Ok. I've narrowed it down to these two. My favorite is the Raphael but not in my budget. Love the look of it and wanted something quaint, charming with a balcony and some view. Help me make my decision.
Thanks.

I haven't stayed at the Albergo del Senato, but it has gotten rave reviews on here. It was a lot higher priced than Canali ai Coronari when we were looking last summer. We stayed at the Canali ai Coronari last July, and we were very, very pleased. We stayed in Room #1, which is very large and has an enormous terrace. We paid 165E/night. Great location. Great service. Yummy breakfasts. Fabulous a/c. The only drawback is the lack of elevator. We were on the 4th (top) floor, so after schlepping around in the July Roman sun, we kind of dreaded climbing 4 flights of stairs. But we would definitely stay there again. We passed by the del Senato and it would also be a great location.

Both of your choices are great hotels. I believe the Albergo del Senato is about as expensive as the Raphael, however. You might want to stay at Residenza dei Coronari and hit Albergo del Senato's terrace one evening.

Haven't stayed at Residenza, but we spent several nights at Albergo in July of 2004 (click on my screen name to see my full trip report if you are interested). We had a room overlooking the Pantheon and some other family members had rooms with alternate views. At that time, prices at the Albergo were FAR less than the Raphael. Staff at the Albergo were wonderful. Only complaint was the small size of the room and bathroom, but all amenities were very nice and the view truly was amazing. Even though it overlooked such a busy sqaure, our room was still very quiet - the soundproofing was excellent! The rooms that did not overlook the Pantheon were larger, but I'd certainly sacrifice size for the view. The rooftop bar was excellent as well, although it did close fairly early (8 pm I believe). When we were there, they said that there were plans to stay open later though so hopefully that's now the case.

I'm sure that you'll enjoy either hotel though - how could you not have a great time in Rome?! Enjoy!

you should look both hotels up in tripadvisor.com to read reviews. Here's some other information about the residenza.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34563023

Thanks guys for your input. I will check Trip Advisor. I must admit I am not too wild about climbing up 4 flights of stairs and I 'm one of those people who can't tolerate noise after 1:00pm when I usually go to bed.
Maybe I should look at the Raphael again and bite the bullit and splurge. I just love all that ivy growing all over the building. I really thought I would find a better rate there during August. which for the most part is low season. Back to the drawing board.