Monastery Stays in Venice - or Italy in general?

Monasterystays.com lists several in Venice, I stayed at one on the Fondamente Nova a few years ago, nice breakfast, elevator, manager and some of the sisters spoke English. Beautiful garden, too. Can't find the name, though.

Another source for all of Italy is santasusanna.org. Monasterystays charges a fee and takes care of the reservation process, santasusanna has a list with links to the properties.

I found the curfews reasonable, and the simple rooms a very peaceful change.

I had read some reviews on TripAdvisor NOT to book thru Monastery Stays because of all the extra charges. Not sure what that means, but I read it on several different reviews. That it was good to use Monastery Stays to find a Convent, but then to book directly with the Convent. . . not sure how easy that would be.

Zoe, thanks for the info on the other site . . . I assume that site allows us to book directly with the Convent?

We are taking the 10Day RS Venice, Florence, Rome tour & are spending another week there on our own & we are considering Convents over hotels in some areas like Siena, Assisi, & Florence . . . maybe a hotel in Orvieto. Thanks again!!

Jtraveler . . . TripAdvisor had GREAT reviews of the Convents on Monastery Stays . . . check TripAdvisor out.

I really like the convent of the catechumeni in Dosadoro 100 yards from Salute church. Sorry but I don't have their email. FYI, no English spoken.

You don't give your Travel dates, but that can be an issue in Venice--most convents there take in university students during school year, not travelers. So book early if you are traveling at that time. Suggest you also Google religious guesthouses; there are a few large ones in Venice and I don't think they fill with students.

I've not encountered this student housing issue in other cities.

And as a last point--monasterystsy.com fee is VERY nominal and they can smooth your experience. I only used them once in a remote part of the Gargano peninsula where I didn't want surprises, and they were very good. To me, it seems a little exploitive to use their database and then book oneself. They are not a huge company and I think it is good to support that type of enterprise. But everyone needs to make their own call on the ethics.

Hi - Thanks for the reply and details.
It looks like Catecumeni is not available for my dates (early July) based on a search of Monastery Stays . com but other sites indicate the prices are around e150-160 for a double which is almost hotel-level. It looks like a gorgeous convent, so I'll keep an eye on it, but may prefer the ones in Castello which run e50 pp.

Thanks again!

I considered booking a monastery room on my recent trip to northern Italy but found the price to be almost the same (double room) as staying in a hotel.

If I were traveling solo, then it would make more sense to stay at a monastery.

I agree with you, since they charge €75-100pp, and if you need a double, then it's better to stay in a hotel.

Some of them provide bed & bath linens at an extra charge also.

I'm surprised at the price you note for the convent of the catechumeni. A year and a half ago, I paid 50 or €55 for a single room with the bathroom immediately outside my room. The hotel that I use in the same area of Venice was €95. Rooms at those two places were pretty similar.

I've stayed in many convents and generally found them to be about half the price of a simple hotel in the same neighborhood. And MUCH cleaner than many budget hotels. Since I prefer to travel on my own, I also like the safety of the convents.

Some are almost as expensive as hotels, but that's rare. I've never stayed in one of those. You should be able to find something much less expensive than a hotel.

Sherry,

So, at another Monastery in canaregio, for my dates (early July) I see rates of about 100 euro for a twin. I agree with you -- one might get MORE for the money (all prices even being equal) than a hotel. Many of the budget hotels one pays for are less than they claim to be, and easily cost twice as much.

I'm not sure about the Catecumeni since my experience trying to book online suggested they didn't even have a room, which seems unlikely at this date, so I'll keep trying.

J, yes, santasusanna.org has a list of convents/monasteries and you book directly with the property.

Monasterystays.com does charge a commission, but that is disclosed on its website.

I stayed at Casa Cardinale Piazza in Cannaregio for about $80 single, it currently is priced at about $110 per night, double. I think you can find a hotel or B&B for that price. Last year I stayed at the San Marcuolo for about $120 double, nice breakfast, small garden courtyard, 50 meters from the vaporetto stop.

HI all -
I inquired directly with Casa Cardinal Piazza and got a confirmation email that reads

Si conferma la prenotazione di una stanza doppia dal 7 al 10 luglio.
La Direzione

I can read italian fine, but should I assume from "prenotazione" that they are holding a room for me or that some further action is needed to secure a reservation? They didn't ask for a deposit or a Credit Card number.
Thanks -
J

Anyone able to help with the question in my last comment above?

By the way, Venezia Catecumeni monastery told me via email that they were no longer offering room and board to travelers.

Email them back and ask if they want you to secure your reservation with a deposit. Some places ask for a credit card, and other places don't ask for a deposit. Email is so fast and easy; it's worth knowing how they operate and putting youself at ease.

Thanks. I did that, once in italian and once just now in english. We'll see.

When you find out what time of day you will arrive at your lodging, email them to let them know. They appreciate knowing the time of your arrival, it gives them a chance to get ready for you. Just a few times Lodgings asked me to adjust my arrival time, but it was no big deal. Like come at Noon, not 10, or come in the early afternoon, not morning.