Family accomodations

Yvonda Your budget for hotel accommodations in Italy for a family of 5 is very unrealistic. From what you said, the convent and monasteries did not have affordable family rooms either. How long are you going to be in each city? Check out apartments as well. I think RS has some suggestions in his book for rental agencies or others. Usually the greater the number of days, the more likely you will get an an apartment. However, prices probably will still not be as low as your budget. But you can save some on meals to offset your accommodations. You don't' have to really cook, but you can buy from the markets or buy take out. If you are going this summer when the highest rates are, any low cost accommodation will be very difficult to get. These fabluous cities on your itinerary are high priced at any time. You are more likely to find more affordable accommodations outside of the major cities. Good luck. Bobbie

Are you trying to find lodging under $150 (113 euros) a night total for 5 people? What ages are the 5? Are you looking to all share the same room? When are you traveling? You might try looking for an apartment through vrbo.com.

Yvonda, We have a family of 5 as well, and have lodged in some 50+ locations in Europe including the biggest cities and averaged about $140/night. HOWEVER, each stay in an expensive city has been in either an apartment (average $140/nt) or in a youth hostel (city hostels are more expensive than others and we might have averaged $160/nt). Those slightly higher costs have been offset by lower costs in several more rural stays. You will almost certainly not find a hotel worth staying in for that price in any large city. That's 56euros for each of two rooms, assuming you can't find a "family" room for 112euros, which is also highly unlikely. It would be a bit of a challenge to find two hotel rooms for even $100(or 76 euro) each, especially in Venice. The good news is that in both Rome and Venice, apartment rentals can be had for as little as three nights. Venice will be a bit above your budget, but not by a lot. Rome will fit - at least for a few places. It may take some searching, but you can find a few. You can also save a lot that way cooking a few meals in or at least getting some groceries to make picnic lunches and eat-in breakfasts. More room to stretch, too.

If you are traveling in peak season, you may have a hard time finding accomodations for 5 for even 150€/night. If you are traveling in the off season, then you might be ok in Rome with an apartment. In Florence, I would recommend contacting the owners of Il Magnifico B&B. It's more like a hostel (you have a private bathroom, but it's down the hall), but they can add two folding beds to the triple room. My family of 5 found it quite spacious. Your best bet in Venice is probably not to stay in Venice, but to stay in Mestre. You'll have to take the train (or bus) in to Venice each day. We went in winter/off season and even then I thought prices were high. You may have luck finding an apartment, but pay close attention to where the location is if you don't want to be dragging your luggage up and down a ton of stairs when crossing 15 bridges to get there.

An apartment may be a more affordable option for you. We used sleepinitaly.com recently and were very happy with their service and the apartment we rented in Rome, which averaged out to about 100 euros per night (for a 1-bedroom near the Pantheon in off-season). Their website allows you to search/sort by price and amenities. Hope that helps!