Airbnb | Mama Cormier

…..in both Italian cities we used Airbnb and VRBO

Venice was the only place where we stayed in a hotel. Travelling with a baby required special needs and many homes listed on Airbnb and VRBO met the criteria for our daughter, her 9 month old daughter and for us, the grandparents.

In Florence we stayed in a lovely apartment above a garage. It was a gated property and there were no neighbours above, below or next to us. There were two bedrooms, a small living room and kitchen, a bath with a shower and an outdoor terrace. The place was air-conditioned and had all the amenities that we needed, including Wifi, a washing machine, a crib and a television.

The location was ideal as well. We were just outside the ring that surrounds the city centre which is closed off to traffic. It was about a twenty minute walk to the leather market and the farmer’s market and just beyond that were all the museums, churches and tourist attractions that Florence is famous for. We were also within walking distance to a small grocery store, numerous caffes and restaurants and a couple of parks.

More about our accommodations in Rome in a future post.

Ciao!

…..hotel, Airbnb or VRBO?

Accommodations in Venice vary from luxury hotels to simple one bedroom Airbnbs.

For our first two days in Venice we opted to stay in a small hotel called Villa Rosa in the district of Cannaregio. It was close to the bus stop and train station and a little less busy than other parts of Venice. We had a small room with a double bed and a twin and a crib. For two nights we figured we could stand each other enough to all sleep in the same room. Admittedly the baby had a hard time adjusting to her new surroundings and ended up sleeping in the twin with her mother both nights.

To get to our room we had to climb up one flight of steps and then down another to get to the back of the hotel where our room was located. In the morning we had breakfast in the hotel where a continental breakfast was served every morning.

The roads (pathways) to and from our hotel were narrow but we never felt unsafe. Literally a few hundred metres from our hotel was the Airbnb that our other daughter and her wife were renting. It was a cute little place with one bedroom, a living room, kitchen and bathroom. Everything was very modern, clean and air conditioned.

My sister and her family were also in Venice at the same time. They arrived one day earlier and stayed on day longer. They rented a place through VRBO that was located within walking distance from us in the same district. It was very large, spacious and beautifully decorated with Indonesian and Asian artefacts. The downsize was that it on the sixth floor and the elevator was broken. Apart from that there were three bedrooms, two modern bathrooms a huge living room, a small walk out and a quirky little kitchen. The views looking over the rooftops of Venice were wonderful. On our first night there we all got together and enjoyed a great Italian meal prepared by my brother-in-law.

My only regret in Venice is that our stay of two days was too short. You need at least four days and if you are staying that long and enjoy cooking and shopping Airbnb or RVBO is the way to go.

Till next time, Ciao!