Viva Italia - May 29 - June 6 - Trip Reflections

[cheer4bison]

3pirates,

Your report was great. Thanks for taking the time. If I could trouble you with a rather mundane question, do the boats and buses ABD travelers spend considerable time on have restroom facilities? When traveling with children, its a good thing to know...

 

[ga9497]

Thanks...

We stayed at the Bernini Bristol in Rome. It is a different one than used in prior years. It was very nice, elegant, had the best breakfast buffet, and take your spa slippers, they will come in handy in Tuscany! It is near many of the nice attractions and right off of the Via Venuto which is an upscale shopping/dining area. We were fine with the choice!

The place we stayed in Tuscany was outside of Florence, about an hour, and was at the top of a hill in a town called Artimino. There is a main hotel there, and then a separate facility with apartments, Borgos, that is about ten minutes away walking. We stayed in the apartments. I saw another post that said they were a converted carriage house....that could very well be true. Our breakfasts were there and the little Gelato place was right next to it. After looking at a trip report from last year, this is also a new location.

In Venice, it was the Hotel Dei Dogi. Like I said, a little off of the beaten path. At first I wondered about that, but once I figured out I could get to the beaten path in less than ten minutes, that the walk was safe and charming, I didn't mind a a bit.

That is the best part of Venice for me, the wandering around and being away from the hustle and bustle. The first time I traveled there with DH and kids DH wasn't sure of the location I had picked for the hotel, he would have picked something in San Marco. Since I had been to Venice before I specifically chose a place that was out of the mainstream and after the first day in a packed San Marco Piazza, DH loved the location of our hotel. He loved to wander around the neighboorhood and go into places that the locals went into. When we go back, hopefully soon, we will again choose the same hotel.

 

[3pirates]

3pirates,

Your report was great. Thanks for taking the time. If I could trouble you with a rather mundane question, do the boats and buses ABD travelers spend considerable time on have restroom facilities? When traveling with children, its a good thing to know...

No trouble...it's those kinds of things you wonder about and aren't in the literature...

we didn't really spend considerable time on a boat...less than 1/2 hour at a time. The bus did not have restroom facilities. However, we never went more than 1 1/2 to 2 hours without a restroom break. The guides were good about telling people if they were going to be awhile without facilities. I don't think it was a problem for anyone.

The train we rode for three hours between Florence and Venice did have a restroom and the guides even came around about 20 minutes before the ride was over to remind us to use the free restroom on board before getting off.

 

[3pirates]

That is the best part of Venice for me, the wandering around and being away from the hustle and bustle. The first time I traveled there with DH and kids DH wasn't sure of the location I had picked for the hotel, he would have picked something in San Marco. Since I had been to Venice before I specifically chose a place that was out of the mainstream and after the first day in a packed San Marco Piazza, DH loved the location of our hotel. He loved to wander around the neighboorhood and go into places that the locals went into. When we go back, hopefully soon, we will again choose the same hotel.

I completely agree....I loved the San Marco area, but walking the backstreets was something very uniquely Italian, not touristy.

 

[redzinner]

3pirates, Did you personally have occasion to use an ATM? Was the screen in Italian? Could you pretty much decipher what areas to touch to get the euros you needed?

 

[Kris10luvsDisney]

Thanks for the report 3Pirates! Sounds like your family had a nice vacation!

My DH and I are going on this trip in September and I was wondering how you handled your spending money? Did you use cash or mostly credit cards? What would be your suggestion in this area? (I plan to do some shopping here and there )

Thanks!

Some other posts had mentioned this, but I was wondering if you encountered any pickpockets anywhere?

 

[3pirates]

RedZinner, we used ATMs all of the time (don't like to have TOO much cash at once.) In Rome, there is one right outside the hotel. We loaded up before Tuscany, but also used them in Florence and Venice. In every case, the first thing you get is a screen asking you which language....after that it is easy. We bank with Bank of America, and use a 4 digit pin. One post I read previously said if you had a six digit pin you might have problems....can't address that.

As far as pickpockets, I saw nothing, but the guides did caution us repeatedly. I think it happens, but as far as I know nobody in our group felt threatened.

We used credit cards whenever we could, but I recommend having cash for those times/places when credit cards aren't useful..some gelato stands, street markets where bartering is at a premium, small restaurants prefer cash. I have looked at my bank fees for ATM useage and it is a couple of bucks per withdrawal. We got some Euros at the airport in the US because we were afraid of getting there and not having any. Their fee was nuts. If I were to do it over, I would check with my bank a week or two ahead and get Euros from them. I got sidetracked before the trip, and by the time I checked with my bank it was going to be an issue because of Memorial Day Holiday and all. Or, I would just not get Euros until I got to Rome, knowing that there is an ATM outside of the hotel. The restrooms at the airport don't charge (something I was afraid of, having visited Germany several years ago.) So you will get off of the plane, meet your transport and go directly to the hotel where there is an ATM right outside. (On the left as you face the hotel.) Barring anything unforeseen, you shouldn't need Euros before that.

 

[3pirates]

Oh....and the talk of pickpockets reminds me of something else that the guides told us.

You will see people selling things on the street.....illegal vendors. They usually have things laid out on a sheet or artwork lined up where it can be picked up quickly. If it rains people will walk up to you trying to sell an umbrella (don't buy one for more than 5 Euros...somebody was approached to buy one for 25 Euros! ) Be wary of these people. I guess if you buy from them you can be penalized too...and the fine can be up to 5000 Euros...over $7,500 dollars!) That makes the fake designer purse not so worth it!

And when you see the old women dressed in black hobbling back and forth, back and forth with their cane begging for money....remember that if she were really so frail she wouldn't keep walking so much, and nobody needs fingerless gloves on an 80 degree day! We all laughed about that....kinda like some of the "hard luck" cases you see in our country!

 

[carolinadj]

You had James? We LOVED James! I'm glad to hear he's still doing the tours.

 

[AZ Mom]

Thanks, 3Pirates -- great tips! Your two older boys look about the same ages as ours. Glad to hear they had a great time, too.

We're heading out in just over a month and have some concerns about the flights over and back. We're flying British Airways and do not yet have assigned seats on the long haul flights (PHX to LON and the return). We'll be checking in on-line 24 hours in advance to make sure we get seats together on the way out there. On the return, can the ABD staff help us access a computer to check in and get our seats? Have others had this problem, as well?

 

[3pirates]

Our older two are 17 and 15. I don't know about confirming seats...I do know that they did confirm the flight was on time or close to on time the morning we were leaving.

Maybe someone else knows the answer to that question.

And yes, James is a keeper. He's the nicest guy. Our trip was his first THIS Summer, and as we left Friday he was heading back to Rome to start the next one on Sunday!

 

[mwebsite]

3 Pirates,
What were the ages of the children on this tour, and how many children were there? We are thinking of taking this tour in May 2009, departing on the 31st, my daughter is out of school by then, but I don't think many children are, and wondered how many children in the 12 -14 age group there would be.
Mwebsite

 

[3pirates]

OK, out of 40 of us, there were (Roughly) 3 younger children, probably 7 or 8 in the 11-13 age group, about 4 high school age and three college age. All families had children except for one couple. There was also a guide in training and two grandparents along with their family.

The kids mixed it up at random times, but usually stuck with families. It was great the night of the barbeque when Mamadis brought the glow sticks....ALL of the kids (even a couple of the high schoolers) were running around messing with them!

 

[mwebsite]

Thanks for the info. That sounds like a good mix. A late May departure date also avoids peak season, and saves a few dollars. I'll have to remember the glow stick idea, kids love those, don't they? A final question, what about the weather? Was it warm enough to swim in the pool?

 

[3pirates]

Glow sticks were a great ice breaker!

The weather was really good when we were there. It was rainier than it usually is, and we did get caught a couple of times, but the related overcast kept the heat down. I think we were in the mid 80s maybe on our warmer days....can't tell exactly with the celsius thing. I thought the temps were very comfortable, but I'm from Atlanta. The couple from Chicago thought it was a bit hot. No matter what, I'm told it is hotter as you get into June and July.

The pool was VERY cold. We were up in the hills. Kids will swim in a cold pool, and some (including one of ours) did, we chose to just enjoy the view!

 

[trurob59]

Hi 3pirates,

we were on the same tour (the Canadians).

I pretty much agree with everything you've posted so far.
Kudos to our guides Marco Scaglione & James Williston as well as their "apprentice" Marco Bonanni, they were incredibly helpfull & friendly in all circumstances.
We had some reservations about the Tuscan interlude. Compared with the four to five stars quality of the accomodations in Rome & Venice the Borgo di Artimino was a good notch below. Furthermore we couldn't figure out the need for such a long bus journey to get to the pasta class when such an activity could have taken place in Artimino. In fact the Artimino site appeared to have much to offer with its renaissance villa and the surrounding countryside.
On the other hand we would have liked to spend much more time in Florence but opinions on this seem to be divided and it would probably have required that we stay in the city instead of the country.

We did arrive a day early in Rome and stayed in Venice two more nights before returning to Rome for three more (the last one at the Rome Airport Hilton because of a very early flight and from which you can walk to the terminal). Those extra days were very worthwhile as there is plenty left to be seen after the tour.

 

[Mamadis]

Hi trurob59! Did you get my email? Hope you and your family are doing well.
Grace

 

[MrPoppins2000]

I found that any time I felt like I was getting the "short straw" a word to one of the guides quickly corrected that problem. They are expert problem solvers. Our guide in Ireland made a comment once when a question arose about hot chocolate, she said "I will find the chocolate and make it myself if I need to". I believe she would have, too! So use your guides to solve those problems. Our first hotel room was not ready when we arriveed so we got a different room, did not like it and we were moved immediately to our originally reserved room (connecting with friends) as soon as we raised our concerns over the 1st room. We found everyone at every location bending over backwards to ensure we had a good trip. Probably a little Disney magic involved in that as well.

 

[kristilew]

I found that any time I felt like I was getting the "short straw" a word to one of the guides quickly corrected that problem. They are expert problem solvers. Our guide in Ireland made a comment once when a question arose about hot chocolate, she said "I will find the chocolate and make it myself if I need to". I believe she would have, too! So use your guides to solve those problems.

We found the guides willing to fix anything in Peru as well. Sounds like OP weighed options and decided to not make a big deal out of it, but it is good for future travelers to know that they can ask for things to be changed, even if it seems selfish. Our guide, Aimee, had worked with many other companies and told us that her favorite thing about ABD was that they "gave her the tools to make guests happy." She certainly found some pixie dust for us.

 

[3pirates]

Hi 3pirates,

we were on the same tour (the Canadians).

I pretty much agree with everything you've posted so far.
Kudos to our guides Marco Scaglione & James Williston as well as their "apprentice" Marco Bonanni, they were incredibly helpfull & friendly in all circumstances.
We had some reservations about the Tuscan interlude. Compared with the four to five stars quality of the accomodations in Rome & Venice the Borgo di Artimino was a good notch below. Furthermore we couldn't figure out the need for such a long bus journey to get to the pasta class when such an activity could have taken place in Artimino. In fact the Artimino site appeared to have much to offer with its renaissance villa and the surrounding countryside.
On the other hand we would have liked to spend much more time in Florence but opinions on this seem to be divided and it would probably have required that we stay in the city instead of the country.

We did arrive a day early in Rome and stayed in Venice two more nights before returning to Rome for three more (the last one at the Rome Airport Hilton because of a very early flight and from which you can walk to the terminal). Those extra days were very worthwhile as there is plenty left to be seen after the tour.

Hello Canadians! But think of it this way, if you hadn't gone to the other site for pasta making, we wouldn't have that great picture of your wife with her home made bow tie pasta!

I had some of the same thoughts about the pasta making day...why the long ride, etc. But I did enjoy that day and the castle was pretty. I'm not sure what the answer is to that one. Some of us talked about whether it would have been better to stay in Florence, especially since we skirted it on the way to everywhere we went, but most didn't really want to give up the experience of being up in those hills.... That issue is a hard one...I don't know what the ideal answer would be.

Glad you enjoyed your extra days....

The feedback from some of the rest of you about asking the guides is, I'm sure, good advice. I think if I had it to do over I might have done that about the room. We did weigh the options and decide against it....on the train things were hectic and in Venice we were the last ones off of the Gondolas so the guides couldn't easily be found by the time we got our room and knew that we weren't that happy. We could have tried to communicate with the front desk staff or try to get someone to find the guides, but that seemed a hassle too. The guides were around later in the evening, I think, to give out meal suggestions, but by then we just decided to deal with it and not be in the room any more than necessary.....what I realized after a couple of days is that I probably should have tried, just because it continued to bug us. Nothing else may have been available, but at least we would have known that to be the case.