Monastery Stays?

Here's a recent post discussing them. Read through the responses because there's some good information and suggestions in there about booking them.

You could also do a search for other posts about them. I think several folks on this forum frequently use them.

I’ve stayed in MonasteryStays places in Venice, Verona, Merano, Siena, and Orvieto. It was always an interesting experience. Accommodations tended to be plain and basic, which is fine by me. Breakfasts varied considerably - the place in Merano had the most lavish buffet breakfast I’ve ever seen. Also wanted to remark that many of the places have gone over to being more like regular hotels, in that they have 24-hour front desks, and are thus easy to book with directly rather than going through MonasteryStays.

Thanks for this great information. I’ll certainly check out the other thread and try to contact these places directly. Many thanks.

My personal guideline for thinking that the places might be bookable directly is whether they appear as hotels on my online map. This is true of the Hotel Alma Domus in Siena, for instance.

Venice - Istituto San Guiseppe
Rome - Casa Maria Immacolata
Florence - Casa … Borgo Pinti
Assisi - Istituto Beata Angelina

All were very nice. In Assissi it was right across from the basilica. Venice was halfway between Rialto and San Marco.

I used Monastery Stays to stay in Venice and Cinque Terra earlier this month. I found the website kind of clunky compared to Booking.com. Took MStays a couple of days to confirm a reservation. However, the places where I stayed were a bargain, so I didn’t mind the delay.
One problem: I requested a reservation for a monastery in Rome and it took 2 or 3 days for MStays to let me know the place was full. Luckily I had made another reservation through Booking as a back up. Book early to avoid this problem.
Also, they ask that you print out a form letter that has your reservation info in Italian and then hand it to the manager when you arrive. A small extra step to remember.
Overall, I was pleased with the places I stayed and dealing with Monastery Stays was okay, just a slower process than booking through other sites.

I've used MS' services in Rome and Florence. Interestingly, in Florence, the desk clerk told me to book directly with them next time. It's not bad advice because you then don't have to pay the MS fee.

I use Monastery Stays for research only. I book directly with the monasteries, this year in Salzburg, next year in Florence and Rome. Better cancellation policy in all three, no prepayment. Plus Florence has a discount for 4 nights which Monastery Stays didn’t give.
https://gaestehaus-priesterseminar-salzburg.at/en/
https://www.anticadimorasantanna.com/en/
https://www.romacasaperferie.it/