.com or the like and make sure you have flexible arrangements.

Agree - that although this sounds very odd to americans in some areas with very hot weather AC (real AC that cools the room down to 70 or so) is not available in many modest to even moderate hotels (or restaurants or shops). I would reserve cancelable in advance and then as you explore and decide what you like you can decide if you are interested enough - or willing to put up with conditions/prices to make changes.

Just remember that most people DO reserve - so the best places with reasonable prices are likely to be gone if you walk up at the last minute.

We always make reservations with venere.com or booking.com. We are in our mid 60's and prefer to have a place to stay without dragging our luggage from place to place. Both websites have good cancelation policies and you can use this feature while you are on the move.

Lastly, Italy will seduce you while you are there and you will want to return. We do it every year. So, when you find a place you like you can always return.

Buon viaggio,

We are also in 60s and have had great luck in Italy this past September using out tablet and bookings.com. Booked places the night before. Ask to be on a higher floor( twice the booking.com room was below street level but since you don't pre pay we got them moved up)

You need to make reservations for that time period. Just make sure you read cancellation policies carefully. Most hotels will give you a window for cancellation, during which you won't lose any deposit you've put down. But you sometimes have to notify them in writing.

And a FYI: You need to figure out your itinerary ASAP. Many of the more popular and reasonably priced hotels get booked months- to a full year- in advance.

book your hotels...we are going late May early june...not high season and already have space issues.

With 3 wks you will maximized your time to enjoy each region if you commit and pre book. Do your research ahead of time as far as lodging options in the various regions you are heading to. Trip advisor has great photos and honest reviews from members about the hotel and their experiences, it will also link you to the various booking agents.

First decide how often and how much of your time there you want to spent traveling within Italy. We spent 6 wks driving north to south and did not pre book except the first night but it was May still not peak season and we had twice the amount of time that you do. My subsequent return trips to Italy have 3 wks. One to Sicily and one to the northern region flying into and out of Venice, both with a car.

The northern trip was a repeat of Venice which we adore and definitely do it the untourist way. After a few days in Venice we rented a car and drove to the. Ligurian coast which we had been to on the 6 wk trip and pledged to re visit. look into Camogli with day trip to Portofino. Liguria has some of the best food in Italy. We stopped en route in Mantua which we had not been to before. check out that town a mini Florence ( and I mean mini), in the Lombardi region.

I find nothing more romantic than driving through Italy with my husband and ending up in a romantic city or coastal village to have a delicious meal accompanied by fabulous wine followed by an evening passeggiata to then retire in a charming Palazzo, agriturismo or boutique hotel.

Check out the website iescape.com not only do they list great places to stay they have very good descriptions about the local surroundings of the hotels. You can view by region in Italy and get a great sense and flavor for the type of vacation each spot will offer.

Congrats and enjoy the planning, you can't go wrong in Italy for a honeymoon spot! We are usually celebrating our anniversary while there always in May.