I have read the various posts on accomodations in Rome with great interest. In November, my 13-year-old son and I are traveling to Europe for a sketching tour. We will be in Rome for 4 days. I would love to try a convent stay, but wonder if this would be a good experience for a young teen. He is not loud or boisterous, but he does like the company (or proximity) of other young people. Are the convent accomodations just for the middle-aged? If anyone has any suggestions for a budget hotel in Rome or (wishlist!) Trastevere, I would LOVE to hear them!

Hi ks,

I think that there was a recent trip report by someone who stayed in the Trastavere section of Rome.

Try entering the word in the "search this forum" box.

ohhhh..what's the name of that? There's a great converted monastery in the heart of Trastevere that I enquired about for my next trip but it was full. All the rooms face into a central courtyard and it was right in the heart of the area. Anyone?

It's Hotel Santa Maria. http://www.specialplacestostay.com/s...?FileID=it1780

It's rated the #1 favorite hotel on tripadvisor.com and it's not outragously expensive.

SandiTravelnut: Is this the one you're thinking of?

http://www.sfromana.it/inglese/inglese.htm

Kswl: I stayed in another convent in Rome; one or two of the nights that I was there, a large group of teenagers (and their guide, a teacher) occupied most of the rooms.

no, it's the one I posted after my original. It's Hotel Santa Maria.

I would look for an option that allows you a reasonably spacious room and which allows you to get dressed in the bathroom. Having those features makes it a lot more pleasant to travel with teens. Some European bathrooms are not very user-friendly.

As for convents, from what I've read, I don't think convent accommodations are restricted to the middle-aged. And even if you did have a bathroom in your room, there would be other bathrooms down the hall, which would make life a little easier.

He would definitely meet young people at a hostel, and you can get family rooms at hostels.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I have the Hotel Santa Maria on my favorites---we've been looking at it for about a month. If our reservations for the Baden-Powell House are confirmed, we will probably save enough on those London accomodations to pay the difference at the Santa Maria. The photos of that hotel are wonderful, but what was most enticing to me was the picture of breakfast!