kswl

Still looking for that perfect nexus of creature comforts, central location and low cost in a Roman hotel. This was recommended by an American who lives in Rome, as being a 15 minute walk from the Coliseum. It apparently is in/near a university area. Is anyone familiar with either the hotel or the area? The internet price offer is about 90 Euros per night. It's a bit higher than what I've reserved closer to the center of town, but looks much nicer.

http://www.hotellaurentia.com/index.htm

Every three days I keep trying Priceline for hotels, and of course my hope is to stay at the Minerva for $125 per night! But in the meantime, I would welcome any feedback on this hotel/area.

kybourbon

I haven't stayed at this hotel but one of the student tour companies I used in the past uses this hotel so I guess there is a possibility that the hotel could have 40 teenagers staying there.

kswl

Thanks for the reply, KY. What a thought! I'll keep looking.

WillTravel

I don't know anything from personal experience. But you also might want to consider the Tulip Inn Globus, which I think is in the same general area. I once saw a rate for 45 Euros per night (MUCH lower than the normal rate) at http://www.hotels.de and http://www.utell.com . I had decided not to stay there anyway because of the location, but when I looked a few days later the rate was gone. Maybe you will be lucky and it will be there for your dates. I think tour groups also use that hotel.

I considered Priceline for Rome but decided that the only way I could do that happily would be to bid for 5* hotels, which are way out of my budget. There is too great a risk that the 3* and 4* hotels you might get are poorly located and/or generally poor quality.

I'm staying at the Hotel Julia for a rate of 50 Euros per night. That might be too basic for you, but the location sounds good.

Larry_M

I stayed at the Laurentia for 2 nights in May 2003. It's in an out of the way little side street, near the City University, and I believe caters largely to visitors of the school. It's probably more like a 30 minute walk from the Coliseum, and maybe 15 from Termini Station. One morning, there was a great food market set up in the street right outside the front entrance, with beautiful fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and fish.

We had a "triple" room, which was essentially a cramped double with a cot. The room was on the tattered side, to be kind ... very small, tiny bathroom, but OK for just 2 nights.

The lobby and bar were nice enough, and the breakfast room was quite appealing ... you can see several pictures of it on their website.

As I recall, the gentleman at the front desk was exceptionally helpful. Overall, not a bad choice for the price, just so you're not looking for luxurious accomodations.

Larry_M

Forgot to add ... there was what appeared to be a full bridal party (Americans) checking out of the hotel as we checked in. Bride and Groom, parents, and others, but no sign of "screaming teenagers" during our visit. It was quiet.

kswl

Thanks, Larry. The website does look nice and the price is pretty good. We're going mid-November, when no schools are on holiday.

Willtravel, I agree about Priceline and Rome. I did actually try for a room with them, just 5* in Central Rome, hoping the Minerve would be available for $125. No luck, and you can get better hotels for the same money by yourself at other star levels.

I looked into the Julia, but was worried about some of the tripadvisor comments. I know no place gets uniformly good reviews, though. Have you stayed at Hotel Julia?

WillTravel

kswl, I won't stay at Hotel Julia until January. I figured the reviews are par for the course. Also check Venere for any Rome hotel you are looking at. Most of the complaints there are about the small rooms - again totally what I expect. No one faults the location, and it has 24-hour desk service and a telephone in the room.

In general Rome hotel reviews tend to be worse than other cities, or at least it seems to be the case for me. At the Hotel Julia, I expect a shoebox room and little natural light. For a room at my low rate, the toilet and sink are ensuite, but there is a shower for my "exclusive use" down the hall. I found a post by someone else on this board who had a similar room there and was happy. If the shower is ensuite, the rates practically double for a single room.

kswl

I guess I will just keep my reservations at Hotel Canada. It looks nice, has rave reviews and I'm about at that point of being sick of the trip before we even go. All this talk of falling exchange rates may make me try once more on Priceline, as much for the prepay feature as anything else.