You often hear people say "It doesn't matter what my hotel is like because I'm not going to be spending much time in my hotel room." I don't agree. It's really important to me to have a clean, quiet and attractive room to come home to at the end of a long day of sightseeing.
For anyone who enjoys a pleasant environment, the room you get to sleep in at night can make or break your vacation in Italy.
Knowing that, I do a lot of research before choosing where to stay in Italy. Not so long ago, travel guidebooks were my main source of information. But I quickly learned not to rely exclusively on travel guidebooks. Guidebooks are not always up-to-date, and the information in them is sometimes second-hand.
For example, if you look for a review about Antica Torre hotel in Siena, both Frommer's guidebook and EveWitness Guide to Florence and Tuscany will recommend it as the best there is. Frommer's guide writes about these amazing stone stairs and cozy rooms with Tuscan antique details, marble floors, iron filigree headboard, remarkable location of the hotel and much more. Just what you wanted, right?
And then take a look at this: "We stayed there for a single night. It was OK, but I am glad we did not spend too much time there. The room is quite small but it's actually the bathroom that feels very very small - and while it has recent fixtures, it does not feel terribly clean." It's a quote from TripAdvisor.com, and those are words of somebody who stayed there.
To be sure, there were a lot of people who enjoyed the staying at that hotel. However, many of them didn't like it at all. When it comes to assessing places based on online customer reviews is that if a few of people claim that they hated it, then I go elsewhere.
Take a look at this review: "Two nights in this hotel was two nights too much. It's praised in guidebooks, but I'm not sure why. We were ready to haul our own bags up the stairs. Okay. The bathroom was full of mold around the walls. I think it used to be a small hallway -- access was through a folding door. Perhaps we just got a bad room. I wouldn't go there again."
The moral of the story is don't just buy an Italy travel guide and trustingly follow the recommendations. Use travel guidebooks as a starting point but double-check at discussion forums and online review sites before booking your hotel.
For anyone who enjoys a pleasant environment, the room you get to sleep in at night can make or break your vacation in Italy.
Knowing that, I do a lot of research before choosing where to stay in Italy. Not so long ago, travel guidebooks were my main source of information. But I quickly learned not to rely exclusively on travel guidebooks. Guidebooks are not always up-to-date, and the information in them is sometimes second-hand.
For example, if you look for a review about Antica Torre hotel in Siena, both Frommer's guidebook and EveWitness Guide to Florence and Tuscany will recommend it as the best there is. Frommer's guide writes about these amazing stone stairs and cozy rooms with Tuscan antique details, marble floors, iron filigree headboard, remarkable location of the hotel and much more. Just what you wanted, right?
And then take a look at this: "We stayed there for a single night. It was OK, but I am glad we did not spend too much time there. The room is quite small but it's actually the bathroom that feels very very small - and while it has recent fixtures, it does not feel terribly clean." It's a quote from TripAdvisor.com, and those are words of somebody who stayed there.
To be sure, there were a lot of people who enjoyed the staying at that hotel. However, many of them didn't like it at all. When it comes to assessing places based on online customer reviews is that if a few of people claim that they hated it, then I go elsewhere.
Take a look at this review: "Two nights in this hotel was two nights too much. It's praised in guidebooks, but I'm not sure why. We were ready to haul our own bags up the stairs. Okay. The bathroom was full of mold around the walls. I think it used to be a small hallway -- access was through a folding door. Perhaps we just got a bad room. I wouldn't go there again."
The moral of the story is don't just buy an Italy travel guide and trustingly follow the recommendations. Use travel guidebooks as a starting point but double-check at discussion forums and online review sites before booking your hotel.
About the Author:
If you want to learn all about great places to visit in Italy, then check out Barbra Sundquist's site on how to plan the best Italian holidays.. This article, Be Careful Booking Your Hotel In Italy has free reprint rights.
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