I will be in Rome for at least 6 nights and prefer to stay in a central location. I've heard good things about the Navona and Campo area. Is this true? Is it worth it to rent an apartment or just a hotel/pension that offers breakfast? My friend and I just need a clean, basic, and central location. Doesn't have to be fancy.

I am not a big fan of apartments as I prefer a staffed front desk.

Check out the hotel reviews on venere.com which lets you display by zone. Compare with tripadvisor.com and then shop price on those places that appeal to you.

A nice 3 star would probably be fine for you. Albergo Cesare and Albergo Santa Chiara are well located and might work. Nicholas Inn, Panda Inn also come to mind for reasonable small hotels.

http://www.hotelgenioroma.it/index-eng.html
http://www.albergocesari.it/
http://www.smeraldoroma.com/about.htm
A lot of folks will tell you to rent an ap't., I've done both and prefer hotels,I don't go on vacation to make my bed or prepare my breakfast,I do that at home. Most important to me though, is having a 24/7 front desk available for information or in case of an emergency. Have fun

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We really enjoyed having an apartment on our last stay in Rome (7 nights). We rented through realrome.com and had a very good experience with that agency.

You have to decide about the pros and cons of apartments vs hotels. We thought that we got much better value for money (especially more space) with an apartment. I like being able to get my own breakfast and other meals and having snacks, wine, etc available at a reasonable price. I don't really like maid service in hotels.

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts. Another question is location. Do you have preferences on a certain neighborhood in Rome?

Just returned from a trip to Rome. We stayed at the Albergo Cesari. The location could not have been more central and the hotel is wonderful.

The Cesari is well located and well regarded.

I just got back from Rome and we stayed at the Albergo Cesari. Absolutely loved the hotel, the staff, and most of all, the location. The best part was its rooftop bar for hotel guests--a wonderful place to get away from the crowds and enjoy beautiful views over the city.

The Piazza Navona/Pantheon/Campo de' Fiori area is great, very central, close to a lot, dozens of restaurants. If you decide to go with an apartment, I've used www.sleepinitaly.com six times, and they have a lot to choose from in that area.

Agree with SusanP. Navona/Pantheon/Campo are all great central locations from which you can walk to many sites and just enjoy central ancient Rome. Much of this area is pedestrianized making it very pleasant walking and likewise relatively quiet (for a big city). You'll love this area. Great place for a rental. Pantheon area would be my absolute fave of the 3.

Another very central location is the Jewish ghetto neighborhood. It has fewer apartments than the Navona/Pantheon/Campo de'Fiori areas

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For those that have stayed at the Albergo Cesari recently -- there are some photos posted on TripAdvisor that show the bathrooms in poor shape. I wouldn't tend to care if the room rate wasn't so high. Were the bathrooms renovated or are they still like that?

Still trying to figure out whether the Cesari would be worth the extra money over the Parlamento....

beeswing