Specific Hotel Requests for Budget Honeymoon! (Rome, Florence, Agri, Cinque Terre, Venice)

My advice would be to check out booking.com or airbnb.com, plug in your dates and budget, zoom into the map on the area you want to be, and pick the hotel with the highest rating within your budget. RS reccomended hotels have become very popular, and the cheapest ones area booked solid well in advance. Also, I've found that sometimes you get a better rate thru booking.com than booking directly.

While not traditional hotels, Cross-Pollinate.com has lodging close to your price range in Venice. Venice seems to always be more expensive. We have used their company for a number of years and trips. We are staying there in September and I believe we are paying 105 Euros and that is with private bath included. Many of their apartments or rooms don't have elevators but we have always been pleased with our stays with C-P.

It's not under 100 euro, but you will look at a range, I presume. In Florence we liked B & B Soggiorno Battistero. It's right on Piazza San Giovanni, our room looked directly on to the Baptistery, with the Duomo to the right. On third floor (American 4th), with elevator. Obviously it is a busy area, but dual glazed windows and indoor "shutters" (solid light blocking wood panels) made it pleasant when it was time for sleep. Simple breakfast of muffin, coffee, juice and hard boiled egg included, served in room. Total in late September last year, including the bed tax, was 123 euro per night. Confirm view when reserving. Nice spot.

http://www.soggiornobattistero.it/

In Vernazza we stayed at one of the Camere LaTorre cottages WAY up on the hill above town, directly above their restaurant and next to the trail to Corniglia. It is a climb to get home, but we loved it-spectacular full coastal views, and a good sized patio. 85 euro/night. So we're down to an average of 104 per night ;-))
http://www.camerelatorre.com/index2.html

Using the book info you have, email responses you're received, and other booking sites that show availability, I recommend that you start making some commitments now with the places that said they had space. Go ahead and choose the lower-budget options; any place in the book is recommended and I think honestly described. A hotel should not make or break your experience of these great cities. My father always pointed out old, run-down barns as "nice honeymoon cottages."

danielle,

First of all, congratulations!!!

As August is only a short time away, you may have to take what you can find with hotels, and you may have to increase your budget.

I don't have a lot of time this morning, but a couple of suggestions.....

• Rome - I haven't stayed at Hotel Oceania but I've heard good things. If you can get a room there, it would be a good idea to book soon. I like to stay in the Termini area so Hotels Aberdeen or Sonia are my usual choices. You could try The Beehive, but I've found they're usually booked solid months in advance. You could also consider staying in a private double room at a Hostel, and one you could look at is Alessandro Palace, which is an easy eight minute (or so) walk from Termini.
• Venice - IMO Venice seems to be a bit "pricier" than other locations in Italy, but you could try Albergo Doni. It's a bit "basic", but comfortable (although I suspect they may be fully booked by now).
• Florence - while it's probably above your budget, you could also look at Katti House. If they have a vacancy, book soon!!! I was in Florence last year, but the hotel I was using was inexpensive but a bit "quirky". I can provide the name in a PM if you're interested.
• Cinque Terre - whatever you can find, BOOK SOON! I'd suggest not being too choosy about which town to stay in, find what you can. Have a look at THIS list for Monterosso or THIS list for Vernazza. The lists should both be reasonably current, and they provide a good idea of the places available. You might start in Monterosso as it's the largest of the five and therefore has the greatest number of accommodations. The most popular hotels are Hotel Villa Steno and Hotel Pasquale, but it's almost certain they're fully booked (although you could try). If nothing there, try Vernazza then Manarola and finally Riomaggiore. Corniglia is the least popular town given its location high on a rock bluff, but there are a few places there including a Hostel.
• Agriturismo - as I usually travel solo, I've never used an Agriturismo so will have to leave that question to the others. Keep in mind you might need a rental car to reach them. Given the short time to departure, they may all be booked. You may have to add a few days in Florence and skip the Agriturismo. Use the time for day trips to Siena, Lucca or wherever.

I realize your budget is limited but you may have to increase in some cases as €100 per night is a bit low, especially in peak season.

Buon Viaggio!

danielle we stayed at Hotel Oceania in 2012. Perfectly fine. Not luxurious, but comfortable and quiet. Right around the corner from metro stop.

In May we stayed at the Grand Tour Firenze for 3 nights. I would highly recommend it and if I ever return to Florence will stay here again. The property is in a convenient part of the city; very short walk to the main "sites" yet away from any chaos. My daughter and I shared a room and my parents shared another room. The owner let us see the suite (located on the ground level) and this is where I would stay, if I return. The rooms are very "old world charming". The bathrooms are small, as are most in Italy. The owner was a very gracious host. He took the time at check in to point out on a map some very good restaurants and must see/lesser known sites.
We also stayed 3 nights in Cinque Terre - Manarola. We hiked between Corniglia and Monterosso. We spent time in all 5 towns and would stay again in Manarola. We stayed at Affittacamere San Giorgio. It seemed like the rooms are newly remodeled. I know Vernazza is touted as the town to stay in but it seemed more crowded and a bit trickier getting luggage to wherever the accommodations were. Manarola seems more laid back. There are only a few restaurants in Manarola but they are excellent.
We also stayed in Venice at Hotel Anastasia. Nice rooms but over your budget. Venice is on my list to return to and I'd probably choose someplace in the Cannaregio district. It seems less touristy.
I hope this helps.

In Vernazza, try:

http://www.elisabettacarro.it/

I also recommend the Grand Tour Firenze if you can get it. Everything Amyf says above is true. We stayed there in March and would return in a minute! The neighborhood looks a little down-at-the-heels but is completely safe and you are only a ten-minute walk to the Duomo and less to the Accademia. Plus they have big fluffy towels which is unusual in Italy.
Cynthia

You may not be able to stay in every place for under 100 euro at some of the names you mention. But at the end of the trip if you can average out to 100 euro you are good. You may pay say 70 euro a night in CT and 130 euro a night in Rome. Depending on the number of days it may not average out to 100 a night but it's close.

I stayed at the Hotel Aberdeen and loved it this past October. The staff was friendly and very helpful. They called restaurants to make reservations while we were out touring for dinner. The location is good only a few blocks from Termini and all the transportation modes. The street was quiet. I'll be staying at the Hotel Sonya this September. Had a great deal for 1 night and folks on this board gave it good reviews and mentioned it alot with the Aberdeen.

Venice - Probably not going to find anyhting cheap unless you are in Mestre off the island. Pay the extra and stay on the island in Venice.

Florence - haven't stayed there overnight. I prefer Siena and daytip into Florence.

CT - I stayed at La Marina rooms. The view from our room was amazing looking back into town. I live in Florida and opted for the town view instead of the water out to sea view. It is a climb to get up there from the main street of town, like 70 steps. You work off the pasta you had for dinner going back up. Christian meet us at the station, even carried our bags up the rooms. He got us a nice table on the railing at the Belforte resturant for dinner one night.

First off, congratulations! We stayed at the Hotel Margaret in Rome in Sept 2013, and had absolutely no issues. The staff were lovely and helpful, standard Italy breakfasts were served, and although the room we had was quite small, it was clean and we had our own bathroom, and very little time was spent there anyways. The area was good and we felt quite safe and were able to walk almost anywhere we wanted to be. There were some very nice restaurants close by also, one being the Quattro Quantro?? Fabulous anniversary dinner was had there.
Outside Sienna (Maybe 10-15 mins from train station/car rental) there is a B&B called Le Petit Rosso?? Even though you are right out in the countryside you can see Sienna not far away, so as long as you havea rental car, you're good. We enjoyed our 5 day stay there as it was a great venue to tour around to all the little villages in the area. Our apartment had its own kitchen so we could cook which brought the cost down.
Hope this info helps.
Kathy