Rome - lemons and limoncello
 

If life gives you lemons, make "limoncello"! That's what happened on our trip to Rome last week.
We had booked a deal – flight and a 3 star hotel near the Trevi fountain. Although we had been in Rome before, it was more than 25 years ago so we figured that we would be like first timers. Therefore, we wanted to be close to the historical center. But when we got to the hotel, the reception clerk explained that the hotel was overbooked and we would get a room in another hotel for the night. The hotel would transfer us to the new hotel. She said that the next day we could get the room we reserved or continue staying in the new hotel. She apologized profusely and promised that the room that night would be an upgrade. I was a little skeptical because the hotel she was sending us was off Via Vento (near Villa Borghese) and we would have to use buses all the time. That's what we wanted to avoid.
Well, we were very pleasantly surprised! We ended up staying in a little (9 rooms) spanking new boutique guest house (an apartment on the second floor of a large residential building). A spacious (for European small hotels) room, high ceiling, a bathroom with a walk in shower to die for, ultra modern décor, gracious reception. My husband immediately said that we should stay because the room was so great. He pointed out that we were going to be in Rome for six days and it would be a real vacation if we came back to a room like this after a day of sightseeing. I suggested that we go back to the first hotel and ask to see a room. We did and it took me all of a nanosecond to agree with him. The room in the original hotel was miniscule with room for a double bed and a narrow space leading to an even smaller bathroom. We weren't surprised by this since we knew that you pay for location, not room size.
So we stayed at the guest house near Via Vento and got to know the Roman bus system. We didn't regret our decision for a minute. We had buses near the guest house that got us to the historical center in 5 -10 minutes, and other links to the rest of the city. Every day we came back to a comfortable, spacious room where we enjoyed spending time.
(Note: I'm not recommending this hotel because when I got home, I read on Trip Advisor that this group of hotels – apparently under the same management – routinely move guests around. We were lucky that we ended up at this guest house, but other tourists sometimes ended up at a hotel that wasn't as nice.)
I read these forums a lot to prepare for the trip and I'm not going to give a detailed description of what we did or where we ate. Instead, I want to share the best tips that I got.
• Water is FREE. Fill up your bottle at any of the numerous free flowing faucets all over the city. The water apparently comes from underground sources, it's delicious and cold.
• Unless you're falling down from exhaustion, drink your coffee on the bar and not at a table. It costs more if you sit. We always had our coffee/pastry breaks at the bar.
• If you're going to be in Rome for 3 days or more, buy the Roma pass. You must plan how to use it (There are lots of explanations on all the tourist forums.) to save money. We went to the Colosseum – Forum – Palentino the first day and the Villa Borghese the next morning. With all the buses we jumped on and off, we had already paid off the card and more by then. The rest of the places we went had discounts (sometimes 50%) and all the transportation was free – including the train to Ostia Antica. I figure that we saved about 30 euros each by using the card.
• Check your bill carefully at the restaurants. We caught mistakes in two restaurants. It's hard to know if it's on purpose or because we were at very busy restaurants where the waiters were rushing around.
• Read the tips from Ron in Rome before visiting the Vatican museums (http://www.roninrome.com/%20sites-an...atican-museums) and any other traveler tips. It's a big place and you may spend too much time in one museum and not have time for another, more interesting museum.

Now two tips from our experience:
First, make sure you have enough cash on you, even if you plan on using your credit card. We used a limousine shuttle service this time (we usually use public transportation) both ways. The payment was per trip, cash or credit card, and was very reasonable (40 euros from the airport, 35 euros return transfer). The shuttle was prompt and comfortable.
We decided to use our credit card on the return transfer so we wouldn't end up with a lot of leftover euros. Big mistake! There was a problem with the credit card communication and all 3 of our cards were rejected (even when the driver called the office and they tried). My husband ran into the terminal to use the ATM. It wasn't working at all. In the end, we scraped together 33 euros in change from our wallets and the driver accepted that as payment. Live and learn….
By the way, I recommend the service we used: Rome Shuttle Limousine (www.romeshuttlelimousine.com)
The second tip is to stay away from Spaghetteria L'Archetto, a "restaurant" near the Trevi Fountain. A tourist trap and a big rip off.

Everything that people say about Rome is true. It's a wonderful place to visit and those of you who are planning a trip, enjoy yourselves!

hi taltul,

nice tips.

personally I'd love to read your sightseeing and restaurant tips, but that's just me. i quite sympathise with your decision to stay at the nicer hotel - and you can learn a lot about a city from a bus.

my family laugh at the way i always make sure we've got enough cash for the taxi back to the airport, even if it means another trip to the ATM, but it has paid off many times.

bookmarking

Hi annhig,
Here are some sightseeing tips....

Prepare for your trip to the Roman Forum. We started the Roman Forum - Palatino - Colosseum visit by first standing on the Capitolino Hill. There you have an panoramic view of the Forum. I used Rick Steves' material from his site (basic, simple but comprehensive enough) but you can use any material. He has 6 podcasts(to download free) with maps of 6 important sites that you can print. I printed the map and listened to the podcast the night before, taking notes on the map. If you don't prepare (or use a guide), you will miss out on the structure and organization of the site which is enormous. Then we walked from one end of the forum to the other, using the info on the map. After the Arch of Titus we went up to the Palatino - which I loved. We ended with the Colosseum (which has a Rick Steves podcast but I didn't use it.)
We are from Israel which is full of ancient Roman sites so we know how to enjoy and understand ancient ruins. But if this is your first (or second) time, you should have some material on hand that also gives you historical context. You don't need in depth information, just enough so you know what you're looking at! You also don't have to know about every pillar and heap of stones, just the important points.
Another outstanding site is Ostia Antica (There's a Rick Steves podcast but I didn't use it and we personally didn't need it.) This is a wonderful site - an entire ancient Roman port very well preserved and laid out and a pleasure to wander around. Very green and pleasant. You get to the Pyramid Metro station (line B) and take the train to the Lido (get off at the Ostia Antica site - it's a 5-10 minute walk with signs showing the way). If you have the Roma Pass, the transportation is included and the entrance has a 50% discount (but you pay 2 euros for the map which is a necessity.) We spent more than 4 hours there.
There's so much to see in Rome - we didn't spend much time in the museums - just the Vatican and Galleria Borghese. There just wasn't enough time. You really have to pick and choose what is most important.
The last day of every trip we take abroad is devoted to "wandering". That means we try to visit something that is fun and preferably outside. In London, we went to several outdoor markets. In Budapest, we rode the Children's railway up to the mountains. In Paris, we visited the Père Lachaise cemetery. So we spent the last day touring near our hotel (the shops between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo) and relaxing in Villa Borghese (we rented a golf cart for an hour to drive around). If you spend 6 -7 days in one place, it's always fun to have an unstructured day outside.
As far as restaurants, check out the tips on all the forums (Fodor's, Frommer's, Trip Advisor, Rick Steves). Everyone has a favorite restaurant. Here's some other sites I visited:
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/rome/
http://italytravelista.com/rome-walk...revi-fountain/
http://www.inromenow.com/site%20temp...RestBudget.htm
http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/c...051004152.html
The best place to wander around and find a restaurant is Travestere (we ate there twice). The worst places are around the Trevi Fountain and in Piazza Navona(although there probably are good places, a lot of the restaurants are too touristy.)
Friday and Saturday nights - best have your hotel make you reservations.The restaurants will be filled with locals.
I printed out a list of the restaurants that I thought we would like according to area. We also asked the reception clerk where she eats. That's how we ended up in Travestere.
Good luck!

Thanks for sharing. If only more first time Rome vistors understood what you do, more time there equals a better time.
We have never been able to use a credit card returning to the airport using a limo service, no matter what they advertise. I think the drivers hope to pick up some extra euros from those leaving their country. I'm glad your room experience turned out well.

Thanks, Taltul. Good suggestions all. DH and also asked reception clerks and police where they eat. Usually got good advice for cheaper and sometimes better food than at the big named places.

Glad things worked out with your hotel-what was the name?

We were really pleased with the limo service and I think they were upfront. It was Sunday morning and even before we left for the airport, we couldn't withdraw money from the ATMs in the area around our hotel. I think there was some kind of telecommunication problem going on. But we certainly learned from the experience!
If we aren't taking an extended trip in a certain country which involves driving,we always stay in a major city for at least 6-7 days, sometimes doing side trips. You really get to know the city life and you aren't rushed to "fit everything in".
We were supposed to stay at Hotel Trevi and in the end, we stayed at Stylish Room (a guesthouse affiliated with Hotel Trevi and other hotels). As I wrote, we were really pleased with the guest house, but I read on Trip Advisor that the hotels affliated with this hotel group tend to shuffle the guests around from hotel to hotel. That's why I hesitate to recommend the place we stayed at.

Great tips! Thanks for sharing!

>(40 euros from the airport, 35 euros return transfer). The shuttle was prompt and comfortable.<

Your shuttle service is no better a deal than taking a regular taxi from the airport.

Thin

A regular taxi is 40 euros each way. The limo driver was waiting for us the minute we walked out of customs. We didn't have to look for the taxi stand or wait in line or anything. We usually take public transportation from airports (trains / metros / shuttle buses) but we had a really early morning flight and didn't sleep all night. It was worth it having someone wait for you. In addition, this limo service does not require you to pay up front. I posted a question about taxis on the forum and it seems that everyone has a different solution. If our hotel had been near the Termini, we would have just taken the express train.

Limo services usually is much better than taxi service in Rome to and from FCO.

Great ideas and suggestions Taltul, thanks for posting. I shall add this to my ever growing Rome file.

Just thought of something else. Wear a hat. Most tourists don't realize that the Roman sun is very strong and hot in the summer(As in all Mediterranean countries). It's easy to stuff a hat in your bag and put it on while you're walking around. You will feel much cooler! If you come from a Northern country/area where the sun is not as strong, you will burn very easily and will feel quite fatigued.