I have just returned from 3 weeks in italy. Had a wonderful in rome, Tuscany, Lake como and Riveria. We had a car and booked hotels off the internet. All of our hotels were perfect. As the forum was such a help to me, i would be pleased to answer any questions that may help you.

Alexia, you didn't happen to go to Venice, did you? If so, can you recommend a nice hotel?

Sorry didn't go there this trip but Hotel Leon Bianco was recommended to me when i was considering going there.

Alexia - That sounds like the trip I'm planning for next year, so I would be very interested in what hotels you stayed at and which car rental company you used. Also, how many days did you stay in each place?

Alexia, where did you stay when you visited the Italian Riviera?

Leaving for Tuscany, Florence, Siena, and Lucca on 11/2/02. Booked it all over the internet. Hopefully I choose decent hotels.<BR>Was this your first time there and what problems did you encounter other than language if any.<BR><BR>Thanks.

<BR>Itinerary was- <BR><BR>Florence - 1 night<BR>Hotel Gallileo<BR><BR>San Gimignano - 3 nights <BR>Relais Santa Chiara<BR><BR>Bellagio - 2 nights<BR>Hotel Belvedere<BR><BR>Camogli - 1 night<BR>Dogi Palace<BR><BR>Santa Margherita Ligure - 2 nights<BR>Hotel Metropole<BR><BR>We hired a car through AVIS - picked up in Florence and dropped in Chiavari. <BR>We had no trouble with the language, though i was concerned that we would. There was no time where we couldn't communicate what we wanted. <BR><BR>We were very lucky - we didn't have any trouble at all,with language, hotels, thief, car, driving(maybe only my navigating!), money or food. I had printed directions from Via Michelin and we used them with the maps. <BR>Hope these help. <BR><BR>

Thanks for the offer to help. How was Hotel Belvedere and Bellagio overall? Looking for a nice relaxing three days to start a honeymoon. Is this that kind of place? I don't really want to pay to be at the Villa D'Este.

We stayed at the Belvedere this past July and would highly recommend it. Ask for a room overlooking Lake Como, you will have a balcony with table and chairs from which to sip wonderful Italian wine. This is a very friendly hotel and the restaurant if very good as well. Overall, a good place to start a honeymoon and create great memories.

Heather, I posted a message earlier today about the great experience we had at Hotel Antico Doge in Venice. We felt like royalty. Great location on a small canal, centrally located. You'll feel like touring royalty, for 200 euros a night.<BR><BR>For rental car, check Nova Rentacars. We rented an automatic this time, for a bargain rate, and it really helped make driving in Italy much less challenging - with all the hills and curves, we didn't have to worry about downshifting!

We also stayed at Hotel Belvedere in Bellagio last year and loved it. Definitely get a room with a view. Breathtaking.