Our trips are as much about the accommodation as about the scenery and routes, and we therefore hand-pick all hotels and guesthouses, looking for more intimate, family-run places that offer a warm welcome, friendly service and traditional regional cuisine.
Many have been converted from old buildings, so occasionally the bedrooms may be on the small side, but this is more than compensated for by the charm of your surroundings.
Hotels of character...
It’s impossible to describe a typical hotel, as they vary greatly – rather than use chains, we favour individual hotels with plenty of character, even in big cities.
At the lower end of the scale, 2-star hotels offer small but comfortable bedrooms that are perfectly adequate for a short stay. Most have only limited facilities; there is no room service and reception is manned for a limited period only.
At the other end of the scale, 4 and 5-star hotels have better equipped and more generously proportioned (relatively speaking) bedrooms, usually with a couple of comfy chairs or a small sofa; more services; plus more public areas in which to relax and, in most cases, a swimming pool.
...with local flavour
If you like to stay in accommodation which strongly reflects the character of its surroundings, look out for tours featuring
agritourisms,
masserie,
chambres d’hôtes and
quintas.
Agritourisms and
masserie are working farms but are often surprisingly stylish.
Chambres d’hôtes are a French concept best described as guesthouses, while
quintas are country houses – some small and simple, others large and grand, but all historic and full of character – found in Portugal and its islands.
The right accommodation for you
If you have a definite preference for high-quality accommodation with a wide range of facilities, or for more intimate, authentic accommodation, let us know and we will suggest the best tours for you.
Whatever standard or type of accommodation you stay in, you will almost always have your own en-suite facilities (either a bath or shower with WC). In the very rare cases where there are only shared facilities, we will point this out to you.
You will be asked at the time of booking whether you prefer a double room (with one double bed) or a twin room (with two single beds), which we will book for you wherever possible. In Austria, Germany and northern Italy, many hotels offer Austrian-style beds comprising two single mattresses with individual bedding on one large base, which are neither proper twin beds, nor a true double bed, but somewhere in between.