Suggestions appreciated...
 

Hi,
I have been trolling around the forum for a few days and looking through countless books. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions/ advice on our honeymoon itinerary:
Tuesday, April 6 - Arrive Rome, stay at Hotel de Russie (found rates of $482/night).
Thursday, April 9 - Leave for Venice by train and stay at Hotel Bauer (rates $540/night) (trying to decide between Bauer and Bauer il Palazzo - is there a difference?).
Monday, April 12 - Leave for Florence by train. Still trying to decide amongst hotels (Savoy vs Lungarno vs Grand - most romantic???).
Wednesday April 14 to 16 - Explore Tuscany (Sienna, Lucca and ? Assissi). Is it better to remain in Florence and travel to these places for day trips by train/car? If not, would appreciate recommendations for romantic hotels at each and/or alternative destinations.
That's the trip so far. Looking for romantic hotels at each location. Greatly appreciate all comments/advice. Also, is it better to book via the hotel website or something like Orbitz or Expedia. From some of the prior posts here, I am hoping that our being on our honeymoon will lead to some nice upgrades (but am not holding my breath as we are going in high season).
Thanks,
Eyal

Well, I can't comment on your hotels as they are about double my usual budget, but I can try to swallow my envy and help anyway! :)

When I've chosen my top 3 - 4 hotels, what I typically do is first check the major hotel websites (expedia, travelocity, hotels.com, venere.it, etc.), then go to google and type in the name of the hotel and "discount". I also then check the hotel website itself and call directly, and check with my frequent flyer program.

Hotels aside, I think your itinerary looks great! Personally, I would stay in Florence and rent a car and do day trips (or check out train schedules); we stayed in Sienna and rented a car to explore Chianti and had a great time (but I think I'd prefer Florence as a base).

Congratulations and best of luck!

Hi eo,

Well, your hotel choices are outside my wage grade, however:

You are arriving in Florence on Monday when the Uffizi, Academia and Bargello museums are closed. I suggest that you take an afternoon train from Venice, check into your hotel and go up to Fiesole to watch the sun go down. I would take the no. 7 bus from the train station, but you might want to go by cab.

By the way, have you considered the Villa St Michele in Fiesole, instead of staying in Florence, it is in line with your budget. See
http://www.villasanmichele.com/web/o...a1a_splash.jsp

On Tuesday you could see David at the Accademia and take a 1/2 day trip to Lucca and/or Pisa.

Wednesday, see the Uffizi and the Bargello.

Thursday visit Siena.

Spend Friday wandering Florence.

Are you leaving from Florence or Rome?

You might wish to consider flying into Rome and leaving from Venice, staying in Florence between them.

The "STOP, SLOW DOWN" sign has been shown to others for less than what you propose!

Definitely have a look at the Villa San Michele; it's very romantic, and the restaurant has fantastic views. I have also stayed in the Excelsior in Florence (it's just opposite the Grand) and they have wonderful rooms with large terraces overlooking the river. These rooms are on the 5th floor.
Sounds like a good trip; have fun!

I generally have the best luck searching consolidator services than I do on the hotel website-- I'm a pretty firm believer in Orbitz. They've actually recently added a new feature to their website that allows you to book both flights and hotels together to create a vacation package. It might be useful in your case, and who knows, it might save you money too.

Good luck and have a good holiday!

Hi

My wife and I went to Italy in June 2003 and we visited Milan and Venice. I have posted a presonal trip report with lots of pictures on my homepage www.gardkarlsen.com :-) Maybe you can find some useful information there. Have a great honeymoon and don't try to cover too much. Remember that it is a vacation too and you are suppose to relax :-)

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Hi
The Bauer Palazzo is generally recommended over the more modern and characterless (imo) main part of the Bauer hotel.

I think your trip has a lot of moving around, and therefore a lot of time lost in getting from one place to another.

When it comes to booking hotels, I am a firm believer in getting rate quotes from several sources (expedia, orbitz, etc) and then asking the hotel directly via email or fax for their best rate.
I prefer to deal with the hotel and become their direct customer. I have not yet found a hotel that wouldn't match a discounted rate found elsewhere.
I think dealing with the hotel and mentioning your honeymoon is more likely to get you an upgrade, or at least a bottle of wine.

For your Tuscany travels, I'd pick one town (such as Siena) and daytrip by car from there, so you're not packing and unpacking every day.

Re The Bauer...I agree with Elaine's comments about the "character" of the Bauer vs the "palazzo" however if you are staying in this price range of hotels have you considered the Gritti Palace or even the Europa and Regina which are practically next door...I think both have more "character" than the Bauer but that assessment is, of course, subjective. I will say that in my past experiences I have found the Bauer to have more affordable rates at times than the Gritti...but thought I'd ask anyway.
I also agree with checking both the "major" booking sites like Expedia, as well as Utell, SRS-World Hotels (Steigenberger's operation), the discount sites, and e-mailing the hotel directly....once you've carpeted the possibilities that way I think you can be fairly confident you've done about all that is possible to get a decent rate (the periodic "reports" of upgrades granted because someone smiled at the front desk clerk notwithstanding).
I'd also second the idea of staying in one place in Tuscany if possible and exploring for there as a base.
Enjoy your trip.

Hi again,
Thanks for all of the advice so far. I have now reserved Hotel de Russie in Rome from 4/6-4/9, plan on traveling to Venice via train on 4/9 and staying at the Westin Europa and Regina (Thanks for that one!) the 9th to the 12th. We will then travel to Florence where I am still having trouble picking a romantic hotel. Took a look at Villa San Michele but we prefer to be in the city and not have to rely on transport. I welcome more suggestions. Also, thanks for the florence advice as far as itinerary and day trips - we will likely get the combination train and car package from eurorail. A friend mentioned Cinque Terre and walking through the five towns. Anyone done this? Is it feasable or will it take hours to get there and back from Florence?
Thanks again,
Eyal

instead of cinque terre, go to portofino and stay at the splendido, LHW.COM, perfect honeymoon place.

It seems like you have 10 days in Italy. Are you sure you want to try to do 3 or even places in that short of a time frame? You could easily spend 10 days in Rome itself. It depends on what kind of travelers you and your fiance are, but this is, after all, your honeymoon. I enjoyed being able to sleep in, wander around, and not feel rushed. It's great to go all out on your lodgings, but you'll be spending half your time packing/unpacking, and catching trains! I'd skip the Cinque Terre, since there's more than enough to see in Florence over 3 days.

Also, as ira mentioned, you're doing a little bit of backtracking. It'll cut down on your travel time if you do Rome-Florence-Venice instead, and depart from Venice.

This may throw a wrench into your system, but given your budget and your emphasis on romance, have you considered the Amalfi Coast? Look up Palazzo Sasso in Ravello and Le Sirenuse and the San Pietro in Positano. All beautiful, top-flight hotels, and you can't beat the surroundings! Maybe toss out Florence (unless you are really into art) and go to the Amalfi Coast instead.

Good idea from coffeeaddict,

Ten days on the AC and Capri would certainly be romantic.

Here is the website and description of the Bauer Ill Palazzio:

http://www.ilpalazzovenezia.com/index.shtml

and here is the Regular Bauer:

http://www.bauervenezia.com/index.shtml

Hope this helps with the decision in Venice...

Take up the advice to Portofino and stay at the Hotel Splendido way up on the hill- incredible views of the MED..and a very pituresque town to wander thru--

Florence is a FABULOUS city- actually after Venice, it is my FAVORITE city in Italy...Tons to do and see- and shop--

And the suggestions of the Amalfi Coast are superb..It is TOTALLY romantic..Le Sirenuse is wonderful...