Originally Posted by nyllover (Post 19108283)

Some correct things (yes, regarding internet we are a thrid world country, and many shops just dont give a shit of offering a good service) and some (lots) of totally unreal experiences.

Either:
- You didn't prepare well for the trip (tripadvisor, wikipedia...many things to read before visiting a new country)
- You've been unlucky

But...a few things i really MUST say:

- MC DONALD's!?!?!??! You come in Italy and you eat that shit food?!?!? (and NO, i'm not suggesting Pizza)

- Coming in Italy just to stay in Rimini is the same as going to Miami for its historical monuments. Looking for a great seaside? Go to Sardegna or Puglia. Looking to TRULY enjoy Italy? Then visit Tuscany, Rome, Venice, Naples, Milan, Verona,etc.etc.etc. Rimini is mostly famous for its nightlife.

- If i come in USA i dont expect them to accept Euros. Yes banks have stupid open times...but ATMs are EVERYWHERE

Originally Posted by inthecrack (Post 19108296)

My Italian experience. The good and the bad?.

Rome: History perfume. There's really nowhere else you can see so much history packed into such a small space. Too bad it is completely choked in tourists. Expect to wait in line for hours to get into the colosseum. I'd really prefer to spend my vacation time in the worlds more far flung locations with literally no one around.

Naples: Undoubtedly one of the worst cities I've ever been to. Do a google image search for "Naples garbage" and you'll see why. Apparently there's no more landfill and it's all controlled by the mafia. Highway construction that seems to have stopped half done 15 years ago. Rude people.

Positano: Definitely worth a visit. Lots of character and great views from the hillside villas. The road to this town is awesome with white knuckle cliffside curves for miles.

Trains: What an awesome way to travel. Wish we had high speed trains in North America.

I seriously had the best food I've ever eaten in Italy. The Italians are the world's best chefs. However you gotta know where to go. We were just lucky to have awesome hosts in a private villa with an awesome cook. The restaurant experience was a different story. In Italy there seems to be no concept of competing for a customer, no clue about customer service and an attitude of "the customer is always wrong". Expect to get nickel and dimed for every little thing including water, ketchup, dinner rolls, and even an empty plate. You could say this about many places in Europe.

I'd like to see a travel show like Rudy Maxa, Rick Steves, etc. with a difference in that they tell you both the good AND the bad. Every place has it's pros and cons but they never tell you the negative stuff.

Originally Posted by Roald (Post 19107619)

Sounds like you didnt prep properly.

Originally Posted by mineistaken (Post 19108324)

By the way can someone explain to me why hotels cost twice as much as in Spain? Almost everytime I compare prices I get double. If I can find cheap hotels at 25Eur in Spain becah side (even mallorca) same hotels in Italy is 50Eur and so on.
Hotel business in Italy would yield very good returns. You can have prices 30-40% lower than all you competition and still turn great profit. Hotel prices in Italy is a strange thing for me.

Originally Posted by Buff (Post 19108365)

Sounds like you could have benefited tremendously by doing a modicum of research prior to visiting.

I live here in Italy and my only complaints are:

1. Everybody smokes
2. Graffiti everywhere
3. Lots of litter/dog shit on the sidewalks
4. Too many girls have never heard of rhinoplasty

Other than that, this place is paradise.

Originally Posted by Django (Post 19108351)

what the best country you have ever visited?

Originally Posted by v4 media (Post 19108346)

Because Spain's got a shitload more beds and go for cheap tourists, Italy try to keep the scum out, that's why its nice.

In Europe, only London and Paris have got more hotel rooms than Benidorm.

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19106638)

My Italian experience ...

So, I will try giving some cold facts, no offensive conclusions or
wow positive feedback, but facts only - just some real experience
I am currently having in Italy.

1. Entering the country and driving long distance without any real
pit stop station was a little nervous, you'd have to drive watching
a beautiful scenery while thinking if a gas station would appear
any time soon.

2. Since I have entered to Italy from Austria I was on roaming and was
waiting to get to the WiFi area to check emails, surf a little, navigate
google map and stuff. Well, i'd better be prepared that they dont have
any wifi on those Autogrill food stations, no ATM and no money exchange
at all.

3. The streets are real narrow and hotel parking lot can be tiny.
Cars get parked in 2 or 3 rows. So be prepared they would ask for your
car key at the hotel to move it here and there letting others going out or in.

4. A hair dryer is a mysterious thing to operate, first it needs a special
switcher to be on ( one of 3 in front of the bathoom door, fun is it's not
obvious which button would work ), then you'd have to switch a button on
the wall near the hair dryer On, and finally you can use the thing.

5. The room has a central air conditioning system that is easy to operate, but
at times you can hear music coming off the vent channel in case someone plays it
loud in their room below or upstairs.

6. I didn't know but Italy has a different electric socket system, so you'd need
a converter, imagine I have arrived iphone battery nearly dead and wanted to go
online on my PC - that's where I figured out it wont last long. Actually, internet
speed itself is rather ok then good, it gets stalled frequently.

7. Forget your dollars, they dont want it. Banks work only till 1 pm, i was unable to
find any money exchange office on the street, found 3 bank branches with 2 working ATMs - Unicredit and Banko Ri Rimini.

8. So I went to try buying a prepaid SIM card for mobile internet then. Firstly they
would ask you for your passport even if its a prepaid, you's have to buy their modem
even if you have one, SIM cards in Italy are blocked or even built in it seems, I was told my modem won't work with their SIM. And the minimum prepaid time is 3 months, comes to EUR99.

9. Here in Rimini, it seems like a 'Uzhnoe Butovo' - kinda a Southern Moscow - Russians are everywhere.

10. At some point everything is nominated in EURO and even McDonalds food is more expensive, at some point I must say you'd feel screwed by prices in EURO.

11. After 3 days I have become to a conclusion that this country means chill and relax at it's perfect, seems like no one is working, no one is offering you a better service, no one is competing for the client, they just go the beach and eat pizza all night long, since daily it's so damn hot even Italians prefer to relax.

12, It's definitely hot and you'd sweat all day long, especially on arrival, so you'd need
a spair change frequently. Or a laundry done once in 2-3 days. So, before I got the laundry room access key I spent 2 days figuring out how tos about it, apparently there is just one machine in the hotel that can be used by anyone. So then I went there and set for 10 minutes waiting when its done, took someones stuff out ( nobody showed up ) and put mine in for EUR3 a cycle. Next day i tried to find a couple of t-shirts to fit me but their shops are so messy and brutally unorganized i prefered to stick to my 3 shirts and a laundromat :)


13. The sea is amazing. Wide, long beach, very warm water you could stay in all day long.

Originally Posted by bronco67 (Post 19108402)

you use a hair dryer?

Originally Posted by Buff (Post 19108365)

4. Too many girls have never heard of rhinoplasty

Originally Posted by mineistaken (Post 19108400)

Are you saying hotel prices are regulated by Italian government in some way? Maybe some super hight taxes so that hotel owners should keep their prices high in order to turn profit?
Otherwise I can not see why some guy who owns hotels in Spain couldn't open same hotels in Italy and keep the prices close to those that are in Spain.

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19106638)

My Italian experience ...

So, I will try giving some cold facts, no offensive conclusions or
wow positive feedback, but facts only - just some real experience
I am currently having in Italy.

1. Entering the country and driving long distance without any real
pit stop station was a little nervous, you'd have to drive watching
a beautiful scenery while thinking if a gas station would appear
any time soon.

2. Since I have entered to Italy from Austria I was on roaming and was
waiting to get to the WiFi area to check emails, surf a little, navigate
google map and stuff. Well, i'd better be prepared that they dont have
any wifi on those Autogrill food stations, no ATM and no money exchange
at all.

3. The streets are real narrow and hotel parking lot can be tiny.
Cars get parked in 2 or 3 rows. So be prepared they would ask for your
car key at the hotel to move it here and there letting others going out or in.

4. A hair dryer is a mysterious thing to operate, first it needs a special
switcher to be on ( one of 3 in front of the bathoom door, fun is it's not
obvious which button would work ), then you'd have to switch a button on
the wall near the hair dryer On, and finally you can use the thing.

5. The room has a central air conditioning system that is easy to operate, but
at times you can hear music coming off the vent channel in case someone plays it
loud in their room below or upstairs.

6. I didn't know but Italy has a different electric socket system, so you'd need
a converter, imagine I have arrived iphone battery nearly dead and wanted to go
online on my PC - that's where I figured out it wont last long. Actually, internet
speed itself is rather ok then good, it gets stalled frequently.

7. Forget your dollars, they dont want it. Banks work only till 1 pm, i was unable to
find any money exchange office on the street, found 3 bank branches with 2 working ATMs - Unicredit and Banko Ri Rimini.

8. So I went to try buying a prepaid SIM card for mobile internet then. Firstly they
would ask you for your passport even if its a prepaid, you's have to buy their modem
even if you have one, SIM cards in Italy are blocked or even built in it seems, I was told my modem won't work with their SIM. And the minimum prepaid time is 3 months, comes to EUR99.

9. Here in Rimini, it seems like a 'Uzhnoe Butovo' - kinda a Southern Moscow - Russians are everywhere.

10. At some point everything is nominated in EURO and even McDonalds food is more expensive, at some point I must say you'd feel screwed by prices in EURO.

11. After 3 days I have become to a conclusion that this country means chill and relax at it's perfect, seems like no one is working, no one is offering you a better service, no one is competing for the client, they just go the beach and eat pizza all night long, since daily it's so damn hot even Italians prefer to relax.

12, It's definitely hot and you'd sweat all day long, especially on arrival, so you'd need
a spair change frequently. Or a laundry done once in 2-3 days. So, before I got the laundry room access key I spent 2 days figuring out how tos about it, apparently there is just one machine in the hotel that can be used by anyone. So then I went there and set for 10 minutes waiting when its done, took someones stuff out ( nobody showed up ) and put mine in for EUR3 a cycle. Next day i tried to find a couple of t-shirts to fit me but their shops are so messy and brutally unorganized i prefered to stick to my 3 shirts and a laundromat :)


13. The sea is amazing. Wide, long beach, very warm water you could stay in all day long.

Originally Posted by v4 media (Post 19108544)

Because Spain gets 20 million scum tourists, The hotels make money because of volume.
Massive concrete blocks that have killed the coast.

Italy gets 2 million but they spend the same amount of $$ in smaller hotels.. What would you prefer?

Originally Posted by Michael O (Post 19108665)

----------------------
After writing this and reading a bit more of the thread I realized your are European so it comes to:
1. You should have done your reasearch.

If you had been from the Americas or Asia I could have understood at least some of your issues.

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19106638)

My Italian experience ...
11. After 3 days I have become to a conclusion that this country means chill and relax at it's perfect, seems like no one is working, no one is offering you a better service, no one is competing for the client, they just go the beach and eat pizza all night long, since daily it's so damn hot even Italians prefer to relax.

Originally Posted by mineistaken (Post 19108731)

Originally Posted by mineistaken (Post 19108760)

At first i thought he was ignorant american who was surprised that something (like mcdodanlds) is more expensive in Europe

Originally Posted by nyllover (Post 19109287)

I'll give you two reasons:

- Taxes
- Burocracy

Originally Posted by Michael O (Post 19108665)

7. Italy's national currency is Euros how many places in USA, Japan or GB would accept Euros?

Originally Posted by nyllover (Post 19109287)

I'll give you two reasons:

- Taxes
- Burocracy

It's hell on earh opening ANY form of new business in Italy. Tons of paperwork to do, tons of offices to visit, tons of taxes to pay even to start the business. And regarding hotels...taxes, again, is the main issue why room prices are so high. It's difficult to make a living owning a hotel here in Italy (i worked for a webagency specialized in hotels).

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19106638)

My Italian experience ...

So, I will try giving some cold facts, no offensive conclusions or
wow positive feedback, but facts only - just some real experience
I am currently having in Italy.

1. Entering the country and driving long distance without any real
pit stop station was a little nervous, you'd have to drive watching
a beautiful scenery while thinking if a gas station would appear
any time soon.

2. Since I have entered to Italy from Austria I was on roaming and was
waiting to get to the WiFi area to check emails, surf a little, navigate
google map and stuff. Well, i'd better be prepared that they dont have
any wifi on those Autogrill food stations, no ATM and no money exchange
at all.

3. The streets are real narrow and hotel parking lot can be tiny.
Cars get parked in 2 or 3 rows. So be prepared they would ask for your
car key at the hotel to move it here and there letting others going out or in.

4. A hair dryer is a mysterious thing to operate, first it needs a special
switcher to be on ( one of 3 in front of the bathoom door, fun is it's not
obvious which button would work ), then you'd have to switch a button on
the wall near the hair dryer On, and finally you can use the thing.

5. The room has a central air conditioning system that is easy to operate, but
at times you can hear music coming off the vent channel in case someone plays it
loud in their room below or upstairs.

6. I didn't know but Italy has a different electric socket system, so you'd need
a converter, imagine I have arrived iphone battery nearly dead and wanted to go
online on my PC - that's where I figured out it wont last long. Actually, internet
speed itself is rather ok then good, it gets stalled frequently.

7. Forget your dollars, they dont want it. Banks work only till 1 pm, i was unable to
find any money exchange office on the street, found 3 bank branches with 2 working ATMs - Unicredit and Banko Ri Rimini.

8. So I went to try buying a prepaid SIM card for mobile internet then. Firstly they
would ask you for your passport even if its a prepaid, you's have to buy their modem
even if you have one, SIM cards in Italy are blocked or even built in it seems, I was told my modem won't work with their SIM. And the minimum prepaid time is 3 months, comes to EUR99.

9. Here in Rimini, it seems like a 'Uzhnoe Butovo' - kinda a Southern Moscow - Russians are everywhere.

10. At some point everything is nominated in EURO and even McDonalds food is more expensive, at some point I must say you'd feel screwed by prices in EURO.

11. After 3 days I have become to a conclusion that this country means chill and relax at it's perfect, seems like no one is working, no one is offering you a better service, no one is competing for the client, they just go the beach and eat pizza all night long, since daily it's so damn hot even Italians prefer to relax.

12, It's definitely hot and you'd sweat all day long, especially on arrival, so you'd need
a spair change frequently. Or a laundry done once in 2-3 days. So, before I got the laundry room access key I spent 2 days figuring out how tos about it, apparently there is just one machine in the hotel that can be used by anyone. So then I went there and set for 10 minutes waiting when its done, took someones stuff out ( nobody showed up ) and put mine in for EUR3 a cycle. Next day i tried to find a couple of t-shirts to fit me but their shops are so messy and brutally unorganized i prefered to stick to my 3 shirts and a laundromat :)


13. The sea is amazing. Wide, long beach, very warm water you could stay in all day long.

Originally Posted by v4 media (Post 19108539)

Good. Too many fake women about.

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19107407)

At times they use euro sockets but mostly its like this:

http://www.adaptelec.com/images/plug...-socketfit.jpg


I'm not saying I was expecting liras but that pricing in EURO is higher then in USD for the same shit.

Originally Posted by mineistaken (Post 19109329)

I am familiar with burocracy. But I would like to hear specific taxes that makes rooms so oexpensive. I know a little about hotel industry and so far speaking of European countries I know that some countries has lower VAT for hotel industry (to support tourism). So for example regular VAT is 20% and hotels pay something like 8-10%. So that would explain 10% increase in room prices. Also I know some countries has "head" tax like 0.50eur or 1eur per room. But I can not imagine what taxes compose 50% or 100% more expensive rooms. Could you tell me exact taxes that are extra taxes compared to what taxes spanish hotel owners pay?

Originally Posted by Sid70 (Post 19109307)

Italian reality.

http://www.heritage.org/index/visual...ly&src=ranking

Originally Posted by SPP (Post 19109768)

the north is crazy, I hate Rimini and such a places

you have to go a tiny bit down under Fano, Ancona or more south and it's fucking lovely there, no russians, no cheap turists... everything BETTER !!!

Originally Posted by nyllover (Post 19109998)

Cool site...even if it doesn't say which colour is a country or another...but...why would you compare Italy with Russia?

And anyway... did you know we are in 2012? The way you don't plan a trip is like people in the 60s used to plan holidays...good luck for your next one.

Originally Posted by HandballJim (Post 19109626)

I'm Italian and visited Italy over 10 years ago, I stayed in someones house a half hour up a mountain an hour out of Naples. It was kind of a rough experience...

Italy by far has the most natural beauty I have ever seen, and if you visit peoples homes they will prepare a delicious 3 course meal for you.

But coming from a place like NYC, Italy seemed backwards. It was hard to find stores that were open late and had fully stocked grocery shelves. I also noticed that people work conveniently at their own schedules. They had small hot water tanks so got used to cold showers, and no one spoke English and I felt bored pretty quick.

Japan had more of the lifestyle I am used to, since I like having stores open 24 hours.

Originally Posted by SpicyM (Post 19110393)

160e / night? I hope its not for just one person.

I dont like the beach at all and the sea looks messy. I would rather go to Croatia. You could take a ship from Ancona to Hvar and stay there. Much nicer beaches.

Originally Posted by mineistaken (Post 19108322)

And people - can anyone recommend me a beach town in Italy with decent nightlife?
It looks like its either Riminy or other towns that are too small to have good nightlife.
maybe something similar to Portugals Algarve (Albufeira etc)?