link67

This is my first trip to Italy and will be arriving in Rome on the 21st of September. I've looked at many websites thus far but availability seems very limited and not too sure about certain areas or places. I'm traveling alone so I plan on walking alot and would like to be in a safe, fun, centrally located area that's also affordable. Hotel Romano is one option I found near the Colosseum but I'm afraid it's a tourist trap.
Any and all advice is welcome, Grazie! -Steve

martym

Last year my husband and I stayed at the Daphne Trevi--http://www.daphne-rome.com/. Very comfortable rooms,nice bathrooms, good breakfast. Very personalized service from the owners and staff--recommending restaurants, arranging tours, museum tickets,etc. They have two facilities very close together--centrally located--we walked everywher.

Genie

www.hotelnavona.com
We stayed in their other hotel--
Residenza Zanardelli-- not expensive, and very,very short walk to Piazza Navona. Worth checking out. good luck

rex

Recommendations seem a little bit moot at this point. What you need is <i><u>availability</u></i> - - which will be scarce and getting scarcer, less than 30 days away from a (now) relatively peak time in Rome.

I recommend you use www.venere.com ASAP and define your budget and location(s) parameters - - and see who has rooms for what price that you can get.

It isn't time to need to try lastminute.com (yet) - - or maybe the name is laterooms.com (I forget) - - but you might need to be checking there before you know it.

Best wishes,

Rex

MaureenB

Rex is right about availability. You'll want to find something quickly. If venere.com shows an opening, better check directly with the hotel because you usually get a better rate. But don't take too long at it...
I, too, have heard good things about the Daphne properties. They have two, which are close together. They provide complimentary cell phones to their guests, which might appeal to you as a solo traveler for the safety of it. They are also supposed to be very helpful with suggestions and directions. One owner is from the States, I think.
We stayed at the Domus Julia this past May for three nights, and were very happy with it, and its location. (Daphne didn't allow stays of less than 4 nights.)
Good luck!

link67

Thank you all for the great advise so far.
Daphne was my first choice actually but they were fully booked for the 2 weeks Im there.

Rex and Maureen, you guys are right on. I checked out Venere.com and it's a great site.
I will be booking through them hopefully tonight if I can just figure out which place works for me.

skiobx

Hey Link,

Went to ROme in July and stayed in the Nicolas Inn, www.nicolasinn.com, and loved it!! It's a 10 minute walk to the Colosseum, Metro, etc....very safe area...We walked all over the area well past midnight. The Inn itself, is immaculate, and roomy, especially for European Standards, and the breakfast is fresh crossoints and fruit. I would highly recommend this Inn. Good Luck.

Alajan

I wouldn't recommend the Zanardelli to anyone. Our room and bath was not simply tiny, but miniscule, but I did see larger rooms, once other guests had checked out. I didn't look at the other rooms in the Zanardelli because I was curious for future booking - I looked because I wanted to see the room that I thought I had booked 6 months before, based upon one person's review on Slow Travel and the assurances I received via e-mails during the booking process.

This hotel is almost like a non-hotel or perhaps a place that isn't registered with the proper authorities. Our cab driver had never heard of it and it was marked with only a brass plate bearing the name of a woman.

When we were shown to our room, I told the person at the desk that it was simply too small for two people (hey, it was too small for a 6 year old child) she called the other hotel listed on the website and I was informed by the desk clerk there that he could not do anything about it because they were completely booked at both locations.

There wasn't adequate space for our luggage, no closet and the armoire was a broken down affair and there was no counter space in the bath. We stayed only because I felt that the owners were disreputable and would charge us for the 4 nights we had booked.

Breakfast was served in a cramped room with one table. I couldn't tell you what was served because during our stay one family unapologetically monopolized the space for long lengths of time. Coffee was available in thermal carafes only, so no morning espresso or cappuccino. However, we usually do not choose a hotel based upon breakfast reviews because we like to head to a bar or outdoor cafe in the morning.

Nor is this the place for anyone needing assistance from the desk. We have been to Rome several times so at least we weren't disappointed in that area as well.

After that experience, I learned to read several reviews before booking at an unknown hotel or b &amp; b. I now throw out the high and the low and trust that the truth is somewhere in the middle.

This is a very basic place with ownership that does not care about repeat business - regretfull because it is in a lovely old palazzo off Piazza Navonna and there's a convenient taxi stand a few steps past the front door. Keep looking - I think you could do much better than the Zanardelli.

GianniFL

Alajan, Wow! When did you stay there? The Zanardelli you describe only remotely resembles the place I stayed in this June (2006). My room was 10' x 20' plus closet and bath. My kids had a smaller room but still quite big enough for one adult. We saw all 7 rental rooms and some were small but still big enough. There was a room behind the desk that was employees only, and we didn't see it, were you there? Did you ask the staff for help? We were assisted several times with directions, etc. but had to ask first. I'm sure sorry you had such a bad time there. I would definitely stay there again. Gianni

JaninLucca

Gianni, I changed to my home computer so new screen name. My memorable stay at the Zanardelli was October 2003. That has been awhile, I know. And yes, it was the little room behind the desk. What really irritated me was that it was very obvious that this room was for the night clerk. Yet when questioned the management insisted this was a double and we could not be moved.

I am very happy your stay at the Zanardelli has led you to recommend it to others. My husband and I travel to Rome every year and we certainly didn't let our cramped quarters ruin our visit. However, that trip convinced me that I needed to spend a little more in Rome to be assured of a comfortable room and management that will respond appropriately to a reasonable request.

MaureenB

Did you book a place yet, link67?
If not, have you tried hostels.com, which also lists nice small hotels? Or what about a convent, via Santa Susannah-- clean and safe, but with a nightly curfew, usually of midnight or 1:00 a.m.
Good luck. Let us know how it's going.

russwuf

Hi Steve! Will be arriving in Rome the same day as you! We are staying with a group at the Universo a few blocks from Termini. We will be arriving from Milano around 1430ish.

WillTravel

It is not too early to try the following places.

http://www.laterooms.com/
http://www.lastminute.com/

Starting three weeks before your stay, try ratestogo.com .

Try bookings.org now .

September in Rome in a nice area in a nice room seems to translate into a lot of money, compared to other cities.

francophile03

Regarding the Residenza Zanardelli I find that the reviews at Trip Advisor are really mixed with mostly negative comments posted. I always think that with a B &amp; B it may have different standards from a hotel.

annhig

Haven't stayed there myself, but the convents in Rome seem to get good reviews in other threads on this forum. I think if I were by myself, I would want to be staying as centrally as possible, and not anywhere near the station, as walking around there at night may not be too much fun. but that's just me.

GianniFL

Link, I hope you have a great location all sorted by now! Alajan, thanks for the additional info. as i may want to stay there again, but not in that room. What happened to you is too bad, but as another Romaholic, nothing would stand in my way of having a good time either. Worst case, I'd just sleep under the stars. Gianni