Originally Posted by
t3ame
Hi all,
Given the uncertain situation with COVID, I am looking to spend our summer holidays doing a roadtrip from Germany towards either Italy or France.
We are from the Western part of Germany and are looking to be on the road for ~3 weeks with 2 adults and a 6-months old (no 10h+ drive on a day).
Any good recommendations on hotels to visit and places to see?
Or a good resource how we could plan the trip?
Obviously, focus on Marriott properties but not limited to it.
I do have some 500k points which I could use if worth it (compared to paying cash).
In terms of the prices, I would be inclined to stay below an average of 200 EUR per night (RC, StR, ... not needed).
Thanks in advance for any input!
Summer road trips to me are all about the Italian Lakes and French/Italian Riviera/Med, plus the mountains in Switzerland on the way down there. I've done many 3 week driving trips starting in Germany, even with a 2 month old (unfortunately his car seat didn't arrive with our luggage so we needed to use one from the rental car agency-terribly uncomfortable.) You have to decide between sticking to cities or just doing the smaller villages and coastline. That said, there are any number of MR properties, though I do prefer the Hyatt's connection with the SLH properties,especially in the south of France. Anyway, some suggestions to look at:
Luzern, Switerland: I've always (tried to) stayed at the Chateau Guetsch (apx 200-250 euro) up on the "hill" overlooking the town, but there is a quite nice Renaissance in town that should better fit your budget and is easy to walk everywhere;
Lake Maggiore-Ascona/Locarno The Giardino Ascona is very pleasant, though I do prefer Stressa more on the west of Maggiore, as they have the Isola Bella tour, hopefully when it's not too crowded, and a nice lunch on Isola Pescatore, I've even stayed on that island, and there are a couple good hotels, though with a lot of luggage, I'd opt for a hotel on the mainland, Borromeo Palace is great but pricy, or the Regina Palace, Astoria (cheaper), or Bristol;
In Tuscany, if you're inclined to drive south first, my son and his bride loved the La Bandita Townhouses in Castelvecchio (of course it was their honeymoon and I picked up the tab-using points.) On the way, stop in Florence and eat at the Centrale Mercato, or Paoli's or just grab a slice of pizza at Pizzeria Vesuvios as you do the walking streets; Sorry, you might have to stay a few days there;
The son and bride also did an Airbnb on the Cinque Terre that was quite reasonable and got invited to a couple dinner parties by their host. Don't remember which one though;
Head north along the coastline towards Nice/Cannes/etc and there are many MR options, though again, I'm partial to the Hyatt SLH properties , especially the Belle Rives in Antibes/Juan des Pins. But there are many choices, even heading to Mougins or Grasse.
Time permitting, I love the food in Lyon and it's easy walking. Just like Paris they say, but nicer. Old town has some grand old hotels that I've stayed in but I'm sure I can't remember many of them, and the Marriott there is just ehhh.. Or head home through Geneva and stop for some Pave Geneve at the chocolate shop at the base of the bridge, north side.
If you want to stick to MR properties, just use the hotel search using the name of the country, i.e. Switzerland, Italy, etc., and in map view it will show you all the options on your desired route.