8480 Hotel Recommendations

On our drives backwards and forwards we've found a few hotels and B&Bs that provide pleasant service out of season. I'm terrible at booking ahead so we tend to stop in an area when we get tired and then look around for somewhere to stop. Last time we drove in November we took an overnight ferry to Le Havre, with our first stop in Bardonecchia as we exited the Frejus tunnel. Of course November is a dead time for ski hotels so we had to ask around for a hotel that was open - even the Best Western was closed. The ladies at the petrol station recommended La Quiete which was spacious, warm and comfortable and the owner was keen to make our stay pleasant.

[url=http://www.hotelaquiete.it/italiano/hotel.html]Hotel Bardonecchia La Quiete[/url]

Driving on again I'd had enough of driving by the time we got to Cattolica. And we started to look for a hotel - we were only three hours or so from home but didn't fancy having to open and air the house at night. Our problem reoccurred, we'd normally stay here:

[url=http://www.imuretti.net/]I muretti: agriturismo e bed and breakfast in Valconca - Riviera Romagnola, Rimini[/url]

But they were also closed - out of season :eeeek:

And every hotel we tried in Riccione was also closed :reallyembarrassed:

As we rounded a corner looking for a way across the railway that didn't involve having to limbo under a bridge lower than the height of our car we spotted the Hotel Imperial Beach. We asked timidly if they were open because they looked closed, and were welcomed with open arms.

Excellent rooms (suites) with a built in kitchen in every room. And only a ew Euros per night. Papa prepared strozzapreti for us, and we were content.

[url=http://www.imperialbeach.it/]Hotel Imperial Beach - Rimini[/url]

On our return tiredness struck at Alessandria and we stopped at the Hotel Marengo. The hotel itself looked fairly average, but we were astounded by the restaurant, easily one of the best hotel restaurants we've experienced (and in expense account days I used to stay in some expensive upper-crust hotels).

[url=http://www.marengohotel.it/]Hotel Marengo - Hotel Alessandria Piemonte, albergo 4 stelle meeting point centro congressi[/url]

I'd welcome hearing about anyone else's favourites on routes from the Channel ports down to Abruzzo/Puglia.