berlee1

Hello and thanks again to those who have been coaching me along and for all of the awesome advice I been getting on this site!

After much reading and searching we have narrowed down our hotel search in Rome to 3, The Lilium Hotel, The Richmond Hotel and The Miami Hotel. If you have any opinions on which you think is best and why I would appreciate hearing anything you have to input. From what I am reading there are pros and cons to all, good places to eat nearby, all have close access to public transportation and nice facilities and light breakfast. What about drawbacks? I have read that some are noisy, but I think that is fairly typical if you stay within the city. I look forward to hearing from you all!
Oh, also should we prebuy our train tickets and make reservations from home or wait until we get to Rome?
Thanks again!

Vttraveler

I haven't stayed at any of these hotels. I would probably pick Hotel Richmond for the location near the Forum, Palatine and Colosseum

Where are you planning to go by train? If you are asking about the train from the airport it is easy to buy tickets there for either the Leonardo Express to the Termini

Jean

I have no personal experience at any of the three hotels you mention, so these comments are only my impressions.

The Lilium looks charming, but it is far from the things you'll probably want to see and the places you'll probably want to spend time just wandering. I'm guessing it would be the quietest of the three.

The Miami looks like a business hotel, and it's pretty close to the main train staion which is not my favorite area in Rome. Business hotels are fine but are usually lacking in charm.

The Richmond is in a good location and has some nice views of the Forum and Colosseum area. The nearby restaurants and the street traffic will generate noise.

So, you've picked rather different properties that are a bit hard to compare. (I'm curious as to how it came down to these three.) If I had to choose from these three, I'd pick the Richmond. But if it were me, I'd keep looking. What's your budget?

SusanP

I agree with Jean about everything. I would look elsewhere. As she mentioned, how did you come down to these three?

Travelnut

We stayed at Residenza Antica Roma last Sept, very nice, great breakfast, and well-located on via del Tritone, west of Piazza Barberini. About the same price range as the Lillium, if not a little less.

http://www.residenza-anticaroma.com/

ParadiseLost

If you decide on the Richmond which is right next door to the Hotel Romano this might help a bit http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35151759
Regards, Walter

KARIME2

I stayed at the Albergo Santa Chiara right behind the Pantheon. Excellent place and would reccommend it.

Fodorite018

We stayed at the Hotel Miami in the spring of 1999. I realize that is a while ago, but I have still heard good things about it even recently. We were there with our children so had a quad room. The hotel location was great in that it was very easy to walk everywhere, even with little kids in tow. The staff at the hotel were very friendly and helpful. We had two rooms since we were there for a week, then traveled around and came back for a few nights before flying home. Both times our rooms were very large. The rooms and the hotel did not have a business feel to them by any means. They were very comfortable, clean and spacious. The bathroom was all marble and beautiful! When you enter from the street, you go back almost through a courtyard, then up an elevator to the hotel. I am trying to think of any drawbacks from our stay, but honestly I can't think of any. Although this hotel is somewhat close to the termini, you wouldn't know it by looking around. The immediate area was very nice and we felt completely safe. Very nice shopping on our same street, etc. I would definitely stay here again.

You might want to read the current reviews on Trip Advisor just to check other peoples experience. As I said, our trip was a while ago, but we loved the hotel.