Need to form a list of the top hotels in Italy
 

My husband and I are planning to take my parents to Italy for 3 weeks. My family never had much money growing up so we weren't able to travel. Mom and Dad have always wanted to see Italy so we are suprising them with this trip for their 50th anniversary. <BR><BR>I have a few guidebooks as well as a Leading Hotels of the World guide but I figure there has to be more great places than what I've come up with. We will be spending three weeks in Italy next May/June and so far all I've come up with is the Villa D'Este and the Gritti Palace. I need help with the Tuscany, Umbria and Naples/Sorrento/Capri areas. Can anyone make suggestions?<BR><BR>

If you really want to go for broke Villa san Michele in Fiesole - amazing!! You will be hard pressed to find a better view and luxury anywhere inthe world! I believe it's part of the orient express hotels.

Down the Amalfi drive from Sorrento there is the Sireneuse (SP?) in Positano and the San Pietro just outside. Friends rave about both. Very nice and not so pricey is the Poseidon.<BR>Of course, there's always Ravello with the Palazzo Sasso (SP). I wouldn't want to stay in Sorrento unless one needed to for logistic reasons.

A friend still talks about the Quisisana on Capri where she spent part of her honeymoon about 5 yrs. ago.

Agree that Villa San Michele in Fiesole is gorgeous (we had lunch there). We decided we wouldn't want to stay out there because it's a 15 minute drive into town (I know they chauffer you, but we like walking out our door to be in the middle of things). We stayed at the Excelsior (definitely one of the nicest hotels in Florence and it's a Starwood property). We stayed at Il Falconiere in Cortona (very luxurious and beautiful). It's outside of Cortona but an easy 5 minute drive (no traffic in Cortona so not like traveling through Florence traffic). Il Falconiere is a Relais Chateaux property (try their website as almost all of their properties are very nice. Enjoy

Pull up The Luxury Collection of hotels on starwood.com<BR>There are many through out Italy. We've stayed in 2 (Rome and Venice) and both were fabulous! I'm sorry but I can't remember the name of the one in Rome (dumb me) but it was very nice! In Venice, we stayed at the Europa Regina and it was fabulous as well in a great location with terrific canal view, and nice balcony with table and chairs. These are all 5 star hotels with a price tag to match. I know there is one in Florence as well though we didn't go there.<BR>Kris

I am a big fan of top flight hotels - - but just as with the very best restaurants - - it can become almost monotonous to stay on the luxury diet ALL the time. <BR><BR>I would recommend for your Umbria stay to consider two nights in Assisi. Very nice - - but still moderately down to earth is the Hotel Fontebella in Assisi. If there's a nicer place, I don't know where it is - - and it will give them some reasonable feel of hacing to been to slightly "less lacquered" Italy.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

The Best Hotel Awards in Italy go to:<BR><BR>Venice: Cipriani<BR>Rome: Hassler<BR>Capri: Quisisana<BR>Florence: Savoy or Grand <BR><BR>I or someone in my family has stayed at all of these hotels and I can attest to their high standards.<BR><BR><BR>

Dear Susan--<BR><BR>Positano does have 2 leading hotels, as mentioned above by other posters, but your parents are elderly and Positano is built up and down the side of a steep cliff. Virtually all the streets are pedestrian only (they are not wide enough for cars) and have multiple steps. If either of your parents has arthritis problems in the hips or knees, and/or heart problems, I would not take them to Positano. They would not be able to walk around and enjoy it.<BR>arney

I highly recommend Casali di Bibbiano (www.albertowinery.com). It is in Tuscany between Montalcino and Siena and very luxurious including 5 course dinners and Toscan wines each evening. It is typically around 400 to 500 dollars (could be less at times) a couple per night, but well worth it! It is a magnificent villa on a vineyard and driving distance to the best towns in Tuscany. It is truly a first class experience.<BR><BR>The Sirenuse in Positano is incredible. Cala di Volpe in Sardenia is also one of the nicest hotels I have ever been to in the world.

Susan---While it may be your intention to treat your parents to the very top and most costly hotels in Italy, it certainly isn't necessary to pay those premium prices just to be in the "name" hotels that have been mentioned so far. There are many very good hotels at lower rates.<BR><BR>Given that you are leaving in 3 weeks, and assuming you have been anticipating this trip for at least a while, I am amazed that you have waited this long to try to make hotel reservations. You might well find the luxury hotels you wanted to be booked up, though in most cases they are the last to become fully booked.<BR><BR>If you have access to a big book store, look for the latest Michelin red guide on Italy. It lists hotels that you can trust to be reliable and decent in all price ranges, from the most luxurious to the basic. At this point, I think you'd be better off going through the red guide and seeing the broad selection of hotels recommended by Michelin. But as you well know, you don't have a lot of time----so get started on those reservations soon!! Good luck.

For Wayne, I think that Susan is planning to go to Italy in 2003 and not in "3 weeks"...

Stayed at the Quisisana a couple of years ago and it was HEAVEN. Impeccable service. Beautiful pool and terrace. In the center of all of the action in town. We loved to sit in the hotel bar and listen to the jazz pianist every evening. The Quisisana is in the Leading Hotels group.

I agree with Rex that a steady diet of anything can become boring. Moving from one Greatest hotel to another might cause you to go on overload. I'd also look for some small, charming but not over the top places to intersperse with the Greatests to keep everything in perspective. I've not stayed in the L'Amorosa or whatever that seems to get such raves here for the Tuscany region, but it sounds worth checking out. I believe it's out of Sinalunga. You might also check out the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio on Lake Como as an alternative to Villa d'Este. While everything I've seen suggests that Villa d'Este is the fancier hotel, being in Bellagio might be a better deal than being in Cernobio--more things to do and prettier surroundings.

All these wonderful hotels... Maybe it's just me (and Rex), but one big, 5-star hotel after another is like a big, multi-course meal of only desserts. Sure, the pampering is delicious, but after a while it's just too much of the same thing... and you didn't get to taste the local delicacies! <BR><BR>I'd throw in at least one smaller, charming, non-chain inn or B&B.

I completely disagree. When was pampering ALL the time a bad thing? <BR><BR>I stayed at the Luna Baglioni whilst in Venice, the Principe de Savoia whilst in Milan and the Savoy in Florence. As a LHW member, I can honestly say that these 'top' hotels still had their issues and problems. A small B&B or quaint hotel in my opinion spells inconsistency. Especially in Italy.<BR><BR>I've stayed at much nicer places in Asia and other parts of Europe for less money. Pampering in Italy only takes you so far.

Eremio Della Grazie - old hermitage converted into a luxury hotel by the family-owners... Michelangelo apparently stayed there (when it was a hermitage) way back when. Anna is a FABULOUS cook and the views over the hills above Spoleto will take your breath away.

Eremio della Grazie continued... having read all of the above postings, I agree that a diet of 5***** Starwood Hotels can be a bit cloying and start to feel a bit anonymous. I just want to say that EdG is not a big fancy chain hotel, but is more like staying in a family home (which it once was... a retreat for the family from Rome) and is very intimate and a bit unusual in a very special way... I'll probably kick myself later for posting it here...

&gt;&lt;<BR><BR>First check out website for Baglioni Hotels --- you'll find a wonderful selection of upscale accommadations. As to a specific hotel for one of your options, consider this place:<BR>Il Pellicano, http://www.pellicanohotel.com/<BR>located in Tuscany region.<BR>

Two years ago when we went to Florence we found a wonderful hotel, Mona Lisa. It's conveniently located behind the Duomo. It's quite charming. I believe it used to be a nunnery. http://www.italiatour.co.uk/accomm/f...e/monalisa.htm