Italy's Hotel Davanzati and Hotel Posta Veglia

My wife, Connie, and I visited ITALY and SWITZERLAND in late September and early October ’07 and would like to share recommendations of three hotels.

• Hotel Davanzati (Via Porta Rossa 5, 50123 Florence, Italy; phone +39 055 286666, fax 055 2658252, www.hoteldavanzati.it) was a Rick Steves recommendation and, as before with tips we have used from him, we weren’t disappointed.

The hotel’s location is great, within walking distance of the major sights of Florence.

Our superior room was spacious, with modern plumbing and electronics. The rate for a superior double room, with breakfast, was €212 ($309) per night. I reserved the room on their website and received prompt responses.

What made the hotel really stand out was the accommodating nature of the owners, Fabrizio and his son Tomasso. They spoke excellent English and were always pleasant and helpful. They arranged museum reservations and day tours, and they gave us some excellent restaurant recommendations.

We also enjoyed the evening happy hour, not only for the wine and snacks but, more importantly, for the opportunity to interact with other travelers and share our adventures.

• From Florence we traveled to Switzerland. After the hustle and bustle of Florence (and the crush of tourists), it was great to unwind in the pleasant little town of Laax, where we stayed at Hotel Posta Veglia (Via Principala 54, CH-7031 Laax, Switzerland, phone +41 [0] 81 921 44 66, www.postaveglia.ch).

The hotel was recently renovated and beautifully decorated. The bath fixtures and electronics were very up-to-date, with amenities such as a flat-screen TV and CD player/radio.

Our room was the Panorama Penthouse, and it was wonderful! Where else can you lie in bed, look out the window and watch the cows in the meadows on the neighboring hillsides with snowcapped peaks behind them?

The rate, with breakfast, was CHF240 ($210), which I considered a real bargain for the quality of the accommodation. They have other rooms beginning at CHF160 ($140).

The owners, Maja and René Meyer, spoke English well and were very personable.

The hotel also had a restaurant, where René turned out fabulous meals. We tried to convince him that he should come to California and become our personal chef, but no luck! Dinner selections ran about CHF38-CHF42 (near $33-$37), less for lunch.

Just be warned that, as with most small European hotels, stairs are involved.

Laax can be reached by train, although it might be better suited to travelers with a car. It is within easy striking distance of the ski resorts of Davos and Arosa. Chur is also interesting and well worth a visit.

• In Lucerne, Switzerland, we enjoyed the well-known Wilden Mann (Bahnhofstr. 30, CH-6003, Lucerne 7, Switzerland; phone +41 [0] 2101666, fax 210 1629, www.wilden-mann.ch). The hotel is well located, within walking distance of the train station and most of the tourist sites in the city.

Although I had never stayed in the hotel before, I had eaten in its excellent restaurant some years earlier and so was familiar with the property. Our charming room had a rate of CHF335 ($294). I booked it on their website.

GLENN GRAHAM

Red Bluff, CA