Lodging Books

Very few servers really WORK at their trade. I have yet to meet a server who practices this simple technique to increase tips.

The book was an excellent aid in securing reasonably priced accommodations in Rome and several cities to the North. The curfew - the front door being firmly locked at 10 PM - may be a problem for some but not for those who have spent a busy day sightseeing. We found one convent also closed the door during the lunch hour so we had to wait patiently for our check in. The only other negative was that some of the nuns were not terribly knowledgeable regarding operating their "hotel" and I had to help repair an electric outage.
All in all, the book is a great aid in avoiding high-priced hotels.

My husband and I lived in Italy for three years from 2001 to 2004. We traveled so much we could not afford to stay at a "regular" hotel every time we traveled. "Bed and Blessings" was always the first source we turned to when we started planning a trip. We found it very reliable, though by the end of our tour of duty, it was already going out of date. Glad to see that it will be updated soon. We will definitely buy the new edition before we set off on our next trip to Italy.

Each item generally contained everything we needed to know to decide if we wanted to stay there. We especially appreciated the maps and information on parking, as we often traveled by car.

Staying in convents is not something a typical spoiled and demanding American tourist should attempt. The rooms will be sparsely furnished, the beds will be lumpy, the heating will be sporadic, and the staff will rarely speak English.

But for open-minded, budget-constrained, flexible and experienced travelers, it is the only way to go. The rooms will be spotlessly clean, the location will often be exceptional, and the price will always be a fraction of what the hotel down the street is charging.

Things may have changed in the past five years, but when we were using this book, few convents accepted credit cards and most answered the phone only around mealtimes (Italian mealtimes). Some were just starting to make and confirm reservations by e-mail, but only in Italian or very broken English. Every convent had a fax machine.

Guests who stay at convents should remember where they are and adapt accordingly. Doors are often locked at 10 or 11 p.m. The staff is not available during prayer times. And if you are traveling as a couple, you might be asked if you are married.

Now that we're back home in the USA, some of our best memories (and stories) were born in the convents featured in this book.
Like the 500-year-old palazzo five blocks from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, the one with the grand staircase and marble tiles that popped loose every time we walked on them. Or the modern hotel across the street from dock of the ferry that ran up and down the Cinque Terre coast. Or the beautiful palazzo around the corner from one of Rome's busist intersections, two blocks from one of the city's major bus hubs, where we fell asleep to sound of the motorinos (scooters) buzzing by on the street below.

We have used this book as a starting point to plan seven trips to Italy over the past four years. For the most part, we have found the contact information reasonable accurate. We've found it still to be a very credible source, even though the information IS a couple of years old.

A bit of advice based on our experiences.

1. It may be helpful to send faxes during Italian business hours. Some of the convents seem to turn their faxes off during their night-time hours.
2. When corresponding with the convents should include your e-mail address. Recently, we've noticed that many of the convents that we fax respond to us by e-mail. This simplifies things.
3. Not all convents and monasteries answer faxes promptly. First, an overseas fax may be a significant expense for a non-profit religious organization. Second, if they have no vacancies, they may not respond. We've learned that if we don't get a response to a confirmed fax receipt, we may try once again or follow up by mail. If we still don't get a response, then we move on. Third, keep in mind that if they have a technical problem, their fax may be out of service for several days (or longer).

I traveled to Italy in October of 2002 and spent one month there, relying on Bed and Blessings for accurate information on where to stay inexpensively. I was truly dissapointed. I ended up finding fellow travellers to be a more reliable source of information than "Bed and Blessings."

This book has not been updated since 1999 and over half the places I called did not have correct phone numbers in the book. Others were out of business or converted to hotels. Also, Italy now uses the Euro which is not listed in the book. One place listed in the book where I stayed, had fleas and they sufficiently dined on me. I fled the place the next morning to a local hotel.

Julia needs to get busy updating the information in the book if she wants to continue to sell it as a useful reference. I would not buy it again unless it is updated.

I was very disappointed in this book. The information is very old and rather inadequate. The publisher should revise this book or withdraw it from the marketplace.

Italy is a very expensive country for tourists and the guide provides a number of cheap and clean places where to stay during your stay. Not least, it covers all Italian regions. I will probably buy also the same guides (by the same author) for Spain and France.

While this book may be useful as a listing of monasteries that are open to travelers, the promotion for it is misleading. The room rates quoted in the current ad running in The New Yorker, and on the website for the book, tout rooms for as low as $30/night. And the back cover of the new edition cites specific monasteries with rates quoted in USD when in fact the rates cited inside the book are the same amount or HIGHER in EUROS (which makes the dollar figures quoted on the cover wrong by 50% or more). With the value of the dollar falling as it has been for the past 2 years or more, it would have been far more honest for the room rates to be quoted in euros (as well as dollars, if necessary) in the promotion. And there is no excuse for a current magazine ad and website to carry misleading information. I just hope the remainder of the information in the book is accurate (from reading other reviews, I have my doubts).

It saved us money as we used it in Florence. We stopped in another in the mountains of central Italy for a social visit. The nuns are from diffenrent places around the world and quite interesting conversationalists, if wanted. The properties were quiet and clean. We will try again on the next visit. The school in Florence is in the center of the city.

We bought this book and decided to test it out on a vacation. Although we live in the US, my husband was born and raised in Italy and was able to call the monasteries personally to make reservations. This was definitely a plus. Given this, we did get surpises... some good, some very bad!

The spot in Florence with nuns was exceptional. What a special treat. It was clean, breakfast was good, and the nuns were delightful. However, there was a curfew, which was a problem, as we like to stay out a bit late.

Another place we made reservations at was extremely difficult to find. We wandered around back streets and were finally able to find a villager to get directions. When we got there, it was closed! There were no lights on and noone present. We are a married couple with 3 small children and this was not fun! Fortunately, we were able to make our way back to the main street and find a hotel with an opening.

A third one we made reservations at was a BUST. It was in Venice which is very hot and humid in the summer. We were given very basic quarters and thought we were going to die of heat stroke before morning.

My advice, is just be careful and resourceful if you plan on using this. After our experience, we would rather book online with sites that provide user feedback. We get fewer surprises that way.

This book is useful. We stayed in several guest houses in the book as we drove in northern Italy. I would recommend it but would also make three observations. First, some of the directions are not suffieiently detailed or clear. I think this is a significant weakness of the book. We spent quite a bit of time finding some of the guest houses. Second, understandably, some of the prices are out of date but the places still are bargains. Third, in some of those where we stayed, the people did not speak English. This was not a problem as out Italian is marginally passable but don't expect English to be spoken at all of them, especially on the phone. Nevertheless, I have recommended it to several friends who plan to go to Italy and I will get the latest edition when we go again. It is an investment because the rates are much better than hotels.

This is a wonderfully helpful book. It sits in the back of my car at ready for any trip. I only travel with my dog. When I plan a trip this book comes out to help us find places to play.

Highly recommend it.

I find this book indispensable! I travel through the state for business and pleasure throughout the year and wouldn't think of leaving without this book. Everyone who owns a dog in California should buy this book.

The manner in which Barish chose to organize her book makes it nearly impossible to use. It is arranged alphabetically by city, regardless of county. When searching for dog-friendly locations within a particular area, it is necessary to know the names of all the surrounding cities. Unless you have a map in front of you while using Barish's book, it is frustrating and virtually useless. In addition, the information in the book is scanty and many times inaccurate. I cannot recommend this book. In fact, I cannot in all good conscience even re-sell the book to an unsuspecting dog lover.

If you want to find dog friendly places in particular areas of california (aka, costal, bay, etc) - this book is impossible. I would recommend just getting a california hiking or camping book that has dog info. This book has alot of cutesy pictures and recommendations that I did not find helpful.

This is the best book I have found on California. It comprehensively tells you where to go and what to do. My dogs and I have a great time wandering around this fabulous state with the book as a guide by my side. Every dog owner should have this.

On the gayness scale of 1 to 10, where 1 being fairly not gay, and 10 being the village people in tiher underware, doing the macerana, I would give it a 9.56

Ivan Turner combines thoughful characterization with a unique plot, that leaves readers in awe. I recommend this book to everyone and Ivan Turner is a great writer!

Ivan Turner brilliantly weaves wonderful characters with a great, non-stop story line and forces the reader to become an integral part of the story itself. His understanding and portrayal of each of the characters is exquistely satisfying! Surely, this author is the next Harlan Ellison! I loved it!!

Includes now defunct restaurants like Cafe Azul in McMinnville, OR (now moved to Portland); Heathman Grill, Avalon, Augustine's-- all closed. Review of Tina's doesn't remark on new building. Stellar new places like Macmenamins Hotel Oregon and Joel Palmer House not included. Spiffy new Heathman Lodge in Vamncouver, WA not included. OK, so the devil is in the details, but this is one OLD travel companion. Update it, or stop selling it.

I have a question, I have the 20th Anniversary Edition of Northwest Best Places, 1994-1995, is there going to be a 1999-2000 edition?

We need a new edition of this - is there any information about a publication date?

This guide book is the best to hit the market for travelers preferring the personal service of a B&B or Country Inn. The quantity of choices is large and also has a great variety. The prestigious and meaningful AAA diamond ratings are available to the general public which doesn't happen often! Not only does it have great content but you get the satisfaction of knowing a trained professional visits each place at least once a year.

I will use this book often on my travels both business and pleasure! B&B's and Country Inns now offer dataports for my laptop most of the time.

If these guides were updated every 6 months or so they would be worthwhile. Inns change hands and come and go out of business frequently. Perhaps someone will offer a subscription service whereby you could receive an updated book every few months. To avoid surprises in using this book be sure you call ahead to check the current status and cross check the information given in the book against B&B websites.

A good place to start, but when I checked the web sites for the first two hotels I wanted on my trip they were no longer pet friendly. I realize it can't be updated every few months so my advice is use the book a starting point but do your investigation to follow up on-line.

My husband and I always travel with our dog, and that can make it difficult to find lodging. This book never lets us down. Aside from all the lodging listings there is a lot of general information about traveling with your pet. We bought a previous version and just about wore it out.

I had an earlier edition of this book, which I used a lot, but it got outdated. It is invaluable in searching out places that take pets. Gives you somewhere to start. I used internet sites too, but they are outdated, so I ordered this new edition.

The most valuable asset of this listing is that it not only gives you the upper crust but even the more affordable motels and hotels sometimes even off the beaten path that will allow pets. This is good for those of us who don't only want the "inns" and hotels but just a nice stay in a clean place.

Great for people planning both a long and short trip. I used the book for a cross country trip that went into Canada and found all the information up to date. The general travel tips and what to pack is also a big help.

As a resident of one of the LAST of these towns to actually remain (somewhat) affordable (and those days are numbered, I fear), I'd like to thank both author and publisher for doing their part to run creative people out of the increasingly expensive towns that they worked - through long, difficult years - to create. There's nothing like loving a place to death. We all owe you a real pat on the back.

-David Alston

The book has a lot of intersting information and I am looking forward to investigating some of the towns on my own. I wish it was more geographically organized and has a few area maps.

Subtitled "Discover Creative Communities, Fresh Air, and Affordable living". The author obviously hasn't lived in these communities. Sedona, Nantucket, Carmel CA, Santa Cruz, Martha's Vineyard, Telluride, Key West, Vail, Sun Valley, Santa Fe and Deer Isle? Is he serious? Generally, the more unaffordable the town, the more gallery space there is. The author is most likely not used to living as an artist does.

As a lifelong world traveler (106 countries visited, and all 50 States), I consider myself a connoisseur of guidebooks in various languages, and the fourth edition of John Villani's "The 100 Best Art Towns in America" is one of the finest I've ever seen in the English language. Where others are mere compendiums that in essence are glorified phone books, Mr. Villani's is more in the nature of an artwork, for he has deftly sketched 100 communities in a way that reveals each one's soul. (Yes, communities do have "souls," and those guidebooks that do not recognize this fact are wastes of paper, no matter how fancy they've been produced.) A town's soul is manifested throughout it--in its restaurants, its hotels, its public spaces, its historic sites and annual festivals, all of which Mr. Villani covers very nicely in this edition; but the single clearest sign of any community's soul is its art scene, the realm and arena of its total creative force. Some cities, with sad souls, have high crime rates, but the best cities have high art rates, and John Villani has given us a delightfully usable work of art masquerading as a book that identifies the best 100 of those cities and towns. My sole complaint would be that he didn't pick America's best 200 art towns, or 300! At any rate, for tourists or visitors certainly, and for city planners and promoters who want to find the secret to being a successful art town, and definitely for any and all art-lovers, John Villani's "The 100 Best Art Towns in America" is THE best guidebook you can find.

This lively guide gives a fine sense of the texture of art locales all over America. As an ardent cultural traveler, I plan to take it with me on the road for future trips. His write-ups of the places he has savored ring true and I look forward using it as a helpful guide to new destinations I plan to visit. Many are locales I had not thought of, but are now on my list. So many guidebooks present the same-old, same-old. It's nice to find one with some character. Happy trails!

This book's lodging listings are so inaccurate as to be a serious potential inconvenience for the traveler. Two thirds of the non-chain lodging listings I contacted no longer admit dogs. If it's too much trouble to update the thing, the publishers ought to stop printing it. Save your money.

I ordered this before summer and tried to use it. It's 4 years old and most accommodations are wrong. A lot of the other info was still valid, but without a place to stay it didn't go very well.

If you like doin' Arizona, and have a pooch, this book is for you! This fantastic piece of literature shows you the classiest toilets to drink from, and the freshest hydrants to mark! Let Max slobber off the edge of the Grand Cañon, run around the Petrified Forest, or just kick back in a doggy hotel. If you're planning on seeing Arizona, but thought you'd have to leave Rover at home, BUY THIS BOOK!

I share my home in Northern Arizona with two dogs and travel all over the state to hike with them. I found this book helpful for Southeastern Arizona and especially for the Phoenix area, but have found numerous inaccuracies for hikes with dogs in Northern Arizona. Basically, the author lists hikes "near" a town and I've found them to be as far as two HOURS away from the town listed. Her directions are often way off, too. I question whether she's ever been to many of the places she lists in her book. The book is probably still worth getting, however, if all you care about is hiking/staying in and around Phoenix.

I was really suprised as this book offers tons of invaluable information. As an avid Arizona hiker I was amazed to find fido friendly hiking trails rarely mentioned in print anywhere! The book covers hiking trails, parks, lodging and fido info galore. Tips on pooch travel and pet care complete the package. Nice job!