B&B Dei Mori, Florence Italy Venice???

My husband and I stayed at Dei Mori in 2010 and we loved it! There was a nice patio for breakfast and the hosts were really helpful. We walked their from the train station and had no trouble finding it and it seemed like a nice central location. I really don't remember any problems with it at all.

It is located on an upper level and I do remember having to take the stairs, but I don't remember what they were like. We carried backpacks so luggage was not an issue for us.

Thank you for the reply!

There are a lot of steps....a whole lot of steps. We stayed there 3 years ago and my mother, who is amazing shape, is still giving me a hassle about it! Once you get there the B&B is lovely, if not a bit tight. Our particular room had an odd bathroom with a glass door so that for any longer visits to the bathroom the other one of us hung out in the living room. There are always tea and coffee makings available so that was nice. Back to the steps; think carefully about carrying your suitcase up and down because while the hosts try to be there and will be helpful, our visit fell during their own weekend away and the substitute hostess was a woman who was tiny and no way would I have allowed her to carry my bag down. I think the owners carried our cases up and we carried them down. The steps were inside the building, narrow and steep. It put a damper on the idea of "let's just run down and get a gelato or take a stroll in the evening". Sorry to sound so down but given your ages I'd seriously consider what you're getting into.

The neighborhood is really nice; good location, good restaurants nearby and an easy walk to the train station.

I have a picture from the top if you'd like to send me a private note ~ perhaps I can figure out how to get it to you!

Thank you Lisa, I will send you a private message and perhaps you can send me a picture of the stairs. I did see a picture on the hotel website that someone had posted. It was a view from the bottom. I was mainly concerned that they were narrow stone stairs. They look like they are regular cement steps and probably wide enough to roll my carry on up. We will be traveling with carry on so that is a plus and we are in very good ...perhaps I should say excellent shape for our age. We just returned from Gatlinburgh TN. where we hiked up to Clingmans dome. This is a paved trail but it is a half a mile long and basically straight up. It took approx. 30 minutes to reach the top and this was after we had already done a hike in the morning.

I stayed at Hotel Bigallo on a side street near the Duomo, there are some stairs but not more than 12, and there is an elevator. It was a little over a hundred euro per night.

Hi
If steps are problematic, can I suggest contacting Katti House. Ask for a room at their B&B on via nationale. It is in a building with a lift. It was new when we stayed in April May 2013. Location is still central. regards

Thank you all for your advice and help. We decided to book at Dei Mori...call us crazy but the steps do not scare us. LOL! We may feel differently once we face them but we are pretty tough retirees. Actually we plan on walking and taking the stairs as much as possible...after all there will be pasta, wine and gelato! Thank you all again!

Karen,

For Venice, we just finished a stay at Locando Orseola. You can read up on some of it on TripAdvisor. It got great ratings for service and we totally agreed. The location is great. It's literally only a few blocks/5 minutes from St. Mark's square, but on a really quiet little piazza. The hosts are very friendly and the breakfasts were delicious.

FYI, what Rick's book does say about Dei Mori is "no elevator." (Based on my experience and budget, I pretty much expect to be on the fifth floor.) Even when an elevator is listed in Italy, you can often expect several steps before you reach it, so people who can't do stairs unfortunately have to investigate further. Buon viaggio!