A decision finally made!!! (just sharing!)

Re: A decision finally made!!! (just sharing!)

• KatWAG member

  

  February 2014

  Yay! Love Italy. I have never been to Lake Como but I hear its amazing!

  

  Report1 Reply
• Jells2dot0 mod

  

  February 2014

  I stayed in Cernobbio at Villa d'Este a few years back. We did some sightseeing, went to Bellagio, and milled about town. Plus, Villa d'Este itself is amazing! We considered getting married there before I realized it would be too much planning for me. There are a lot of little villages to check out around there for sure! It's quite scenic. You can even arrange to go into Milan if you wanted to. Enjoy!!!

   

  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Report1 Reply
• thisismynickname2 member

  

  February 2014

  @Jells2dot0 That Villa is regrettably not available when we want to go.... and it's a wee bit out of our price range too!  A girl can dream though! 

  I'm looking at 4-star hotels but something's puzzling me. Some of the most popular also have lower reviews than I would ordinarily like-- 3.9/5 guest ratings.  Given that there is such a wide variety of people that go, I'm sure standards and determination of "value" differ.  I know when things go up in star rating, travelers are more discerning and picky.  I even saw one review from a European that wrote, "North Americans may attribute the shabbiness to old world charm, but not us."   I had to laugh, because I really do want the old world charm. I should think 4 stars is 4 stars, whether it's "old" or "modern", no?  What's your opinion?  I can get a lake view at a 4 star for about $240 a night, and I'm about to pull the trigger even with the 3.9/5 guest rating.  After that level of room things jump to over $500, which we really can't do.   

  ________________________________

  
  

  
  

  Report0 Reply
• Jells2dot0 mod

  

  February 2014

  Villa d'Este is a resort with a variety of different room types. But, yes, it most likely is above the $500/night.

  The star system in Europe is very different from what us Americans perceive it to be. So, a 4 star doesn't necessarily mean it's sub par or not nice. It means that it lacks some amenities that you may find in a full service resort. If Americans go and it's not quite full service, then they will probably rate it lower. Most of us expect to travel overseas and be fully catered to, even at a "4 star" resort because we see 4 star as being high end full service but just not super high end. To Europeans, four star may just mean that the hotel doesn't have an elevator or pool. As for the European who rated it low, it can certainly just be a one-off thing. I always take reviews online with a grain of salt. For all we know, the weather could have been crappy while that traveler is there and he was pissed, so he blasted the hotel. Weather is certainly not the hotel's fault.

   

   

  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  Report1 Reply
• delujm0 member

  

  February 2014

  I usually like to read a lot of reviews...if several people are complaining about the same specific thing, then it's probably legitimate.  If one person has a probelm with something that isn't mentioned by anyone else, i usually feel like that was just a one-time thing.  I also like to consider what is important to me in a hotel.  If the complaints are about items that aren't really that important to me, i don't really care.

   

  In Europe, my main goal is to be in a location that is accessible to the sights I want to see, either in walking distance or being very close to public transportation.  So if i see a review that says "it was very far from the nearest Metro station" or "it was off the beaten path and not easily accessible" that would be a problem for me.  It wouldn't be a problem for someone who had rented a car though, or someone who wanted to be off the beaten path in a quiet neighborhood.

   

  Also, keep in mind that unless you go super high end in Europe, the hotels will NOT look like American hotels.  Many of them are in very old buildings and don't have some of the amenities that Americans consider necessary even in a low level business-travel hotel.  If you want to stay in a very Americanized hotel, you should stick to American hotel brands (Marriott, etc).  otherwise, find a hotel that sounds like it will fit your must haves and just go with it.  when i was last in Italy, I was able to find hotels that were acceptable to my mother (who had never left the country before...so she was definitely expecting an Americanized experience) for under $300/night in most places.  If i had been by myself, I would have dealt with less expensive hotels that may have had smaller rooms or fewer amenities.

   

  Also, not sure if you're going in the summer, but if Air Conditioning is important to you make sure the hotel expressly mentions it...a lot of them will not have it.

  Report0 Reply
• thisismynickname2 member

  

  February 2014

  We've booked!!! We're doing Hotel Cadenabbia, which is very old-world and has the amenities we want (pool, even though it'll be cooler, and AC, toiletries, balcony, restaurants on site, lakefront property).  

  
  

  It's funny, all the times I've been to Europe we've chosen two star hotels because truly, all we're doing is sleeping. They're always very simple and clean with good breakfasts- no complaints for a place to just rest our heads.  I think the reviewers here are just being overly critical. To say something is "old" or "shabby", I mean, come on now. If I wanted a W I would have found a W.  Out of 600-odd reviews with most of them being around 4 for "very good", I'm sure with my low standards it'll be great! 

  ________________________________

  
  

  
  

  Report0 Reply