marsig

We are just back from a great trip to Italy (& beyond). I want to thank all you Fodorites for all the information shared. It really helped make our trip a success.

We flew NWA with FF miles.

Hotel in Rome was the Hotel Visconti Palace.
4 star - paid $292.00 per night
Pros: good location near the Vatican.
clean, nice, modern, good breakfast
buffet.
Cons: Catering alot now to bus tour companies
Front desk people can be formal &
unhelpful. Use to cater more to
business people.

Tour/Guide company used:
Through Eternity Tours
www.througheternity.com

Contact person: Angela Ellis - excellent

Guide: Danny - 24 yr. old Art History major graduate.
American, from Connecticut-Excellent
Found that he helped us acclimate to
Rome. He explained things in ways we
understood & could relate to. For 1st
day/1st trip, he was great. Also,
stayed with us till tour was done.
Didn't go by the clock. Met other
couple who ended up with him & also
said they found him terrific.(Their
guide from another company didn't
show up.)
Guide meets you at your hotel & either walks with you or takes you by bus or taxi to destination.

Yes.. we did go to Fantasie di Trastevere. It was touristy & the food was so-so. But, it was one of those fun, silly nights that we will laugh over for years.
Cost: E 60,oo per person
dinner, show, wine

Used transfers to & from the hotels to the train stations.

Went on Eurostar - 1st class Rome to Florence.Cost: $139.oo per couple
1 & 1/2 hr. travel time / no stops

Hotel in Florence:
The Hermitage
Paid: E 209,oo per night

Pros: LOCATION - just off the Ponte Vecchio bridge - CHARM - exactly the European feel.

Cons: the bathroom in our rooms were very small. There are `jacuzzi' rooms that have much bigger bathrooms, but they book up fast.
Also, there is 10(?) steps up to the elevator, but they do have a porter who will come & help with the luggage. The reception desk is on the 2nd floor.
And, they have a very small breakfast.

Tour/Guide Company:
The Original & Best Walking Tours of Florence
www.Italy.artviva.com
Excellent communications

Guide:Michelangelo - excellent
animated & fun
Tour: Day Trip to Siena, San Gimignano
& farm/winery
14 people in mini-van
Great day

Found Vivoli's for gelato - the best!

Eurostar to Venice - 1st class
Florence to Venice - $122.oo per couple
2 & 1/2 hr trip - several stops

No hotel in Venice - joined cruise ship

Did Secret Itineraries Tour of Doge's Palace - liked seeing the less opulent rooms..very interesting. But don't lose your confirmation number! We almost didn't get to go!

We used Driveamalfi for tours in Sorrento & Amalfi
[email protected]
or
[email protected]

We had Salvatore Lucibello the first day & Adrianno(from Naples) the 2nd and We would have to recommend Adrianno over Salvatore. Adrianno was so much more animated & funny. He really kept us entertained & informed.

Cost: E 500,oo per day - paid at end of day

Another tour company is Benvenutolimos
www.benvenutolimos.com
Saw the driver & his car, looked to be the same as others. I believe his prices we're alittle less.

We had such a great time .. used a TA for some things, made some of our arrangements independently, traveled by plane, train, automobile & boat

Again, thank you all - hope this info can help someone else.

ira

Hi mars,

Thanks for the info.

Where did you buy your train tickets?

Tiff

Hi Marsig,

I enjoyed your trip report very much, Thank you, T.

nbbrown

Marsig... thanks so much for your helpful report! We may have to look up Michaelangelo when we're there... we're looking for a tour guide for some of the wineries....

LoveItaly

Hello marsig, what a good informative post. I like the way you listed the pro and cons of places. That is a good idea.

A question if you don't mind. How far in advance did you have to book your NW flights in order to use your FF miles? I am asking because I have NW FF miles also, but at this point I can't determin when I will go to Italy so wondering how far in advance is necessary.

Did you have any particular area of Italy that you liked the best? I am always interested in travellers reactions and thoughts on cities/area.

It sure sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing it with us.

motor_city_girl

LoveItaly...we used FF miles for our April trip and we booked them in October because we wanted business class. Ended up having to change trip dates to do it but not a big deal.

LoveItaly

Hi motor_city_girl. Business class is what I had in mind. I probably will not go until Sept. 2006 and someone told me I would need to book 11 months in advance. Well, that might be a problem. So from your experience if I book 8 to 6 months in advance I assume that will be safe. Thanks for your help.

Dayle

Hi LoveItaly,

Just to add on regarding FF miles,but on Delta. I had to book in October 2004 for Sept 2005, business class to Rome. First class on the US leg both ways.

I have been trying ever since to add a few days and have been unsuccessful so far.

I would book as far ahead a possible!

Buon viaggio!

LoveItaly

Hi Dayle, that is what I was afraid of! Thanks for telling me your experience. I think I will go Sept. 2006 so I would have a few months yet to make a decision. But if I go June 06 I am going to have to make some fast decisions.

Guess I had better get on the phone soon and talk to various friends in Italy as to which months would be best for them.

And guess the good thing about booking so far in advance is that the trip is then scheduled in and so one will go for sure. I was going to go this year and kept letting other events keep me from making concrete plans. Take care.

amarena

loveitaly -- if you can, book at least 11-12 months prior, especially if you want an upgraded ticket.

LoveItaly

Hi amarena, oh good grief I am going to have to get my act together, lol. I do so appreciate the advise here honest. Well, let see, it is the end of May so I better start figuring this all out. Thank you for you advice. It is truly appreciated. Take care!

WillTravel

LoveItaly, I'd recommend reading the Northwest/KLM forums at FlyerTalk. I don't keep up with those forums, but read elsewhere at Flyertalk and it's absolutely the best place to get good frequent flyer information. Unfortunately I think the advice to book 330 days out is pretty good - most airlines have made it so much harder to actually use your miles and all the good seats and dates go quickly.

LoveItaly

Hi WillTravel, I have heard of FlyerTalk but have never gone on there. So I will, thank you so much for your help. OK, I obviously have to get my act together, LOL.

I have always been a "last minute planner" but I have so many NW FF Miles that I would be foolish to not use them. Have always in the past just paid for my tickets.

Well, thanks to all of you, I will start within the next week planning my trip. Oh good grief, the thought of actually having tickets to Italy and not going for a year will drive me absolutely crazy!!

Seriously though, thank you for your good advise. It is appreciated.

Ronnie99

Thank you Marsig for all your feedback. We are taking a Mediterranean cruise in August and it was very, very helpful. I already booked with Drive Amalfi tours. And we are waiting to hear back from Through Eternity for our Rome tours. I believe we are staying at the same hotel as you did in Rome. And we must, must, must find Vivoli's for Gelatto!!!

Thanks again,

marsig

Hello again ~
Ira - I booked our train tickets through my TA. I did check with the train website & it looked like her price was the same. I found I liked having it done in advance, less hassle, same price, no wasted time trying to figure what to do, where to go.

One word on validating 2nd class tickets... 2 couples we ran into said that they had not validated their tickets and had to pay a fine of 35 euros per person - on the spot. So, their inexpensive train tickets suddenly cost them well over $100.oo per couple.

LoveItaly - I was told that you need to begin calling 330 days out from your RETURN date. And, I was told, which got me into an argument with a supervisor, that we would have to use double miles. She told me that's why they give so many `bonus' miles for using this or that...

Ronnie - we went to Pompeii & hired a guide. We would recommend trying the audio phone guides. They are a lot cheaper & we thought would be better. Also, Salvatore drove us up to Vesuvius. The van can only go so far then it is quite a walk. I really don't think it is such a great thing to do, especially if your time is limited. No one in our group had the energy for the climb. He drove us around Naples but didn't let us out of the van. So, unless you want to go the Archaeological museum, which has alot from Pompeii, I don't think I would bother with the drive through Naples either. I would ask for 3 hrs. in Pompeii, possibly the museum, then one of the great towns nearby.

And...Vivoli's is in Florence. It is alittle bit difficult to find, but so-o good, it's worth the hunt

amarena

marsig, that is so funny that you think it would have been better to go with the audio guide vs. tour guide at Pompeii!

We used the audio guide but thought we should have hired a guide instead since we were constantly stopping, looking at the map, trying to figure out if we were looking at the same thing which the audio guide was discussing.

Finally, when we were supposed to be a bakers' store and home, the guide was saying, something along the lines of "Notice the large oven in the center of the room (huh?) Now walk through the door to the left of the oven to enter the bakers' home (what door?)" we gave up and just walked the rest of the tour sans guide.

Statia

Nice report, marsig. Thanks for posting.