Rome and Venice 10 year anniversary trip February 2017

Well my husband and I were to celebrate out 10 year anniversary and take first trip since our honeymoon 10 years ago without children. It was wonderful - uh the trip and going away without my little darlings! We really spoiled ourselves and went for central hotels and one of the top suites, as I guess we probably won't do it again for another 10 years! Rome We stayed at the Suites Sistina, a very romantic couples only hotel just down the street form the Spanish steps. Breakfast served in your suite ordered daily and a very romantic suite tucked away in a side street near Le place do Pocollo, amazing! We bought the 3 day Omnia pass - this gave us access to 3 major tourist attractions and included an escorted half day tour of the Vatican, which was spectacular - plus we didn't have to queue half a day to get in! This was worth its weight in gold as wasting time was not an option when only having three days to do everything. The Omnia pass also included unlimited use of local transport and open topped bus which we made great use of - I have many time saving tips using this pass. We also visited the Castello Saint Angello, and saw the Pope giving mass out of the window of the Vatican - whilst on top floor of this Castello - what a chance we had! We visited the forum gardens and the Colisseum of course! It was all wonderful and I have to say we found Rome not over priced - we had a quick lunch opposite the Colisseum with a glass of wine and wonderful view for 26 euros for both of us - which I think is fabulous. We had some lovely meals in Rome but really loved a little Hosteria di Pietro; 5 minutes walk from Spanish Steps, very Italian family owned, not cheap - 50 euros a head with wine but very Italian family feel about it! We did walk until we were almost dead so good comfy shoes is my top tip for Rome, as walking was best way to get the feel of the city and see all the little streets you would miss if on buses and taxis. We would definitely go back sometime! Venice Venice - oh my lord we loved it we arrived just before the main weekend of carnival. This wasn't planned but rather luck in our planning but February is a good time to go as lots of locals walking around in local costume which is fantastic and lovely to see. Venice surely has to be the most romantic city in the world - take a gondola ride; you will pay 80 euros for this but it is wonderful and the gondola guys are so lovely. You can waste days walking around the streets and around every corner you will find something different and beautiful or unusual. There are so many little surprises which make you ask yourself questions like; how on earth do they collect rubbish in this city, how do they do building work in this city - it is so different I would say it is one destination everybody should put on their travel must do list. We stayed in a wonderful hotel right in the heart of the small canals about five minutes from Rialto and St. Marks - Ai Cavaliari hotel. It's a fabulous four star but I would say it's a five star - the only reason it is not is because they have no proper restaurant, but their sister hotel - 3 minutes walk away - have a wonderful restaurant and the front desk can recommend fabulous little trattorias nearby with a few minutes and you can totally trust their recommendations. You can also jump on a water bus and visit the closer islands or the lido beach area to get off the main group of islands. Arriving into Venice by air I would recommend using the water taxi service. It's very romantic and costs 120 euros if not pre-booked or about 150-160 euros if you pre-book a meet and greet service. It's well worth it, takes about 25-30 minutes and you can see from my photos a wonderful way to arrive in Venice. Cost whilst there - well of course if you want to sit in St Marks square for a drink you will pay 3 times the price but wander 2 minutes away and I was surprised at how reasonable food and drinks were and great service and didn't have a bad food experience in either city - I was surprised considering some of the stories I had heard. Restaurant recommendation - 2 minutes from Rialto Bridge, Trattoria Madonna is in a tiny side street. It has a fabulous Italian family feel, non stop service - very busy and everything done traditionally - great fish dishes, a lovely evening Italian experience - two courses and wine 30 euros a head and well worth it! You will have to ask the way as you won't find it without asking, and it is closed on a Wednesday! Overall I would highly recommend both cities and completely know how I would direct each client depending on their needs to plan their trip to these cities - I look forward to hearing from you soon and preparing your perfect itinerary to Rome and Venice.