I would love to hear if any of you have tried this, and how the experience was. We are 3 female friends who travel well together, but we would like to know if it is comfortable to share hotel rooms as a group of 3. Is it similar to a cruise ship sharing scenario? Any advice you have is very appreciated. Thanks!
Edit: Some of you have asked whether this is on our own or if on a Rick Steve’s tour. We are wanting to go on the 7 day Rome tour that he offers.
Please keep in mind that the average hotel room in Europe is usually a double or queen size bed, not two doubles like in the US. You might be able to have a sofa bed or cot. I'd look into an aparthotel or a family room that has a pullout sofa in another room.
Is it possible that one person can get a single room while the others share? Having 3 adults in any European hotel room I've stayed in sounds like a nightmare.
I assume you are talking about a Rick Steves tour?
On my first RS tour, Madrid&Barcelona, a group of 3 females (NOT ME!) traveled together and shared a room, so it is possible, I guess--can't imagine working out getting ready in the morning!
They did mention that in at least one hotel the 3rd bed was a fairly small cot.
I have never done a RS tour with 3 people, but I did do a ACIS student tour with 3 (my sister, my son (his was in middle school) and we were fine.
I was on two RS tours in April, actually had three beds in our room while we stayed at Kilkenny for us.
I would call the RS office if you are doing a Rick steves tour. At least you are there for 7 days and maybe you can get a bigger room.
I have gone on several trips with 2 other people and it has always worked out fine. Whether or not you are doing a tour or booking your own trip and rooms, just make sure that you emphasis that you want one room with 3 single beds. That is what I have always done and we always got exactly that. I have always found these rooms to be somewhat larger than a double room. You should have no trouble.
nope if you want to remain friends get separate rooms;
someone might be snoring keeping the others with sleeping problems or light sleepers awake
You can do it by booking rooms for triples. The tendency in Europe is to charge per person rather than by room in the US. Since European rooms tend to be on the small size, not all hotels have triples. But triples are available.
Have the 3 of you shared a 18x18 foot space--- think of a 2 car garage, with a corner carved out for the (tiny) bathroom
The rooms are much smaller than the typical US motel/hotel room and a free standing sink ( no counters) is the norm in Italy
Not been on a cruise ship so have no way to compare.
Are you talking a RS tour? If it is the Rome tour call their office & ask if this is possible. We have gone on 5 tours and most if not all of the rooms are pretty small. Maybe they have special rooms for three. The beds are usually twin if you are not traveling as a couple. I can’t imagine three people In most of the rooms we stayed in. If they don’t offer it I would suggest paying for the single room and taking turns on who gets the single room. When are you looking to go? They may or may not already know the hotel. Good luck
You could opt for a family room which will have more room though not necessarily fantastic beds. 1 or 2 of you showers in the evening, the other in the morning. My husband and I shared a family room with his mom for a total of 5 nights in Europe and it went just fine, but we are all pretty flexible people. It really depends on your personalities.
If you are spending 7 days in Rome I think you’d be happier with an apartment that is centrally located and allows some separation and hopefully 2 bathrooms..
I think what we need to know is if you're going to be on the Rick Steves' 7-day Rome tour or doing this on your own? If you're on the tour, then you probably need to look at a triple room if the tour accommodation offers them. There's no way I'd do it with, say, a cot pulled into a double room, even if that was possible. As previously mentioned, standard Italian hotel rooms tend to be really small.
As many are saying, if this is a Rick Steves tour, accomodations are handled by the tour, not by you. You need to talk to them about the possibility of 3 in a room for the week.
I've never been on a cruise ship, so I can't compare.
If you are traveling on your own, use Booking.com to search for potential lodgings for 3. They list hotels, B&Bs and apartments.
If the room or apartment is large enough and the 3 of you can work out your bathroom schedule, using one bathroom doesn't seem like a big deal to me.
Keep in mind what others have said about the typical small sizes of rooms in Italy. If you bring too much luggage, you may not have room for the 3 of you and it.
If you're 3 people, you have to book for 3 people, a triple room. It is not possible to book a double and then ask for an extra bed, for legal reasons.
And if course most can't imagine fitting 3 people in their room, most likely because their room in not a triple room but a double. You'll get or a double bed and a single, or 3 singles, maybe you can specify which one you prefer.
On my RS tour of Ireland, three friends were traveling together and asked to share one room. They were so, so cramped in there - not enough space for people plus luggage (three beds take up a lot of space) and the bathroom logistics were not fun with three people. Since you're thinking about the Rome tour where you don't move around, I'd call the RS tour office and ask whether they stay in hotels that have more spacious accommodations for three. Otherwise, the other option is one of you pays a single supplement for your own room or, without extra cost, is willing to be paired up with another traveler.
As others have suggested, you should call the RS Tour Dept. and talk to them about it. They're very helpful. If they know the hotel for your tour dates, you could look at triple rooms on their website before deciding.
Could you not go for a double room for two of you, and take turns using the single room with everyone helping to pay for it? Three of us were in a single cabin once on the QM2 and it was just awful. One night would be OK but 7 nights? Not a lot of fun .... in fact, not fun at all.
Yes, you need to specifically book a room for 3. This is a big difference from the US where most rooms have 2 beds and many have a sofa and 1 person or 4, price is the same. In Italy and everywhere in Europe I've been it is NOT that way. Book a room for 1 and you get 1 small bed. For 2 and you get a double bed or 2 small beds. Rooms for more than 2 are less common, but do exist. If you find and book a triple room, it will be a smaller room and will have 3 beds. I have no idea if the Rick Steves tour hotels even offer triple rooms. They may not, and one of you would need to get a single supplement or share with a stranger. Perhaps you could all split the cost of a single and rotate who gets her own room?
If you weren't taking a tour this would be a case where an apartment or aparthotel might be ideal.
Thank you for all the responses so far! I wanted to do my homework before discussing it with my friends. So many of you have said the rooms are very small, so I’m going to see about getting a single room also, and then see if they want to take turns having it, and splitting costs for it. If they don’t, I think I would enjoy having a room to myself, and it might be well worth the money. Not having restful nights can ruin the trip!
There are many more 3-person rooms in Europe than there are in the U.S. But that fact that you are booking an organized, "package" tour makes a big difference. Do you know the term "single supplement"? In fact, cruise ships have a limited number of single rooms, and I think they cost more than "half" the double room rate.
Another issue is that Rick tries to use smaller hotels that put the guests closer to local life. That means the number of rooms and the choices available (even aside from special requests, like yours ... ) is limited. (Indeed, the reports here that many Rick rooms come with earplugs (for street noise) is a deal-breaker for me. I've never been on a Rick tour. And I have stayed in non-air-conditioned rooms in the summer. That's why we always ask for a "rear" or courtyard room - fuggedabout the "view".)
When you book a tour, even a swell product like Rick's, you are buying a package. That means your customization options may be limited, and should be brought up well in advance of making the irrevocable purchase decision.
The hotels used for the RS Rome tour do have triple rooms in probably a variety of actual dimensions. Rooms don't tend to be uniform. A problem with trying to switch people between one twin room and one single room during the 7-night stay would be that you would not necessarily be in sync with the schedule for linen changes or other cleaning services.
Oh, I didn't think about the bed linens. So draw lots to see who gets the single room for the 7 nights and divide the cost among the three of you. I am exhausted now and will offer no further advice ...... unless persuaded.
The four of us shared a room in down town Florence for the 1st two nights, room had a queen bed and a double which was placed against a wall. I'd be willing to do that again w my 3 friends (we've been traveling together for every summer for 22 yrs now) but to do it right after the cross Atlantic flight was a huge mistake, seems like every time I dozed off someone would be up to go to bathroom, search in her suitcase for Advil, etc
