We (myself, wife and my 19 & 20 yr old sons) will be spending five nights in Rome in June before heading to Venice and then to Germay. Looking for recommendations for hotels for our Rome stay. Would need either two rooms or a suite. The Termini area seems centrally located to be able to get around the city by train but a lot of the hotel reviews caution of the seedy area. Also considering staying near the airport and using the train to commute in from there. Appreciate any suggestions.

Look at the Palazzo Olivia apartments near Piazza Navona---a great location, and they will take you for 4 nites or more.
Do not consider those other locations---you want centro Rome.

tony56

Rome is very easy to walk around, just make sure to have a good map. I really like the Streetwise maps. They are very detailed, accurate and laminated, yet not much bigger than a boarding pass. They also have all the churches and sights indexed. Extremely helpful!

Rome only has 2 metro lines so not always very useful (lines and stations are also shown on Streetwise). Buses and taxis are actually more useful - if you don't want to walk.

About the only places that can seem like a long walk are usually the Vatican (depending on where you stay) and some of the sights outside Central Rome.

Besides, it much more fun to walk! Every corner you turn reveals another famous place or a big surprise!

I am a budget traveler and stayed at Hotel Giardino Rome **. Great location for walking everywhere. Super helpful owner and staff, cozy, reasonable.

Buon viaggio!

I f you stay at the airport you will waste 2 hours a day trekking back and forth - as well as spend a lot of money. Also, the area immediately adjacent to the train station is, while safe, very tacky.

You should look for something near Piazza Navona, the Pantheon or similar.

I agree with with Bobthenavigator about staying in a central location. E-mail these folks, tell them what kind of room(s) you'd like and ask for a quote. They will e-mail you back. Tell them Kathleen Kelly sent you. (E-mail address is on their website.)
http://www.hotelsancarloroma.com/

Buon Viaggio,
BC

This two bedroom, two bath apartment might work better than a hotel. It's in the center, a few blocks from Piazza Navona.
http://www.rentalinrome.com/accetti/accetti.htm

Kybourbon, Great suggestion. I didn't realize that you could rent an apartment for that short a period of time. Already sent an email to the apartment rental group.
Thanks so much

Tony56, if that apartment doesn't work out, there are many others available for 3 or 4 nights. You can also look at sleepinitaly.com and VRBO.com (VRBO is Vacation Rentals by Owner).

I suggest you Hotel Portoghesi! Absolutely perfect location, this small hotel is in the center of historic Rome. Although it may seem expensive, by Rome standards it is value for money: good breakfast (served on the roof garden is the best way to start the day ), nice and cosy room. If you want there is also a suite that accomodate up to 4 people. http://www.hotelportoghesiroma.it/

Tony-- stop looking at hotels. An apartment is the answer for you. It will save you money and your family will have more space.

I have used vrbo.com for apartments and been very satisfied; that said it is vacation rental by owners and as such, some owners do a better job than others. I rented an apartment near the Vatican using vrbo and was extremely happy. The apartment is no longer listed, so I offer the following alternative with glowing recomendations:

http://www.vrbo.com/20263#)

By the way, CHECK the following amazing website: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/reviews.asp

Whatever you rent : A/C IS A MUST; NO COMPROMISE.

Also consider getting a Roma Pass for each of you. A 25 Euros investment, it will get you unlimited use of trains and buses in Rome for three days, first 3 museums free out of a list of 20 (No Vatican museums included) and discounts for the remaining museums. You go in without having to stay in line. This will save you HOURS in June lines under the hot Rome June sun! You can get the Roma Pass in several locations; I got mine at the Office in Tourism at the Termini Station (near Platform 25, second level). The card gets activated the first time you use it, so you can buy it anytime and start using it when really ready to start your sightseeing.

Have a great time in your trip. You are smart in starting your planning early and using forums like this. I have no doubts the people on this forum are the smartest indpendent travelers on the Web today.

If you don't fancy an apartment and would rather stay in a hotel, check Hotel Adriano. We've stayed there twice on recent trips--once renting 3 rooms for our whole family--and really enjoyed it. Rates are quite reasonable and the location couldn't be better. Search my recent trip report titled Italy reprise for a review of it. We got good rates on Booking.com