Hotels for RS Best of Italy Tour

I'd be careful in Florence, you MAY not want to leave (sorry, just couldn't resist that flippant remark as an Eagles fan.....). I have read good things about the Aberdeen in Rome and who would not like to stay at a "Wine Resort". Sounds like a wonderful tour and have a terrific time.

We did the same tour 2 years ago. The hotels are mostly the same. You will LOVE this trip. I would do the whole trip again in a minute. I celebrated my birthday in Florence and I had an amazing room with a view of the Duomo from our window. Who is your tour guide? Our guide was Sarah Murdoch, and she was amazing! Enjoy!

From what I have read, the Wine Resort offers a great opportunity to rest up before the hectic two days of Rome. They have a pool and spa with great views of Umbria. I am not a big fan of wine tasting, but if it is as hot as it has been, a dip in the pool after sightseeing in Orvieto sounds pretty good to me.

Our tour guide is Ferdi Menghi. I have heard him speak many times on Rick's Podcasts and he seems very likable and seems to have excellent knowledge. I haven't seen many reviews about Ferdi, but I have heard everyone likes Sarah.

Took the same tour a number of years ago with Ferdi as the guide. You will love Ferdi. Excellent guide and excellent tour.

Thank you for sharing the hotel information. We are planning on taking this tour in September 2016, so it will give me more info to use for my daydreams :) I would love to hear about your trip after you return, especially since we are planning on going at the same time of year. I hope you have an amazing time - the tour sounds incredible!

I've stayed in several on various RS tours.

-The Hotel Mercurio had gorgeous Venetian glass chandeliers in the rooms. Teeny room, GREAT chandelier!

-Hotel California had a great terrace upstairs! Our guide on the BOE organized a happy hour on the terrace and we a furnished wine, beer and food from the Mercado Centrale. If your AC will not come on in your room here, check carefully to see that your window is completely closed as there is some kind of circuit that keeps it off if the window is open. Housekeeping left my window open and I could not figure out why the AC would not come on.

-I stayed at the sister hotel to Villa Steno, Albergo Pasquale and they had the best croissants for breakfast. The Dad made them each morning for both hotels, I think, and oh my word unbelievable. Plus Mama makes the marmalade from their own fruit trees...lemon and orange. Wow, I'm salivating just thinking about it. I am guessing your group will be split between Villa Steno and Pasquale. Both very comfortable.

We took this tour several years ago, and I see the Pension Seelaus and Hotel Chiusarelli are still the same. : ) We LOVED this tour - each stop on this tour was fantastic! We arrived 3 days before the trip & took the train to Verona - enjoyed exploring Italy on our own in that lovely town and adjusted to their time zone. We've returned on our own itinerary trips since that RS tour to spend extra days in the Dolomites region, Venice, Florence, Siena & Rome.

We stayed at the Hotel Chiusarelli when we returned last year to Siena. It was economical, and we knew the location was excellent to catch the bus to Grosseto afterwards.

yosemite,

I'm familiar with a few of the hotels on the list......

• Varenna / Royal Victoria - right in the main piazza across from the Church. It's a bit on the posh side and I think you'll really enjoy your stay there.
• Monterosso / Villa Steno - one of my favourie hotels in all of Europe! It's a bit of a walk to get there, but once you're checked in and have a room key to get down into town through the garden, it's easy.
• Rome / Aberdeen - another wonderful hotel, built into an old Villa. Close to Termini station. They serve a nice breakfast in a room that looks like something in a palace.

When is your tour?

We had Ferdi in 2013. He is a "foodie"...you will eat well. On 3 nights that were not a scheduled group meal he offered to arrange supper at great local restaurants for anyone who wanted to join him (at your expense, but the cost was reasonable.) Unless you desire some "away from the group" time, I would highly recommend his extra dinners!!

Our tour starts Sept 11. We will spend one night in Milan and one night in Varenna before the tour begins.

Ferdi was our guide on the very first Holland Belgium tour. Excellent guide, very knowledgeable, and he found us the best restaurants to eat at for group meals with wine always included. The non-included meals where we went with him were always some out of the way hidden gem of a restaurant you never would have chosen on your own. Would be happy to have him as a guide again. Might be lucky enough to get him on the Best of Italy tour I am taking this year. :-)

I had Ferdi for BofE 21 days, and I will also say he was fantastic. Yes, he will state his intention of going out to eat and inviting anyone who wants to go along. We ate at a small Greek restaurant in Rothenburg, never expected to have that dining option in Germany. When I decided to take Belgium/Netherlands tour I was hoping to hit the Ferdi jackpot, alas I did not. Thanks for the hotel listing. I have stayed in same hotels in Rome and Monterosso.

Careful in Florence, you can check in any time you want, but you can never leave! I will date myself, that was the most popular album(remember those) the year I graduated high school.

Happy Trails