My 13 yr old daughter and I will be in Rome for 6 nights in April. We have reservationst at a B/B in Trastevere -- arco del lauro in Trastevere. It gets great reviews, but I'm concerned about 6 nights in a smallish room. I also found a great apt. near the Piazza Navone through Roman rentals. With my whole family I usually go for apts. but I was thinking my daughter and I don't need as much space and I like the idea of being in a b/b where the owners can help out with suggestions of where to go and help with cabs etc. The apt. seems a little isolating for the 2 of us. (But it has a terrace and view!). Both locations have great appeal. Can't decide!! Suggestions appreciated.

I love staying in apartments and as a family of four find the space a necessity but I've come to the conclusion I like apartments so much that I'll continue to stay in them even for a couples getaway.

I like spending an evening "at home" during vacation. I enjoy cooking a simple meal and not having to look at a menu and wait to be served. Relaxing after a busy day's touring in a spacious apartment is far more desirable than being cooped up in a small room.

We stayed here in Rome and loved it! The stairs were at challenge though

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/appartam.php?id_appartam=30

I would certainly rather be in Pza Navona area. Especially for 2 females...I think you'll be more comfortable being out and about at night rather than having to cross the river.

It comes down to how much you would have relied on a local to provide help with reservations, directions, etc. If this is your first trip, I'd probably stick with the b&b. But if you know your way around at all, then I'd go for the apartment.

We stayed at the Arco del Lauro in October 2006. After many trips to Rome, it was our first time staying in Trastevere, which we loved. I don't know what you consider "small," but for the two of us, the room was absolutely fine (especially compared to the box we stayed in in Paris recently!) Giovanna (the owner) speaks fluent English and she is very helpful without being intrusive. Smart, too. The place is spotless and very contemporary.

This past October, we stayed in the historic center, at the Residenza Canali. Absolutely perfect. No elevator, though, if you're not a stair-climber. We cannot wait to return!
http://www.travel.it/Roma/residenzacanali/index.htm

Thanks for the quick responses! Thanks for the apt. suggestion, sassy cat, but it's booked for our week. I think I'm going to go with staying in the apt. - my daughter's preference as well.

LucieV - why didn't you go back to Arco del Lauro on the 2nd trip? Thanks.

Good question, traveler.
As much as we enjoyed staying there (we had never really explored Trastevere before), we kindasorta wanted to go back to the historic center, where we had stayed previously. We couldn't afford the places we stayed when we had last visited in July 2001, though...so we sort of took a chance on Residenza Canali -- and absolutely lucked out.

I would definitely give Arco two big thumbs up, though (it is one of the few places I've bothered to review on TripAdvisor). If you have more specific questions, shoot 'em out!

Thanks, all. I decided to go with an apt. thru sleepinitaly right near the campo di fiori. Now I'm looking for moderate and cheap restaurants. Suggestions?

I am glad that you have chosen to stay in an apartment. My son and I are traveling to Italy in September and have rented an apartment. This will be our first experience. I think that whole area (Piazza Navona) will be far more exciting for your daughter. My son is so excited about staying in that area. I am very glad to read so many postings about such positive experiences staying at apartments.

For someone that is younger, there are plenty of pizza places around that whole area. The Hard Rock Cafe is near the Barberini Metro stop (something familiar). And of course, there are plenty of fast food establishments around (McDonalds at the Pantheon).

Lucie, we also stayed at Residenza Canali! It was on our first trip to Rome in April 2006. We liked it very much and thought it was a great bargain for the location (which couldn't be better.)

Suki, I didn't know that! I just loved the place -- we had the topmost room, which had this huge, beautifully apppointed patio where we could eat our breakfast while gazing out over the tiled rooftops of Rome. It was a hike up those stairs, but so worth it.

We also really became friendly with one of the managers, who was <i>extremely</i> interested in and well-informed about American politics. (We were staying there during the debates, so when we called to reserve our room, one of our priorities was that they have BBC, so we could watch the debates live!)

I understand from the management that the reason the place is not more pricey is because of the lack of elevator. Which suits me just fine -- more stops for gelato!