Hi, I am currently working on booking our honeymoon trip, and we will be in Rome from Jun 4-8, 2007. I need a hotel room for $300 (240 EURO) MAX, I have read a ton of reviews, and so far, the ones that seem the most interesting within our budget are Due Torri and San Pio. At first we were all set to book Due Torri - location is perfect, and it looks exactly like the style we are looking for, on their website. http://www.hotelduetorriroma.com/

But after reading recent reviews on Trip Advisor, I am starting to second guess. We know that we're not going to get a luxury or large room based on our budget, but we would really like something quaint and historical. Also, would prefer a quiet area, but also close enough to walk around easily to all the "sights". Any thoughts on these two places?

I looked into Due Torri as well. You may also want to look into Hotel Santa Maria in Trastevere - quieter area, quaint. Some on this forum feel may not be close enough to the sights.

Due Torri is close by the sites, has a friendly efficient staff and is quiet enough, its on a side alley. What did they say on trip advisor that turned you off? I guess I could look over there but I am lazy...

Just because of location preference I would choose the Due Torre although I've never stayed at this hotel.

A traveler on 9/18 wrote:
Think NYC galley kitchen, college dorm room (the bed is some sort of dorm type bed - not even a real single bed), monastic cell, east village apt. My room was probably 5 by 10.

Another traveler on 11/10 wrote:
.......During the first stay, we had a room on the 5th floor... the bathrooms were small with a drainage problem. On our return, we were put on the 3rd floor with no balcony-- we overlooked the auto shop so it was quite noisy with cars/scooters going in and out. The room was very small and the shower (again) had a drainage problem....

Another traveler, also 11/10 wrote:
NEVER AGAIN.....It's located on a corner formed by two alleyways that are so narrow, some taxis refused to drive down them and made us walk the rest of the way from the next corner. The people who lived in the flat across the alley from my window made merry on their stoop until late in the evening. When I called the desk clerk to complain about the noise, he told me there was nothing could be done until after midnight. The walls are so thin, you could hear every word of conversation of passers-by in the alley below my window....

Which hotel are those comments referring to?

francophile03 - Sorry - the negative reviews I read were all of Due Torri. I was surprised, because I had read a lot of positive reviews on THIS board, before looking on Trip Advisor (which many people on this board suggest reading).

We haven't stayed at the Due Torri but have stayed three times (including our 24th and 28th anniversaries) at the Fontanella Borghese which is owned by the same woman. Our most recent stay was last month, and we paid 200 euros. The FB is a few blocks away in a somewhat more busy location, but you might want to check it out.

The only negative to the FB (which wasn't a problem on the two previous stays) is that the small street on the back side of the building has become popular with evening walking tours. Large, noisy groups would pass by until late in the evening. Also, a restaurant has opened in the same short street, so there is some noise from that.

But I love the Fontanella Borghese and would stay there again and recommend it to others with the suggestion of requesting a room facing the interior courtyard. The rooms we've been in were not large but were certainly adequate. The bathrooms were small but not unusually so for Italy. The breakfast room (newly redone and expanded) is very attractive, and the offerings were varied enough. Excellent coffee. The desk staff on all shifts (we were there for five days) were terrific, and their restaurant recommendations were all great (especially Cafe Mancini nearby).

Happy Wedding and Honeymoon!

Okay, thanks for clarifiying which hotel the comments are for. It just means that everyone's expectations are not the same. It's happened to me personally where I read nice reviews of a 2* Paris hotel, made reservations, and found that it didn't appeal to me.

Stayed at the Villa San Pio in 2001. It was nice and a good value but too far off the beaten path. Took quite a hike every morning to get to the main sites. It was also a little scary, especially at night, because you had to pass by a monastery which was visited by homeless men looking for meals.

The Due Torri does have uneven standards for rooms, in that some are way nicer than others. I like the idea that it is next to apartments, you sort of feel like part of the city that way. Across the alley from us was a nonna who cooked her meals in a dimly lit room and then leaned out and watched people walk by (we were doing the same). Ask to see your room first and approve or disapprove of it.

The hotel is a little quirky and is above a motorcycle garage. It is on a small vicola, but it comes off of a main road which is safe. If you are not the type to enjoy a hotel that is a little offbeat but friendly, I wouldn't recommend it.

I really appreciate everyone's input. It sounds like maybe San Pio really is too far out of the way. Are there certain rooms that are better than others at Due Torri? Anyone have a room number to ask for? Any other suggestions for quiet, romantic little places that are "authentic" Italy for under $300 American?

this looks nice: I haven't stayed here but other Fodorites have, it looks more romantic than Due Torri.

http://www.casahoward.com/

We stayed at the Residenza Cellini on our honeymoon (same time as yours, only one year earlier!). It was very romantic and reasonably priced. Near the termini, which we liked.

http://www.residenzacellini.it/

I agree with srasaenz, LOB-Residenza Cellini is an excellent choice, a beautiful, elegant hotel, and the location near Piazza della Repubblica is a desired one-you can walk to ALL the sights from there, and being close to Termini means it won't take you forever to get to the trains to go off on day trips or other destinations within Italy. Plus there are some excellent local trattoria as well.

I just heard back from Residenza Cellini for my trip to Rome in May 2007 - they said that they were already fully booked for mid-May. You may want to inquire soon about early June 2007. We'll be staying at Hotel Santa Maria - quaint and authentic Rome neighborhood.

We stayed at the Due Torri in May 2006. Our room was pleasant, quiet and comfortable, and we had a balcony! So there is obviously, as one poster said, a big difference in the standard of rooms. When I made the reservation, by email, I specifically asked for a quiet room, so that may have helped.

Thank you everyone....the Residenza Cellini actually had been our first choice, but they were already booked for our dates a month ago!!

We are thinking now that we will try to rent an apartment. There are alot of threads about apartments in Rome, and in looking through Slow Trav's references, we have found several that look really nice, and are MUCH cheaper than all the hotels!

Dear lover:

I have been reading this thread for the last several weeks. I stressed out too about where to stay when planning our trip to Italy. We stayed at the Due Torri and thought it was fine. Yes the rooms are a bit small, but nicely decorated, comfy and the location was great. It was down a very small street and we never had trouble with the taxis dropping or picking us up.

What I like about a hotel vs. an apartment is the service. I like having the desk staff available for info, calling taxis, recs for restaurants etc. The Portughesi is also around the corner. Check it out. It has had some good reviews on this board.

Good luck with you planning.

MY

When you stay in the center of Rome you are in one of the most ancient parts of the city. No matter what hotel you stay in you will find the rooms small, rate high, and different levels of standards. I have stayed in the Due Torri and would say that it is perfectly acceptable. It quite quaint and very friendly. The location is very nice because it is in the historic part of the city and on a "road less traveled" which means you won't hear alot ofd street noise which includes late night party folks, peole walksing and talking, vespas and the clopple of cars on the cobblestone. Believe me sound travels thru the narrow streets.

On the other hand, I just returned from Rome and stayed at the Hotel Adriano and really liked it. OK my room was tiny but Rome is so exciting i found myself out on the streets from 10am-10pm.

I thought the hotel was very nice, the staff was decent, the breakfast was good (croissants, yogurt, eggs, cheese, ham. The rooms were on the small side though but I got one on the 4th floor and had a balcony! That was great! I also couldn't have been more impressed by the location. I walked to everywhere from here. It is also great because you can pop in and out while you are in the area and then join the evening "Passagiatta". The rates are also somewhat reasonable.

Oh, one more thing... Giolitti is just a short walk away!

Here is their websight, they also get great reviews on tripadvisor.com

www.hoteladriano.com