Italy
 

My husband and I are visiting Italy next year. We plan to spend our time in Rome, Florence and Venice. We have never been to Italy and would appreciate any hotel recommendations, especially on the following hotels which I found online. Our budget is 150-200 euros/night.

Rome: Best Western Canada, Hotel Alpi, Hotel Gioberti, Hilton Cavalieri (I have Hilton points for one night)
Florence: Antica Dimora Firenze
Venice: Al Ponte Mocenigo, Hotel Giorgione

Thanks!

The only place to stay in Florence is the Hotel Davazanti. They have huge rooms by European standards, great location, breakfast & happy hour. Check out their reviews on Trip Advisor. Just stayed there last month.

Also recommend Select Italy travel agency outside Chicago for tours. Check their website.

Don't know when you're going, and so this might be a bit out of your price range, but no so much as to rule it out. The only place I will ever stay in Venice is the Locanda Orseolo. The cheapest Double Standard is EU120 in low season, and the most expensive Double De Luxe is EU300 in High season -that's the range. See:

http://www.locandaorseolo.com/en/

and trip advisor reviews (610 of them!!) at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ce_Veneto.html

For Florence, we like the Pensione Bencista, which is actually "up the hill" in Fiesole, but right on the very convenient number 7 bus line. It is very basic, but the people are lovely and they have million dollar views from the terrace.
It is right in your price range, actually on the low end if you go with the "bed and breakfast rate" or "half board" which is breakfast and dinner (dinner gets boring) there is no need for the full board since you won't be there for lunch in any case. Take the money you save here and splurge on the Orseolo in Venice.

The web site is:

http://www.bencista.com/main.php

and the pictures give a true representation. Do check out the dogs on the "outside" page of pictures, they will usually be sunning themselves on the front steps and you'll need to climb over them to get into the lobby.

The trip advior reviews at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...e_Tuscany.html

are pretty much spot on and tell both the good and the not quite so good. We love it, but others aren't quite as taken.

If you really want to stay in town, I recommend the Relais Cavalcanti. The web site is:

http://www.relaiscavalcanti.com/english/index.htm

and trip advisor reviews can be found at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...e_Tuscany.html

Nice people, clean and spacious rooms, in the middle of everything.

For Rome, we liked the Relais Banchi Vecchi. It was a bit unusual, and we never saw any of the staff after the first day – ever – but it was one of the nicer rooms we’ve had, clean, large, GREAT bathroom and the location is exceptional. The web site is:

http://www.banchivecchi115.com/inglese/index.html

The room in the picture with the red bedspread is the one we had.

And trip advisor reviews can be found at:

http://rome-hotels.tripadvisor.com/H...ome_Lazio.html

Anyone going to Italy needs to go to Slow Travel and Fodor's

Also please try the search function... there are many many threads on where to stay in Italy.

Rita

welcome to ft. when you going, for how long? hotel rates are very negotiable in off season. I have not stayed at the giorgione, but would. I toured the hotel.

this information is posted many times in this board, just search. I now stay at Ca' Angeli when in venice. is starting to get difficult to get in.

For a first timer, I would stay out of Venice altogether. Focus on Rome and Florence, and maybe Milan, but Venice can leave a bad taste.

Thanks for all the recommendations!

I could not disagree more. I wouldn't recommend Venice in the summertime as it is so crowded and hot. The rest of the year is great. In fact, I'm headed there next week for a 10 day stay. I love Venice in the fall and winter. It's a magic city.

I think rome is great. florence has 13c art and archetecture and crowds almost year around.

venice off season is great. I cannot imagine skipping venice to go to milan.

but most any european destination city is miserable with tourists in season.

Italy
 

I lived in Italy for six years and have returned many times since. I agree about Venice being crowded in the summer, but then what is not crowded during the summer? Save Milano for a future trip and see Venice while it is still above water and go to Venice with an open mind. Their canels are our roads. You see litter on our roads . . . For an excellent view of St Mark's square to to the bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. For meals I prefer to find a restaurant where the menu is only in Italian or for a quick lunch stop in an Alimentari (small family run food store) to have a sandwich made to order, get some cheese, piece of fruit and something to drink for a couple of dollars. Find a spot to sit, eat and watch the folks pass by.

Ciao e auguri!

Interesting viewpoint. I would agree to skipping Venice during the height of summer because the tourist volume can be overwhelming, but otherwise, Venice is a must. If you are traveling in high tourist season and decide to skip Venice, Milan would not be my backup. Rather, I would pick a smaller city like Siena or Bologna over Milan anyday.