STAY ITALY: TOWN & COUNTRY
What did people do before TripAdvisor, Yelp and the multitude of review websites out there? Must have been like playing russian roulette. I thought I’d share brief reviews of the places I chose to stay and why.
Matera: Hotel in Pietra
Funny thing,
was not my first choice. My first choice just so happened to be fully booked and I was so completely head over heels enamored with it that it took me a few weeks to get over the fact that it was not going to pan out. After my sulking was done, I pulled myself togeher (gotta love the dramatics) went back online and did a little more digging. As it turns out, I couldn't be happier with how amazing my second choice turned out.
Hotel in Pietra had everything going for it: warm and friendly staff, beautfiful cave rooms, excellent location in the Sassi, delicious breakfast spread and everything in between all for way less than the other option. We stayed in Room 1007, the first room in pics. Our host was nice enough to let us swing by and check out room 1004 directly above and below.
Playing around in the caves in our Suite.
By the reception and breakfast area.
Hotel in Pietra definitely ranks up there as one of the most memorable hotels I have ever stayed at. I can't wait to return. A few other options in Matera worth checking out that were on my list:
Milan: Hotel Lagare Milano
I had very simple needs for Milan- close to Centrale station and clean. Something I often do when searching for hotels, is checkout
or run google to see what if any new hotels are opening n the area. Newer hotels (exceptions for of the big name luxe brands) are often surpringly more affordable when they just open as they test the waters and try to ensure that they are at capacity. Some smaller boutique brands would even offer great intro deals. So as I ran my usual new hotel query, I found that LaGare hotels had just opened a new hotel in Milan which was priced even better than many of the older hotels.
The terrace available only in rooms on 12th Floor- ask kindly and you shall receive. It was great to have a little outdoor space.
Now anytime you bet on a newbie, you can't quite be sure what you're getting. In our case, we had staff that was still getting their act together. Lines to check-in were long and we initially didn't even get the room we had booked. On the bright side, the room was great- comfy, big and clean. Location was by the station with alot of restaurants in the area. Additionally, because breakfast is the most important meal of the day and an easy way to save some $$$ - it was great to see that they spared no expense with their complimentary breakfast and we were full well into later in the afternoon.
If you'd like to be closer to the Duomo, then I'd recommend another little gem:
Aparthotel Duomo - luxury apartment rental style lodging with some hotel service perks.
Come back next week for Part 2 where I share our stays in Florence and Naples.