So my wife and I are finally getting to go on our belated honeymoon, and planning a nice Rick Steve like trip starting in Venice. In Venice, we are looking for a great hotel on the island, affordable, with a bathroom for just she and I. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Also stopping in Stuttgart where I grew up as a boy. I know my way around a bit, but it's been roughly 20 years since I was there. I plan on seeing my old home outside in the suburbs, but other than that, another decent hotel, maybe something run by a nice family would be great. Again, our own bathroom. We will then be in Zurich, which I have never been too, and know nothing about, except it is in Switzerland. Bathroom our own. Finally after a great river cruise, we will be in Amsterdam for the last few days, waiting to fly back home. I have been, but know little of how it is now(see living in Stuttgart). As before private toilette. Thank you for suggestions :)
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Almost all hotels in Italy will provide a bathroom for just you and her. Our favorite place in Venice is Pensione Guerrato, but there's no shortage of great places to stay in that beautiful city. As for your other cities, you might want to post those requests in the other section in the "To the West" section that covers those countries. Happy travels.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11835 posts
Congratulations, John! Some of us wait for 25 years to get to that European honeymoon. Hopefully yours wasn't delayed that long. If you are planning a "Rick Steves like" trip, do you have have his guidebooks? They have suggestions for lodging throughout Europe. That's where I always start. Then you can move on to Trip Advisor to check ratings and see if other likely candidates pop up. Most hotels and B&Bs have en suite bathrooms these days, BTW. I can tell you that in Venice we very much enjoyed http://www.aitagliapietra.com/homepage.htm, a fince B&B run by a charming young man, Lorenzo. It is very well located near Piazza San Marco. You don't say when you are going.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10714 posts
I also recommend Pensione Guerrato in Venice. It is next to the Rialto Market, near the Rialto Bridge and there is a vaporetto stop nearby. A few of there rooms have shared baths, but most of them have an en suite (private) bathroom. Our room was located on the corner of the building. From our room we could see the Rialto market and a slice of the Grand Canal.
Posted by
Sammamish, WA
403 posts
Andrea hinted at this, but phrase you are looking for when making reservations is "en suite." This means the bathroom is in your room, not shared. You don't say when you are going, but Casa Verardo in Venice is a fantastic, lux deal in the off season (90E). Much more expensive in high season.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
There's one more bathroom option to be aware of. Sometimes "private bathroom" might mean that you don't share a bathroom with anyone, but it's down the hall from your room (often next door). It's yours and yours alone, but you have to leave your room to get to it. It's not the most common set up, but I've seen it. "En suite" guarantees that it's in your room. "Private" may or may not be in your room. "Shared" means what it says, but in some of those instances you might have a sink or even a toilet in your room, but the shower is down the hall in a shared space. Also, do you know about beds in Italy? Often, your room will have two twin beds that they just push together if you ask for "letto matrimoniale." Far from ideal, particularly for a honeymoon.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
To add to Michael's excellent reply, for completeness: sometimes I've had a shower and sink in the room, and it was only the toilet that was down the hall. So, if bathroom arrangements are important, you need to get details. Don't make any assumptions. Yes, the phrase usually used in Europe to describe what most Americans consider a "private bathroom" is "en suite."