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Back to Riviera Vistas Hotel
Dear Kristin & all;
We wanted to send a few comments about our recent trip to Italy. The accommodations were wonderful and perfectly located for all the sites and day trips. It is difficult to pick favorites since each one was special. We couldn't have imagined a better experience while staying at Casa Firenze in Florence, located in a special neighborhood within walking distance of historic downtown and restaurants. The hospitality was 5-star. We picked up our car in downtown Florence and it was a easy drive over to Sestri Levante. We enjoyed our stay in a balcony room at the Riviera Vistas Hotel high on a hill overlooking the quaint seaside town. The hotel has an open air bar, perfect for an evening drink while watching the sunset. A short walk into town and you can catch the 1x daily, inexpensive, "tourist ferry" for a cruise along the Cinque Terre. If your time is limited the ferry is a great way to see all the towns in a relaxing way. The Cruise stops at one of the Cinque Terre towns and a lunch stop in Portovenere. We drove to Lucca next, driving through the narrow streets inside the city walls was easier than expected. We found our room at Palazzo Alexander comfortable. They offer a wonderful breakfast and free Internet which was greatly appreciated. We parked our car for our entire stay and walked this very special walled treasure. We took a short train ride to Pisa one morning, very convenient, worry free and inexpensive.
From Lucca, we drove into the heart of Tuscany and stayed in Casole d'Elsa at Antica Torre Toscana which is the most delightful, magical place. We loved this little hilltop town and enjoyed our evening walks, relaxing. One night we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the "Wine Bar" (reservations a must, set menu prepared by "mama"). (Kristin you were right!!) This little town is perfectly located for day trips to the hilltowns Volterra, San Gimignano & Siena. (If you go to Siena in September or October you can see the "Marble Pavements" in the Cathedral...these are so treasured they are covered most of the year.) After Casole d' Elsa, we drove the back roads and the A12 to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO) to avoid Rome. If I would make one suggestion....don't be afraid to drive A12...it's great, fast and the toll is less than $5 USD. Everyone recommended the A1 but we took the chance driving A12 and glad we did....so if you are returning a car, bypass Rome and go straight to the airport to return your car, carts are available for luggage. Arrange a shuttle service from the airport to your hotel. We stayed at the River Palace Hotel. The price and location were great!!! This hotel is located close to the Metro and within walking distance to so many of the sites. The hotel offers a "happy hour," free Internet, helpful staff and a wonderful breakfast -- what more could you ask for.
Thanks In Italy. We had a wonderful trip.
Linda S.
Kirill:
Well we have been home from our trip (08-06) for a couple of months and we speak of how wonderful it was often. This was the first time I did a majority of our planning on the internet and was taking a blind leap of faith that our reservations would indeed be honored. Well I must say that I rave about your website to all my friends. Every hotel we stayed in booked through you was as we expected. We stayed at the Riveria Vistas in Sestri Levante and what a beautiful view...rooms are very small, but they each have a patio and the bar and restaurants have great viewing of the beach and sunsets. Food is really good and their happy hour is very popular.
I reserved and paid for my museum tickets through your website also and each and every time they were waiting for me with my name on them. No waiting for them. We also used your driver service from the Rome airport to our hotel which went pretty smooth although we did have to wait about 30 minutes after picking up our luggage to leave because we had to wait for other flights to arrive. All and all your website was the best website for actually researching and booking hotels and attractions that I have every used. True to life pictures and information. Keep up the good work. Food was great in Italy but the best gelato was a place called Chocolate in Milan not far from where you see the Last Supper. We stumbled upon it while walking around waiting for our time slot....absolutely the best we tried and we tried probably 25 of them.
Thanks again for everything,
Lauren S.
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