my fiance and i are planning our honeymoon this september. we are working with his aunt who is a travel agent. can you comment on the following hotels?

Florence - Plaza Lucchesi. from what i read, the hotel is beautiful but perhaps a bit Americanized??? also, please comment on the location - too far from center of the city?

Rome - Regina Baglioni and the Quiranle (spelled that wrong i think).

any opinions are appreciated! Thanks
Erin

have not heard of either but in florence hotel hermitage is lovely and by the ponte vecchio. in rome hotel de spagna top of the spanish steps. have stayed at these places several times.

I agree on the Hermitage. We had a room with jacuzzi tub and it faced the bridge and river. Very charming. Definately not "Americanized".

The Plaza Lucchesi is in a good location right on the Arno, certainly not too far from city center. We walked to and from Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi, Duomo, etc. many times with no problem.

While "Americanized" may not be quite accurate, it is a somewhat larger hotel than many and may not have quite the atmosphere you are seeking. However, the wonderful breakfast, with made-to-order omelets, might make up for that lack.

A funny incident I remember from our stay there last year is that the concierge fussed at us when we asked him to make dinner reservations at Cibreo, which he insisted was not worth the price.

We went ahead without reservations, got a table, and had a great dinner.

Byrd

Was it worth the price, Byrd?

Ira,

We thought so. I had Tuscan sausage and white beans and my husband had beef rolls. Don't remember (or have a record of) what the other four of our group had. We all remember that the desserts were really good!

Also recall that instead of a written menu the waiter brought a chair over, sat down and we discussed the night's offerings. A tad pretensious, but memorable and fun.

Byrd

Good for you, Byrd.

I asked because there have been some threads saying that Cibreo had become overpriced for what you got.