This must be one of the most oft-asked questions on this board.

There're some twists though.

There're three of us -- my parents and I. Should we book two rooms?

Also I tend to stay at budget hotels, but I'm going for the nicer ones this time. Or maybe even the "very nice" ones. What are your recommendations?

Depending on the choices of hotels, I may put my parents at a really nice hotel whereas I stay at a cheaper one nearby. I haven't really thought through this all yet.

Are Marriott points good for anything? I know someone with a lot and she may be willing to give them to us to use.

Thanks!

In Rome, points hotels usually aren't very convenient to the historic center. Do you want plush or would a B&B work? For you parents how about the Hotel San Francesco in Trastevere at approximately 150E per weeknight (they do have triples if you are interested at 150-180E). For you, the nearby Arco del Lauro (also in Trastevere) at 85-115E for a single (they also have triples 115E-155E)and weekly rates if you plant to stay that long.

http://www.hotelsanfrancesco.net/inglese/hotel.htm

http://www.arcodellauro.it/prezzi.php?lang=en

Thanks. Combined we're leaving on Wednesday and coming back on Monday, so it's a little less than two weeks. We may train to Amsterdam for a day. I don't know yet. It's probably something like 4 days in Paris and 4 days in Rome with 1-2 days in between.

I'll try to splurge more on hotels, so maybe plush?

I was thinking of flying them on Business class (thread on Airlines forum), but in the end, just chickened out. So I should use the "savings" elsewhere. Anyway, it doesn't hurt to do the research to see what comes up. I'm just dealing with a price bracket I don't usually research, so it takes time for me to process and think what's reasonable. Also I've not dealt with travel plans for three either. This is all new to me.

Why don't you get a double for them and a single for yourself. European hotels have real singles at a definite savings over a double.

And after all day sightseeing together, a little quiet time by yourself will be good for you and them. And you'll have 2 bathrooms.

The alternative is a triple room, which is harder to find and may not be as comfortable.

If you are interested in staying in the same room as them, I can offer some triple options in both cities. My son travels with my husband and I.

Paris:
Hotel Henri IV Rive Gauche
http://www.henri-paris-hotel.com/eng...-hotel-01.html

Lovely hotel in the 5th, about 2 blocks from the Seine. The triple is very large. The single bed is just as you enter the room then there's 2 steps up into the main room with a large bed for your parents, plenty of closet space and a nice-sized bathroom. There's also a privacy curtain that pulls across, seperating the single bed area from the main room.

Rome:
Residenza Canali ai Coronari on dei tre archi #13
http://www.residenzacanali.com/01english.html
The room we had was fairly large with 2 queen beds, a very large wardrobe and bathroom that was a little small. Right around the corner from Piazza Navona and on the street with lovely high-end antique shops.

I looked at the Henri IV suggestion. It's mostly booked. The triple is over 200 euros, but it's only available for one of the days we'll be there.

But I think I should splurge on something to pamper them, but just not sure what exactly.

I did check Le Meurice and George V. Both are booked, but I think the rates will start from around 750 euros, which is probably more than I want to spend.

111op,

You might look at the Victoria Palace. We really enjoyed our stay there in 2005.

We found the location in the 6th, close to Luxembourg Gardens very convenient.

Some friends later stayed there with their teenaged granddaughter, and had adjoining rooms. They were very pleased with this arrangement--close enough and with two bathrooms!

www.victoriapalace.com

Byrd

For 4 nights in each city it might be worth checking apartments. It'll give you all more space and a kitchen for breakfasts maybe even a terrace.
Prices are likely to be cheaper for an apartment than 2 hotel rooms.

I recently discovered the joys of apartment rentals and I now avoid hotels when possible (resorts are an exception!).

Sleep in Italy has reasonably priced apartments in Rome.

I love my parents but if we had to share a hotel room I swear one of us would not make it home! Hotel Le Walt is a pricey but small boutique hotel in the 7th right in front of the Ecole Militaire Metro stop. Well located and the rooms are good size. They serve breakfast and have a bar, but no restaurant. There are numerous restaurants around especially on Rue Cler right near by. In Rome The Hotel Portoghesi is located on a quiet street and is literally withing 5 - 8 minutes on foot to every major site in the historic center and a 15 - 20 minute to the ancient sites. No restaurant, but again close to many in the area. Though right in the center, the street is very quiet and noise is not an issue.

I'm with highflyer- I'd look at apartments. Much more cost-effective.

What dates are you planning on going?

Take a look at these for Rome. Locations are great, but plush and historic center don't really go together.

http://www.hotelpontesisto.it/web/

http://www.albergodelsenato.it/flash/index.html

http://www.albergosantachiara.com/

http://www.hotelhasslerroma.com/uk-home.htm

Thanks for the links. I'll review them later. I got back to obsessing about airline tickets and checking fares (though I bought them already).

Regarding dates: First two weeks of June roughly.

Are there some common apt. websites? I'm under the impression that you need to stay there for a week. I think that I'm probably looking at 4-5 nights each, depending on what I end up doing.

The problem you may be facing is that the most popular hotels may not have one room left for your June dates, let alone two.

If you do have Marriott points you could do a lot worse than the Marriott Grand Flora on the Via Veneto. Admittedly, it's a bit of a walk to the center, but it's very pleasant, and if you are splurging a bit for them, you probably wouldn't mind taxis.

Of course, if I were looking at a high budget and no worries about room availability, I'd maybe choose the Minerve for its perfect location and general niceness.

The Boscolo Excedra would be near cheaper hotels (like the one you stayed at last time in Rome).

For Paris, what do your parents favor more - quaintness or modern facilities? Maybe Hotwire for a 4.5* in a central zone would work (I think the Westin sometimes shows up). Or maybe Priceline in the Opera Quarter East zone would work - you'd probably get either the Novotel Les Halles (right by Les Halles) or Concorde Ambassador (right by the Opera House). I'm sure you are willing to spend more, but maybe these hotels would give a good combination of what you want - modern facilities and a convenient location. With Paris hotels in this zone, you could stay at your traditional cheaper choices.

Anyway, take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am mostly speaking hypothetically .

Thanks. I don't have the Marriott points, but I'm assuming the one who does can book the room(s) for us if we need the points. I'll have to check on that.

My mom has already "suggested": Maybe we can take cabs this time....

The quaintness vs. modern facilities -- I don't really know. I think that my mom would probably prefer the "frou frou" style. But most likely I think they just want cheap and functional (like me) , though I think they really should stay somewhere nice.

This whole hotels thing reminds me of an article I read in the WSJ this week on wines. So apparently the lay person rates cheap bottles higher than expensive bottles. But that's before they realize how much the wine cost. When you tell them a bottle is expensive, then they start rating it higher.

I'm wondering if there's a bit of this kind of effect here. People enjoy the expensive hotels more because they cost more. But I guess they can't worry about the $ too much.

The Sofitel Roma is very nice. It's closer to Via Veneto and although some people say it's too far from the historic center, we didn't think so. They still have rooms available in June with one or two special rates.

http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fiche...he_hotel.shtml

For Paris I was going to suggest the Luxembourg Parc but they're booked.

You might look at the apartments that are owned by the Hotel Relais Bosquet in Paris. They rent for less than 7 days. I think 4 days is the minimum and you have the services of the hotel available to you.

I checked Relais Bosquet on Expedia and I think the hotel is full for my dates.

I checked Tripadvisor to see what the most highly rated hotels are. The list seems a bit strange. At least two hotels are in 16eme, which I guess is very bourgeois, but I'd prefer to be in the single-digit arrondissements. I think I even saw one of the top choices in 17eme.

Among the most expensive hotels, George V and Meurice are booked. But Park Hyatt Vendome is available, but the price tag is 800 euros or something like that. That's quite extreme.

There's a cheaper Hyatt near Opera. Also Hotel du Louvre is available. I also checked Westin. The cheapest double rack rate is 420 euros. All these will be in the 500 euros range. I think there's another hotel called Hotel Scribe near Opera also. It's run by a chain. The address is actually 75009, so it's officially in the 9eme, though it's really quite central also.

The location of Westin is good. If I can get this for cheaper I think it may be good. I'll check Hotwire.

Of course something cheaper is good also. I'm just trying to get a feel for what's available before deciding what to do. I don't normally research Paris hotels in these kinds of price ranges, so I may as well spend some time learning what's out there.

I haven't checked Rome hotels yet. One thing at a time.

Thanks!

I checked Hotwire, and I don't see a choice that could be the Westin.

A few 4* options right now:

Champs-Elysees-Trocadero ($214)
Eiffel-Orsay-Invalides ($346)
Opera-Grand Boulevard ($376)
LQ-St-Germain-d-P ($405)

I don't know if the rates include taxes. I think not.

According to Better Bidding, the hotels are probably Le Meridien Etoile, Hilton (amenities don't match), Westminster Opera. Don't know about the last one since there's nothing in the BB list that's close to this.

Try www.sleepinitaly for apartments in Rome. We loved our apartment near the Pantheon but with 85 steps and no elevator I wouldn't recommend it for your parents!

We used www.vacationinparis for an apartment in Paris but note this is based in NJ and charges in dollars.

There are many other apartment sites mentioned on Fodors which also come highly recommended so try a search if these don't have exactly what you're looking for.

I called VacationinParis and I got six choices. I eliminated three of them and I'm left with three at about $300, $400, $500 a night.

The $300 a night choice could be a good choice, but it requires some stairs climbing, so I probably should check.

Could people remind me if there are some other apartment websites?

Thanks!