This page holds information about the hotels we used during our July 2013 European trip.
Rome:
Hotel Artemide
Via Nazional, 22-00184
www.hotelartemide.it
I chose this hotel from good internet reviews, knowing we would want to stay in this area. Our room was small - with no room for chairs. We were in Room 204.
We had a King bed, desk, television, large closets and a good-sized marble bath. The hotel staff were super-friendly and helpful. They made dinner reservations for us a few times and fetched taxis, etc. Our room rate included full breakfast (buffet) every day and the food selection was quite good and the dining room was very pretty. In-room coffee/tea. One interesting thing about this hotel is the mini bar in each room is filled daily with waters, beers, sodas, snacks, etc., and all these things are free of charge. They restock daily with what you used the day before - all included in the room rate. They also leave one bottle of wine as a welcome gift (not restocked). Wifi (no charge), air conditioning, fitness center, roof-top restaurant/bar. Close to Termini train station.
Our room rate was different nearly every day, as we were at the hotel on weekend and week days, but the average was 211 Euros per night.Pros: location, friendly staff, clean room, free internet with a strong signal. Roof-top restaurant and breakfast were very nice. DT used the small fitness center every day; he said it was adequate and they also have a steam room. Cons: our room was small, but served us well. Street noise was a bit bothersome; ask for a room in the rear of the hotel(?). Our room had a safe, but it was too small for a laptop, though fine for cameras, passports, etc.
Read my journal from Rome - August 10-13, 2013.
Florence
Hotel De La Ville
Plaza Antinori
1 (Via Tornabuoini) 50123
www.hoteldelaville.it
I chose this hotel because we had really enjoyed our stay here on our last trip to Florence. The location is ideal, the street is quiet and you can walk to everything (true basically anywhere in Florence).
Reception
Lounge
Bar
Breakfast Buffet
Sitting area in our room
King bed
Huge marble bath - toilet, bidet & sink at one end, tub/shower on the otherWe had a "Michelangelo" room (201) on the second floor. It over-looked the front of the hotel and was very quiet (sound-proofing windows are installed). The room was massive, well-appointed, comfortable and super clean. We had a King bed and a sitting area with a sofa and two chairs. A television was situated to swivel to accommodate the bed or sofa area. There were three large closets and a safe (again, way too small for a laptop). The bathroom (16 steps long) had a bidet, toilet, and single sink at one end - and a shower/tub at the other. Excellent water pressure and plenty of hot water.
The Hotel de la Ville has a very nice breakfast buffet (included in our room rate of 220 Euros per night) and service is excellent in the bar, but the lounge is never lively.
Though we did not use the concierge service on this trip, our fellow guests were most happy with the service, as were we on our previous visit.
Pros: Location. Old-World Charm at a good price. Helpful staff and good breakfast buffet. Clean. Walk to everywhere. Cons: The internet never seems to work! (Same problem at our last visit.) People convene in the lobby for the wifi (wifi is ONLY available in the lobby). When the internet is working, it is only available in your room via the ethernet cable (and seriously (?), not too many new laptops even have that hook-up). My advise... if you are traveling with a newer laptop without an Ethernet port, buy an adapter that hooks into an USB port or pay the price. The safe will hold your passport and a camera, but was too small for even an iPad.
That said, next time we go to Florence, I am booking the Hotel de la Ville.
Read my journal from Florence - August 14-17, 2013
Lake Como - Coming Soon
Durham, England - Coming Soon
London, England - Coming Soon