I have been looking on the web for rates for Italy and I am having major sticker shock! It is one thing if I was going to get the Ritz for $325 a night!

Here is my question - if our small child is going to share the bed with us - do we need to select a room for 3 people? Obviously when we book rooms in the US we get 2 doubles and a king for the same price but when I key in 3 people the price sky rockets for a twin or cot to be included when he won't use it anyways.

Just looking for what is protocol - thanks!

Well - I don;t know where you would get a Ritz even in the US for $325 - never mind anywhere in europe with the dollar as low as it it. But I do sympathize with your desire to be budget conscious.

You can reserve a double and ask for an additional cot (not a real bed - and suitable only for a small child - under 3/4) which they will usually charge only a limited amount for. But be advised that many rooms in europe are too small to hold a cot - and this is available at only some hotels - so do let them know in advance. This should get you a better price than a "triple" which assumes 3 adults - requiring a larger room, more towels etc and 3 breakfasts.

Sorry - your idea to share the bed with a small child will work only if you get a double bed. Many hotels have only twins - 2 single beds - or if they do have doubles its only a limited # of rooms. Can;t imagine sharing a twin with a child would be comfy. So unless you find a hotel with all doubles and no twins you will be taking your chances.

Some double beds in Europe are really too small for all but two slender adults. So adding a child in would be a problem. And then some double beds are really two twin beds squished together - which again might not be the most pleasant way to sleep three in a bed.

I have seen many hotels that say one child under four is free if the child uses existing bedding. I suppose you might consider packing a sleeping bag if your child would go for that.

If you could be assured of a room with a large bed, and the hotel has that fairly common "under four" policy (and your child is under four), then I think that sleeping all in one bed could work.

You could definitely get a triple for cheaper than $325 per night. And that might work out for the best, as you'd get a bit more room.

Hi
browse for hotels at venere.it for one site.
Contact the hotel and tell them you want a room for you and your husband and your small child.
They will make suggestions. I disagree that two twin beds are less comfortable. You might actually be more comfortable in a twin room with two beds--there will be more square inches of bed with 2 beds, than there will be with a double bed.
In a small twin room, one side of one bed or the other could actually be against a wall, there is not always walking space around the entire bed.

bptraveler, big beds are available in Italy...I know because I made sure my husband and I would have a big bed. There is an Italian size bed which is bigger than our queen bed but it might be smaller than our king...sorry I've forgotten the exact dimensions. I actually have them written down somewhere.

A triple room is a lot more expensive than a double room, you are right about that.

But on the other hand there are some nice moderately priced hotels in Italy.

Let us know what cities you want to stay in and what your budget is we can probably suggest specific hotels. You should book directly with hotels so you can exchange e-mails with a helpful person at the hotel to be sure you get the beds you need.

For example in Florence the Hotel Silla is nice and comfortable, and last summer in June, high season, we got a double room for 2 people for 160 euros and a triple room for 3 people for 210 euros. Breakfast buffet is included. Hotel is on south side of the Arno but within easy walking distance of the Uffizi gallery...you just walk across the Ponte Alle Grazie bridge. also convenient to walk to the Boboli gardens. Anyway this is just an example.



How old is the child? If the child is under 5 and you want to share

I would ask for a double room with a "letto matrimoniale" (that is the name for the larger-than-a-double-bed) and that will give you the desired bed size to accommodate the 3 of you.

Alternatively, you could ask for an additional small rollaway bed to be brought in (usually ~10-12 euros/night) that your child could use. I have done both options with my 4 year old child in Italy and either works fine.

Thank you everyone for the helpful information.

Our son will have just turned 4 when we go to Italy. We are planning on going to Venice, Bologna/Verona and Florence.

Thanks so much!

Bptraveler, as I mentioned Hotel Silla is a comfty moderately priced hotel for florence. For Venice we loved the Pensione Accademia, which is moderately priced for Venice and has a nice breakfast buffet included in the price. Ask for a room with a garden view at the Pensione accademia. It's in the dorsoduro area of Venice, nice and quiet, on a smaller canal just off the Grand Canal.