Rome Hotel-Quadruple room or Family Suite x 4
May 9th, 2015, 01:37 PM
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Rome Hotel-Quadruple room or Family Suite x 4
Hello! We're a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children age 13, visiting Rome for 3 nights in early June 2015. We've been looking for nice family accomodations at a reasonable price. These seem interesting:
lh Royal Suites
Hotel Des Epoques
Navona Luxury Apartments
Has anybody stayed here or can shed some information on these? Any other recommendations are appreciated as well.
Thank you!
lh Royal Suites
Hotel Des Epoques
Navona Luxury Apartments
Has anybody stayed here or can shed some information on these? Any other recommendations are appreciated as well.
Thank you!
May 9th, 2015, 01:51 PM
#2
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We are also a family of four and went to Rome in April. I looked for quad rooms and eventually booked an apartment. Couldn't have been happier! Loved the location and the space compared to a hotel.
My trip report with details:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-adventure.cfm
My trip report with details:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-adventure.cfm
May 9th, 2015, 06:07 PM
#3
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You could check this website:
4ineurope.com
Just go to the page for Rome.
Our family of 4 ended up in an apartment as well. We were really happy with this decision as it gave us more room and a place for meals(breakfast) and snacks.
Our apartment was just a few blocks from Piazza Navona-a perfect location!
4ineurope.com
Just go to the page for Rome.
Our family of 4 ended up in an apartment as well. We were really happy with this decision as it gave us more room and a place for meals(breakfast) and snacks.
Our apartment was just a few blocks from Piazza Navona-a perfect location!
May 10th, 2015, 02:10 AM
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When I travel with a family group, especially with more than one couple, I usually rent an apartment. Apartments are also convenient if one member of the group is an early-to-bed type, or a small child or elderly person. The night owls can stay up in the common area while the others sleep in peace. And if I'm staying in the same place for more than about four days, I like to have an apartment.
However, an apartment does have many disadvantages, and when I don't have a compelling reason to choose an apartment, I much prefer a hotel. There are lots of hotels with quad rooms, or family rooms, or suites, or even with off-site serviced apartments. The latter have the best of both worlds, but usually aren't cheap. What I say below applies to apartments with no relationship to a hotel, and with no managed service.
You have to do much more extensive research for a privately rented apartment, because there are some bad apples renting apartments, and if one listing site blackballs them, they can easily change their name and move to another. A hotel can't so easily escape its bad reputation, and it's easy to find reviews of even the smallest hotels.
You usually have to make an appointment to meet the owner or agent, and have to call when you get to Rome to confirm the time. If you don't have a phone that works in Italy, and a roaming plan, this will be a problem. If your flight arrives early, as most flights from the US do, you'll have to lug your bags around until the apartment is available, usually in the late morning or early afternoon. Hotels will hold your luggage for you until check-in time. The same thing is true when you check out; if you want to do some last minute shopping or sightseeing, a hotel will hold your bags until later in the day. If you rent an apartment, you'll have to take your luggage to the train station and pay for left luggage, losing also the time to check them in and retrieve them. (This is not even possible at smaller stations.)
Typically you pay a deposit for an apartment, and the balance is due in cash upon arrival. I don't like carrying large amounts of cash on me, and I also don't like standing at an ATM making multiple withdrawals. With a hotel, you pay by credit card, normaly on departure.
Usually, you can't change or cancel an apartment reservation without penalty. With a hotel this is almost always possible. Many hotels will give discounts for immediate payment and non-refundable reservations, but I prefer to pay extra for the flexibility of being able to change plans. I've never rented an apartment that had this option. It's understandable, as they can't re-rent an apartment very easily, but it's still a disadvantage to the client.
If you have any sort of question or problem, the front desk at a hotel is a great resource. If you rent an apartment, I highly recommend that you have a working phone, in case of an emergency.
Hotels have much more rigid safety inspections than apartments do, and many apartments in Rome are illegal conversions that have had no inspections at all, and would not be legal even as private dwellings. I've never rented an apartment in Rome that had smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or sprinklers, and some of them didn't even have adequate fire exits. I've stayed in apartments (with a toddler) that had exposed wiring and unprotected large windows on high floors.
Often I've had to go shopping for basic supplies when I rent an apartment. Some people think it's fun to play at being a "local", but buying toilet paper and shampoo isn't my idea of fun. It takes time away from the things I travel to see and do.
Finally, this may be a trivial point to some, but I don't care for the daily housekeeping required in an apartment. I have a housekeeper at home, so why should I make the bed and clean hair out of the shower stall drain when I'm on vacation? If you're a couple, this may be a minor chore, but I rent apartments when traveling with my adult children and their families, none of whom has my housekeeping standards.
However, an apartment does have many disadvantages, and when I don't have a compelling reason to choose an apartment, I much prefer a hotel. There are lots of hotels with quad rooms, or family rooms, or suites, or even with off-site serviced apartments. The latter have the best of both worlds, but usually aren't cheap. What I say below applies to apartments with no relationship to a hotel, and with no managed service.
You have to do much more extensive research for a privately rented apartment, because there are some bad apples renting apartments, and if one listing site blackballs them, they can easily change their name and move to another. A hotel can't so easily escape its bad reputation, and it's easy to find reviews of even the smallest hotels.
You usually have to make an appointment to meet the owner or agent, and have to call when you get to Rome to confirm the time. If you don't have a phone that works in Italy, and a roaming plan, this will be a problem. If your flight arrives early, as most flights from the US do, you'll have to lug your bags around until the apartment is available, usually in the late morning or early afternoon. Hotels will hold your luggage for you until check-in time. The same thing is true when you check out; if you want to do some last minute shopping or sightseeing, a hotel will hold your bags until later in the day. If you rent an apartment, you'll have to take your luggage to the train station and pay for left luggage, losing also the time to check them in and retrieve them. (This is not even possible at smaller stations.)
Typically you pay a deposit for an apartment, and the balance is due in cash upon arrival. I don't like carrying large amounts of cash on me, and I also don't like standing at an ATM making multiple withdrawals. With a hotel, you pay by credit card, normaly on departure.
Usually, you can't change or cancel an apartment reservation without penalty. With a hotel this is almost always possible. Many hotels will give discounts for immediate payment and non-refundable reservations, but I prefer to pay extra for the flexibility of being able to change plans. I've never rented an apartment that had this option. It's understandable, as they can't re-rent an apartment very easily, but it's still a disadvantage to the client.
If you have any sort of question or problem, the front desk at a hotel is a great resource. If you rent an apartment, I highly recommend that you have a working phone, in case of an emergency.
Hotels have much more rigid safety inspections than apartments do, and many apartments in Rome are illegal conversions that have had no inspections at all, and would not be legal even as private dwellings. I've never rented an apartment in Rome that had smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or sprinklers, and some of them didn't even have adequate fire exits. I've stayed in apartments (with a toddler) that had exposed wiring and unprotected large windows on high floors.
Often I've had to go shopping for basic supplies when I rent an apartment. Some people think it's fun to play at being a "local", but buying toilet paper and shampoo isn't my idea of fun. It takes time away from the things I travel to see and do.
Finally, this may be a trivial point to some, but I don't care for the daily housekeeping required in an apartment. I have a housekeeper at home, so why should I make the bed and clean hair out of the shower stall drain when I'm on vacation? If you're a couple, this may be a minor chore, but I rent apartments when traveling with my adult children and their families, none of whom has my housekeeping standards.
May 10th, 2015, 06:17 AM
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Thank you for your input, I will consider it while making our final decision. After I placed my inquiry yesterday I ran accross Casa Howard. They have 2 properties in Rome. Does anybody has stayed with them?
May 10th, 2015, 09:58 AM
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We enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Vaticano a few years ago. We had a nice room with two large beds (Queen size?) and the hotel serves a good breakfast. We liked the location right across from the entrance to the Vatican museum.
May 10th, 2015, 10:05 AM
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I never heard of Casa Howard, but I looked it up. Did you see any mention of quadruple rooms? On the random date I chose, I saw only double rooms. Some were in the main structure and some in the dependance, which I suppose is what you mean by two properties. I suggest you read the reviews on www.booking.com , which is the site I most often use to find lodging.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/casa...e-case.it.html
Several of them say the bath is in the hallway, which I wouldn't mind, but which my husband finds unacceptable. The reviews are only so-so, and the price isn't the most economical I've seen.
If you use www.booking.com, you can enter "Rome center city" as your destination. Specify the number of people in your party and your dates, and you'll get a list of centrally located lodgings of all types, including apartment rentals. You can sort the list by price or by guest rating. I usually sort by guest rating and then go down the list until I find a price that's acceptable. In Italy, guest ratings are a better indicator of overall quality than the number of stars, as the stars are based on staffing level and specific services offered, regardless of the quality of the service. I always read the guest reviews before committing, and I'm a little wary of places that don't have many reviews.
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/casa...e-case.it.html
Several of them say the bath is in the hallway, which I wouldn't mind, but which my husband finds unacceptable. The reviews are only so-so, and the price isn't the most economical I've seen.
If you use www.booking.com, you can enter "Rome center city" as your destination. Specify the number of people in your party and your dates, and you'll get a list of centrally located lodgings of all types, including apartment rentals. You can sort the list by price or by guest rating. I usually sort by guest rating and then go down the list until I find a price that's acceptable. In Italy, guest ratings are a better indicator of overall quality than the number of stars, as the stars are based on staffing level and specific services offered, regardless of the quality of the service. I always read the guest reviews before committing, and I'm a little wary of places that don't have many reviews.
May 10th, 2015, 10:57 AM
#8
The Hotel Modigliani has two apartments that may suit you.
http://www.hotelmodigliani.com/en/appartamenti.html
http://www.hotelmodigliani.com/en/appartamenti.html
May 12th, 2015, 12:52 PM
#10
You're welcome. When we stayed at the Modigliani 3 years ago we got a 10% discount through Rick Steve's Rome book. You may want to see if that is still active.
For a great meal, make reservations at the Osteria Barberini down the street from the hotel.
For a great meal, make reservations at the Osteria Barberini down the street from the hotel.
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