Italy - Best Hotels in Italy

So I am headed to Italy for a wedding in September and need some recommendations on where to stay.....

We will be in Florence - Sept 23rd and 24th

Rome - Sept 25th, 26th, 27th

We will be wanting to do the tourist things and want to stay in a NICE area where we can walk to places

Thoughts?

Florence - Four Seasons (walking to sites is about 10 minutes)
Rome - Hassler or Russie. Portrait Suites is another excellent choice

I hope the wedding is somewhere in Tuscany because it would be a shame not to stay there end of Sept. Castiglion de Bosco for example or the new Castello di Casole (which looks very interesting, but un-tested i guess)

Not sure if there is better in Rome, but if you do stay at the Russie, I wouldn't get your hopes up for anything great. I stayed there a couple years ago and was quite underwhelmed. Although I am generally underwhelmed by Rocce Forte hotels

Thank you for the ideas....


the Four Seasons is about 600 Euros a night - WOW. I would really like to spend $150 - $300 a night at a decent place, I think 600 Euros is expensive, $800 basically...

The wedding is actually in Capri at a beautiful place but we are heading North afterwards to look at Florence and Rome

150USD is about 110EUR a night...... even if this wasn't the luxury hotel forum I don't think that is a reasonable budget for Rome. Not even factoring in the VAT.

Florence you might have more luck with some bed and breakfast types or some of the 3 star options in the city. Good luck!

Well I was hoping to spend between $150 - $300

I looked on expedia and other hotel sites and have seen 4 star places going for that (from traveler reviews) and there is not "middle of the road forum for hotels". There is Luxury or Budget.

The wedding is here so that could count

http://www.caesar-augustus.com/

Best Hotels in Italy

$300 = 225 euros, in peak season. peak season 2010 i looked at all the booking channels discussed in this forum for a family member. cities included florence and rome, and IIRC i didnt find a single property anywhere near as low as 200 euros. (my goal was finding rates closer to 200 euros.) 2 years later, if rates have changed, they will be higher.

in off season, FS florence is 250-295 euros.

not this forum, but these forums >
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/italy-634/
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hotel-programs-389/

I also need to know what areas to stay at??

lets not get hung up on price

Don't mean to sound harsh but, let's not get hung up on price? You're in the luxury hotel forum where $300 is unlikely to get you anything in either city. If you're strictly interested in location perhaps you should post in the Italy forum where they can answer those questions easily.

Don't mean to sound harsh but, let's not get hung up on price? You're in the luxury hotel forum where $300 is unlikely to get you anything in either city. If you're strictly interested in location perhaps you should post in the Italy forum where they can answer those questions easily.

+1

Sorry after posting and realizing where I posted I explained myself only to get these wonderful answers from high atop the perches...

If anyone can look down from there and answer my questions great if not, lets not waste either time....

Not to sound harsh but I thought explaining myself after my initial post would have helped but I guess not..

Thanks!

i would suggest you look at venere.com and soak up a bit of reality. you list dc as your location. you cannot get an upper end room id dc for $200. i don't think(maybe priceline).
i stayed at a lovely hotel in venice a couple weeks ago. no way a "best", but a real 4* with a lagoon view. come the thaw, the price goes to 464€. it is not in the high rent district.
go to the italy section and ask for a decent hotel for €150 in sept.

Welcome to the Luxury Hotels Forum, Toddie00. Generally, the posts in this forum deal with specific cities or locations. Your Topic: "Best Hotels in Italy" is more suitable of the Flyertalk Italy Forum. It is a great forum filled with great resources. I am moving this thread to the Italy Forum.
Have fun!
Obscure2k
Moderator
Luxury Hotels

i would suggest you look at venere.com and soak up a bit of reality. you list dc as your location. you cannot get an upper end room id dc for $200. i don't think(maybe priceline).
i stayed at a lovely hotel in venice a couple weeks ago. no way a "best", but a real 4* with a lagoon view. come the thaw, the price goes to 464€. it is not in the high rent district.
go to the italy section and ask for a decent hotel for €150 in sept.

Thanks for proving my point..

I love how my luxury hotel thread got moved because I was being to "cheap" and my budget hotel thread got closed because it was to expensive....

Just imagine if there was a middle of the road hotel forum...

Rome is a big city with hotels in lots of different price ranges. There is also a lot to see in different parts of Rome. Your best bet is to find a hotel in your price range and figure out how you can get to the things you want to see. There is a Rome pass that you can get that gives you free subway/bus for a few days and entrance into some of the sights: http://www.romapass.it/?l=en

As for modestly priced hotels, I have stayed at Hotel Giulio Cesare and Veneto and if you can find the right offer they sound like they would suit you.

No one has mentioned travel guide books yet.

To keep with the different levels theme that seems to be going here:

Budget - your local library
Middle of the road - Amazon
A little higher - your local bricks and mortar bookstore

Seriously, I'd suggest starting with an armload of them, wherever you choose to get them. All sorts, from the ones with lots of maps and addresses and text to the ones that are mostly pictures.

Maybe Priceline for bidding, although Italy is one of the tougher places to bid.

And consider trying a variety of lodgings. Small locally-owned off-the-beaten-track places can give you more of a real sense of Italy. Might be more romantic. Hostels are amazing for meeting others.

Just like trying every flavor of gelato.

Romelle

PS - and maybe not trying for humor that can be read as sarcasm or snapping-off. The people here can be incredibly helpful and there is a huge knowledge base. Accessing it is partly a matter of approach.

PPS - I just saw another of your posts asking about time to get from Rome airport to Capri. I really can't give directions, but do remember once trying to get from Rome to Sorrento via train. I lost a couple hours right in the Rome train station because I couldn't figure out which train to take and got lost in the station (jet-lag is my excuse, and I'm sticking with that). In any case, do a bunch of research and get really good instructions. That 4 hours you mentioned is optimistic.

Thank you for the response.....

I got snappy because it appeared that people couldnt get over - how I EVER could have posted in luxury hotels when all I wanted to spend was $300, even AFTER explaining myself they still got hung up on that and couldn't see past it. Which was extremely frustrating...

So then I went to the Budget site as they said and then the my price was TO EXPENSIVE....

Frustrating experience because no matter what forum, I would have tried to answer it, instead of getting hung up on the HEY THIS IS THE LUXURY FORUM (done venting)

So I was really just looking for hotel ideas and areas to stay (more in Rome). But for this or that, the thread has gotten off the beaten path over what is Luxury and prices, instead of the details.

Rome to Capri, thankfully I have a map and am just estimating 4 hours, who knows how long it will really take...

continue to rant and ignore the fact i pointed out the middle of the road hotel forums

continue to rant and ignore the fact i pointed out the middle of the road hotel forums

I am not ranting about you. I thought your post was helpful.....

Toddie:

from Rome to Capri you have different means of transportation.
If you take the fast train (named FrecciaRossa or generically TAV) it will take you any time of the day from the rome central station to Naples central station in almost one hour (maybe few minutes more). Check the website www.ferroviedellostato.it or www.trenitalia.com
From Naples central station to "Stazione Marittima" where most of the ferries goes to Capri it is a matter of minutes. I recommend you a taxi for an average price of 10/15 euro if you are able, i doubt it, to avoid the tricky local taxi drivers (not an offense, I'm local).
The ferry to Capri takes approximatively from 30 minutes to one hour.

If you want tons of more detailed info I recommend you to check on tripadvisor where those information abounds on several threads and are provided by local experts.

That said, i see that you got a bit frustrated on the luxury hotel forum....let me say that in there they discuss, ahem, luxury hotel. your thread titled "best hotel of italy" for the price range that you have indicated after, was definitively misplaced in my humble opinion.
It is not a matter of people that do not want to help. They did, I guess, telling you where to search for the proper information.

Enjoy your holiday in Italy.

In Rome Hotel Cinquantatre is a nice, homely hotel near the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain. The best is to get one of the upper rooms with the balcony.
http://www.lhotel53.com/
Hotel Raffaello near the Colosseum is another nice mid-range hotel I know.
http://hotelraffaelloexperience.com/

In Firenze we stayed once at Hotel Airport, which, despite the name, is near the center in a pleasant area. We liked both the hotel and the location.
http://www.hotelairportflorence.it/

We attended a Timbers event last night and had a great chat with the GM at Castello di Casole (Bart Spoorenberg). The hotel part is now slated to open in July 2012 and many are expecting great things. In speaking with Bart, it seems he really "gets" it, is more of a hands-on GM, and will be a true asset to the property. With the addition of Bart, along with the intended casual elegant feel and the hotel's Virtuoso agreement, I'm sure it will be success (and here's to hoping it is). This is one property that my wife and I have been waiting on to open. In speaking with some of the owners at Castello di Casole, they have nothing but great things to say. Now we just have to wait for July to come!

i would recommend you stay not in rome or florence, but in a smaller town. even a couple three of them. a decent 5*L(i think that is the top of the line) in rome or florence is probably €600 or so(that does not include breakfast, which is €100 or close for 2). a 4* in a berg can be a lovely, includes breakfast, and is well under €200. you will enjoy it more, because you will meet the people of the hotel, and of the little town.

by the by, unless you are renaissance scholar, florence is crowded and boring and extremely expensive.

go to tuscany. it's really chantishire, but still a delight.

In Florence Hotel Airport is a nice place at an affordable price. Despite its name it's quite central, next to the gardens of Parco delle Cascine.
http://www.hotelairportflorence.it/

In Rome we liked Hotel Alpi, another reasonably priced 4-star hotel
http://www.hotelalpi.com/

I did not read all the replies, but I saw an early reference to the Hassler in Rome ... I will concur. I really liked staying there a few years ago. Awesome facilities. Great location.

About 10 years ago, stayed at a hotel on Via Veneto -- a bit further walking from sites, but great neighborhood and shopping.

In Florence, we enjoyed our stay at the St Regis (Starwood) last fall. We had a great suite with balcony overlooking the Arno. Easy walking to all sites.

Both hotels located in very safe neighborhoods.

I really liked the Westin on Via Veneto.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=70

to get back on topic, if toddie00 is still around, it is looking for a middle priced hotel. not the most expensive, exclusive place in town.