Please look at these 2 bedroom Rome apartments
 

Having never been to Rome, I have done a crash course in Roman geography today and read countless posts on Rome apartments going back many years. I need a place for 4--our 2 sons, 20 and 25, are meeting us in Rome. I would love a terrace,but haven't found too many of those. Think that I would like Navona/Campo de fiori area, but Trastevere area sounds interesting. Would it be comparable to Marais district in Paris (or Born in Barcelona)? So right now I like the first apartment especially because it has outdoor roof terrace. Not sure about bunk beds in 2nd room (boys are 6'2" and 6'6") but I guess we can make it work. Second place has a terrace also.

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/info-giu...co-carina.aspx
http://www.palazzo-olivia.it/en/apar...on-in-rome.php
http://www.sleepinitaly.com/info-ors...id_appartam=77

Oops, the first two url's got tangled up.

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/info-giu...id_appartam=81

http://www.rome-accom.com/accommodat...co-carina.aspx

The first apartment looks well designed and furnished, and the via Giulia is a beautiful street, grand but QUIET, just around the corner from all the action on Piazza Farnese and Campo dei Fiori. No doubt your sons' feet will be at the ends of the beds, but that will be true most places. Unless the second apt is radically cheaper, I wouldn't choose it, especially as my boys would not want to share a bed.

I would be concerned about the bunk beds being short and the person on the bottom hears/feels every movement of the person on top so doesn't get much sleep.

The second apartment appears that the king bed would separate into twins. I would ask about it. It also appears the queen bed room (where you would likely be) is very cramped.

This one doesn't have a terrace, but is in a good location. You can read a review in Kristina's Rome 2008 trip report.

http://www.rentalinrome.com/accetti/accetti.htm

http://www.wired2theworld.com/ROME2008.html

We stayed at this location a few years ago.

http://residenzagiubbonari.com/home.html

It's right near the Campo dei Fiori and we found the location perfect. Pedestrian only street, shops, market, bakery right nearby. Close to main transportation hub (Largo Argentina).

We used the blue apt - 2br/2bath. With 4 people the 2nd bathroom was handy. I noticed only one of yours had 2bath, the other just 1.

When we were looking for Rome apartments I started to get info overload - way too many options and hard to tell the difference between many of them. The location of both of those you list is good. I'd pick the one with 2 bath myself.

No one has mentioned this, but I assume you noticed that the first two (the two you repeated in the next post) are on the 4th floor (5th floor in US terms) with no elevator. . . don't knowif this would influence your decision.

I have stayed near Vatican, the Trevi and near Campo di Fiore.
I like campo area best. We loved buying fresh fruits and vegetables at the market. People watching was excellent, night or day. It was centrally located and easy to walk wherever or catch a bus when you got tired.

I favor the first two you listed, but yes, many, many steps, the bunk bed issue in the one, the tiny bedroom in the other. I give a slight edge to the Giulia because of the second bathroom. What time of year is this trip?

FYI, I think your family would enjoy Trastevere.

All of your choices look pretty good to me, keeping in mind no apartment is likely to be perfect. Have you been able to find reviews of any of them?

Don't know why I said "FYI." I think I meant for what it's worth (fwiw?). Anyway, it's hard to compare parts of Paris to parts of Rome, but I guess if someone liked the Marais that person would probably enjoy Trastevere. Both have lots of bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, etc., and are easy, interesting walks to other areas. I like both. Just my opinion, of course!

About the apts being on the 4th (US 5th) floor without an elevator: the flights between floors in Italy are VERY long, as the ceilings in those old buildings are very high.

The via Giulia apt is farther than 5 mins to the Campo, etc. We stayed in another giulia apt in the exact block, and it was more like 15.

Thanks for everyones responses. I have emailed the first two companies with some questions and will await their replies. I do realize that we are going to have a hike up the stairs to the apartment, but I am willing to do that for the right spot. We are all in good shape and pack lightly when we travel. It would be nice to have 2 bathrooms but, again, for the right place I can go either way. We are on different schedules (my husband and I up usually about 2 hours before them on vacation) so we should be able to work out one bathroom.

Thank you, kybourbon and J62, for the links to those lovely apartments. I am getting my mind stuck on having a terrace so I am going to continue to look for something with outside seating. We had a garden and access to grand canal in Venice last May and it was lovely to come back home after a long day and be able to sit out with wine/coffee and relax.

thanks, Leely2, for responding to my question about Trastevere
area. I have read some comments about it being a little off the beaten path, but it also seems to be a very popular area to stay in. Love the Marais (staying in a Marais apt the week before we go to Rome) and we also really like the Born area of Barcelona. Interesting restaurants, shops and bars (bars are mainly for the twenty-somethings) would be great in the neighborhood we rent since after walking all day, sightseeing, I tend to like to stick close to where we are staying at night.

I notice that the Sleep in Italy apartment indicates a sofa bed as well - this might mean the boys could do without the top bunk?
This along with a second bathroom might make for easier travel - even if they have different sleep patterns from you and your husband - on hols they might just have a change of pattern!

Using the sofa bed in the living room is probably a good idea. That way they will not fight over who has to sleep in the top bunk.

Oh, they sleep in on holiday--no work or school to go to!

Have you noticed that the Sleep in Italy apartment has a common terrace, so you don't get exclusive use:

"this home has a lovely common terrace on the roof with a beautiful view on Roman roofs. The apartment guests have a private umbrella and chair in order to enjoy very unique relaxing moments."

Hope they really mean there is more than one chair for you all.

While in the Colleseum area, rather than the area you're looking in, this apartment has a terrace and is remarked on here in a recent Trip Report on Fodors and has an old review on Slow Travel:

http://www.vrbo.com/32035

kcrimson55 stayed there:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-lake-como.cfm

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/review.asp?n=1193

>>That way they will not fight over who has to sleep in the top bunk.<<

That might fight over who has to sleep on the sofa bed. Most sofa beds are not comfortable and the person stuck in the living room on the sofa is subject to everyone's activity and doesn't get much sleep. Some apartments will charge extra for use of the sofa bed so be sure to ask.

We have almost finished a laborious process of selecting an apartment for our Rome stay in September 2010. I think I've been through more than 250 listings on vrbo & Homelidays. One apartment that is still on our short list is this one -
http://www.vrbo.com/157018 - which does have a small terrace. It is in Trastevere but is 'behind' the S Maria area so you would probably need to use the buses but it looks well equipped and we are considering it.

hi macdogmom,

may I chip in with my two penn'th and share the "wisdom" I've attained through 3 apartment rentals in Italy, [one in Rome] and another in Rome in the offing?

1. I would honestly NOT get hung up on the terrace. I don't know what time of year you are traveling, but unless you are planning to spend a lot of time in and around the apartment, you will not use it as much as you expect. in winter it will be too cold in the day and dark at night, in spring/autumn you'll be out at times when it is usable, and in summer, it'll be too hot most of the day!

at least look at some other options before you make your minds up.

2. Prioritise position. for your first visit to Rome you want to be as central as possible so you can get easily to the main sights. the obvious place to be is in the area between the campo dei fiori/pantheon and the river, as nowhere is too far away. the mistake we made [because I'd concentrated too much on having a terrace] on our first visit was to stay near the colosseum [Monti] area. we spent so much time going to the places we wanted to be, which apart from the day we went to the forum etc. was not where we were. the same applies to Trastevere, IMHO - great for a 2nd or 3rd stay, but not for your first.

3. Next priority - space. with two large lads, you need as much as possible. you will NOT be happy falling over one of them in the living room in the morning, and if they are the types who want to sleep in, neither will they. the bunk bed option sounds a recipe for disaster for grown-ups.

go for an apartment with double and twin bedrooms and two bathrooms, and preferably two sitting rooms. if you can get a terrace, so much the better, but IMHO it shouldn't be top of your wish list.

4. Stairs v lift. our first apartment was on the 4th floor with no lift - there were 88 steps down and then back up everytime we wanted a pint of milk! our other two rentals were on lower floors/had lifts and this makes life a lot easier, and for the next one, we've gone for a ground floor apartment. with two large lads it might not be so much of a problem, but it'll be more of a pain than you realise.

good luck!

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am starting to give up on Terrace and go for location, location, location. Sounds like Navona/Campo de fiori area is the place to zero in on. Annhig (thanks for all your good advice!) could you send me the link to the apartment you are renting this winter? I read through your postings last night and I am looking for something very similar to what you were searching for. I do wish the apt. you rented had more windows and light. I like the price and location though and that it is through an indvidual rather than an agency. I think as we burrow into these searches ones loses track of how much time you are really going to spend at the apartment. Although I do the same crazy searching for the perfect hotel even when we go up to San Francisco for the night, which is only 40 minutes away.

GY2 and lovisa--thanks for links, I appreciate the help! Probably neither in the area I am going to search.

<<lovisa on Dec 29, 09 at 12:18am
While in the Colleseum area, rather than the area you're looking in, this apartment has a terrace and is remarked on here in a recent Trip Report on Fodors and has an old review on Slow Travel:

http://www.vrbo.com/32035>>

I stayed in this apartment in 2008 with a friend. It is beautiful.

My criteria had to include a terrace since I am a smoker. Also it had to include internet which this apartment had for free.

LOVED IT!!!

Any thoughts on these places--

http://www.domusintl.com/easyStore/S...IDCatSchede=16

http://www.rentalinrome.com/accetti/accetti.htm

http://www.lacasadiclelia.webs.com/

The Accetti is what I posted links for above with the link for the review by Kristina.

I would select an apartment based on location, two real bedrooms and two bathrooms. Four people sharing a bathroom isn't easy when everyone needs to get ready at the same time.

The Domus Int'l apartment is listed on other websites--I think posters jamikins and BikerScott stayed either at that one or its twin (in the same building, slightly different configuration) and liked it. I'll see if I can find their report. Coincidentally I tried to rent it in the past and it was already booked up. Same with the Accetti! :)

Sorry, I cannot seem to locate Jamikins' extended review of that apartment but they rented it through romepower.com (called Moon apartment by Rome Power) and were well satisfied. Here is a brief synopsis. I know I read a longer review from her but cannot seem to dig it up.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-rome-4.cfm

hi 'mom,

here's the link to the apartment we're renting in Feb:

www.lacasadiclelia.webs.com/

i didn't realise til someone here pointed it out that the bedrooms are underground! But given that the light outside is not going to be great in February anyway, I'm not too fussed. and otherwise, it ticks all our boxes. catherine, who owns it, is very user-friendly and responded to a my enquires very quickly and patiently. [and in excellent english - she is actually french].

good luck,

regards, ann

Annhig, that apartment looks great! Please let us know how you like it.

annhig, I also have my eye on that apartment for our stay in Rome in 2011 (tomorrow I can say it's next year!). It looks lovely and even better that the price is in our budget - I wonder how small the mini flat is? Maybe you can check it out for me, I will look forward to reading your comments.

macdogmom, good luck with your search, it sure is very time consuming trying to find "just the right place".

Best wishes
Maudie

hi, KT and Maudie,

i will certainly report back. Maudie - have you looked at the photos of the mim-flat on the website? it certainly looks bigger than any hotel bedroom, for a very reasonable price. if I get the chance, I'll see if I can get a viewing!

annhig,
I emailed the owner earlier today and hopefully will hear back soon. Do you know if there are any windows in the ground floor part of the apt? Looks from pics as if the front door is the "window" for the living/dining area.

I am now contemplating throwing budget to the wind and staying at the Residence Giubbonari pink apartment.

http://www.residenzagiubbonari.com/home.html

Terrace is beautiful and I think that it is also in a good location. Still haven't completely figured out Rome layout yet. I am going crazy with all this and our Paris apartment just fell through. I am thinking of just staying in a hotel for Paris (in the Marais somewhere) since there will only be two of us there.

After Rome we go to Amalfi Coast and I need to start researching places for the 4 of us there. I had thought Postiano, but am starting to get concerned about how touristy it is especially since we are going in June, not in May as originally planned.

Yes I have looked at the mini flat too, its only two of us and though it looks small, as you say, its better than a hotel room. We don't really have a problem with a dark bedroom, in fact we prefer it, maybe it will be quieter! I am having a hard time trying to find something that we like, in a location that we like and stay within our budget, even a fairly basic B&B is €130 which is $210 AUD per night, yikes! This is the one I was looking at:
www.littlequeen.it/littlequeen_eng/home_eng.htm

macdogmom, I have the Giuddonari in my favourites list - I think it looks great. Wish they had a smaller apartment, I would just give up my search and book it. Hope it all works out for you, let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

maudie--have you looked at realrome.com for apartments? Their rates are very reasonable. The owner is very pleasant and helpful.
We rented a 2 BR apartment on the Via della Reginella right near the Little Queen. It is a great location. There are other smaller apartments in the central historic area and Trastevere.

hi again, mom,

first of all - the area. relax - you have got it spot on. having not stayed in the right area last time, I am pretty confident that for a first -time visit you want to be in the area of Rome which is bordered by the river to the west, and an imaginery line which runs north-south just to the east of the campo dei fiori. whether this particular street is all you would wish I don't know but the double-glazing should keep most of the noise out.

secondly - the apartment. I do not think that there are any windows besides the door at la casa clelia. that doesn't bother me too much for February. as for the residence have you looked to see if it's on slowtravel? many of them are. or read the reviews on the website.

thirdly - the price. I do sympathise with you wanting it to be "perfect", and actually if you are going to splash out on a terrace, June would be the month to do it - you'll get maximum value due to the long evenings and warm mornings for those breakfasts on the terrace. and with a lift, the lads shouldn't mind going out to get the cornetti. [though my DS, then 15, happily took it upon himself to get our breakfasts when we were 4 floors and 89 steps up!] it doesn't look too uncompetitive - we paid about €1400 for a week at easter 3 years ago, so €320 a night doesn't look bad at all.

frankly, if this is the right apartment for you, I would go for it - I knew immediately I saw ours that they were the right ones for us!

I can't help over the choice of accommodations for the amalfi coast part of the trip, but there are a number of recent threads, including a current one, on just this area. amalfi itself seems to be well-recommended.

Maudie - i have only ever stayed in apartments when we have been "en famille". I'm not sure that I'll continue to do this - the mini-flat is quite a lot cheaper than the B&B you quote, and you get more for your money.

regards, ann

PS - in fact, I've topped the review of one of the apartments on fodors from 2006, and here's the review of two of the apartments from slow-travel:

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/review.asp?n=2683

thanks so much everyone. I just reserved Pink apartment at the Residence Giubbonari. Looks great and I get a reduction in price by paying cash on arrival. I think it will be a great place to stay for our first trip to Rome. And I will find more economical spots in Florence/Tuscany and Amalfi coast now!

Thanks to everyone for their help. Such a great resource.

A few more comments re R.G.

1. We used the car service/van arranged by Christina, the landlady and it was quite handy. When we arrived at the address mid morning tired and hot nobody answered the doorbell. The driver had no intention staying, and we feared we'd be stuck on the doorstep with bags and tired kids. The driver had her cell phone # and called. She was out, but a friend/relative who lived nearby came over and let us in. Not saying you should use that car service, but lesson learned is to make sure you have a contact cell phone # to call upon arrival. I do recommend using a car service, however. Nothing beats seeing your name on a sign as you exit customs, walking to a car right outside, and getting brought right to the door.

2. When we arrived we had only a few (100) euros on hand since the ATM at the airport wasn't working. We weren't sure if we'd be able to get enough cash the 1st day to pay for the whole week. Christina said that was no problem - we could pay over a few days, and pointed us to the nearby ATM. (3 or 4 within 5min). Turns out we used 2 different debit cards and got the full amount of euros right away. I'm sure we aren't the 1st Americans to arrive sans euros in hand.

If you want more info feel free to email me at j62ny at yahoo. I don't check it everyday but often enough.

Thanks for all the info. We will actually be arriving by train from Tuscany. Good to know that she will let us spread out payment if we have to.

Congrats on getting your booking, that's great news.

Here's one I have found for Florence just to get you started but I'm sure you will get many other suggestions:
http://www.ilgigliodoro.eu/ - I love the walled garden.

Vttraveler: yes I have spend many hours on rental apartment sites but I shall have another look at your suggestion, thank you.