You'll love Paolo, his sister and the apartment. Found this place through Airbnb. Used the word…read morebefore today, but really a hidden gem. It's located in a quiet area. Both the St. Mark's Square and Piazzale Roma are on walking distance, about 10-15 minutes depending on the crowd. The appartment is located on the grond floor on a quiet canal. You can see the gondola's floating by from the windows. And the watertaxi can come to the front door. Inside you'll find a master bedroom with a double bed, two one person bedrooms with a bed/sleeping couch and two bathrooms. Both with toilet, bidet and a shower and 3 towel's a person. There's a little kitchen with al the things you need and a relatively big patio. Everything is very, very luxerious and spotless clean. You'll think you're in a one of those magazines. Beautiful. And everything you'll think you can possible need is there. Paolo had a cold bottle of Prosecco in the fridge, there were tea bags and coffee cups, toast, butter and jam and even shampoo (skin friendly) and shower gel. You'll also find magazines to relax and the tourguides if you forgot one. Paolo picked us up from the airport (although we had a very late arrivel) and took the time to show us around the apartment and the neighbourhood, pointing out the bakery (open 365 days), the supermarket (normal hours) and a view restaurants. He even took us for a drink and insisted on paying. Tip: La Zucca should be fantastic. Only....you'll have to make reservations way in advance. Probably before you arrive. During our stay Paolo was available for tips and making arrangements like reservations. He even send us a sms to remind us to put the garbage out on time. Check-out was between 09.00 and 10.30 by Paolo's sister who also cleans the place. Like the late arrival, we had a late flight. And even that was no problem. We had to leave the apartment to give Paolo's sister a chance to get it ready for the next guests, but we could leave our luggage in the apartment and even use the toilet when we picked it up again. I think we paid around the €200 a night during eastern for a place where 4 people can sleep. Great value for money. And note that Paolo speaks excellent English which makes the conversation easy and entertaining.

My husband and I are big foodies and had heard great things about visiting this place. Two months…read moreago we booked a night at the Casa Maria Luigia along with dinner/beverage pairing at Francescana at Maria Luigia as part of a larger trip to Italy from the US. Fast forward 2 months and I am 7 weeks pregnant, sick with the flu (fever/vomiting), and barely able to get to the place (train+taxi) let alone enjoy it. We arrived and let the staff know that only my husband would join for the dinner and that I wasn't feeling well and didn't want to get others sick. Obviously the pregnancy and illness aren't their fault and the terms of the sale indicated it was non-refundable. However, at fine dining establishments in the US they've often had a clause for illness or other reasons to adjust the reservation - I consider this to be a part of great customer service. Considering we paid nearly 2,000 euros for this experience, I was surprised they wouldn't even refund my wine pairing (170 euros) as even if I wasn't sick, I wouldn't have been able to partake in it due to pregnancy. They gave us a credit for future use that expires in one year, which is comical since I will still be pregnant or with a newborn for that full year. Obviously they know how to cook here, but the customer service made what was already a tough day (missing my dream foodie experience and being bed-ridden on a beautiful estate) even more frustrating.

This place in countryside of Modena is fantastic! The atmosphere, the details, the hospitality are…read morelike no other place I have been. Do stay here more than one night which is what we did. Had I know the gem this place would be we would have stayed longer. We discovered this as an alternative to the massimo restaurant that we tried to get into. You can get all the massimo food here and these scenery!

I'm really torn writing this review…read more The Arco Guest Houses are one of the best kept secrets in Lake Garda (Gardasee) area and their English moniker doesn't do them justice. I'm risking letting the proverbial cat out of the bag. These are two stately houses that have been converted to self-catering vacation apartments. Mediaeval marble and limestone courtyard and exterior meets modern Italian interior design in the vein of Alessi, Zanussi and Cassina. The property is immaculate and is nestled in an ancient neighborhood on a hill top a few miles from the north end of the Lake and a short walk through the olive groves to downtown Arco. I've uploaded pictures of the views from our balcony. Guests are mostly German families and outdoor enthusiasts. Hans Martin the host is warm, welcoming and efficient. He's a wealth of local knowledge, from restaurants to mountain trails to the latest night-spots and beach weather. In Arco you have the lake and the mountains at your fingertips and yet none of the tourism-crush like the towns directly on the Garda shore. Downtown Arco has everything you need for your Garda vacation, restaurants, cafes, bars, markets, bike & climbing shops, you name it. Nestled against the mountains, Arco is also an ideal base for hiking, climbing and mountain biking in the vast Trentino backcountry. I can highly recommend staying at the Guest Houses in Arco your next trip to Lake Garda area.

When you're in Venice, your goal is to get lost and that's what makes this place fun. It's a giant…read moremaze and you never know where you will end up and it's always a really good cheese in the end. I had a lot of fun trying to find Residenza della Spada. Even before coming here, I googled map the place and in fact, it gave me pretty straightforward directions. Turn right, walk straight, and then turn left. However, reality wasn't so straightforward. I ended up walking in circles and at one point, I thought maybe this place is like Platform ¾ where I have to run through a wall to get to another worldly dimension. Anyway, as I finally came to my senses and my GPS finally knew where it was, I found the hidden alleyway that led to this place. So as my New Yorker instincts turned on, I should have known better not to walk down a shady alleyway. But this is Venice. These alleyways are the hidden gems. And they are actually litter free. Let me preface by saying that Residenza della Spada is not a hotel, it's more like an AirBnb but for some reason, Expedia called it a hotel. The owner lives here with his wife and kids, and has several vacant rooms for people to stay. He also operates a bar lounge on the ground level. It's rustic yet homey. Not sure about my husband, but I loved it. It makes you feel local. The owner is really nice. He made us breakfast spread every morning with awesomely fresh croissants and prosciutto. His cappuccino was excellent. As far as the room itself, the bed could be a little more comfortable but for a 2 night stay, I didn't really mind. However, the walls are pretty thin so you could hear your neighbors talking. Overall, I enjoyed the stay and wouldn't mind walking down the alleyway again.