| My Travel Plan |
Login |
Accommodation |
Groups |
Travel Agents |
Help |
FAQ |
Contact Us |
|
Real experiences, from real travellers
You have been asking us for customer feedback and now we have it!
83% of past customers were pleased to share their feedback, we thank them and we are pleased to present this small sample of their views.
We asked our valued customers to tell us their experiences and they have - a fantastic response rate. So if you are looking for reassurance in booking your monastery stays experience either looking to Italy or in our service, then we invite you to read on and review what just a sample of your fellow travellers have had to say....
The survey was made up of the following questions:
Monastery Stays Booking Service
When asked about how their monastery accommodation lived up to their expectations, this is how our customers responded:
87% of customer rated their monastery or convent stay experience as
equal to or exceeding their expectations!
| Greatly Exceeded | 16% | |
| Above Expectations | 38% | |
| Matched Expectations | 33% | |
| Below Expectations | 9% | |
| Disappointed | 3% | |
| No Response | 1% | |
Would you recommend the monastery you stayed at to family, friends, colleagues and to other travellers?
82% of your fellow travellers make a strong recommendation to you.
| Yes | 82% | |
| No | 8% | |
| Not Sure | 9% | |
| No Response | 1% | |
 | Already have...... |  |
| Lisa von Colln - VA, United States (September 2007) |
| Definitely! It is a unique experience which we enjoyed thoroughly. | |
| Connie Murphy - AZ, United States (June 2007) |
| Absolutely a good value as compared to other accommmodations that close to the city center. | |
| John Kern - Ontario, Canada (August 2009) |
| Without question, I would not stay anywhere else in Rome or Venice. | |
| Jonathan Russ - DE, United States (July 2009) |
| It's a wonderful concept that works great. Saved me a lot of time and money. | |
| Cathy Taruskin - CA, United States (August 2009) |
| The nuns were very friendly and warm and the rooms immaculately clean. The bed was the most comfortable I had slept in during my 5 week stay in Tuscany and then Rome. I would very definately recommend the stay to anybody planning a trip to Italy. In fact I already have. | |
| helena stolman - Victoria, Australia (November 2008) |
| I had heard really good things about staying at monastery's in Italy, and my experience lived up to those expectations. | |
| Shannon L Murphy - Alberta, Canada (July 2007) |
| The garden was spectacular. We couldn't have had such a glorious, colorful, restful garden in a hotel, even if we'd paid $1,000 a night. The sisters were hospitable, the monastery very clean, rooms comfortable and welcoming. Location great: half a mile from Colosseum, close to (relatively) reasonably priced eateries. | |
| Mary Cummings - MN, United States (July 2008) |
| Hospitality. Cleanliness. Breakfast. Everything was perfect. | |
| Timothy Mosteller - CA, United States (September 2009) |
| The price could not be beat. The rooms were very clean, roomy, and comfortable. The location was very convenient. | |
| Cindy Pope Caltagirone - TX, United States (November 2008) |
| Everything was excellent about our Monastery! The hospitality of the nuns, the cleanliness of the monastery, the close proximity to the Vatican and other historical sites, the excellent neighborhood, having a restaurant across the street-Just everything that a person could wish for was experienced by all of us during our stay. | |
| Patricia Phillips - LA, United States (December 2008) |
| The location was lovely, in a convenient neighborhood to great transportation, and the hostesses were marvelous! The room was spacious, and immaculately clean, and their was a school attached which gave us a nice opportunity to see the daily pattern of children's lives. We were close to several fine neighborhood shops and restaurants. And we learned more Italian than we thought we would! | |
| angela hagerty - MN, United States (June 2009) |
| Location. Helpful staff. Comfortable room with a huge bathroom. Nice linens, room cleaned daily. Price. | |
| Alison Lachance - Ontario, Canada (October 2008) |
| Stayed at 2. The first was FANTASTIC location - my own piazza & one of the oldest restaurants a block away. The 2nd was wonderfully staffed. Safety, convenience (1st stay), flexibility (added a night at the 1st stay), nice staff, social breakfast. | |
| Lia Griffin ,United States (July 2007) |
| It was the cleanest and most hospitable of my stays in Europe! ... The sisters were incredibly nice, funny, and accomodating. Every day was greeted with big smiles, laughs, and interesting conversation. Rome is amazing but it can be a tough city. It was hot, crowded, and unfortunately many of the locals weren't exactly nice to me. Being able to come back to the monastery was like a sanctuary for me. I immediately felt much better. They made me feel so comfortable! Not to mention every square inch of that place was impeccably clean. Very impressive! | |
| Justin - IN, United States (June 2007) |
| I was welcomed from the moment I arrived til I left--home away from home! | |
| margaret blais - ME, United States (June 2009) |
| We loved the feeling of security and the fact that you knew you were staying with honest people who were not going to take advantage of you as we had experienced in so many hotels in Italy. | |
| Margaret Everingham - Queensland, Australia (January 2009) |
| Excellent accommodation. Excellent location. Excellent food on offer. Excellent reception and interacting with Nuns, staff and other guests. Very comfortable in every way. | |
| Lori Valerio - Western Australia, Australia (January 2009) |
| The Sisters were delightful. The room was clean and bright. Excellent location. Everything was just as I would want at a Monastery stay. Breakfast was satisfying. The entire experience was a pleasant surprise. | |
| Karen Meltzer - CA, United States (February 2009) |
| The room was absolutely fantastic.... the largest room we stayed at in Italy. It had doors leading out to a terrace as well as a large-arched window with a stunning view of Assisi. | |
| Regina Gates - MD, United States (August 2009) |
| It was cheap! Cheap, but lovely room with my own bathroom. I also appreciated being able to have my own key. As a young person I didn't want to have to be in by a certain time... | |
| Jennifer Marie Brown - Ohio, United States (March 2007) |
| Extremely clean! The gardens were beautiful. They had two doggies on premises that were friendly as well as a talking/whistling bird. All made for an inviting first impression. A good cultural experience. | |
| Tami Eubank, TX, United States (October 2007) |
| A quiet place to rest and sleep in busy Rome. A room that was perfect for our needs. The courtyard, the quietness amidst the bustle of Rome. The sisters de Cluny were very courteous, we greatly appreciated joining them for their 7 am Mass a couple of times. When we first booked, de Cluny was not available. Then you routed us to it when our runner-up selection fell through. Yet, when we got there, there were PLENTY of empty rooms. Maybe the nuns want it that way but believe me, this is an EXCELLENT monastery--so quiet and big--so you should book more people there. | |
| Thomas Sofio - OH, United States (May 2007) |
| Very clean and quiet. It had the amenities we were looking for: private bathroom and air conditioning. Very secure facility; we felt comfortable leaving things in our room. | |
| Ruth Busch - MN, United States (July 2008) |
| Although we were unable to communicate in English, the sisters were extremely friendly, and made the stay a really pleasant one. The rooms were modern and simple, and bathrooms generous in size. The rooms were also cleaned everyday, which we did not expect. | |
| Sherry-Ann Kwok - Singapore (October 2007) |
| Venice: Very comfortable room, Lorenzo a really helpful and charming man, great location, very quiet, loved it! Rome: Convent was excellent! Very comfortable room, great location, the sisters were really lovely to us, The convent has an elevator...yes! | |
| Maureen Johnson - Queensland, Australia (September 2007) |
| Great locations, as we were to female travellers we felt very safe, most of the Nons were very friendly, they tried hard to speak english, but when they found our I could speak some italian we had great discussions. we felt very safe , specially my daughter. she just loved those places. well located most of them in the center of a city. | |
| Jan Douma - New Orleans, United States (July 2007) |
| Some might say no breakfast, but so? All around, it was clean, well provided (linens, bath tissues, hot water, etc), safe and no curfew. A list of house rules or expectations would maybe help. I was nervous about where I could and could not go and turning on lights, etc. I just didn't want to bother anyone. | |
| Jennifer Marie Brown - Ohio, United States (March 2007) |
| The room was a bit sparse, but ... perfectly adequate. | |
| Katrina Brosnan - Queensland, Australia (April 2009) |
| I cannot think of one thing that was not good about the monastery. I have everything positive to say about this most beautiful and excellent experience. The nuns could not have done more to make us feel comfortable and at home. They were all very friendly and got to know each one of us. They welcomed us back home each time we returned to the monastery from an outing. We are most grateful to the nuns for everything!!! | |
| Patricia Phillips - LA, United States (December 2008) |
| Everyting was great, no improvement needed and we plan to stay again. | |
| Karen Meltzer - CA, United States (February 2009) |
| The street was a major traffic artery so it was noisy at times. However I have to admit it didn't disturb my sleep at all! | |
| angela hagerty - MN, United States (June 2009) |
| NOTHING absolutely NOTHING. . . even the "banio con dolce" (apologize for the spelling) was a hoot. Lots of smiles from all my traveling companions. | |
| Lisa von Colln - VA, United States (September 2007) |
| It was workable, but most of the nuns did not speak English, so we often had to find an English-speaking novice to help. Not really a problem, but it could slow things down a bit. | |
| Connie Long - OH, United States (March 2009) |
| I have nothing bad to say about my stay. I would have liked it if the sisters spoke English but we were able to communicate well enough. | |
| Diane Fisher - CA, United States (June 2009) |
| Really, the only minus for us was that the beds are all singles, which meant my husband and I had to push them together. | |
| M F Firmani - NY, United States (November 2008) |
| Although we had 'key' problems, (not undoing the locks easily), this turned out to be amusing rather than a problem. | |
| Joan Cardno - Christchurch, New Zealand (July 2009) |
| It was a little tough communicating because only one sister spoke limited English, but we managed. | |
| Cherly Doan , CA, United States (November 2008) |
| Difficulty to communicate with the nuns, they do not speak spanish neither english, but is not a reason to enjoy the stay. | |
| Luis G De Anda - Alberta, Canada (June 2009) |
| We were guilty about returning to the room during the day (not that we needed to) as we thought that we were disturbing the nuns. | |
| Jude Nicholls - South Australia, Australia (October 2008) |
| Too much food! | |
| Phillip Marson - CA, United States (September 2009) |
| The breakfast was more basic than i expected but i understand why they have a very basic b'fast. The drain in our bathroom was blocked, so the bedroom floor flooded. We made the best of it but the difficulty in explaining it was evident, even though we asked other Italian speaking guests to help explain. It didnt get fixed, we managed and just laughed - all part of our experience. | |
| Ros Pearce - Victoria, Australia (October 2007) |
| Leaving the key each time we left was kind of a pain, but considering the location of the convent and the value, it was well worth it. | |
| Dana Wilson - TX, United States (November 2008) |
| No complaints. Although the convent was not opulent accommodation it was basic, clean, safe and affordable.Breakfast (included in tarrif) was minimal and very basic. | |
| Greg Pearce - Victoria, Australia (November 2008) |
| Actually we had no complaints, we are two middle aged ladies traveling on our own, and felt safe and comfortable. I imagine if you are a young person the 10:30pm curfew might be a problem, though. | |
| Cathleen Reno - CA, United States (October 2008) |
When asked about making a booking using the Internet website of Monastery Stays, this is how our customers responded:
For 83%, we met or exceeded their expectation - we are aiming for the top!
| Greatly Exceeded | 13% | |
| Above Expectations | 33% | |
| Matched Expectations | 37% | |
| Below Expectations | 11% | |
| Disappointed | 5% | |
| No Response | 1% | |
Would you recommend Monastery Stays services to your family, friends, colleagues and other travellers you know?
84% of our customers are spreading the word.
| Yes | 84% | |
| No | 6% | |
| Not Sure | 9% | |
| No Response | 1% | |
| Absolutely these accomodations are in great locations are much more economical that hotels in similar locations and are very clean and generally quiet. | |
| Barbara Boyer UT, United States (September 2008) |
| Easy to use and thorough. | |
| Tami Eubank, TX, United States (October 2007) |
| We think everyone should stay in a monastery at least once as it is a unique experience. | |
| Connie Murphy - AZ, United States (June 2007) |
| It's a great concept. I was hopeful about it during the booking process and 100% satisfied that it delivered what it promised. Gave me great peace of mind to make all arrangements in English before travelling. | |
| Cathy Taruskin, CA, United States (July 2009) |
| Yes it was exactly what we thought it would be, but cheap too and exactly in the location that we wanted, it saved us so much money and gave us interesting stories to tell and a unique experience that we will never forget. | |
| Evan Green, CA, United States (June 2009) |
| Absolutely - you do a wonderful job and we appreciate having access to such a unique experience. | |
| Daniel, (June 2009) |
| I was a little concerned about the idea of a middle man, but Monastery Stays was very responsive and helpful with my reservations and complications. | |
| Crista Jackson - CA, United States (March 2009) |
| Very easy to do, to research amenities and not having to manage in Italian to make the arrangements. Convenient to do on-line rather than trying to do via phone etc. | |
| Theresa Cornish - British Columbia, Canada (May 2007) |
| Web site very user friendly and able to research all the options for the part of Rome I wanted to visit. Maps good and accurate. Very professionally done. | |
| Charles Crimmins - AR, United States (November 2008) |
| Extremely easy and still left you with the ability to cancel within a reasonable time limit should your plans change before your trip. | |
| Regina Gates - MD, United States (August 2009) |
| The website was user friendly. I like to plan independently but did not have enough information to make the reservations on my own. I planned to travel for over five weeks prior to taking an apartment in Lucca on June 1.Your website gave me clear, understandable information that enabled me to develop my itinerary. Your help was quick and professional. You treated me in a personal and respectful manner. Altogether it was an excellent experience. | |
| Diana Reed - TX, United States (June 2009) |
| The price was excellent, as was the service. As I say, they went out of their way to find a monastery opening only 3 months prior to travel, and were able to do so. | |
| James Ingratta - FL, United States (May 2007) |
| I couldn't have found that place to stay without it. Everything worked out fine. I got one of my top choices of locations. I did appreciate the opportunity to prioritize my selections, and the way that works. | |
| Kenneth LeBrun - WA, United States (April 2009) |
| The process is obviously a proven one. The search was a little difficult but the followup was excellent, right down to the letter of introduction. | |
| Cheryl Doan - CA, United States (November 2008) |
| I love the internet, good and quickly informations. What would we do without it. I cannot imagine to have contacted all those monastaries on my own. | |
| Jan Douma - New Orleans, United States (July 2007) |
| I must admit that the final booking was made for me by Monastery Stays but I did make a Travel Plan beforehand. It's invaluable to have all the venues on one website and pay a small fee to have someone coordinate your stay. The map is very helpful in being able to locate the venues easily. Everything was organised perfectly and there were no issues when I arrived at the convent. | |
| A M Q Elderkamp - The Netherlands (July 2009) |
| Quick responses. Good paper trail. Good attention to detail. Some last minutes changes were accomodated. | |
| Terry Amato - OR, United States (January 2009) |
| I got to stay in a monastery! | |
| sacy bryant - GA, United States (June 2009) |
| I liked the descriptions and the way the site worked. | |
| Thomas Sofio - OH, United States (May 2007) |
| You have been more than helpful - we especially appreciated the directions helping us find the monastery when we arrived in Venice which can be a maze. Finding the right accomodations for a fabulous price. | |
| Barbara Boyer UT - United States (September 2008) |
| Simple to book and payment was easy. | |
| Richard Poulton - IL, United States (September 2008) |
| Nothing was a problem, really...I was just nervous using the internet for such an important transaction, but found out it worked out well. I certainly was pleased with the letter of introduction to take along. | |
| angela hagerty - MN, United States (June 2009) |
| I was having a lot of trouble finding something affordable in Rome on short notice. Monastery Stays was a lifesaver. Especially considering how nice the place was when compared to how affordable it was. Incredible value and service! | |
| Justin - IN, United States (June 2007) |
| When I found I had a problem- you answered my email promptly and dealt with the problem. Top marks- I now have great confidence in the integrity of the business. Well done guys! | |
| Sarah Harris - Auckland, United States (August 2009) |
| The process was thorough and provided the opportunity to list choices in order of preference so if one was sold out, they could book another one of your preferences. Everything went smoothly. | |
| Tami Eubank - TX, United States (October 2007) |
| I wanted to stay in a convent in Rome and through you, I found the convent that I thought was absolutely superb. I'd book through you again. Your website gave me an excellent indication of where each convent was and what each offered. | |
| Marjorie Leach - Ontario, Canada (June 2009) |
| The website was generally clear and esy to use - where it wasn't I was very impressed by the speed with which queries were dealt with - even at the weekend! | |
| Gill Gray - Devon, United Kingdom (November 2008) |
| Clear directions, prompt responses, thorough descriptions. Communications were all around excellent. | |
| Candice Oen - NY, United States (October 2007) |
| Very responsive, provided assistance and clarity of explanations promptly. We can't say enough positive about Monastery Stays. Thanks. Ease of use, readiy access to photos and staff most responsive. | |
| Lisa von Colln - VA, United States (September 2007) |
| very good experience, you made it clear and simple even though I felt quite scared of booking on the net. | |
| marjorie davies - British Columbia, Canada (November 2008) |
| It was a simple process with an unknown entity, but proved to be reputable! We didn't know what to expect, but were completely satisfied. | |
| Connie Murphy - AZ, United States (June 2007) |
| Site is clear about what you are getting and where. The costing layout is clear. The maps are great. | |
| Jennifer J Dixon - Tasmania, Australia (March 2009) |
| Had good information about making the right choice; was clear, readable and friendly in tone; it made the whole thing easy. | |
| Ian Watson - Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (October 2007) |
| Efficient, organised - very professional. | |
| Lina Loro - South Australia, Australia (May 2009) |
| Well, I don't like paying for anything online with my credit card, so I was a little reluctant to secure funds when I didn't know if I would even get a room or not. However, when I got a prompt refund after my first search came up empty, I knew I could trust Monastery Stays. | |
| Justin - IN, United States (June 2007) |
| I was not receiving confirmation e-mails as you were changing systems. However, once your staff was aware, they went beyond the call of duty to make sure I had my information. Unfortunately, I was in route and not aware of all the attempts made to make sure I had the info. Great team effort! | |
| Annette M Williams - CO, United States (August 2008) |
| All emails were very polite and as helpful as the circumstances permitted. | |
| Kerry Shackleford - VA, United States (April 2009) |
| Only because I didn't have a printer, but solved that problem with a flashdrive and a print shop. They communicated clearly and well with me. | |
| angela hagerty - MN, United States (June 2009) |
| The fax number provided was incomplete, and the convent does not always answer their telephone, so contacting them was hard for me. I appreciated that Monastery Stays contacted the place for me when I encountered difficulties doing so myself. | |
| Candice Oen - NY, United States (October 2007) |
| NO COMMUNICATION ISSUES, I HAD ONLY GOOD EXPERIENCES | |
| Mary Byrne - West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (December 2008) |
| At first I did not understand the booking process. Once I understood it, things were fine. I was very impressed by the individual employees of Monastery Stays who emailed with me to resolve problems. | |
| Carol Mershon - VA, United States (July 2009) |
| Everything worked out, but I do not speak Italian and the sisters did not speak English, but with the paperwork there was no issue. | |
| lisa morrow - NY, United States (May 2009) |
| I had no issues, but it took me a few days to remember that I would not be getting a confirmation email and had to check back a the site. | |
| Pamela Reynolds - CA, United States (June 2009) |
| No negatives.....keep up the good work | |
| Sharon Burris - CO, United States (June 2009) |
| Nothing...Everything was explained throughly and was very easy to understand. | |
| kim chandler - TX, United States (August 2009) |
| Well, our first five days in Rome were booked properly and confirmed by Monasterystays.com but the day before we were to leave it turned out that the monastery near Vatican City didn't have a reservation for us. Blessedly you got us into a much better place--so all worked out and I appreciated how quickly you did that. | |
| Thomas Sofio - OH, United States (May 2007) |
| No problems with communication but it probably would have been good to clarify the difference between a double and single. I requested a single, but because there were no single rooms I had to take a double. That turned out to be a room with 3 beds. Felt like Goldilocks, but all good in the end. | |
| helena stolman - Victoria, Australia (November 2008) |
| I was able to email Monastery Stays and get additional information as required. However, faxing a confirmation form to Italy took a few attempts. | |
| Natasha Rajakariar - Ontario, Canada (May 2009) |
| paying was a little complicated b/c I didn't have a VISA and had to open a pay=pal account which was cumbersome,but glad I persevered | |
| sacy bryant - CA, United States (June 2009) |
| Using it for the first time I felt rather uncertain about an organisation that I have never heard of, and which is not mentioned in the Rough Guide to Rome. Easy to use and prompt in response. | |
| Peter Jarman - North Yorkshire, United Kingdom (September 2007) |
| My fax machine did not seem to be able to make connections but that's not a problem as your staff intervened and confirmed that we were okay. | |
| Lisa von Colln - VA, United States (September 2007) |
| I had a problem with my computer accepting cookies I think was the issue but the IT technical support from Monasterystays.com gave clear instructions and I sorted it out. Thanks. | |
| Lina Loro - South Australia, Australia (May 2009) |
| You all seem to know what you are doing..... | |
| Barbara Boyer - UT, United States (September 2008) |
| No. You need to keep the monasterys confidential otherwise people wouldn't use you, so that was okay. You still give a good idea of the general location and anemities. | |
| Thomas Sofio - OH, United States (May 2007) |
| It would be helpful to have more photos & a little more information about each monastery on the website. | |
| Lukas Becker - Cork, Ireland (April 2009) |
| No suggestions for improvement. I am a satisfied customer. | |
| Diana Reed - TX, United States (June 2009) |
| "The booking system is wonderful. I would suggest that once the booking is complete, that the selected site, give the guest a very DETAILED directions on how to travel to the site and initiate the arrival, including anything that is unusual about that particular site, e.g. how to ring the doorbell, etc." | |
| Ann Komelasky - VA, United States (November 2008) |
| It's a good system. Of course, all systems need updates, etc., but yours seems fine. | |
| Candice Oen - NY, United States (October 2007) |
| no, I found it very easy to use. | |
| Martin Roestenburg - Western Australia, Australia (March 2009) |
| None -- paypal works very well -- and I was most confident that we were going to be taken care of right from the start. Thanks. | |
| Lisa von Colln - VA, United States (September 2007) |
| Could you indicate how satisfied clients like me are with the service that you provide? | |
| Peter Jarman - North Yorkshire, United Kingdom (September 2007) |
| I'm no computer expert so I learned as I went along and I would use this site again. I only require transparency and honesty and accountability, and this was excellent. I only wish that if I couldn't get my first choice, I be told why. | |
| angela hagerty - MN, United States (June 2009) |
| It would be nice if the process was a little quicker, but I understand the limitations. | |
| Annie Norton - GA, United States (July 2009) |
| I was too busy to look for them! | |
| Candice Oen - NY, United States (October 2007) |
|
|
| Monastery Stays Pty Ltd ABN 48 075 875 133 |
| | | | | | | | |
|
