Staying in monasteries?

Do be sure you read and understand their rules and regs. I have heard about them for years, and often with glowing reports, but I didn't realize they want a 30% non refundable deposit. I see that as a problem when I book months in advance. I want free cancellation. Of course, if the monastary cancels, you get your deposit back. Some monastaries or nunneries can be booked through the organization thrmselves. Can you do better in a private room in a hostel? Also, if for the summer, some universities rent out the extra dorms.

Thanks MariaF. Will consider whether the deposit is a factor - because we are only booking now for July, I'm not too worried about that. Will have a look at whether we can book directly with the monasteries.

I think hostels aren't an option - we are fairly quiet and both have over-protective parents!

We stayed at a convent(sorry I forget the name, but I think it was in Rick's book) and would definitely stay there again. I commend you on wanting to stay somewhere that would ease your mothers' minds.

You should check out hostelworld online. Hostels have really changed. I'm a boomer, but when my daughter was studying abroad right before the pandemic, she traveled by herself to several cities in Italy, Poland and Germany and stayed in hostels. I was impressed when I saw the pictures--they are like mini-hotels. She had only positive experiences.

And some hostels have curfews too.

My daughter and I stayed at different Monasteries a couple of times in Italy. If curfew isn’t a problem then go for it . Clean, great locations , quiet, economical.

I used Monasteries.com for research. But I booked a monastery stay in Salzburg through its website. Read their information carefully, rooms are not always cancellable and not all have a/c. My stay is not until mid-June so I can’t report on my experience.

Thanks all! Any recommendations for Milan?

My wife and I stayed in 4 on our trip to Italy - Rome, Assisi, Florence, Venice. We wouldn’t consider staying in anything else. All booked thru Monasterystays.com

An alternative to monastery stays in Venice: I stayed at a nice, low key B&B in Venice last year, B&B Corte Campana. I slept in the Fradèi room with two twin beds and private bath. Don't quote me, but it was about €145/night, discounted price for over four nights. Payment is cash only. So a tad over your budget but quiet and close to everything. Riccardo and Grace are lovely. https://www.cortecampana.com/index.html I plan to stay there again next year.

I have stayed twice (including October 2022) at the Madonna Dell Orto in Venice that I booked through monasterystays.com. Quiet neighborhood, simple accommodations, pastries and yogurt at breakfast. Wifi worked great. No curfew, they give you keys for the front door and your room. They ask that you not eat in your room but there is a large breakfast room with microwave, bottled water, and refrigerator for everyone's use. Some rooms have private bathrooms, others have shared bathrooms. Bring your own soap as the only soap is liquid soap in the shower. Towels and hair dryers provided.

Thank you everyone! I have booked accommodation for July directly with two convents. I looked up reviews and photos on monasterystays but then contacted them directly. Both are in a fantastic location.

If anyone is interested, they are:
Istituto San Guiseppe in Venice for 95 euros per night plus city tax (http://sangiuseppecaburlotto.it/ospitalita/casa-istituto-san-giuseppe-venezia/)
Holiday House of the Oblate of the Assumption in Florence for 90 euros per night including breakfast, plus city tax (https://www.oblate.it/en/)

You made great choices. Those were two of the ones we stayed at. The cab drover said the one in Florence was the best location. It was very nice on a quiet one way street.

The Venice one is on a canal where we got a Gondola. It is about halfway between Rialto and San Marco. It can be a little difficult to find the first time. GPS will be helpful

Thanks stephen! That's great to hear - we were pleased that they looked like they were in a good location.

Hey there! Thank you for the two monastery suggestions! I am planning a trip to Venice and I was unsure how the booking process works! Did you call or email them to book? Btw, these places look beautiful! And fantastic prices!

Hi jgsmith0627!
For the stay in Venice, I used the link above and clicked on the blue box that says 'richiedi disponibilità' ('ask for availability' if you translated the page to English) and received an email back that same day quoting the prices. But my general process was to look them up on MonasteryStays or Monasteries.com and then search up the religious group that operates the houses. That's how I found the websites above. If they didn't have an option to fill out the form online, I just emailed them. I imagine you could definitely call them though - I'm in Australia and didn't want the hassle (and charges!) of having to call long-distance. Hope this helps!

I know you booked yours already, and I haven't made my trip yet.
But I did book one for us for a number of nights in Venice.

I am travelling with my daughter, niece and we are meeting up with a British friend of mine and her two girls.

It was much more cost-efficient for us to do it this way, as there is one I found that would hold all six of us, rather than having to get multiple rooms or an Air BnB