I usually limit my lodging recommendations to smaller hotels in which I've actually slept, places that offer the short-term visitor the most value in services, eschewing the cookie-cutter, corporate box in favor of a heaping dose of helpful services for the traveler. At the
Daphne Inn in Rome, for example, the exceedingly helpful staff will give you a cell phone to carry around with you in case you get lost or have a question while you're wandering Rome. At
La Preghiera in Umbria, the hotel (really a restored monastic outpost) becomes part of your vacation, tempting you with its medieval details--not to mention a toy soldier museum, antique postcards and hosts who will explain everything to you, even the reason for the box toilet paper in the museum with "Mussolini" written on it. If you want to be in the center of France's Aude region--near Cathar castles, Rennes le Chateau, and a hat museum--
La Maison de la Riviere will do the trick, its helpful owner filling the place with local art for your enjoyment. You don't need a car at
Fontana del Papa, they'll pick you up at any of Rome's airports or port, and you can take trips with them, or learn Italian cooking in the heart of Etruscan country. And finally, if you feel guilty over use of electricity, the solar-powered
San Martin de Unx Motel in northern Spain might fit even the smallest of budgets--and the owners are English.
But what about the big, luxury hotel? What can a hotel like the Starhotels Metropole in Rome do for you? I sat down with general manager Gigliola Lombardi recently and asked her what service her staff provides that nobody asks about.
She thought for a while before answering, "Golf. Maybe you don't think about golf in Rome. We do have a few clubs, but they're private."
"And you can get your guests in?" I asked.
"Oh, yes," she assured me. "The Metropole has a young staff, and they like to go out at night, so they all know the best restaurants and clubs to go to and can recommend one for you if you like."
In their executive rooms they also have night lights, a TV in the bathroom, and closets bigger and prettier than some hotel rooms I've been in.
A luxury hotel like the four star Metropole might be able to find a way to squeeze you into that trendy restaurant or club if you need that sorta thing to make you giddy with joy. And internet prices can moderate the cost, especially on weekends, when the hotel offers frequent specials.
Starhotel Metropole: Check Prices.
Related Europe Travel: Unusual Lodging
