ROME:
We just spent 3 days in Rome and stayed at The Genio Hotel near Piazza Navona. For 3 nights it was $507 euros for a quad room. It was nice, the staff was great, and we had a GREAT location and walked to all major sites we wanted to see: Vatican, Colesseum area, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza de Popolo.

By nice I mean the beds were clean, the shower and bathroom were great, we had hot water when needed for showering, and there was a continental breakfast of sorts. The few downs which didn't bother us were: beds were not the most comfortable, the wall paper has some tears and carpet some stains, and the air conditioning kept the room cooler than outside, but was certainly not COLD.

The Hotel Du Commerce in Paris is basic, but extremely well located. http://www.commerceparishotel.com/

Thanks for the info We will probably have to pay more for a room. Has anybody ever tried price line for a hotel? Do they accept bids in Europe?

I use priceline frequently in London. But now that you've dropped London from your plans-- I wouldn't try it.

The bidding zones in Paris are drawn so you are almost guaranteed to get a bad location. Every zone has some areas either too far out or in dicey neighborhoods. I Haven't used it in Rome - but have never heard that it is a good option.

PL is brilliant for London though . . .

Some of the Priceline bidding zones in Paris might not be what one would expect, but for that budget, one can't be that choosy. For August, it might work as hotels have a lot more vacancies in August so probably have more rooms on Priceline. I wouldn't use it, though, for Paris (the part where you don't know the hotel you'll get). I imagine the part with names of hotels is like booking.com as they own them, so I'd go with booking.com.

Having said that, I just checked their list of hotels with prices, and there aren't many less than $150 in a decent area in mid-August. That rate is just too low. The best value hotels probably aren't going to be on Priceline, not at that level. They do show the HOtel St Dominique in the 7th at $120 which isn't a bad location. They are on booking.com, also, so I'd still use that website instead.

Thanks again for the info - So far our plans include taking the train overnight from Paris to Rome - we can save a hotel cost for that night. We have been looking at some hotels that are centrally located in both cities for around $200. Guess Europe is more expensive then the US. Having never been in Europe anywhere we are learning. Still plan to go about 8-15 and stay for 10 days. We talked to our travel agent here and one of them is from England and has been to Paris- she had some good advise. This trip has been overwhelming!! So much is different from any place we have been. Our last trip was to Thailand and that was a breeze compared to Europe. We should learn lots from this trip!! Guess we can always go back if we miss something! Thanks again.

It's not that Europe is so expensive, it's that you're going to the capital cities of 3 countries, 3 major world cities. I think hotel rooms in New York are more expensive than in Paris.

I would be a little wary of taking advice from a travel agent who has been to Paris once. Whereas some Fodorites live in Paris.

Very good point by BigRuss to check if VAT is included in the price you're given.

sunburst--I can recommend Relais du Marais in Paris. Their website indicates promotional deals under $100 USD/night. Here's the link:
http://www.hotel-paris-relaisdumarai...h/hotel01.html

On the Fodor's Right Bank hotels thread, I posted a mini-review, recapping its good points. Despite its name, the hotel is located more in the République area, which we loved getting to know. Still provides good access to rue de Bretagne, Temple area markets, as well as offering proximity to new (for us, anyway) neighborhoods in the 10e and 11e arrondissements.

We would be returning there for a stay next month had we not wanted to try a couple of new neighborhoods. Seems it should work for your budget. Bonne chance et bon voyage !

"<i>Guess Europe is more expensive then the US.</i>"

Not really. Sure, Paris/Rome hotels are more expensive than Des Moines or Sacramento or Buffalo. But they generally run less than comparable hotels in places like Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston, LaJolla -- you need to compare apples to apples.

I just stayed in a cheap chain motel near a major highway and next to a rail line in Tacoma WA and it cost $135 a night. I had to pay $150 in Portland OR and that wasn't for anything special and I had to pay $200 in Seattle. That was a nice hotel, but not top notch.

I pay $80 for the cheapest chain hotel in my small hometown in the middle of Ohio.

So, no, Europe isn't really that much more expensive than the US, you can't get decent hotel rooms in the US for less than $100 either in most places I've been, for a city of any size. Certianly not in the major large cities in the US.

We always stay in one place in the 14th that's probably out of your price range, but some years ago we met up with a friend who lives in London, and he stayed at a place down the street from us in the 6th on the rue Jules Chaplain that was decent, great location and he paid next to nothing for. Of course that place changed hands and was remodeled and updated, but I just looked at the website and the rooms (especially internet prices) seem to be within the neighborhood in terms of price that you were looking for, with A/C (which, in August, you WILL NEED).

http://www.chaplainparishotel.com/pages/rooms_1.html

Actually, it looks interesting enough that I may consider it next time in Paris. But I do say as a caveat, I have not been to this property -- I only found it when looking for that little hotel my friend had stayed in.

Sunburst, is there a reason that you are wanting to take this trip in August? Since you are retired and not tied to a school schedule like the majority of families, perhaps you might want to consider travel during another month when it is not going to be so blazing hot. May and September are my favorite travel months, when the heat is not so unbearable and the crowds just a bit less than peak summer.