Viva Italia - Hotels

[eva]

I have a couple of questions about the hotels on the Viva Italia trip.

1. Which level of room did you receive at each hotel? Some have Deluxe standards and I wondered if we get the bottom of the barrel. Can you ask for an upgrade?
2. In Tuscany did you stay in the hotel or the apartments?
3. I've read a lot of bad reviews on the Hotel Dei Dogi in Venice. What was your impression?

We lived in Germany for 3 years. So I know not to expect the same type of hotels that you get here in the US. But I just wondered how they actually compare and what type of room you get.

Thanks!

 

[redzinner]

I'll be interested in the responses here too Eva since we are about 2 weeks in front of you on the Viva Italia tour.

I remember one family wasn't happy with their room location (view) in Venice but I can't remember anyone being negative about the hotel. Personally I don't see how any hotel in Venice keeps the damp and mildew at bay.

I hope you get some feedback here.

 

[eva]

Here are the reviews for the hotel in Venice:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d229009-Reviews-Boscolo_dei_Dogi-Venice_Veneto.html

Oh, don't be thrown by the name. Boscolo is just the name brand of the hotel. It is the same hotel. I checked the addresses.

 

[PatriciaH]

Here are the reviews for the hotel in Venice:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d229009-Reviews-Boscolo_dei_Dogi-Venice_Veneto.html

Oh, don't be thrown by the name. Boscolo is just the name brand of the hotel. It is the same hotel. I checked the addresses.

Hahaha. I love how some are glowing reviews and others call it "hell."

 

[disneytraveler]

My room in Venice was huge but not facing the water. It was on the first floor off to the side. It is very nice looking hotel inside. Maybe since i was traveling solo they gave me this room. My room was close to the water though.

 

[nicolepdonnelly]

I'm watching your ticker dwindle down Eva- Mine is dwindling too, we go right after you. I can't believe after a year of waiting it's just around the corner!

 

[Bella O]

I must say my least favorite hotel was in Venice. I loved the hotel in Rome - great location, and the breakfasts were the best. The room of course was smallish, but I expected this in Europe - though I did not use the spa, it looked wonderful. Service here was excellent - I had a problem w/the shower and like 2 seconds after I called the front desk I had a very nice worker come help me out.
I also liked the rooms in Tuscany very much. Our room was huge, and the airconditioning worked amazingly well - very important with the heat we had. You will stay in the "apartments" or the villas. The hotel is for weddings and such. It is a very pretty place and seemed like a place the Italians themselves would go (we were the only Americans there amongst Germans and French and a few Italians) I enjoyed Tuscany a lot - a great break from the cities, the pool was very refreshing and so nice to sit by.
The hotel in Venice was really only ok. A big negative was the airconditioning - it was pretty much non-existent. When we first checked-in, I went immediately back down to the guides and asked if all the rooms were warm (the air was on high and it was perhaps 80F. They explained that the building was very old, so it can't really cope with August heat (btw, there is no air conditioning in the small lobby or the special room where you have the farewell dinner). The guides spoke w/the front desk - translating for me - and the front desk offered to show me another room, and if I felt the air was better in that room, I could move (felt they were very accomadating) We moved as the air was better, but the room was very small..but nice. Beyond the airconditioning, I thought the hotel had a lot of charm and was unique - the gardens were lovely. I know everyone in our group had issues w/the air, but I think we were all of the mind not to let it ruin our experience. I also felt it was really off the beaten track, pretty far from the tourist stuff. However, I had really wanted to see the old Jewish ghetto (for personal reasons) which the hotel was very close to, and Venice is so delightful to just walk around and "get lost in". My dd's favorite part of the trip was Venice, so the heat certainly didn't ruin anything!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Just got home. The hotels were amazing, really first class.

Rome - We had a triple and a double, which did not connect. When I asked, they quickly switched us to connecting rooms. Both were just fine, most like American hotels in the group. The rest of the hotel was very nice, and the roof garden's view was outstanding. Great location.

Tuscany - We stayed in the converted riding stables. Rustic, but incredibly charming. The weather was cool at night and in the morning, pleasantly so, and warm in the afternoon. I don't think the A/C worked but we didn't need it. The bathrooms were a toss-up, lots of different set ups. Our triple was very big, the double small. But -- the view overlooking the countryside was unforgettable, the pool was lovely, there was room in the garden for the kids to play and go on the swings, we could all step outside and share a glass of wine or two on the patio, and there were three different, yummy, elegant locations for our dinners. I loved this location, but would not have enjoyed it as much if the weather wasn't so perfect.

Venice - Loved this hotel. Incredibly elegant, beautiful lobby. The double was tiny with no view, the triple had the perfect view of the garden and was large (obviously all our triple rooms were better than the doubles). Some families with quads had very big rooms, one with a loft. The garden dining area was beautiful, with a garden with hidden pathways, a cave, waterfall, and a view out to the ocean. Superb location - nice to be a little bit away from the crowds.