Sandra Gustafson's Great Sleeps Italy: Florence - Rome - Venice; Fifth Edition

by Sandra Gustafson

For 20 years, savvy travelers have trusted Sandra Gustafson for real finds and great value abroad. Completely revised and updated, this beloved guide offers in-the-know counsel on the best deals for your money and most unique places to stay in Florence, Rome, and Venice. Both first-time and veteran visitors will find plenty of invaluable tips in these pages, thanks to the author's painstaking research. For this edition, Sandra revisited each of the recommended hotels, and searched high and low for great new finds.

With their lively, detailed, and personal reviews, the Italy guides are proven favorites in this popular seriesand the antidote to the most-common-denominator travel guides. Including practical advice on transportation, reservations, holidays, and even shopping tips, the Great Eats and Sleeps series is the perfect companion for anyone in search of the authentic Italy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811845656
• ISBN13: 9780811845656
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

No reservation...No stress

My husband and I arrived in both Florence and Venice without hotel reservations. When we arrived in the cities we used the book to select our hotel and called them. In Florence, our first pick was vacant. In Venice, the 3rd was vacant. The book described them accurately. The 2 that we stayed at were both wonderful and inexpensive.

Useful book

This book was useful to me in some previous trips to Italy. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I wish the info was kept more current.

Good Guidelines

Bought this book to help me plan a New Years Trip to italy, and though it was helpful and interesting, I think I had better luck browsing around on the internet on sights like Venere and rick steves bulletin boards. The one thing i really did like is that she gives honest opinions about the hotels, and most of them were spot on. I would recommend this book as a baseline for finding hotels, but also look for reviews online. It was also really nice that she has a range of price options, though most of them were a little over our budget. Good if you want to spend $150 and up a night, then it would be a really great book. Otherwise, stick to the Let's Go books.

Solid information, a little dated.

I picked this book up along with Rick Steves'. I've found Great Sleeps Italy to have many more choices, several being much less known and therefore a better bargain, and easier to get into. That being said, the book is from 2002, and a little dated. I've noticed several big price increases from what she shows and even a few hotels that appear to no longer be in existence. For $11 on this site though, it is worth it.

Excellent, personalized recommendations

Although Ms. Gustafson's series of books is now "Great" instead of "Cheap", they still contain valuable, personal reviews of relatively inexpensive hotels. The idea is not the cheapest spots (see the Let's Go series for those), but less costly hotels which give above-average value for the money. I've stayed at her recommended hotels in both Florence and Rome and found them exactly as described. You won't be disappointed unless you expect 4-star amenities in a 2-star hotel.