John

I'm traveling to Rome in July with my wife---first time there. I've found some reasonable rates at these hotels, which are nicely described in the Fodor guide---but I'm not sure what they are really like. <BR> <BR>Can anybody help me? We like charm, cleanliness and quiet more than glitz.

Bob

I've stayed at both the Morgana and D'Este Hotels. The Morgana is a nice hotel that is a few hundred yards from the train station. The street that it's on is fairly quiet at night. I stay near the station when I am going to be making day trips from Rome and the hotel is convenient in that respect. However, if you are going to be spending most of your time seeing the sights of Rome, you may want to consider something closer to the center of town because even though I walk to all of the sights from the train station area, it is a fairly long walk. It is convenient to the subway and buses though. Also you should note that this area south of the station seems to be the area of choice for immigrants into the city and therefore you'll probably see more non-italians in that area than Italians and the area is not one of the better areas if you're looking for "charm and cleanliness" (although the hotel itself is fine). (My wife doesn't like the area so I stay in other areas when she is with me.) The D'Este is a few blocks farther from the station (near Santa Maria Maggiore church), in a slightly better and slightly noisier area and is also a nice hotel. A little closer to the sights of Rome but still a long walk. I'm not familiar with the Marcella hotel so I can't help you there.

John

Thanks for this information. So what Neighborhoods might be nicer? (QUiet, safe, clean)

Bob

Quiet, clean and safe. I've found that a comfortable set of earplugs can overcome even the noisiest street in Rome (a room facing the street on Via Nazionale was the noisiest for me). Therefore, if you have to compromise, I'd go for clean and safe over quiet. If you were to draw a triangle between Palazzo Barberini, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona, that is the area I would recommend to stay within for a first trip to Rome. It's a pretty big area with a lot of hotel choices and there is a lot of variation within the area (e.g., area west of Piazza di Spagna is more upscale, area around Piazza Navona and Pantheon is more rustic, etc.). Certainly, there are other areas worth a look such as Campo de Fiori and I would recommend that you do a word search for Rome on this site to look at the opinions of others on specific hotels and areas. Good luck. <BR>

Bob

Quiet, clean and safe. I've found that a comfortable set of earplugs can overcome even the noisiest street in Rome (a room facing the street on Via Nazionale was the noisiest for me). Therefore, if you have to compromise, I'd go for clean and safe over quiet. If you were to draw a triangle between Palazzo Barberini, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona, that is the area I would recommend to stay within for a first trip to Rome. It's a pretty big area with a lot of hotel choices and there is a lot of variation within the area (e.g., area west of Piazza di Spagna is more upscale, area around Piazza Navona and Pantheon is more rustic, etc.). Certainly, there are other areas worth a look such as Campo de Fiori and I would recommend that you do a word search for Rome on this site to look at the opinions of others on specific hotels and areas. Good luck. <BR>

Bob

Quiet, clean and safe. I've found that a comfortable set of earplugs can overcome even the noisiest street in Rome (a room facing the street on Via Nazionale was the noisiest for me). Therefore, if you have to compromise, I'd go for clean and safe over quiet. If you were to draw a triangle between Palazzo Barberini, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona, that is the area I would recommend to stay within for a first trip to Rome. It's a pretty big area with a lot of hotel choices and there is a lot of variation within the area (e.g., area west of Piazza di Spagna is more upscale, area around Piazza Navona and Pantheon is more rustic, etc.). Certainly, there are other areas worth a look such as Campo de Fiori and I would recommend that you do a word search for Rome on this site to look at the opinions of others on specific hotels and areas. Good luck. <BR>