Hello--
I am planning my honeymooon in late April, and even though I am still in the early stages of planning, thought I would ask for some advice. Tentatively, I am thinking about flying into Milan, spending three nights or so in Como or Maggiore, then driving over to Trentino/Alto Adige (possibly staying in Cortina?) and spending three or so more nights, then heading down to Venice for two nights and flying home from there.

At this point, I'm still looking at hotels-- want something nice, but not necessarily Villa D'Este or Gritti Palace, etc. Several places I have looked at seem a bit stuffy or outdated looking-- ideally, I'd love to find somewhere which isn't as corporate as the Four Seasons, but which has some Italian charm without seeming stuffy or outdated ... Any thoughts?

Also, if there are other towns that we shouldn't miss in this area, would love to hear that too. We are not into seeing "sights" per se, but love more authentic experiences-- one of the reasons I'm going back to Italy! Any help or advice would be appreciated-- thanks in advance!

Hi Wahoo,

My first instinct is that it's a little early in the year to be going to these destinations. Cortina especially will be between ski season and summer. Probably still quite cold and muddy. I don't think the Dolomiti will be ready for hiking by April.

Are you really set on these destinations? If would skip Cortina and spend more time in Venice if you have not been there before. Have you been to southern Italy? Better for April weathter-wise.

Dayle is correct; April is too early for the Dolomites; most places in Cortina will be closed for a little break between seasons. You could stop at Lago di Garda instead, and then drive across the Veneto to Venice. We loved the town of Malcesine on Garda; you can Google it to find photos. You can take a cable car to the top of Monte Baldo and see the Dolomites on a clear day.

In Venice, try La Calcina; very romantic but definitely not stuffy. Or Locanda Orseolo---lots of people here like it.

Hi,
Sorry, I disagree with skipping the Dolomites. We were in Val Venosta and Val Gardena last April (last 2 weeks). Except for the choices of hotels/pensions being a bit limited we had a wonderful time. We were also in Alta Badia (La Villa) for the first time this past Oct. which was beautiful!

Paul

Hi Wahoo - I agree with Paul. If you hit lucky with the weather the Dolomites are spectacular in any season.

As he says, your hotel choices will be reduced, and lifts might be closed. But that won't stop you having a wonderful time.

But ... I wouldn't choose Cortina.

Ortisei, Corvara or Castelrotto are better choices IMO.

Steve

Hi,
I agree that Cortina wouldn't be my choice to stay in the Dolomites. I'd suggest staying in one if the 3 towns in Val Gardena (maybe Ortisei/St. Ulrich) as it probably has the most hotel/dining options, and the towns are only 5 minutes apart. By taking a short trip over the Gardena or Sella Pass, you will see the spectacular Dolomite scenery. One of my favorite areas anywhere.
www.val-gardena.com

Paul

Hi again Wahoo,

I didn't mean to give the impression that the Dolomiti aren't a wonderful place to visit. Yes, the scenery is spectacular! I spent a week skiing out of Cortina and have always wanted to return in summer for hiking.

It's just that I live in the mountains of Utah at 6500 ft. and know very well what the "mud" season is like. Just not the BEST time to visit. Any other season is much, much better!

Yes, I agree that some of the other towns might be better than Cortina. Val Gardena looked wonderful, as did Ortesei.

Buon viaggio!

Thanks to everyone for your helpful replies! I agree that it might be a little chilly in late April, though I checked the avg. temps and most places reported averages in the upper 60s for highs, lower 40s for lows-- perfect, in my opinion! Admittedly, places up in the mountains such as Cortina were a bit colder, but even if that's the case, we're from Florida and would welcome a little brisk weather.

My larger concern is, as some of you mentioned, that many things at that time of year may be closed for their "break" between winter and summer seasons. I checked with Cavallino d'Oro in Castelrotto, and though they are open (one of the few who are), they have no availability. I still think the Dolomites would be a nice few days between Como and Venice, so does anyone have any suggestions as to hotels in the area? Thanks again-- this is a LOT of help!

Tampa Wahoo,
In the Lake Como area I would suggest staying a day in Varenna at Hotel Villa Cipressi. We just had our wedding there and it was absolutely wonderful. Not stuffy or too grandiose like I imagine Villa d'Este would be, but charming with killer views and great food and service. We had a very good experience. And Varenna is nice as well, although not much happening in terms of night life.
That's just my suggestion. And if you can, book a lake-view room. Worth every penny.

Hi,
You could check The Concordia (garni-concordia.it) in Wolkenstein, Val Gardena or Garni Ariston (www.garniariston.com) in St. Christina Val Gardena.
Also, www.val-gardena.com has many hotel/pension listings.
In La Villa, Alta Badia I highly recommend Garni Montanara (www.montanara.it)
We were there in Oct. Beautiful place.

Paul

Bridezilla, sssshhh! I thought the Villa Cipressi was the well-kept secret of my boyfriend and me. Oh well, since the cat is already out of the bag, let me second the recommendation -- not fancy, but full of character, warm and friendly service, and yes, views to die for at relatively inexpensive rates.

Hi Wahoo - The only thing that might affect your plans IMO is the fact that the lifts (- with possibly one or two exceptions) will be closed. But if you have a car it won't stop you enjoying this fabulous area.

If you stay in one of the larger resorts like Ortisei (- perhaps my favourite) you will find accomodation without too much problem.

The Tourist Office website has a complete accomodation listing:

http://valgardena.it/

http://www.valgardena.it/download/ga...lrich_2007.pdf

Hope this helps ...

Steve

We visited Trento and Bolzano during our trip last year and found both a wonderful surprise - especially Trento! It had been intended as a place to spend the night on the way north; it offered so much more than that - friendly people, magnificent castle and duomo, frescoed buildings on the main piazza, some of the best ravioli we had in Italy in a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant - and grappa! We stayed at the Grand Hotel
http://www.boscolohotels.com/hotel.cfm?SectionId=839
Lovely room with views of the mountains, and a rooftop bar that can make one mean martini!
In Bolzano, we stayed at Park-Hotel Mondschein-Luna. Maybe a little dated, but huge rooms, wonderful staff, gorgeous setting, central location, views.
http://www.hotel-luna.it/en

THANKS again to all of you who have posted on this thread. I've now reserved three nights at Villa Cipressi in Varenna and three nights at Pensione Accademia in Venice, thanks to the many recommendations here and elsewhere. I'm still working on the middle part of my trip (another three nights), and am trying to decide whether to stick with the half-closed Dolomites, or consider an alternative swing elsewhere (Emilia-Bologna or even Tuscany/Umbria). I'm leaning towards staying with the Dolomites idea since it would require less travel time than going south (our three days would have to be wedged in between Como and Venice), but I want to make sure that we can stay in a pretty nice place wherever we go (given that this is our honeymoon), and I'm a little concerned that fewer mid-upscale places would be open in the Dolomites than would be elsewhere in late April.

Given all this, if anyone has any ideas as to where to best spend three days between Como and Venice in late April, I'd love to hear them. Ideally, something romantic with lots of character would be great! I'm trying to keep my budget to about $400 a night or less, BTW. Thanks again to all who have posted previously-- all suggestions have been really helpful thus far.

Hi Tampa - Well - I'll be in Ortisei (Val Gardena) this weekend for a pre-Xmas settimana bianca - so I can happily check out April hotel opening dates for you.

Are there any on the list which you especially like?

http://www.valgardena.it/download/ga...lrich_2007.pdf

If you want mid-upscale you might want to look at:

http://gardena.it/eng/index.html

http://info.hotel-adler.com/content....&idMen=251

http://www.cavallino-bianco.com/

Let me know if I can be of help ...

Steve

You'll love Villa Cipressi. It's really romantic.
If you decide not to go to the Dolomites, between Como and Venice you could stop off in Verona.
If I were you I wouldn't go any further south (you suggested emilia romagna or tuscany). Too far. Save it for your one-year anniversary trip!

If you're interested in the Veneto area, you could check out these places:

http://www.magioca.it/eng/home.htm

or

http://www.villeveneteecastelli.com/...o=-1&tit=1

It's your honeymoon, don't you want to relax? Only you know you, but 3 places in 9 nights really sounds like a lot to me. Personally, I would add 2 more days onto Lake Como (since this is your first stop where you will really need to unwind) and one onto Venice.

For your three middle days I would go to the Veneto foothills. How about Asolo? There's nice countryside, villas, and the interesting town of Bassano del Grappa. You could also go into Vicenza to see Palladio's architecture. You can see the three choices of places to stay in Asolo on www.karenbrown.com (Select "Italy Hotels&quot

For our honeymoon a couple of years ago, we too had three middle days in this same area. We visited Verona, which was such a beautiful surprise, and I highly recommend it. It is a great city for strolling. We also visited and stayed in Asolo and stayed at Albergo al Sole. Super romantic, a gorgeous view, and in early April, when we were there, very well-priced for one of their nicer rooms (very cool claw-foot tub). We drove over to Lake Garda and there we found many things closed, although the natural beauty of the lake is stunning enough to merit a visit. We stayed halfway up the west side, but had trouble finding an open restaurant.

It was my dream to stay at Villa d'este, and we did for two nights. Grandiose yes, stuffy, no. We loved every minute of it and it was fun to pretend (briefly) that this was our lifestyle.