Prof. George Wiafe said, ‘Lailah, wherever you are make the best out of that place.’
― Lailah Gifty Akita
Somebody asked me the other day where I stay while I’m in Italy. Hotel? Apartment? BB? Good question.
The truth is that where I stay depends on a lot of factors…who is with me…where I am…how long I am i a particular place…what I’m doing…and, really, what I feel like. Over the past week, I’ve been in two hotels in two different towns, and, as of today, I’m in an apartment in a third city. Let me tell you about them.
Brescia, Lombardia
Areadocks Boutique Hotel
As you may or may not know, I was in Brescia to do research for a group that will be joining me in about five weeks. I needed an affordable place to stay that was close enough for me to be able to walk most places. (Let me mention here that finding a place to stay that is in a good location is most important for me. I prefer to walk most places, although I will take the bus if need be. And, I want a place close to the train station in case I want to take a day trip.) Areadocks Boutique Hotel met my needs. I picked it because the price was right and the reviews were great.
Located on the edge of the historic district, Areadocks has 13 rooms and suites. It is more than just that, though, as it also has restaurants (yes, plural), shopping, gelateria, bar, and more. It’s an experience more than just a place to stay.
The rooms have king-size beds (NOT normal in Italy), rain-head showers with colored lighting, comfortable sheets, a desk, and a minibar. The shower soap, shampoo, and conditioner were top-notch, and I liked that you don’t have to climb over a 10-foot high European tub to take a shower.
The room itself was comfortable, and, except for the night before I left, quiet. Apparently a couple of American guys did not realize they were not the only ones in the hotel, and their door slamming after 10 pm caused a few of us to complain.
There was a desk, although the “chair” was a cowhide-covered ottoman and the top was too narrow to do any work. The room did have a teapot and coffee maker as well as a number of bottled cocktails (10 euro each). As a nice touch, they welcomed me with three chocolates from their gelateria/pastry shop. Of course, there was the minibar with its overpriced everything.
I only ate at the breakfast buffet one day, but I was impressed. They had cook-to-order eggs and omelettes, salads, bacon, sausage, and the other usual breads, pastries, meats, and cheeses. The other restaurants include a steakhouse (Seconda Classe), Loft Bistrot, Oriental/Japanese Restaurant, the pastry shop/gelateria, and six bars and lounges.
Guests have use of the hotel’s spa’s basic services. Massages, facials, etc. are, of course, extra.
The staff, especially the front desk, was absolutely wonderful. To me, that is most important if I’m going to stay in a hotel. IF there is a negative, it is that there is no real lobby to sit in. I did sit downstairs to write a few times, but that was at a table in the gelateria (and I did not have one!).
Bottom line, I’d stay there again.
Santa Margherita Ligure, Liguria
Hotel Continental
On Sunday, I trained it to Santa Margherita Ligure (aka Santa), a town about 35 miles south of Genova. I have a group going there in August, and since I hadn’t been, I wanted to check it out. As someone who is not wild about the CinqueTerre due to the huge crowds, I was pleased that Santa was a lot quieter. Of course, as my taxi driver told me today, it’s not the season yet.
The Continental is almost 100 years old, and it sits on a promontory overlooking the bay and town’s historic harbor. It has its own private beach which you access by walking through the hotel’s private garden. The restaurant and cocktail lounge (with outside seating in nice weather) overlook the bay. We did not have good weather, so I did not sit outside, although there were a few hearty souls who tried it.
I had asked for a single room which, in a lot of Italian hotels, consists of a twin bed. That is exactly what I got. The room was larger than some I’ve stayed in, and I could actually put my luggage somewhere where I wouldn’t trip over it. There was also an armoire, desk, and minibar. They get 10 points for welcoming me on my room’s TV (Photo on left).
The room was very comfortable (although the bed was not). The breakfast was good (better than Areadocks, to be honest). The thing that impressed me was that I had eaten lunch there after I arrived on Sunday, and on Monday morning, the waiter remembered my name and room number. He also then remembered that I like cappuccino. (Antonio, you’re a gem!) Even the barman remembered my name, and I only saw him Tuesday afternoon and then evening.
The weather on the coast was brutal while I was there, so I spent a lot of time in the hotel. There is a huge lobby with very comfortable seating, so I was able to work from there. At 5:00, I moved over about 25 feet to the cocktail lounge and continued working from there.
Except for the breakfast, the food there did not wow me. That is probably because I am not wild about Ligurian cuisine. There are other restaurants in town, so when the group is there, we’ll head to them.
Bottom line is one quick additional thought about the Continental. I got a very good rate there since it is not season, and when I made reservations for my group, I chose another hotel. I have since moved the group to the Continental because I think they’ll like it better.
Lucca, Toscana
Apartment
As of this afternoon, I am in Lucca, and I’ll be here for two weeks. I’ll get into the reason why later, but suffice to say Mike and I like Lucca a lot. Friends of ours from Las Vegas told us about it 15 years ago, and we’ve come here a number of times. I probably spent a good five weeks here off-and-on last year. Normally I rent an apartment here, and I usually rent it from the same person (who has about six different ones that she manages). Unfortunately, she did not have one available for the time I needed this spring, so I rented another place.
When I’m looking at apartments, I want four things: Good, solid Wi-fi, a washing machine, comfortable spaces, and a separate bedroom. This one met all of those requirements, although as I found out today, I am the first person to stay here with a washing machine. Apparently they just put it in…. and I’m going to have to talk to them about it because the thing moves like a bucking bronco when it was spinning. I was upstairs in the loft, and I could feel the movement up there.
In addition to doing laundry, I made myself dinner tonight. I was thrilled to eat my own food for the first time in over a week.
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