We're planning a trip to Bologna in Oct. We were there several years ago and stayed at TreVecchi. Very pleasant but the smallest shower you've ever seen. My husband, who is 6'2 had a really hard time in it. Can you please share hotels that you'd recommend. Thank you.

Doreen - have you looked at the reviews on the main Slow Travel pages? You can find them here.

Good luck - and if you find a hotel you like, don't forget to post a review. (We are planning a few days in Bologna next summer, so appreciate any reviews).

Judy

We chose the Baglioni Hotel and liked it a great deal. We would stay at this hotel next time we are in Bologna as it is very comfortable, has excellent service and is centrally located. All and all a very good value. I think one can arrange rooms with a good discount invoking the strength of the Euro versus the US dollar.

Peter

Albergo Drapperie is great. It is inexpensive, right in the very heart of things, and the people are fantastic. (We ate breakfast elsewhere.) It was about 85-90 euro a night in late November. I think I remember that the showers are medium at least. I'm 6'1".

I've tried many hotels in Bologna during my daughter's three years at university there, and always go back to Al Cappello Rosso, very central, great breakfast, swanky baths with all the extras.

I also would recommend Albergo Drapperie. Its in what I thought was a great location on via Drapperie, which is a pedestrian only street (although that meant that the taxi could only take me and my wheelie bag to within a few feet - maybe a one minute walk from the taxi). Tamburini, a famous deli with take-away and a lunch cafeteria, is just a few steps away at the corner. There is also a bakery just across the street and several other food shops up and down the street, which is full of fruit/veg vendors in the morning. The P. Maggiore is just around the corner, maybe 2 minutes walk. Its a longer walk from the train station, maybe 15-20 mins, but totally flat and almost all covered. We had a double room on the top floor and it was fine, nothing fancy. Firm, comfortable bed, a chair or two, tv kind of awkwardly placed on top of built in cupboards, fridge, phone, individually controlled ac. The bathroom was great - very new, big, sparkling clean, plenty of hot water. It just had a shower cubicle, but it was larger than most. I am 6'1 and had no problems. And it had a skylight that could be opened for fresh air. Our bedroom window looked onto nothing, but we could open that too, and it was very quiet - we had no street noise. Standard breakfast - rolls, coffee, yogurt, fruit, hot chocolate. In 2006 we paid 85E for the double and 60E for a single and both had huge king sized beds. I would definitely stay there again. The only drawback I saw was that it did not have a garden or terrace.

I stayed there once after reading a NY Times review but it was an August weekend and unfortunately the manager left it in the hands of the hired help who did breakfast and cleaning the rooms and floors simultaneously and the guys asking for money right outside the door were over the top.

We liked the Hotel Paradise, where we stayed in 2005. We actually had a small apartment just across the street from the main hotel. I recall the bathroom as being a decent size. I wrote briefly about the hotel in my trip report here.

- Roz

I spent a wonderful six nights at Hotel Porta San Mamolo last month. It is located in a quiet area on the opposite side of the train station. It is a 10 minute walk to the center. I can't say enough about the rooms, the people running the hotel, and the breakfasts! I have stayed there twice now. The bathrooms are large and the rooms are clean. They have no smoking rooms and a computer available for use in the lobby. The walk from the center to the hotel at night is very safe, although all but one night it was not yet completely dark.

I know I need to do a review and it is on my list of things to do (but that list is long right now). There is one review for this hotel in the review section.

Our July visit in Bologna was enhanced by our stay at Al Cappello Rosso. We were very comfortable, the room was spacious and the AC worked well, breakfast was ample, and the hotel's central location saved our soles...

Colleen and I stayed at Hotel Corona D'Oro, one of the Art Hotels in Bologna in October of 2007. A lovely splurge in the center of the city with a great staff. We reserved bicycles from the Hotel while we were there and drove all over town.

I have also stayed at Hotel Porta San Mamolo and enjoyed it very much. The hotel is cozy and charming with a wonderful, helpful and friendly staff.

The only down side is the walk from the train station. Not a problem UNLESS you have been walking all day or you are arriving with bags. A quick cab ride to the hotel will run about 10euros.

Though I have not stayed at Hotel Cornona D'Oro, I have been there and it is BEAUTIFUL and right in the heart of the city. If you want to save a little money, you can stay at Hotel Orologio (another Bologna Art Hotel). Don't let the three star rating fool you; it has the quality of a four star.

As for Tre Vecchi, is was quiet and central but NOT of FOUR star quality. A paint job and new beds could go a long way....

Cyn

quote:

As for Tre Vecchi, is was quiet and central but NOT of FOUR star quality. A paint job and new beds could go a long way....

It is fairly common to read in reviews and elsewhere that the number of stars a hotel has is indicative of that hotel’s quality. The number of stars awarded to a hotel has nothing to do with the quality of the hotel. Actually, the star rating of a hotel only has to do with the number of amenities that a hotel has.

This piece does a good job explaining the meaning of hotel star ratings: http://tinyurl.com/6gauuz

Peter

Hotel Porta San Mamolo has the best staff of any hotel we ever stayed at. When we stayed there in May, the owner was frequently about the place checking on things and asking guests if they had every thing they needed & if the staff was taking care of them. Bologna didn't click for us,but the hotel was wonderful!