lbrawer

Was just offered these apartments for our family trip this August as available through SleepinItaly. My goal was the Piazza Navona area based on reccs. from friends on this board. I believe one is in the Campo. We will have our two teenage boys with us.

Priorities for August included A/C, washer (as this is halfway through our trip) and location. All seem great.
Any experience with any of these?


http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_vaccheattico.html

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_paradisobig.html

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_orso1.html

SusanP

I don't have experience with these particular apartments, but I've used Sleep in Italy five times, and their pictures are generally accurate. They are all great locations. The third one, Orso, is the closest to Piazza Navona.

risab

If you put down the name of each apartmeent into fodor's search you may get responses.

Other option...go to www.slowtravel.com and go to their italy section and check out accomodation reviews. You can search the name of the particular apartment and the company. Some apartments are even listed under different rental agencies.

You can even "google" each apartment and you will most likely get reviews that come up that way.

excited_confused

I like the look of the third one and if the location is the best, that one looks good to me.

excited_confused

BTW, you might want to make sure every room is air conditioned. I asked that question for another apt and I was told that the living room had air-conditioning but the bedrooms only had ceiling fans.

lbrawer

Thanks everyone. I have researched these extensively online- only the Orso apartment seems to be reviewed on slowtrav and was reviewed pretty favorably and yes there is apparently a/c in all rooms.

This being my first time in Rome (so excited!) we are unfamiliar with the specific neighborhoods and the location within them.

lbrawer

I have one other apartment to consider-- your input would be so appreciated!

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_paradisobig.html

LAwoman

We stayed in the apartment next to Paradiso Big last August, also with two teens. Both units are owned by the same people. The AC was incredible. Each area has it's own controls; you could keep a polar bear in there.

lbrawer

Thanks! Thats important!
Did you like the property and the area? I've had my heart set on the Piazza Navona but have heard the Campo is great too- especially for teens. We have two boys.

LAwoman

lbraw - it takes about 3 minutes to walk to Piazza Navona from the apt. The Piazza & the Campo are very close to each other so I don't think you can lose either way. We liked the location - we had coffee each morning in the Campo, it was great. Have stayed near the Pantheon too - you really can't go wrong in the Centro Storico, and Trastavere would be a good choice too, tho a little less central.

tedgale

Choosing between Campo and Navona is like choosing between...say... Park + 62nd and Park + 65th.

IE there is almost nothing to choose between the two. A 10 minute walk at most between them.

Navona area is a bit more up-market -- it lacks the raffish nightlife of the C de' F. But the Navona area has more bus and car through-traffic.

lbrawer

Now that I can totally relate to since I live about 20 blocks from there in Manhattan!

That is also an incredibly helpful analogy--That said- guess I cant go wrong-- now my issue might be too many great choices! Not a bad problem. Thanks so much all.

risab

As others said the both locations are really close proximity and being from NY also that is a great analogy. I really love the Campo area because of location and that it is also so close to Trastevere - I think that the streets of Trastevere, especially in the evening are very appealing to teens. We brought my daughter and her boyfriend two years ago and stayed in Trastevere they loved the area and location (but ventured out all over Rome and had a blast). Trastevere has the pulse of "downtown ny - east village."

If you stay at orso check out Orso 80 restaurnat. They have an amazing antipasti - plates of food and with two teenage boys you may enjoy that experience.

lbrawer

I KNOW! That's the problem (albeit a good one). To make things even more confusing am also looking at another apartment in the Campo (Dolce Roma's) which gets rave reviews and another in the Piazza Navona area run by Italy Accom (Apartment Eustacchio) that both also sound incredible. A close Fodor's friend noted that the latter is near her favorite cafe in the PN area.

My boys will be 15 and 19 this summer and I can actually see them venturing out without us in tow, which will be a first for us as our last trip to Europe was about 3 years ago.
We will also be in Venice for 4 nights to start, Florence for 2 (still under construction) then 5 in Rome and finishing on the A.C. for four nights. We are all so excited which is probably why I am obsessing about each and every detail.
Thankfully they're spared most of that thanks to you all!

risab

Your itinerary sounds great. You may want to get your sons the Knopf Mapguide book for Rome. It is a small size but it is broken up into neighborhoods and each section opens up to a map of the neighborhood with easy to read streets. It also list restaurants, clubs, and points of interest. My daughter and her boyfriend liked using it - and it is easy to read under a street light at night-that is why I like it, too.

My daughter spent a month in Tuscany and a few days in Rome this past summer. Your sons will most likely meet a lot of kids during the summer who are touring and on vacation. My daughter said that Florence was just teaming with tourists and they met kids from all over. I am sure you will all have a great time. And, when we went to Rome a two years ago with my daughter and her boyfriend my husband and I were able to enjoy a lot of time alone together...glasses of prosecco in the afternoon just passing the time away...it was nice.

We're heading to Rome for Thanksgiving and renting with sleepinitaly.

lbrawer

Working each city out step by step with the help of all of my wonderful Fodor's friends and advisors-inhaling trip reports and posts. Was lucky to learn about Locando Orseolo in Venice and countless other things through these boards.

I am not even "up" to Rome yet <g> but realized that choice apartments would not "wait" for me as I have already learned --having missed out on some with SleepinItaly, so glad I took this frantic detour.

Older son and I (who just started college) are attempting to learn enough Italian to really enhance the trip.

Have a wonderful time in Rome! Do you know where youre staying yet??

cheweydan

Hi,
I stayed at the third one in June of this year and would Recommend it. It was in an excellent location. I would stay there again.
let me know if you have any questions about it.

lbrawer

Yes- would LOVE to know more about it-- quality of apartment,amenities-location relative to PN- anything you can share would be great!

cheweydan

ibrawer,
Apartment is on the second floor with a steep staircase up to it. It is above a restaurant but noise was never a problem. It is 2-3 blocks from piazza navona. You can also catch a taxi Just before piazza navona which is quite convenient as you cant hail a taxi in rome.
There are a few restaurants just down the street also. It is a quiet street with plenty of locals hanging out and walking their dogs, and just talking. I felt very safe there. The stove was a little on the small size and kind of old, but we didn't care because we ate out all the time.

While walking one night we stumbled onto the pantheon. It looked much farther away on the map, but in reality it was quite close, great neighberhood all around.

I would not hesitate to rent this apartment out again.

thanks

risab

Ibrawer I am staying at Monte di Pieta -it also recieved good reviews from some fodorites and on slowtravel.

The apartment on Via del Orso is a great location, too. It is a few blocks from Piazza Navonna and really close to everything. The restaurant I recommended is on that street, too(Orso 80).

Since you are a New Yorker you'll find Rome really easy for walking. Just have a good street map (knopf mapguide) because you can get twisted around on some of the smaller streets but overall it is really quite easy to navigate.

Since you are there in August priority should be AC and good ventilation.