Need help with Italy hotels
 

We have spent hours looking on the internet and have narrowed it down to the following hotels for our trip to Italy in May. They can all accomondate us at this time. Any input is appreciated.

Venice:
Al Ponte Moncenigo (#1 on Trip Advisor)
Hotel Ca' Formenta (Good views of the San Marco basin. $60 more expensive per night)

Florence:
Hotel Laurus (Great rooftop terrace for breakfast)
Hotel Centrale ($60 cheaper per night)

Rome:
Residenza Canali (terrace on room but no view. Daughter sleeps in cot)
Albergo Santa Chiara (behind Pantheon - $50 more per night than Hotel alimandai)
Hotel Alimandi Vaticano ($30 cheaper but too far away from main attractions?)

So, what was your source for the hours of homework? Let me suggest looking at the referals at www.slowtrav.com

Hi Travel,

It sounds to me like you have done the work and have the info you need. It's up to you to make a decision. My only comment is that if you save $30 a night by staying somewhere around the Vatican, you may well end up spending more than that on taxis, if you get tired of the additional walking.

If you are going in May, get a move on!

Buon viaggio!

Great choices. We stayed at Al Ponte Mocenigo in Venice in October. Absolutely charming. We would definitely would return.

Any thoughts on Hotel Centrale in Florence? We saw it in Rick Steves book but have not read/seen much about it as far as user reviews (except Trip Advisor).

We stayed at Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo last June and loved it. Absolutely wonderful!! We will return there in July for another stay. Walter and Sandro are wonderful. We did not have a single complaint about the hotel or location.

Sorry, I cannot help you with the Rome hotels you have chosen. We stayed last June at Hotel Teatro di Pompeo in Campo de Fiori. We loved the hotel and location and will return there this summer. We had also considered Albergo Santa Chiara last summer when we were deciding on hotels, but decided on the Hotel Teatro di Pompeo and just loved it, so we are staying there again.

Albergo Santa Chiara has a Rick Steves rate that might save you a little money. I got scared after reading the reviews on tripadvisor about people showing up and Santa Chiara saying they did not have their reservation. There were a few too many of those for my comfort level last summer. Maybe that is no longer an issue there.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

I'm in the same boat for booking rooms in May, thanks for helping me with the homework. I'm still deciding on where to fly into from US, either Rome or Venice. What is your travel route, any advice? I know I want to hit Florence and Tuscany region, but may have to choose between Rome and Venice in a tight 9 day trip. Best.

You have indeed done your homework. I think you'd be happy with either of the Venice hotels-they are both in great locations-however, I might want to go for those views of the Bacino di San Marco-when the sunlight is playing over the water, and you have a view of Salute (covered with scaffolding now) and the Punta della Dogana, that is really worth the extra money, if you can swing it. The President of Rome just came to Venice this past week for a visit, the first in a very long time. He's 81 years old, and from his suite at the Gritti, with its view of the Grand Canal and Salute, I read that his eyes teared, and he said it was "come la prima volta" (like the first time-meaning the time back as a youth when he had first set eyes on this view).

As for Rome, I'd have to always favor a room with a terrazza, even with no view, so I'd go with the Residenza.

And of course, rooftop terrace in Florence-nothing like the view of the most beautiful Duomo in the world-nothing like a rooftop terrace in Italy-no matter what the view, but the view of the Duomo, the Bargello and the Palazzo Vecchio, that is living large, and nothing like it to put you in a Florence frame of mind.

Correction: President of Italy, not Rome.

I don't have experience at any of those hotels, but I would definitely not want to stay by the Vatican in Rome. Your instinct is correct, it's too far from most of what you will want to see. The only thing it will be near is the Vatican. Try to get something in the Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Campo de' Fiori area, although I'm sure many are completely booked for May. Good luck!

The last time we were in Europe we were on a cruise. This time we are doing a land-based vacation and taking our teenage daughter. I was surprised how quickly I blew my original hotel budget - and that was just for 3 star hotels. So, I'm trying to get the most out of our hotel dollar. To the person who asked where we are flying into, we are flying into Munich... staying 2 nights there... then hoping a flight to Venice... only staying 1 night there... then train to Florence for 3 nights... train to Sorrento for 2 nights then to Rome for 3 nights. We fly back out of Rome. I got a great deal on air tickets for the end of May at only $550 per person.

Our hotel in Sorrento is the Grand Hotel President if anyone has any experience there.

A few weeks ago we stayed at the Residenza Canali, and we loved it. It's right around the corner from the Piazza Navona, and it seems most everything is within walking distance. Our room was very clean, and the bathroom was very clean and modern. When we return to Rome we will definitely stay here again.