Your hotel room is not simply a place where you get back after a day of sightseeing. It's really important that you have a nice and clean place to come back to, where you can rest and sum up all the impressions you have from your long day of sightseeing.
If you enjoy nice surroundings, the place you lay your head down at night can make or break your Italian holidays.
With that in mind, I always do extensive research before booking accommodation in Italy. Until recently, I used guidebooks to get the recommendations I need. It turned out that guidebooks are not such a reliable source after all. The information they provide is not always recent, and sometimes, it's not even checked properly.
Take for example the reviews of Frommer's guidebook and EveWitness Guide to Florence and Tuscany. They both have the best possible words for Antica Torre hotel in Siena. From their reviews you get under the impression that those stone steps they describe will lead you into perfect little cozy rooms with Tuscan antiques and marble floors. Seems amazing, right?
But the reviews at online review sites such as TripAdvisor.com tell a different story: "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."
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."
That means that you shouldn't trust just about anything they write in guidebooks for Italy. They can be great things to start with but make sure you double-check at discussion forums and online review sites before deciding on a hotel.
If you enjoy nice surroundings, the place you lay your head down at night can make or break your Italian holidays.
With that in mind, I always do extensive research before booking accommodation in Italy. Until recently, I used guidebooks to get the recommendations I need. It turned out that guidebooks are not such a reliable source after all. The information they provide is not always recent, and sometimes, it's not even checked properly.
Take for example the reviews of Frommer's guidebook and EveWitness Guide to Florence and Tuscany. They both have the best possible words for Antica Torre hotel in Siena. From their reviews you get under the impression that those stone steps they describe will lead you into perfect little cozy rooms with Tuscan antiques and marble floors. Seems amazing, right?
But the reviews at online review sites such as TripAdvisor.com tell a different story: "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."
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."
That means that you shouldn't trust just about anything they write in guidebooks for Italy. They can be great things to start with but make sure you double-check at discussion forums and online review sites before deciding on a hotel.
About the Author:
Get prepared and learn all about amazing places to visit in Italy by visiting www.30DaysInItaly.com when planning your Italian holidays.. This article, Be Careful Booking Your Hotel In Italy has free reprint rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment