Trip in May
 

Yea, I booked flyer miles to Italy for my husband daughter and myself.
Only everyone that we talk to says we picked the worst time to go as far as the dollar and how expensive it is going to be! Any suggestions, for Venice rooms? And, we will land in Venice and fly out of Rome. Trying to decide on a plan for 14 days. Would also like to take a cooking class in Toscany. Has anyone done this and is it worthwhile?

lele

I'm going in May, too, also on FF miles. So it will be more expensive than last year, but last year I paid for my tickets. It all works out, no?

Just tell those naysayers that you are going on free tickets, and it will all work out. Is this the worst time to go? How do they know? Were there cheaper times? Yes. Were there more expenive times? Yes. Will there be cheaper times? No one knows. I let this all go, because I am going on my already booked trip no matter what the dollar/euro situation.

So, I am staying in places that cost a little less than those I used in the past. I just stayed in a great apartment in Venice, through Veniceapartments.org. I have a long list of bargain hotels in Venice that I've collected by looking for budget hotels here on Fodor's, on tripadvisor.com, and at venere.com. B&Bs can save you money, too.

I went to a cooking school in Tuscany that I liked a lot. They picked up the students in Florence, and took us to an incredible palazzo for the class. Great teachers, fun, great food. I did some freelance work for these people long ago; that is said in the spirit of full disclosure. I'm not advertising. I just had a great time.

http://www.tuscany-cooking-class.com...y-classes.html

In Rome, in May, I'm staying at the Arco del Lauro b&b in Trastevere. We are spending our final night at the Hotel Domus Praetoria, which gets raves on tripadvisor.com and on venere.com.

You can get cheaper places than both those, but I am happy with the prices.

There are just so many good buys out there if you are willing to do some research.

And when people talk about how this is the worst time to go, tell them that they are very lucky then, to not be going now.

Well said tuscanlifeedit! I think you pretty well covered it and gave good advice. I would head to www.venere.com or check out apartments for where you will stay, apartments are much cheaper esp. for 3 people. If you decide to spend some nights not in Rome or Venice it would probably be less expensive. I also think there is alot of good food in Italy for reasonable prices - you can eat very well in small, family run places - you might want to try to find some menu help if you don't speak any Italian and are not comfortable "winging it". "Tell them they are very lucky then, not to be going now" HEE HEE well said! Really, there is no guarantee that the dollar will get stronger anytime soon - it may get worse!You will always have wonderful memories of your trip long after the final cost has faded from your mind. My motto - the only trips I regret are the ones I did not take

we stay at hotel cristallo on lido in venice. we find it to be a great buy $200 for a clean but very simple room. the breakfast is EXCELLENT too. its a 20 min vaporetto ride from st marks but we like that at the end of the busy day we go "home" to a quiet spot. there is good food nearby and its quite safe. vaporetto station is about a 5 min stroll from the hotel and runs very frequently.

we go to italy every year in may. its wonderous. the weather is perfect and its not as crowded as july. ignore those people. and its vacation. it'll be expensive. its ok. budget now ;)

Also go to www.slowtrav.com and check out their Italy section which includes hotel and apartment reviews.

The biggest piece of advice from me is don't try to do more than 3 towns in 14 days!! Moving from place to place takes so much time (a minimum of half a day each time) that you lose lots of opportunities to absorb Italy. You may think there are so many things you want to see. But believe us on this board, you WILL go back to Italy. Once you have been there, you will be hooked!

Also, by staying more than a day or two in a city, you can probably get an apartment, which is much more affordable than a hotel. Hotel rooms there are very small and with three of you it's going to be very crowded. Also in an apartment you can eat some meals in and save restaurant costs. And have a living room to relax in.

Take the train, not a car (you don't want to drive in Italian cities anyway). Trains are easy to use and you don't have to worry about gas and parking charges and possible tickets for driving in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are restrictions in florence, for example, that are enforced with cameras, and you won't find out you've violated the restrictions until a couple of months after you get home when you get a whopping ticket.

Can anyone recommend an apartment in Florence w/ 2 bedrooms for just a 3 day stay? So far, I have not had much luck...right now we have a reservation at a hotel, but with the exchange rate, we are realizing an apt. would be a wiser choice...recommmendations would be appreciated! (I have already looked on SlowTrav)

Hi Wren,

Last summer, I booked a 2 bd rm apartment in Florence. It looked great and the price was great. We, had to cancel our trip just hours before the flight, so did not actually see the place. However, Marco was wonderful to work with.
I can't find the web site for the apartment, but here is Marco's e-mail adress. I am sure he will be happy to send pictures and give you the web site if the apt is available. If it is not booked, he will do three days, but charges a bit more per day. He was so nice, I will certainly book there next trip.
Good Luck.
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Wren: you might do better to begin a new thread with a request for a two bedroom apartment. The people I mentioned above, that I did freelance PR, have an agency called florencevillas.com

We stayed in their two bedroom Santa Croce apartment several times. You can probably get a 3 night booking with them. Feel free to mention my name, "Debbie who used to write your newsletter" , but I don't know if it will get you anything. But it might be a little help since you are looking for a short booking.

Anyway, I do recommend that apartment. There are steps, but the location is great. They have many apartments in Florence. Oh, and start a new thread.

Thanks--I posted my own thread and will check in to your suggestions--thanks!