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

we like to stay right by the spanish steps-- as you can walk in any direction and see amazing sights. (well-- i guess that's true for all of rome...)
we stayed at the town house spagna last time-- but it is not for first-timers.

my dear friend recently stayed at HOMS hotel which is right there. it's small, but has a classy feel. (i did a walk-by.)

now-- this friend of mine is in her 70's and is well travelled-- and has MUCH higher hotel standards than i have. (and a much higher budget.) she and her friend LOVED the HOMS and, surprisingly, it's pretty affordable. just a random search for august 21-24 shows 383E for the 3 nights.

Check out BW Hotel Astrid, we're also staying there in August, in a triple room for under 100 euro per night, free wifi, free breakfast, and coffee, water, snacks all day. I booked it a couple months ago after extensive research. My understanding is it's in a relative central location, and has great reviews on tripadvisor.

I know its been said, but you really should look into apartments. I used VRBO.com. I stayed in Parioli. 2 min walk to bus stop and subway to city centre. We stayed 9 nights for 440.00 euro. My "landlord" hired a car for us from the airport, gave us a local cell phone to use, had refreshments in the apartment when we arrived. Had a lot of maps/guides/suggestions. Made reservations for us before we came at a couple different attractions. You can't beat that service.

Hotel Astrid will presumably work with transport links, but it's not at all central. You can see that for yourself by looking at this table of distances on its website:

http://www.hotelastrid.com/roma-%2clocation-it.html

Karina, to help you get around on your own, buy everyone a RomaPass, at one of the museums (not the Vatican: that's a different government). The places where you can buy it are on the Internet. You not only get the museum benefits, but also free bus transportation for the three days. when we had the passes four years ago, there was a great booklet that came with it that had a map of the bus routed that was pretty easy to follow. I hope someone who has used one recently will confirm that the map is still provided.

In Rome, in the tourist areas, many, many people, including most shop owners and restaurant workers, speak some English, and can be very helpful. Although, the saying is that the best way to start an argument in Italy is to ask for directions. Everyone will have a different idea.

To learn a little Italian, download the free 5-minute lessons at mydailyphraseitalian.com to an MP3 player. I think there are 100 lessons and you will at least have some basics.

If you stay in the Campo dei Fiori or elsewhere in central Rome, you won't need to use public transportation for the major sights of Rome; you can walk. So instead of being stuck on a bus or an subway (watch your wallet), you can sightsee as you walk, passing the odd Roman ruin or interesting shop. If your mother gets tired, pick up a taxi to get back.

Karina,

I have been to Rome several times, and the last 2 times have stayed at a wonderful, very centrally located hotel--Albergo Del Senato. There are numerous other threads on this forum that recommend it as well. It would normally be way out of the price range you've given, however, I just checked their website to see what their prices are in August (typically less). They have a summer special discount if you stay at least 4 nights. I randomly chose an arrival date of Aug 14. I chose 2 rooms (they were all booked on triples, and I think their triples are very small anyway). The price they quoted was 756.80 euros per room, for 4 nights. While that's still over your price range, it's pretty reasonable, so I thought I'd mention it in case you are able to increase your budget. I absolutely love, love this place for the location (right in the Piazza della Rotunda, which is the same small piazza where the Pantheon is located--and they have a small roof-top bar--very quiet--that provides amazing views, including over the roof of the Pantheon, which is literally diagonally adjacent to the hotel) and the wonderful, helpful friendly front-desk staff. They really make guests feel at ease. They don't have much in the way of "amenities" (such as a restaurant) but they do have decent breakfast and, most importantly, as others have said, good A/C! The rooms are small-ish, but very thoughtfully laid out--they do not feel claustrophobic.

I am all for getting an apartment, and I agree that they can be a lot less expensive than a hotel, but I also understand wanting to be in a hotel for your first trip.

Enjoy your trip!

Rome hotel prices shocked me into renting an apartment for 3 for our first trip to Italy last October. I, too, was unsure which location to choose. We stayed just across the river from Campo dei Fiori (which we all loved) on the pedestrian Ponte Sisto in Trastevere. Very happy with the location just around the corner from an English language bookstore with a most helpful Irish proprietor. Bus #116 takes you near many must see sites. My husband recommends sturdy-soled shoes for dealing with the cobblestones, his new curse word.

Hello everyone,

Many thanks for your AMAZING feedback! Your help is something of a godsend -- I'm referring to this post more than my Rick Steves Rome guidebook :)

I'm looking into the hotels and apartments that everyone has mentioned. My list keeps getting longer, but it's definitely worthwhile. I've never posted a question to a travel forum before, and this first foray has changed the rest of my traveling days.

Thanks again... and keep them coming!

Has anyone stayed at:

Hotel Nazionale - recommended by Rick Steves

Red Apartment, Residenza Giubbonari - stumbled upon while checking out apartment reviews on www.slowtrav.com


Thank you!!

Hello everyone,

I am in the process of clinching an apartment in Campo dei Fiori (2 bedrooms, 2 bath) for 640 Euros for 5 nights. This seems like a screaming deal to me, and just wanted to get your opinion on whether or not it is? Reviews on www.slowtrav.com are good.

Many thanks!

Are you speaking of Residenza Giubbonari? It always gets excellent reviews. We had planned to stay there four years ago but were not able to at the last minute.

If not, which apt. are you asking about.

Hello charnees,

It is the "Green Frog" apartment in the same building as the Residenza Giubbonari. The apartment we wanted with them was booked, so the proprietor recommended the "Green Frog" apartment in the same building but owned by someone else. Good reviews on www.slowtrav.com also.

By the way, I am thinking of buying the Roma Pass for all of us. If you can recall any tips with the Roma Pass, I would greatly appreciate it.

Many thanks!!