The Beginning of Italy

This is my travel route on my recent trip to Italy.  You'll note we spent 2 nights in most locations.  We started our tour in Rome and ended our tour in Rome.  

We toured with Insight Vacations, The Art of Traveling in Style.  This is the 2nd time we've toured with this travel company.  This trip is billed as 12 nights and 13 days.  Traveling in Italy is more costly than when we traveled in Ireland and Scotland last year.  Italy is simply more popular, which I assume is the reason.  Tours are billed per person (PP).  $3,746.25 pp (that price included 3 discounts.  Once you travel with one tour company, it pays you to to continue with them, unless you're unhappy with your tour.  Repeat customers get a discount, ours per couple was $452.50.  Additionally, once you put down a deposit, you have  a window of time to pay for your trip early to receive the early pay discount which was 905.00 (per couple), and because we booked Italy within 60 days of returning from Ireland, we received a welcome home discount of 200.00.  7,492.50 divided by 12 nights is 624.37 per day per couple.  That price includes your travel, your hotel, and in most cases your buffet breakfast.........and some dinners.  All meals are typically not included.  Our tour included 7 dinners with wine.  That price also includes entrance fees to things like The Vatican.

We stayed in 7 different hotels, some better than others.  When traveling in Europe it's important you NOT expect things to be as there are here in the USA.  Two fold, it's rare that your room will be like others in the tour group.  Things vary a lot in Europe.  Bed sizes are typically smaller with King rarely being an option.  Often Queen is not an option.  More typically it's two twins vs a double.  We've found it a better option to do 2 twins, as did most on our tour.  You do not get washcloths in bathrooms.  We noted this in Ireland and Scotland last year and it was no different this year in Italy.  I don't remember if we had them in Spain 5 years ago, but think not.

Sheets!  A word about top sheets.  Again I don't remember about Spain, but we only had a top sheet one night during our Ireland and Scotland tour last year, and this year in Italy, we had a few.  The typical bed making in Europe does not include one.  A duvet is common places..........which is probably fine during cold weather, but a bit hot otherwise.

Our first hotel was in a good location in Rome, Hotel Romanico Palace, but our room looked nothing like what you see on their hotel webpage.

 The hotel was clean and comfortable, but not all that attractive.  I might call it delightfully tacky, lol

 Beware...bathrooms typically have a tub or shower, or combo, but ...you never have a full closure.  Typically you have half a door which makes showering without getting water on the floor a real challenge.  Most bathrooms have a bidet...which many Americans say work well for washing your feet, lol.  Seriously though if you look around the net the chances of spreading water everywhere in your bathroom and or burning yourself are substantial.  Bars of soap are also not readily available.  Only about half our hotels had them this trip.  They often have a bathwash-shampoo combo available and not one hotel had hair conditioner.........which I admit to forgetting.  I like not packing those items to save space, so had none this trip.

Also, carpet........isn't something you see much of.  None of hotel rooms had carpet.  Most were tile, or some other substance.  So, if you don't like your feet hitting cool floors, take slippers.  Personally, I thought the cold on the feet felt good after tromping around all day and putting miles on the dogs.

We, as a tour group spent 2 nights at this hotel, however hubby and I opted to go a day early and were there 3 nights.  Our above room was 180.00 Euro's, currently that would be around $208.00 US dollars.  Not a bad rate considering we were in an historic district walking distance to The Spanish Steps and The Trevi Fountain.

Hope to see you as I continue to blog about our wonderful Italian Adventure, Italian Escape.