Italy Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

BiRi hotel: Padova's lovely site

by sinou

Excellent situation : very near to many historical sites . and only hundreds meters from – citta mercato / city supermarket – . you can go by bus to the trade city center, or to any direction in the city .. it's nearby the train station , so.. to go everywhere inside or abroad.

In addition to good services.. BIRI hotel has friendly staff ..

L'Orto degli Angeli - Residenza d'Epoca: Marvellous old palazzo in middle Umbria

by Trekki

Surely a dreamlike hotel in the middle of Umbria is L’Orto degli Angeli in Bevagna. Restaurant Redibis, which belongs to the hotel, has been one of my favourite restaurants since 2008. I had lunch and dinner here several times and also celebrated my half century birthday with friends here. But all the times I never stayed there. This had to be changed and so in May 2011 during another of my short Umbria roundtrips I decided that it is time to book a room so that I could not only enjoy another marvellous dinner with wine this time but also to stay in this so charming residence.

What can I say? The name L’Orto degli Angeli – the place of the angels – says it all. The hotel is consisting of two palazzi, connected with a courtyard like garden. In the main palazzo, Palazzo Andreozzi, the rooms are named after angels and the rooms in the other palazzo, Palazzo Alberti, are designed as apartments. In between is the wonderful garden, with flowers and bushes which are very old. Especially the roses are marvellous; the guys in Redibis restaurant pick one for every desert they serve. I have kept all my roses simply because their scent is exceptional!

I stayed in the main palace, in the room Arcangelo Raffaele, which is in the upper floor facing the street Corso Giacomo Mateotti. Well, it was not really *a* room but a whole flight of rooms. There was a lobby with a separate wardroom and a safe, the drawing room with sofas and chairs for a nice relaxing evening, a huge bathroom, the bedroom and stairs lead up to a little loft with two additional beds. I enjoyed this room very much, although I would have liked to stay longer than only one night. The only downside was the location facing the street. There is a little bar just opposite of the hotel and they had the TV running all evening with a very high sound level. But luckily the bar closed at 11 p.m.

It was not only the room I loved but the whole concept of their hotel. The palazzo seems to have stayed intact, thus the several parts of rooms. The stairs and corridors outside the rooms are a maze of winding stairs and separate corridors with bookshelves and tables with flower pots, which makes the whole appearance quite cosy. And I also loved the public rooms, such as the charming reading room with its huge bookshelf painted in bright red. And of course the garden! One can relax here, with a coffee or a drink and just let the world pass by.

Breakfast was ok, included in the price of course. The only downside here was the coffee. It was not the typical caffè but machine made and thus a bit on the watery side. We had quite a big selection of pastry, fresh yoghurt, orange juice, bread, butter, marmalade, cold cuts and cheese.

Be careful when reading some of the reviews on TA. Some reviewers obviously have forgotten where they were. This is an old Palazzo and not a Disneyland Palazzo set up. This means that the rooms and the furniture are old, no matter how excellent renovation and restoration is. And Bevagna is in Italy, where church bells will ring.

Directions:
Parking the car is a challenge. It is possible to drive to the hotel to unload the luggage. Drive through Porta Foligno, which is the entrance portal coming from Foligno on road SR316. The palazzo is on the right side where the narrow road just widens a bit. But parking isn’t possible here. Drive along the hotel and turn right at the traffic light and drive through Porta Cannara. Outside is a big parking lot. And it is safe to park the car there. Just look at the signs where exactly you can park the car = in the middle of the space.

Location of L’Orto degli Angeli on Google Maps.

Location of Parking outside of Porta Cannara on Google Maps.

© Ingrid D., April 2012 (just in case, RickS or others come along and think they can steal texts).

Thank you for reading. I appreciate if you would decide if my review was helpful or not and if you could leave a comment => here.

Orsa Maggiore Womens Only Hostel: Women's Only Hostel

by toosahn

This place is a former convent, which is one reason it is women's only. I stayed there because it was the cheapest, cleanest, lodging I could find. At 22 euros a night, it was a bargain. I loved it. The rooms were huge and had four beds and big lockers. There were plenty of showers and they were clean. It was pretty quiet at night, but you know people can come and go as they please. There is a huge kitchen/eating area and breakfast was included. It was actually really beautiful because they had retained a lot of the original charm of the convent, including the gorgeous floors. The staff was helpful and knowledgeable and the area was safe and convenient. Highly recommended. I could walk to the Coliseum and the Vatican and there are some great restaurants in the area as well.

Big rooms. Really big rooms. Plenty of hot water, luggage storage, good location, helpful staff. Very safe.

Hotel Raphael: Great hotel in Rome

by johnfromoz

I would high recommend the Hotel Raphael just off Piazza Navona.
http://www.hotelraphael.it/intro-page.htm
We have been to Rome three times in the last two years & wouldn't stay anywhere else.
Very friendly, clean with a wonderful roof terrace with spectacular views over the city of Rome.
Also most of the staff spoke excellent English.
It is very central & we walked to Vatican, Spanish Steps, Trivi Fountain & the Pantheon.
The restaurant where Julia Roberts has dinner at in the movie Eat Pray, Love is right outside their front door

Great views, excellent location, modern rooms

Hotel Grand Mediterraneo: Property Damage - Unsatisfactory Customer Service

by raugustine

We stayed at the Hotel Grand Mediterraneo during September 2011. The day before we departed, a member of the cleaning staff damaged my cell phone. I reported the incident to the Front Desk Manager, who advised that I must contact hotel manager Andrea Bianchi, who was out of town.

Upon return to the United States, I contacted Mr. Bianchi through the Front Desk Manager. Having not received a response from him, the Front Desk Manager advised that I contact Mr. Bianchi directly. I sent him several e-mails, receiving computer generated notifications of his receipt of my e-mails. He never replied.

Apparently, Mr. Bianchi assumed that since I was no longer in residence at his hotel, he could just ignore me.

I would advise anyone contemplating staying in Florence, Italy at the Hotel Grand Mediterraneo to not stay at that facility. I can tell you for sure that the customer service at that hotel is anything but grand. Th3ey damage you property and then disrespect you and don’t even have the common decency to answer your correspondence.

Richard Augustine

The Continental Hotel: Perfect Hotel in Venice

by stedeb

We had a lovely stay at this hotel which is not too far from the train station and front srigh on to the Grande Canal. Our room was quite small but had everything we needed and was nice and clean. the breakfast was very nice a continental buffet with good coffee and sitting on the Grande Canal was lovely in the morning and interesting to watch the deliveries of linen and provisions we take it for granted with delivery trucks etc.
The air conditioning was not quite up to scratch but we found this to be quite normal throughout Italy

Pay the extra for a room overlooking the Grande Canal we had 2 small windows but they were quite adequate.

Hotel del Corso: Rude and surly staff

by devout_hindu

If all you want is a central location with a terrace that has a great view of the Bay of Naples, then by all means go to this hotel. On the other hand, if you also want to encounter staff that is smiling and happy to see you as their guest, then AVOID this hotel like a plague.

My family and another family spent two weeks in Italy and just got back home. As part of the trip, we went down to Sorrento, and stayed at the Hotel Del Corso for three nights. From the outset, we were put off by the rudeness of the staff, especially the old man (presumably the owner), and one of the front desk clerks, Francesco.

In other Italian hotels we stayed in, I'd ask for glasses for wine (and some ice to chill, in case of white wine), and we'd get either one, with a smile. I did the same thing at this hotel, and the old man frowned at me and nodded his head with such disdain that I thought I'd made some social blunder. Hello, old man: Can you just not say, sorry you cannot offer me a glass?

On another occasion, Francesco screamed at the kid in the other family because the kid was being a little loud. OK, the kid might have been a little loud, but there is a way of saying that to the family, and not be offensive, especially when we were guests, paying good money to be staying there.

On yet another occasion, I wanted to fill my water bottle from a tap in the dining area (by now I had learned that to take the chilled water from the breakfast area would have resulted in more admonitions, so I decided to use the tap.) By mistake, I didn't turn the tap off fully, and the old man (who seemed to keep an eye on us all the time, like a big brother) told me in an extremely condescending tone that he didn't care which country I came from, but in Italy, water was scarce, and I was being careless. Hello, did this wizened old curmudgeon have ANY idea of where all I have traveled in my life, and what I think of conservation of the earth's resources? No, but guess what : I didn't want to stoop to his level and explain it to him.

Finally, on the eve of our departure, I was "requested" to settle the hotel bill the night prior to our departure, on account of a shortage of hands on the day we were leaving. OK, fair enough, and I said I'd accommodate that request. That last evening, I was hounded no fewer than 5 times, asking when I'd pay, and what time I was leaving the next day. It almost seemed to me that they were scared that we'd skip town, without paying the bill. Most offensive.

Here is the funny thing. I could have sworn that the same staff was smiling and talking normally to other guests, who were all white. So I came to this conclusion - and I don't make this kind of a statement frivolously I think the staff is either unused to people of color (all 8 of us are brown-skinned Indians), or just are plain RACIST. Thank God I've traveled extensively in Italy, to know that the Italians are a warm and loving people, who have shown me nothing but goodness. People like those at the Del Corso just are aberrations, and they make me appreciate the nice Italian people even more.

With respect to the rooms themselves, and the Mussolini-era linen : I think other travelers have said enough about that, so I won't waste my breath on that topic.

All in all, we were all glad to be out of that wretched hotel, and head off to Rome. As an epilogue, I will say that the staff at the Hotel Oceania in Rome were friendly and welcoming - a stark contrast to the Del Corso, and a validation, once more, that the Italians are a warm and wonderful people.

Great terrace views of the Bay of Naples

Italian Agriturismo is a farm stay: Off the Beaten Track

by Beausoleil

Agriturismi are required to be working farms. Sometimes you have an apartment in the owner's large stone farmhouse; other times you will have an apartment in a renovated farm building. Our favorite is a renovated granary near the tiny village of San Polo in the Chianti region of Tuscany.

It's fun to stay out in the country near a large town or city. You have the excitement and sightseeing possibilities of a city during the day and absolute peace at night. If you want to do walking, kayaking, canoing or bicycling, the country is a great place for it.

Click on the photo to see several agriturismi and you will discover some can be quite luxurious.

You will meet the owners and their families and save a lot of money because these places are rented by the week and are very reasonable. Lately many have been renting for stays of three days and some even overnight although that is more rare.

You pick a base location, rent for a week and do day trips throughout the surrounding countryside. It's a great way to get the feel of Italy, meet some Italians and see a lot of gorgeous country.

There are many Agriturismo web sites and I'll list a few that we have used personally and know are reliable. You can also find the Tourist Information web site for a town that looks appealing to you and check for villa or apartment rentals or agriturismo.

Our all-time favorite place: http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/albereto.htm
Another fun place in Tuscany: http://www.terredimelazzano.it/index.htm

Other web sites we've used:
http://www.agriturismo.com/englisch.htm
http://www.agriturismoitaly.it/english/
http://www.2000villas.com
http://www.vrbo.com/ (Vacation Rental By Owner)
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/

Any type: Tips on Bargaining for a Better Accomodation Price

by travelnut71

Thanks for all replies! hawkhead you are right, in general, hotel online prices are generally more expensive than booking or other sites. However, I am Italian and I know there can be some corruption to that rule if you know how to bargain :), but this only works with smaller hotels, B&B and places that are not chains or American/German owned. First, you do your homework, check prices on other sites. Then you call and tell them what deal you find and what they are offering. Sometimes they give you the same deal, or $5 cheaper. Getting the discount is hard unless say, you are Italian ;), and you speak it! But, you also need to call in their time, so for example, I live in Canada, and if I call at 5pm my time, that would be nighttime for them, so either 1) the person at the desk doesn't take care of reservations, they will ask you to call the next day... or 2) he KNOWS you are from North America and won't give you a much lesser price ;) I have experienced the same with Spain and Portugal, although I got friends to call Portugal who speak well and in the right time frame and they got a better deal than when I tried! Just a few tips here!

This goes for any type of accommodation, everyone likes to pocket money if they can :)

Hotel Olivedo - Villa Toretta: Quirky Owner - Cool Villa

by bplatt

A grand old villa converted into guestrooms a short walk from the Hotel Olivedo, the Villa Toretta is perfectly situated across the street from Lake Como on the edge of the village of Varenna. The hotel, also a grand old lady on a smaller scale, is directly across the street from the ferry terminal, where you can catch a ferry to several towns on the lake. They serve breakfast in the morning outside and the cuisine for dinner is one of the best in Varenna. To access the villa, you pass through a gate in a wall and ascend a staircase to a terraced garden that looks down onto the pedestrian promenade below and the lake and Alps beyond. A sunroom and living dining area are available for all guests. All other rooms have been converted to guestrooms with private baths. They are simply furnished, not very large by American standards, but exceptionally clean. At least two have balconies overlooking the lake. All have fantastic views.

If you've never stayed in a renovated 19th century Italian villa, then this is your chance. Because the garden is elevated from the street below, it's very private and peaceful - except for the ferries coming and going, but this is part of the ambience. Some past guests have complained about the owner, Laura, online but we found her to be utterly charming and gracious. She and all of her staff made us feel very welcome and we absolutely loved our week here.

The only inconvenience was that they do not take credit cards, so you will need to walk up the hill to the ATM machine to get cash.

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