Casa Museo Palazzo Valenti Gonzaga — Attraction in Mantua

There's a lot to like about this guest house (it can't be called a hotel), particularly its location. It's very close to the historic centre of Mantua, which is completely glorious, and to all the main sights. It's also undeniably very interesting to spend a night or two in a historic building of this kind. We had the enormous, vaulted cellar apartment, and it's an unusual and evocative space.||||Having said all that, however, I'm not sure we would rush back here. Reviews from 2018 talk with enthusiasm of the breakfast provided in the apartments, but the management has clearly decided to suspend that service, so that you have to go out and forage for breakfast in local cafes. That's fine if you're happy with the classic Italian breakfast of coffee and brioche, but not so great if you aren't. ||||Also, although the apartments are advertised as having kitchens, that's a little misleading. (I had envisaged it as a kind of aparthotel from the description.) Our apartment had a very underpowered fridge, a kettle, and an espresso maker (with a rather ungenerous two pods). There's a hob and various empty cupboards, but there are no plates or cutlery. There's a sign saying that, if you want to use the kitchen, you should contact the management, but that seems rather a hassle if you are only there for a couple of nights.||||There wasn't too much sign of the free local parking listed on the site I booked from, either. The choice seemed to be either highly competitive metered street parking or a multi-storey a few blocks away. ||||I wasn't sure that the romance of living in a historic building--or even the great location--fully compensated for all these inconveniences. The apartments are vast in terms of square metres, but the space isn't especially well thought out--there's a lovely and distinctive room, for example, the old ice room, but it's not furnished in such a way that you can actually use it. The apartment might work well for a family (there are two single bedrooms, as well as the double one), and that would presumably make it good value, but I'm not sure it really works for a couple. It isn't furnished in a way that enhances the space, either--it's all a bit 'hand me down,' as if an elderly relative had lent...

There's a lot to like about this guest house (it can't be called a hotel), particularly its location. It's very close to the historic centre of Mantua, which is completely glorious, and to all the main sights. It's also undeniably very interesting to spend a night or two in a historic building of this kind. We had the enormous, vaulted cellar apartment, and it's an unusual and evocative space.||||Having said all that, however, I'm not sure we would rush back here. Reviews from 2018 talk with enthusiasm of the breakfast provided in the apartments, but the management has clearly decided to suspend that service, so that you have to go out and forage for breakfast in local cafes. That's fine if you're happy with the classic Italian breakfast of coffee and brioche, but not so great if you aren't. ||||Also, although the apartments are advertised as having kitchens, that's a little misleading. (I had envisaged it as a kind of aparthotel from the description.) Our apartment had a very underpowered fridge, a kettle, and an espresso maker (with a rather ungenerous two pods). There's a hob and various empty cupboards, but there are no plates or cutlery. There's a sign saying that, if you want to use the kitchen, you should contact the management, but that seems rather a hassle if you are only there for a couple of nights.||||There wasn't too much sign of the free local parking listed on the site I booked from, either. The choice seemed to be either highly competitive metered street parking or a multi-storey a few blocks away. ||||I wasn't sure that the romance of living in a historic building--or even the great location--fully compensated for all these inconveniences. The apartments are vast in terms of square metres, but the space isn't especially well thought out--there's a lovely and distinctive room, for example, the old ice room, but it's not furnished in such a way that you can actually use it. The apartment might work well for a family (there are two single bedrooms, as well as the double one), and that would presumably make it good value, but I'm not sure it really works for a couple. It isn't furnished in a way that enhances the space, either--it's all a bit 'hand me down,' as if an elderly relative had lent...

I must admit to changing the bookings a couple of times, wasn’t sure if we were to be 2 or 3 people. It landed up just my son and I. Eventually I booked a non refundable option and got the apartment. I don’t remember seeing a photo of it, all I can say is that we definitely didn’t see the “beauty and all that goes along with it” like in other reviews. We did NOT have breakfast, infact breakfast is not offered and you have to go down the street a 100m to eat something. On Sundays the cafe was closed and I was stuck 😬The checkin was friendly and quick, but we never saw the reception again or anyone at all for 3 days. There is a number you can call if you need anything. The apartment is big , but it gets a tad chilly though, has a kitchen which we didn’t use and a washing machine. We didn’t use that either. It was always clean, with a big bathroom (no bath unfortunately), always clean towels etc: the only thing was that it was lonely. We never saw a soul the entire weekend. I believed that we would be part of what others wrote about: lavish interiors and decorated ceilings and breakfasts in a stunning setting. Having said that: location was superb, there are 2 carparks 5 min walk away (one pay and one free).... there is no parking on site. Lovely restaurants nearby but do book. They get snapped up. I will be honest in saying that I booked accommodation that really was cheap for 3 nights, so I cannot complain, and just being in Italy makes me very happy. Do consult the reception if you are wanting a more cosy stay, perhaps in the other part of...