nina

After looking at some apartments, it seems I can rent an apartment for less than a quadruple room for our family (2 teenaged boys).

Can anyone offer any advice on renting apartments? I've seen a lot of nice ones on sleepinitaly.com. Which area would you suggest? I've narrowed it down to Campo di Fiore, Trastevere and the Spanish Steps.

Thanks so much for your help!

Eloise

You will find a great deal of information about renting apartments at
www.slowtrav.com.

Of the three locations, I would choose Campo de Fiori. It's the most central; it's within walking distance of most sights; it's a transportation hub for busses to more distant points; it's full of restaurants and cafes, with many people in the streets until late in the evening.

Some people think that Trastevere is more of a "neighborhood" and that the restaurants there are less expensive than those around Campo de Fiori/Pantheon/Piazza Navona. But it's less central.

The Spanish Steps area is not as central as Campo de Fiori; it's very much a high-end shopping area. There are restaurants and cafes, but there are fewer of them and they tend to be more expensive.

Incidentally, SlowTrav has recently cancelled sleepinitaly.com's classified ad on its Web site, because too many people complained about bait-and-switch, i.e., they reserved and received confirmation for an apartment, but when they arrived - or very shortly before - the apartment was "no longer available" and they were offered a lesser apartment as a substitute, but at the same price.

guanciale

After researching dozens of Rome apartment rental sites for our family of four this past June, I finally chose one just a few steps around the corner from Campo dei Fiori. Ideally, I wanted to be closer to the Pantheon or Piazza Navona, but by the time I started inquiring (last Feb), most of the ones I was interested in were booked. We ended up loving the Campo neighborhood, and I think it would be fun for teenagers, as the square has a very lively, youthful atmosphere. We rented our apartment on Via Balestrari through www.b-b.rm.it (bed & breakfast assoc. of Rome), and it was "Cod 001 Campo d. Fiori." However, once booked, we dealt directly with the owner, Carla Conti. We loved our apt. because it had great character, was well-appointed, great a/c, and a fabulous rooftop terrace. However, it was a 4th floor walk-up, which we thought was fun, and it is only one bedroom, with a couch/trundle bed for two in the liv. rm. Ms. Conti has a couple other apartments, which I believe are by P. Navona and may be bigger. She even had a lovely cake baked for us upon arrival! There is also a fabulous old pizzeria directly beneath the apt. on the street. For a larger choice, I almost chose "Monserrato" on street of same name, through www.rentalinrome.com...a great website. The hotels will always be considerably more for price. This was the one city where we chose to rent an apt., and we really enjoyed experiencing a bit of Roman residential life. The Spanish Steps area is much more upscale and very fun, but not as centrally located for walking to sites. Good luck, and please let me know if you have any specific questions.

nina

Thanks for the information, it's very helpful.

I would throw a fit if the apartment I thought I was renting was "unavailable"! Thanks for the warning. I wonder, is there something in the contract that allows them to make substitutions?

guancile, I'll look into your recomendations and I'll also look at the Plaza Navona area.

guanciale

Nina, sorry I forgot to include the direct e-mail address for Ms. Conti should you be interested in contacting her directly...she apparently will rent directly. Her card has this address, but not a website listed. It's [email protected].

nina

Thank you, I'm going to contact her to see if she has a larger apartment, my sons are teenagers and are too big to share a double sofabed.

NeoPatrick

nina, I don't know of any agency that rents individually owned apartments that doesn't reserve the right to cancel or make a substitution. I guess the issue is that sleepinitaly was doing it fairly often. It was an issue I asked them about and they assured me it wouldn't happen and it didn't. But let's face it, no agency can really control it if an owner suddenly wants to pull his apartment or use it for himself.

Eloise

I think the contract does have something about allowing them to make substitutions in situations beyond their control. But they give all kinds of reasons, like the plumbing broke down or the owner wanted to use the apartment during that period, etc., etc. In many cases, apartments are listed with more than one agency, and the suspicion is that, if there is a potential double booking, the rental goes to the agency offering the higher price to the owner.

Do read all the rental information at SlowTrav carefully; I think you will find it useful. And the vast majority of people at SlowTrav, who stay almost exclusively in rentals, have only positive experiences to report.

carolw

Hi guanciale,

I saw you posted a few days ago under Bachelor in Rome and yesterday here.

I've been hoping very much to read about your trip to Italy in June.

I saw your postings before your trip and you said you'd booked I Parigi B&B outside Florence. We also stayed there and I was wondering if you liked it. I'd love to hear about your whole trip!
carol

Celiaanne

Nina, You could throw a fit but it still wouldn't get you the apartment. I know. It just happened to me. I complained about the substitute they offered, and they did move me -- to what I suspect was a WORSE substitute than their first one.

I also had read good reviews on sleepinitaly.com, but they are the agency who switched me 1 week before my departure from a "Superior" Apartment to a "Quality" Studio with a 50 Euro compensation offer.

guanciale

Nina, not to overwhelm you, but a few other apartment sites I found helpful were: www.rome-accom.com; www.accomodationsrome.com; www.roma.cityapartments.it; www.dolceroma.it; and www.palazzo-olivia.it (think this is direct from owner).

Please excuse this reply to Carol. Yes, we did stay at I Parigi outside of Florence for 4 nights and absolutely loved it! Thank you SO much for your recommendation. I have since recommended it to several friends. I did not do a trip report, because I wasn't sure I'd really be adding anything new to what others have detailed. (Though I have responded to a few posts about Bellagio, Venice, Rome and Florence area.) This was my sixth time to Italy, but first for our kids, and it was such a rewarding experience to see it through their eyes. Now I'm trying to figure out how I can do business there!

wliwl

Here's the apartment we rented with two (large) teenage boys last year:

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/review.asp?n=1530

http://www.rome-apartments-for-rent....pellegrino.asp

Our trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34645892

Leely

I stayed in a different apartment in the same building as wilwi and her family. I was with a couple of my girlfriends, so it wasn't a family apartment, but we had a good experience renting from Mauro--no problems.

I've also rented from realrome.com on via dei Cappellari with no problems either. cross-pollinate.com, too, years ago, but it was a real lo-budge affair. All the agencies I've used have been straightforward and easy to deal with, although it sounds as if this is in part luck of the draw.

Enjoy Rome.

Hagan

Nina, we're taking our two very tall teen grandsons to Rome next March and have rented a 2 br, 2 ba apt. from sleepinitaly. It's in Trastevere and is called Viocolo del Cinque. We really like the looks of the layout, and it appears to be very well located. I checked it out on Mappy.com and it's just a 2 minute walk to the pedestrian bridge that leads into the Campo de Fiori area.

I've had to e-mail the people at sleepinitaly several times, and have always gotten courteous, prompt replies. They've provided me with the name of the owner and his cell already, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will go OK!

I considered several others, some mentioned here, but they seemed dark and oddly laid out and most had only 1 bath. Ultimately, my hubby opted for the one that looked "most comfortable!"

Hope you have a great trip. I'll post back about my experience with sleepinitaly when we return.

gamidtown

Hello. We (a group of 6) just came back from Rome and just want to share our great experience with the place below. Very clean and spacious as well as a host that speaks English. Highly recommend. Certainly recommend this agency as they were very pleasant and easy to communicate. Good luck!

http://www.b-b.rm.it/accommodations/desc.php?id=387