Hi all, just wondering if any of you could comment on or link hotels you stayed at on this tour, particularly the agritourismo, Lake Orta and Cinque Terre hotels.
We're also big foodies and wine lovers, so also wondering if you felt that was a big aspect of the tour, or was it more history/art/museum-heavy?
Thanks!
I understand what you're asking about the hotels, but be aware that Rick's tours do not always use the same hotels each time for each place. If you need to know which hotels are being used on a particular tour, you have to contact the tour office and ask for a specific date.
Thanks, Harold. Mostly just asking in general and out of curiosity, but I understand tours can change on certain tours. Unfortunately not traveling to Europe in 2017, but since this tour is higher on our list, just wanted something to stoke our enthusiasm for another year. :)
RS hotel choices are usually pretty nice. Some are even plush. If the hotel is going to be rustic they will usually mention that as in the monastery rooms in Bulgaria. Food is a big part of the trip especially if you have an adventuresome guide or a proud native. My 2¢.
Harold is correct and his advice is excellent in my experience. We took this tour last summer. The hotels were wonderful, as was all the food and wine. I would say fewer history/art/museums than other tours although some because, of course, this is Italy. The Lake Orta hotel was gorgeous. We each had rooms with tiny balconies overlooking the Lake. We didn't stay in any of the towns in the Cinque Terre but in a lovely hotel in Levanto-2 blocks to it's wonderful beach and easy access to the train which was about a 10 minute or so ride to the first of the towns of the CT. The Agriturismo was also a very special place complete with beautiful swimming pool and outdoor hot tub overlooking the vineyards and rolling hills. But do be aware, as Harold said, it's very possible these won't be the same hotels your tour uses. Do as he suggested and call the tour office. They can tell you which hotels you will be using for your particular tour date. This tour was right up there with my most favorites. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
You might want to look at some of the scrapbooks from previous Village Italy tours. Travel vicariously for a while, it makes the time pass more pleasantly, if not faster..
The tours do use different hotels, but I've stayed in 3 that they use.
On a Europe Your Way tour a few years ago, we stayed at the Hotel 5 Terre. It's in the new town and I was a little worried about the location, but it was great. Not too far from the train station, and near the beach. The breakfast was fabulous, rooms were bright and not too small. Staff were bending over backwards to pease us.
I forget what tour it was, but I've also stayed at Hotel Villa Steno. It's up the hill and up the stairs, but the view is fantastic. I think every room has a terrace viewing the sea. The staff were very nice, breakfast was good, room were very clean.
ON the Village Italy tour about 10 years ago, we stayed at Hotel Pasquale. It's right on the water, a great location. Service and breakfast were good and the room was nice and bright with a sea view.
I took the tour last October. It was my seventh Rick Steves tour. This one was less about museums and more about experiences including wine and food experiences. I enjoyed the tour and there were some great food cities on the tour.
Dear OP----move this tour to the top of your list. We had traveled to the big cities of Italy on our own, twice before. We loved this tour. It made RST converts of us, for any new countries that we want to visit and some that we didn't know that we wanted to see until we got there with RST. We enjoyed this one so much that we will take it again---as have others.
