Sicily and South Italy Tours

I don't know about the rest of the RS itinerary, but Sister and I were in Ortigia/Syracusa two weeks ago (early April), staying at Domus Mariae Albergo, and there was a RS Sicily tour group staying there at the same time. Lovely hotel!

Thanks. That is very helpful.

Mary, we did the Sicily tour in February, and other than the Hotel Ambasciatori in Palermo and the one previously mentioned in Siracusa, I don't remember the names of the others. But I do remember that they were all much nicer than we expected. The one in Agrigento was actually outside of town in an agricultural area. But also, I got the impression that they can change during the year because of conventions, and other busy events, especially in peak travel season.

Thanks, Stan. It is my understanding that the hotels can change. I am trying to get an idea of the quality. We have done 3 RS tours and one or two of the hotels were not great.

Mary: Hotel Continental in Taormina, Hotel Romano House in Catania (very modern). Residence la Gancia in Trapani. Baglio della Luna in Agrigento. All very nice and up to date. I wouldn't call any of them "mom & pop" type places.
We've done three other RS tours, and this was the best as far as accommodations.

Thanks, Stan, for taking the time to look those up for me!

Hi, Mary,
We just returned from the Southern Italy Tour. The hotels we had on the tour are all very comfortable, friendly, quiet, and unique. I did not hear any negative comments from any of our travel buddies about their accommodations. Each hotel had a terrific breakfast and helpful staff. I'd stay in any one of them again and recommend them all for their convenient locations and comfort.

When you make your tour deposit, you'll get the names of the first and last hotel on the tour. Then a month before your departure, you learn the names of the others.

By next May, they may change, but in early September 2019 we stayed in Hotel San Francesco, Rome; Hotel Seggio, Vieste; Locanda di San Martino, Matera; Hotel Savoia, Positano; Hotel Mignon, Sorrento; Grand Hotel Oriente, Naples.

Enjoy your travels!
-Polly

Thanks, Polly. I have booked both the RS Sicily and southern Italy tours back to back and have the hotel names. The hotel in Rome is the Smeraldo and in Naples the Grand Hotel Oriente. Yes, they do change the hotels at times. I am sure they will be fine. We are looking forward to both tours in May.

Oh, Mary, I love Hotel Smeraldo! Sister and I stayed there for two nights this past April. Our room was a bit small, but incredibly comfortable, beautiful, well-appointed. Small but wonderful bathroom. Lovely rooftop bar/lounge area. Take your own wine or purchase theirs. Fabulous staff who were very helpful in many ways. And a fabulous location in an historic, central part of Rome. Lucky you!

We thought Hotel Grand Oriente was wonderful. They have a great staff, one of the best breakfast buffets we’ve ever had, a lovely roof-top bar with a view over the city (breakfast room is roof-top as well) and well-appointed guest rooms.

Wow, memory lane! I stayed at the Grand Hotel Oriente in Naples in 1994. At the time it was a splurge for me (about $100 a night for a single), but it was very nice. I was able to walk lots of the downtown area.

Twenty-five years later, I'm glad to hear it's still nice!

My husband and I stayed at Residence la Gancia in Trapani. We were not on a Rick Steves tour. The hotel was wonderful. It is by the sea with stairs down to a beach. It is also close to the center with shops and restaurants. Breakfast was adequate. No cooked to order items but enough of a variety we did not go hungry. We would stay there again if in Trapani