All of the usual choices, Antica Pozzo, Leon Bianco and Cisterna, are booked on our desired date. Can someone recommend an alternative (130E tops). We will have no car, so it has to be within the town.

Thanks.

Did you look at the other options on www.venere.com?

Check out the B&B's in the center of town at http://www.sangimignano.com

I stayed at the Casa di Giovanna in 2002 and would recommend it.

I'm always mystified when someone suggests looking at a site such as venere. It's just a useless middle man who takes a cut and provides not real information or service.

Even hotel web sites, by themselves, are questionable. Anyone who knows how to use a camera can make the Black Hole of Calcutta into the Ritz on a website. That's why this site is so useful. There is no substitute for personal experience.

Just out of curiosity, when are you going? I've found that often these smaller hotels don't book way ahead. We had been told that Cisterna was fully booked months and months ahead, and we were able to get into Leon Bianco. But later I found there were rooms available at Cisterna.
Are you speaking directly with the hotels themselves? Have they specifically said they are full, or is that just coming back on a website request?

www.sangiapartments.com
Great big beautiful room with private bath, we got for 60 euro in July! Youpick up the room key from the bakery they own on the main street. Lovely!

I don't go strictly by what's on venere either. I simply use it to get names and locations of other hotels and then do further research on other websites as well as this one. I don't beleive it's totally useless.

Go to www.sangimignano.com and look at the Bel Soggiorno. My wife and friends stayed there and found it adequate.

we also stayed at bel soggiorno. it was around 100E.

We stayed at a terrific place (budget priced) right in the centre of town - www.sangiroom.it Found it through www.sangimignano.com
Owners were a very friendly Italian family who also own a bar opposite the Duomo. 14th century building, completely new inside with a lovely bathroom. No breakfast provided but we bought it at their bar 2 mins walk away. We'd stay there again tomorrow if we could!
Kay

We are going in May. Things are already booked heavily in Italy, as best I can tell. I checked 10 places in Venice, for example, and 9 were already booked. I had to change my entire interary around to find a place for 1 night.Of course, I was limited by budget.

The likely reason that I'm having problems in San Gimignano is that my date is on a Saturday, which fills quickly and some places requires a 2 nigght stay on weekends.

As suggested something might open later. The problem is that I have to decide whether to make SG an overnighter now so that I can book other hotels. I looked at Sangia rooms on Italyby , but it didn't seem very inviting.

Sites that are purely booking agencies like Venere don't provide any information that I can't get elsewhere and a lot better, Tripadvisor, Slow Trav, etc. Italyby is the one exception to booking sites. Their site is just so nicely designed and easy to use.

Surovy - you asked a question and then shot down the first person who answered you. Venere is a very valuable site for a number of reasons. I usually use it as just part of the research I do when looking for accomodations but I have also booked through them and they were effecient and reliable. Many small accomodations don't have their own web site and someplace like venere is the only way for me to find them. You say you trust people here more than someplace like venere. Why? I used Fodors forum all the time for information and opinions and I love it, but I don't "know" the people here any more than I know how accurate venere is. You don't have to use it, but other people reading this thread might like another opinion as to it's usefulness.

"You say you trust people here more than someplace like venere. Why?"

Simple:

1. Venere is in business to make money. It is in their best interest to avoid providing any information that might be critical of a hotel.

2. A person's opinion are not based on business concerns. Besides, I trust 3 independent personal opinions a lot more than 1 venere page.

Venere is not only useless, but a colossal pain. These useless middlemen booking agencies clog search engines making it difficult to find actual hotel web sites.

Surovy: don't you read comments posted by consumers on the venere site concerning hotels?

I'm still looking for San Gimignano suggestions. Unfortunately, I'm looking for a Saturaday night and every available place that seems to want a 2 night stay.

Anyone familiar with La Casa di Giovanna?

Did you try Il Pode just outside the main entrance?