When is suite not a suite?

Advantages: Well-maintained, cheaper than central Venice, goos bus links, comfortable, spacious
Disadvantages: Variable service, not a very picturesque location

...I've just come back from a three night stay in this hotel, which is situatued in Mestre - a sort of suburb near Venice. Having never been to Venice, I really wanted to visit, but travelling with four meant hotel rooms are not cheap and hotel rooms in Venice are especially not cheap. So this hotel provided an excellent solution - a few kilometres outside Venice itself makes all the difference to affordability, and clearly Mestre is working on this principle as there are a lot of hotels there. ROOM This one, the Ambasciatori, is four star, and we stayed in what they call a suite. First point - it's not! It is a nice large executive double with a queen sized bed and a walk in wardrobe but it does not have a separate sitting room, so in my book it is not a suite. It has a sitting area in the room separated from the bed by a lattice...

sadoldbag 16.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Ambasciatori Hotel, Mestre

Cheap and Cheerful Venetian Beds

Advantages: Cheap and cheerful
Disadvantages: A short bus ride from Venice proper

...We booked a trip to Venice on a whim and a bit of a last minute whim at that. There were three of us travelling which is not necessarily the best number for accommodation, we were on a budget, and we were going in July, peak tourist season. In other words, we had to take what we could get. Venice has a huge number of accommodations but they do get booked up quickly and those that are left, one supposes, must either be hideously expensive or have something wrong with them. For this reason, we ended up at the Delfino which looked like a very reasonably 3* place that didn?t cost the earth. The hotel is in Mestre which is a suburb just across the water from Venice, and as such is served by taxis and buses as well as a train station (there are no cars or other road-requiring vehicles on the main island because there are no roads...

zoe_page 15.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of Delfino Hotel, Mestre

A Day In Capri Italy

Advantages: Lots to see and do
Disadvantages: not enough time

...~ A Day In Capri ~ We booked a day trip to capri with a representative from our hotel (we were staying at the Excelsior Vittoria Hotel) in Sorrento this trip cost approx £60.00 per person. We got the hydrofoil from the marina piccolo which takes about twenty to thirty minutes or so. As we approached Capri I was amazed at the view of elegant brightly coloured buildings and tropical trees and plants it really does take your breath away and looks a bit like Balamory (colourful childrens programme based around Balamory) with all the beautiful colours and shapes, I think you will see what I mean on the photo's. ~ AnaCapri ~ We got a minibus to AnaCapri which is the island's second (Ana-means other), quieter town with lovely little white houses halfway up the slopes of Monte Solaro (which is the highest point on capri...

debmercury 18.03.2008 (14.07.2009) · Read review
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Review of Capri (Italy)

Hotel President, Correggio, Reggio Emilia, Italy

Advantages: 4-star
Disadvantages: Not honouring confirmed bookings,Poor service, poor staff attitude

...We recommend you do NOT book this hotel. We booked and confirmed 2 rooms for 3 nights, 9 months ago, in Jan.2008, through the hotel's own website; they took the entire fee there and then. When we arrived, tired after a long 12-hour journey, we discovered our rooms were not available; they had given them to other people, & so they sent us to an Express Holiday Inn (NOT of equivalent standard) over 10 miles away in Reggio nell'Emilia, on the edge of an industrial estate, one side overlooking a motorway and the other a truck scrapyard! We were given no prior notice, no apology, no offer of compensation of any kind; the staff were unsympathetic and generally unhelpful, with a poor attitude. They later admitted that around 70% of their internet -booked clients are sent elsewhere(presumably because they make more money that way); we got...

cinnamon22 17.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of Hotel President, Correggio

Abitart Hotel, Rome, Italy

Advantages: Good position, nice rooms, good breakfast.
Disadvantages: Expensive

...I stayed at this Hotel a couple 2 years ago for 3 nights. When the taxi pulled up outside the Hotel I was rather disappointed, the first impression wasn't too good, it looked small. The Hotel is in the Ostiense - Testaccio area of Rome, and I had chosen it for this, it is near to the Metro (Pyramide - about 10 mins walk from the Hotel) and there is also the local bus which stops nearer to the Hotel. The rooms are really clean and comfortable, my room was a very calming shade of beige and white with silver fitting, all very smart and modern, and as I say comfortable with air-conditioning. The staff were reasonably friendly, and I did have problems with my door card which they changed immediately with a new one. The breakfast was very good, I did come down to breakfast early each day at about 8.00am, so there was plenty of food...

Lyn1954 14.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Abitart Hotel, Rome

Little Italy, Big Disappointment

Advantages: Dancing is fun
Disadvantages: Dinner overpriced and bland, expensive

...I went to Little Italy a few months ago with my girlfriend and have mixed feelings about the place. Situated on Soho's Frith Street it is the heart of a really buzzy and lively area of London. An area in which you are spoilt for choice for dining, especially with Italian restaurants, you have to be doing something right to survive. Little Italy is a restaurant, bar and club. In the latter two it succeeds, in the former, not so. As a restaurant, the first thing you'll notice is the abundance of staff waiting to wait on you but somehow unwilling to do so or be helpful. Then there is the food itself, which is grotesquely overpriced at about £30 per head excluding drinks. The bruchetta was like oiled cardboard and our main meat dish favouring better but still fairly bland. So much so I can't even remember what meat it was, probably beef...

Nixu1980 19.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Little Italy, London

  Italy For Beginners

Advantages: it´s nice
Disadvantages: none

...So you´re thinking of travelling to Italy and getting to know the country? If you like shock treatment, fly straight to the South, to Naples or Palermo, and throw yourself into the street life there, if you prefer things to move more slowly, though, it may be a good idea to start exploring the country from the town of Trento, 140 km south of the Austrian/Italian border. It is the first ´real´ Italian town, the area north of it, South Tyrol, is more Austrian due to its history, it only became part of Italy after WW 1. Many people there are bilingual, if they want to become civil servants, they must know Italian and German. The valley of the river Adige on whose banks Trento is situated has been inhabited since prehistoric times it having been one of the main branches of the amber route. The Romans built streets there (The Romans...

MALU 04.03.2005 (30.09.2005) · Read review
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Review of Trento (Italy)

The Gate to Italy

Advantages: nice scenery & architecture, fine cuisine, great shops, very relaxing place
Disadvantages: nothing REALLY spectacular in a country full of attractions

...Just a few miles south of the Swiss border, Como is the first town in Italy. Very different in style and culture to Italy's thriving cities, Mediterranean holiday resorts and antique sights, Como exudes the mild charm of Lombardy region. I was a bit surprised myself when I realised that I hadn't written anything yet on Ciao about one of my favourite countries, Italy. So when famous Ciaoer ConnaisseurHaggler said she was going to nearby Milano two weeks ago, I decided it was time I introduced the northern Italian region of Lombardy, and its pearl, Como. Como is two things in one - the city of Como, and the Lago di Como (lake). It is not really a holiday destination for itself, but a place which you shouldn't miss when you are nearby. 1) Como is ideal for a day trip or weekend getaway from Milan, if you want to escape hectic...

From_The_Continent 22.03.2001 (24.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Como (Italy)

A little bit of Spain in Italy!

Advantages: Busy town in Northern sardinia, good base
Disadvantages: Small airport

...Alghero known in Latin as Algarium, is on the West coast of Sardinia, in the province of Sassari. The name is derived from something, which might be off-putting, as it means "the place of algae"! However, I thought it was a lovely little town and enjoyed my brief stay there. Alghero, the tourism capital of northern Sardinia, is a fascinating town of immense historical interest, which also has excellent beaches. It can be lively, vibrant and cosmopolitan in the holiday season when there are open markets, bars and restaurants, which cater for most tastes. There are quality hotels and apartments, which complement the traditional tourist amenities, which are transforming Alghero into one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. Founded on a peninsula facing the Bay of Alghero early in the 12th Century, it was taken from...

jo145 03.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Alghero, Sardinia (Italy)

Hotel International

Advantages: Location, breakfasts
Disadvantages: Poor rooms

...I recently went on a cultural girlie trip with a friend to Paris. I was left to do all the booking. I was looking for a reasonable hotel, near a metro stop, which included breakfast. I came across the Hotel International on various travel sites and it seemed fairly highly rated so I booked us in for three nights. LOCATION: The hotel is located 6 Rue Auguste Barbier in the 11th Arrondissement. The nearest Metro stop is Garcourt which was a two minute walk away and it was a five minute walk to Republique which gives good links to other lines. It's not really central enough to avoid the Metro and walk to the attractions but it was located so close to a stop that it seemed ideal. PRICE: Prices vary depending on size of room and season. There are singles, doubles and triples available. We paid Euro254 for the whole time...

tartlette83 17.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hotel International, Paris