I LOVE those comments, Dutyfree!

I agree that even in your updated price range, you are not going to find the ultimate Roman luxury hotel room. (To me, "big bucks" in Rome means 600 euro a night and up--in the $900US and upward range; I do not stay at these places on my own dime!!!)

But you can be assured of a lovely room at the (Relais & Chateau) Hotel Raphael, for example. In December, both their deluxe rooms (the second least expensive room category) would fit your budget. (495US$ with breakfast buffet)

I took a tour of their rooms two years ago to help out a friend who conducts very high-end trips for small groups of curators. She had been very pleased with the hotel in the past and wanted me to take a look for a future trip.

The rooms vary in price and style; you can see the range on their website. It gets stellar reviews on TripAdvisor.

http://www.raphaelhotel.com/en/Raphe...eric-rooms.htm


The Raphael has a near-perfect location just off Piazza Navona.



On a related note, can you explain to me why you, and others, place so much importance on the size of the room?

The Albergo del Senato, for example, is an excellent hotel in a prime location. Why would the relative smallness of the rooms matter for a couple of nights, or for a week? For 305 Euro (460 US$) in December, you can book the Senior Suite, the largest room at the hotel.

For a bit more, you can book the grand Seminario Penthouse Suite.


http://www.albergodelsenato.it/rooms.htm

sorry, Rock--the Seminario Suite is the same price, 305 euro. the Penthouse Suite is also the same price...you have quite a selection to choose from at the Senato! In May, those rooms would cost in the 700-800 USD range.

Zerlina....sage advice. I needed to hear that, as I am accustomed to NY, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver, etc...modern cities. Other sources I've read confirm everything you've said, so I'm "getting it" and I intend to appreciate Rome for its incredible history and for what it "is" and not for what I think it 'should be.' As you say..."go with the flow"...and I will do that

dutyfree....your 'passengers on the plane home' comments...the more I read them, it started to become comical. I certainly don't want to sound like that...I WILL NOT be the 'ugly American'...and I WILL make you proud.

RocksStone, you do have the right attitude and I know you'll enjoy Rome. One note...There is a lot of graffetti in Rome which some people really find obtrusive. My advice, and what I did, was simply to view it as the people's art. My husband who does not like large, noisy cities was surprised at how much he enjoyed Rome. Walk the streets, have a gelato (the best anywhere) and savor all that Rome offers which is much.

Thanks Rockstone! I absolutely howl with some of the things that come our of their mouths in the back galley or even up in business class on the way home to the US.
I try to have fun on my flights and have been known to tell people in economy who ask for icecubes for their "white zinfandel" wine that I will act like I don't know them if I run into them in Rome and they are doing that(which seems to happen alot while I am out and about).
I love Rome-the smells,noise,indifference at times,hours that they keep,etc. Next to Cape Town South Africa-my favorite place to fly to! You will love it.

By the way, keep your white tennis shoes and fanny pack wearing to a minimum...just kidding!

dutyfree,

But would you hang out with an American in America who puts ice cubes in their white zinf?

Seriously...Some people don't behave well no matter where they are.

Funny story, my daughter made a Swiss friend at college in Boston who is pretty homesick (first long stay in the US, but she is actually 1/2 American). At any rate, she felt since my daughter lives in Switzerland too, they would have a lot in common.

She spends a lot of time complaining about the US and my daughter is distancing herself a bit at this point.

The best complaint:

"Why do Americans put so much ice in their drinks and why do they fill the water glasses so high that it spills on you when you try to drink it???"

Well, we loved this as we are still missing ice and free water after three years.

Other big complaint:

"Why don't Americans speak other languages. It's so boring speaking English all the time. And, why do they pronounce Cartier so wrong???"

We don't think she'll be staying for sophomore year...

gruezi

I spend most of my time working in the economy section asking,"ice or no ice". Seriously, need to get flipcards.Americans think I am nuts for asking and Europeans think that I am nuts for asking-but if you don't...

Rockstone -

Just returned from Rome and stayed at the Raphael - where I have stayed 4 times. I like it very much. Like you, hotels matter to me ever though, as some say, you're not in the room that much. I just love hotels... I really like the location of the Raphael - at the Piazza Navona - and in December, I wouldn't worry about "tourists". I was supposed to stay at the Splendide Royal and was glad I didn't, although it is a lovely hotel. It's way up near the Borghese Gardens just off the Via Veneto - which can be quite an uphill climb. The Raphael is very quiet since it is a block off the Piazza. The rooms can vary in size so it's important to get that straight with the hotel. But, in my experience, all are beautifully appointed. I also find that it's a good idea to talk to the hotel directly if you want to make your requirements known.

Enjoy Rome! It's a fabulous city...

Dona

hi rockstone,

well i like my creature comforts as much as the next woman but I can't for the life of me se how anyone would not find the rooms at the Raphael good enough!

for the week in February that we'll be in Rome, we could have the "classic" [ie bottom of the range room] for €200 per night for a stay of 5 nights or more ie €l400 for the week, including breakfast, wifi, and that fabulous terrace. that compares very favourably with some of the apartments we were looking at, though the one we have booked is only €800.

if it was just me and DH, [we're taking our 19 year old son with us] I'd have been VERY tempted, though it's quite a lot more than we've paid anywhere before.

good luck in your search for the "perfect room", rockstone!

The view from the top of the Raphael is gorgeous! Too bad that it will be possibly cold as it is heaven up there sharing a bottle of prosecco and enjoying the surrounding views.

The rooftop may not be open in cooler weather but Raphael is lovely. Not sure about your budget but the jr. suite was plenty large for 2. I'll check my notes-we were there in March 2009. Walk-in closet, sitting area with 2 huge chairs, large bath with tub and sep shower, king bed with plenty of lighting. A hand-written thank you with snacks was a nice touch by the management.

A hand-written thank you with snacks was a nice touch by the management.>>

Tdudette - I'd prefer a kettle with tea-making [or coffee] facilities. this is standard throughout the UK even in the meanest hovel, but very rarely found "abroad". we were lucky on our trip to Austria this year - kettles in our hotels in Bratislava and Vienna. I doubt you'd get one in Rome though.

Now, Rockstone...... nobody has advised you on crossing the street in Rome. Best thing to do is either: follow an older person using a cane... or follow a woman pushing a stroller in front of her. Otherwise, you simply have to screw your courage and walk into the crosswalk looking neither left nor right. Occasionally you can hold up your hand like a policeman halting traffic -:)

annhig, A Briton lamenting the lack of tea-making facilities is not unlike an American lamenting the lack of heavily iced drinks.

Neither is Italian. Britons and Americans should accept it.

Hi zerlina,

I'm not sure that that's a valid analogy. After all, a minibar is hardly a traditional italian item in a hotel room, is it? ditto slippers and bathrobe. anyway, doubtless the ice-starved american could go down to the hotel bar and procur some ice whereas getting a decent cup of tea is far less easy. [actually, strange as it may seem, Venice is the best place in Italy that I've found for tea].

it just seems odd to me that hotels in other countries, not even 4 and 5 star ones like the Raphael [dragging this thread screaming and kicking back to the original subject] don't provide kettles. i would be more likely to return to a hotel that had one. hence the Hotel Austria in Vienna gets my vote.

luxury hotels in rome are $800 and up, easy. forget the US, totally different.

annhig - I think you don;t find tea making facilities in many places since people from most countries don;t drink tea in the am - they drink coffee. And the coffee made in those lieelt machines is truly awful -esp in comparison to the excellent coffee in Italy.'
(I must admit I find that tea/coffee making gear a pain- takes up room I wold use for other things - and of no use whatsoever).

(It so happens that I do like tea - but real tea with real milk - not fake :creamer" stuff.)

LOL! It was a bottle of wine! We don't need no stinking non-alkie drinks in bella Italia! HAR!

Rocks, please don't refer to your loved one as "the wife"-it sounds like she's a thing. Sorry, it's my all time pet peeve.

TDudette I agree with you totally, 'the wife' is an awful expression. The house, the car, the dog, the cat, the wife! A wife is not a possession. You are one of the only people I've ever seen comment on it.