Help! Where to stay in Rome...
 

Hello everyone,

My mom, sister, and I will be visiting Rome for the first time this August after a Mediterranean cruise. As excited as we are about the trip, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to find a hotel for us. My mom is 60 years old -- this trip is for her :) -- so it would be nice to find a centrally-located hotel where main tourist attractions are within walking distance. She doesn't have major mobility issues (no problems walking) but it would be nice to have a place close enough in case she needs to rest.

As I delve deeper in my research, I'm learning that it is pretty much impossible to find a hotel for under $150/night. I was ready to commit to the Palm Gallery Hotel for about $210/night until I read a post here that mentioned it was quite far. The only other option that looks tempting is Purple Home (http://www.purple-home.com/en/home.asp) which has several locations throughout the city. Has anyone stayed at Purple Home before, and if so which location is best?

In sum, any general recommendations on where to stay in beautiful Rome? Again, key considerations are:

1) walking distance to main tourist attractions
2) price no more than $200 per night (preferably)
3) party of 3 adults

Many thanks for reading this and for any help you can give. This trip means so much to my mom and I'd like to make it as special as possible.


Best,
Karina

Hi K,

We were very happy with our stay at http://www.hotelmaikol.com/

It is very close to a metro stop, not far from the Termini station, overlooking a park.

((I))

It's going to be important to have good air-conditioning too.

Also, it's difficult to say whether a particular hotel choice will fit your budget, because different dates have different prices.

None of Purple Home's options look particularly central.

With that said, try these places:

http://www.domusjulia.it/

http://www.hoteljulia.it

I've stayed at Hotel Julia, and Domus Julia is related. Hotel Julia does have A/C, but read reviews to determine how good it is. What these places do have are very central locations, and picking random dates in August, it looks like it might be possible to fit your budget.

I have been to Rome several times, and my favorite area to stay in is the Campo dei Fiori area. It is very centrally located to all the sites. I enjoyed my trip staying in this area so much more than previous visits in less central areas.

A few years ago, we were looking for places to stay and were astounded by the prices for even mediocre hotels. We ended up renting an apartment through sleepinitaly.com. It was great, lots of room, and we saved money having a kitchen. You can read reviews of apartments on slowtrav.com.

I should have added that you can rent many apartments for less than a week.

Three nights or more, and you can rent an apartment. In addition to sleepinitaly.com, try VRBO.com (vacation rental by owner) Stay near the Campo, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, as a general guide. It will be beastly hot in August so A/C is imperative.

If you go to www.venere.com and type in your dates, you'll get a good idea of what's available for hotels in that price range. If you find something you like, you should google the hotel's website and check rates there, as well. They may be better than venere, or may not.

I recommend checking these sites too:

www.hrs.de
www.hotelscombined.com
www.kayak.com

We rented an apartment for 2 nights once in Rome - it is really the way to go - especially for 3 people.

Karina,

I really liked Hotel Giardino Rome** on XXIV di Maggio. I don't think they have any rooms to accomodate 3, but maybe. My visit was back in 2005 and a single room mid-Sept was $95/nt.

Great location for walking everywhere but the Vatican. It's right in between the Quirinale and Trajan's Market.

Katy is super helpful, welcoming and prompt to answer e mails.
They have A/C too and double-paned windows on the street side made is possible for this light sleeper to dream away....

Thanks to everyone for your help and expertise! I really am appreciative of your input as I plan our big adventure :)

To everyone: I will add the suggested hotels to my growing list of places to look into and consider. But I've at least narrowed it down to which neighborhood I would like to stay: Campo dei Fiori.

To Digbydog and charnees: I love the idea of renting an apartment. The space would be welcomed, especially after spending a week in cramped quarters on a cruise ship. My only worry is that there will be no hotel staff to ask questions about sites, food, transportation, etc. In other words, we would have to be quite self-sufficient because no one (?) would be easily accessible for advice. We have never been to Rome (or Italy for that matter!) and so this may be a strong selling point for us. Any advice?

I had the same concern when we traveled to Italy for the first time. Several Fodorites encouraged me that hotel staff was not necessary and they were right. We rented apts in Venice and Flrence and had a great time exploring on our own.

We recently stayed at La Maison Dell Orgio - near Piazzano Novano area, with a lift. Also short walk to Vatican and to a bus stop. We walked to Colliseum for there, but you can also take the bus. Has air conditioning. Great central location.

Have glanced and there doesn't appear to be a La Maison dell Orgio - whether near Piazza Navona or not Could the name be something else? (Maison is French , not Italian.)

It would be this place, I'm sure:

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Revi...ome_Lazio.html

Dear Karina,
Buy a good guidebook, like Rick Steves and read away. You will feel confident you can get around, eat, and see Rome without hotel advice. Trip Advisor website is also full of tips and hotel/apartment reviews.

My tips for August: wear skirts for cooler and presentable appearance.
Take a fan, yes, a hand operated fan. A hat. Take a nap in the middle of the heat and take your later afternoon or evening passegiato (walk) when everyone comes outdoors again. You'll be eating later than you're probably used to, so have a merenda (snack) or gelato at 4.

Get yourself an
Italian cd and learn some phrases and numbers. You won't be sorry.

We've used the Cross-pollinate.com website out of Rome to get apartments and B&Bs. They are American family run, so they understand your needs. They should have apartments in your budget range.

Rome is an outdoor museum. No concierge needed. Get an apartment and a guide book! You will know where to eat!

Consider the Fontanella Borghese which is located about halfway between the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona. It is offering a triple room in August for 150 euros a night. If you stay four or more nights, there is a 10% discount off this rate.

http://www.fontanellaborghese.com/en/

If you can afford the little bit extra, Jean's suggestion of the Fontanella Borghese is a very good one. A triple room with AC in a perfect location.

I much prefer that area to the Campo de Fiori. I find the Campo to be just a little too hectic and noisy for me; I'm just a bit older than your mother, and I think the streets around the Campo are sometimes more than I want to deal with.

We have stayed all over Rome, always in central locations, and the area close to the Fontanella Borghese is my preferred area.

I stay in apartments NOW, but I am generally not one to recommend apartments on the first visit to a major city. I think a hotel desk can be a comfort in unfamiliar surroundings. I have to add that in Italy you won't always find the warmest and most helpful clerks at the desk, but it can still be a comfort to know they are there, and to advise and assist you. It all really depends on how much homework you are willing to do.

Air conditioning is essential.

Finally, I have often considered Maison dell'Orologico myself. The location is fantastic and the reviews are excellent.

Apartments:

http://www.rentalinrome.com/piazzana...alaceapartment

http://www.romecapitalapartments.com...gli/Miguel-157

http://lacasadiclelia.webs.com/

You can search B&B's by area on this website.
http://www.b-b.rm.it/

I wouldn't worry about needing hotel staff to ask questions. There are tourist info booths scattered around.

http://www.turismoroma.it/info-viagg...stiche?lang=en

http://www.060608.it/en/accoglienza/...vizi-turistici