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Spanish Steps area of Rome
My husband & I are planning a trip to Rome in May. We have never been and are totally clueless regarding where to stay. I've been reading some of the posts on this website and have gotten some good tips. Several posts I've seen have listed the Spanish Steps area as a great area to book a room -- that it's right in the middle of the city, so easy to walk to/from different sites in the city (which is important to us). One post said the metro/train is near to that area too, but I've read on other posts that being near the train station usually means being in a more undesirable part of town. Definitely don't want to be in a dumpy/scary part of town, but do want to be nearest to most of the main attractions. But, really would love to spend 100 Euro (or less) per night for a room. Are there different parts of the Spanish Steps area (some safer, nicer than others)? And, if so, which part is better for picking a hotel to stay in?
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The Spanish Steps are near a metro station which is different from being near a train station. It is a upscale shopping area popular with tourists, not scary at all.
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The areas around the Pantheon and Piazza Navonna are more centrally located. But there are a lot of places to stay around the Spanish Steps, and it's within easy walking distance to most major sites.
We stayed between the Spanish Steps ad the Piazza Popolo, at the Hotel Mozart. We enjoyed our large, comfortable but not-too-pricey triple room there, but others have had bad experiences there (so <i>caveat emptor</i>). Do a search on this site for Spanish Steps hotels, and see what you come up with. Have fun! |
The Spanish Steps is a safe area - lots of foot traffic and designer shops. There are plenty of budget hotel options there.
In my opinion the Pantheon/Piazza Navona/Campo de Fiori area in the old historic center is much more charming and convenient. Prices are a little higher in the central historic district than in the Spanish Steps area, but there ARE some options close to your budget. Here's one great resource: http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/listings/navona.asp |
We stayed at the Hotel Mozart near the Spanish Steps 2 summers ago. We did not really find it within walkable distance to the major sites, although this may have been due to the heat wave. I think staying near the Pantheon, Piazza Navona area is much more central. We kept finding ourselves hopping in taxis to go to the center of Rome. However, I really liked our hotel. The staff was not great but our room was roomy (for me and 3 kids), with a very nice bathroom (bath with shower), a large terrace with table, chairs and lemon trees, and a view. There were frescoes on furniture and the walls, there was a cafe on the roof with drinks and gelato, and breakfast was served in a lovely room by white gloved maids.
Anyway, the area around there is really fun and lively all day and night. Every night we went to the Spanish Steps and the kids went in the fountain... The shops lining the streets there are both gorgeous designer shops and more fad oriented little ones. Very fun area. But not terribly central. |
Here's a post with some suggestions in your pricerange, http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34556173
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I always recommend the Hotel San Carlo.
http://www.hotelsancarloroma.com/ The best way to reach them is via fax. They take a bit longer to respond to e-mails. I've stayed there several times. Also, Pensione Panda may very well be in your price range and is only a block away from the location of the Hotel San Carlo, still quite near the Spanish Steps. Buon Viaggio, BC |
I would 2nd the suggestion that you consider the Piazza Navona & Campo de Fiori area particularly if you want to be able to walk to everything. There are good restaurants near by that are reasonable and many of them frequented by locals. We stayed at a wonderful little hotel in near Campo de Fiori named Teatro di Pompeo but I think it is a little more than 100 euros. A good website for that area is:
http://romanhistorybooksandmore.free...om/l_campo.htm. It will give you a great feel for the area. Have fun. Rome is a wonderful city to explore on foot. |
Piazza Navona and Campo Fiore are a ten or fifteen minute walk from the Piazza Spagna area, which has one importnat advantage. That being, the Metro stop is right there. I've stayed at Pensione Panda several times. DO NOT accept a "small" room. You don't know what small is unless you stay in one at Panda.
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FYI - Unless you aren't into walking - which is all I do when I travel - then Piazza di Spagna is VERY close to the major attractions in Rome. It is literally a 10 minute walk from the Centro (Piazza Navona etc). I actually prefer to stay near the Vatican and St. Peters. The area around there is beautiful and residential - and the hotels are MUCH cheaper than they are in the Centro. It's also a very pretty 15 minute walk to Piazza Navona (over the river with the lights of St. Peters behind you!) and very safe. Hotel Florida - one of my personal favorites, is very friendly, clean and inexpensive. Try a fabulous restaurant between Piazza Navona and Campo di Fiori called "Cul de Sac" - it's fabulous!
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I think the reference was to the Stazione Termini, the main railway station, in Rome and not a particular metro stop. I personally do not like to stay in the termini area of Rome.
I prefer the Pantheon area and Piazza Navona over the Spanish Steps. Your budget is pretty low for Rome but there are some B&Bs that could meet your needs. Domus Julia and Relais Banchi come to mind, as well as Daphne Inn. |
I always enjoyed staying on the Via Due Machelli at the bottom of the Spanish steps and stayed at the Pensione Erdarelli which was extremely convenient to the best coffee shop in the world Cafe Greco. Love the place
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Thank you so much for all of the great advice! This site is awesome!
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We stayed at the newly renovated Oceania and lovedit--across from police sta. We walked all over Rome--you ahould be able to do this no matter where you stay. It is a very walkable city. Be sure to see the Borghese gallery.
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I agree that hotels near the Pantheon are in a wonderful and very walkable neighborhood, with lots of good restaurants on nice piazzas. (Note that from your hotel near the Pantheon, you can walk to the Trevi fountain, the Spanish steps, Piazza navona, Campo de Fiori, and although it's a longer walk you can even walk to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and then take the public bus back (cheap) if you are tired. (You can't see all of this in 1 day, you'll need at least 2 days to see that, and a third day to see the VAtican and St. Peter's.)
What is your budget for hotels? We loved our hotel, Hotel Nazionale a Montecitorio on Piazza Montecitorio, near the Pantheon, but it's not cheap. Great hotel in a great location. But I hear there are other nice hotels, for less money, also near the Pantheon. Being near the Spanish steps is a nice location, but not quite as central, because then you would be farther from the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and other Ancient Rome sights. From the Pantheon area you can even walk to the Vatican, but I don't recommend it, because it's quite a walk, and then you'll be on your feet all day in the VAtican Museums. Better to take the public bus, it's cheap and easy. Have your hotel show you on the map where to catch the bus, and ask the driver if he's going to the Vatican to make sure you are on the right bus. |
Nini: where did you book a room for the Hotel Oceania? I have seen this hotel listed on travel review websites and everyone seems to love the place. I haven't seen a bad review yet. However, I can't seem to locate it on any travel booking website to see pictures, prices, or possibly to book it. On TripAdvisor, it shows that you can view the hotel at CheapoHotels, but I searched there and it doesn't list that hotel. Also have looked at Expedia, Venere, etc. and can't locate it. Am I looking in the wrong place?
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i felt the spanish steps area was fine, but i felt Piazza Novana or Campo de fiori was more central. i'd say look at attractions you plan to go on a map and get an ideas as to what location may be more favorable for your particular situation. but felt safe walking around the spanish steps around 2am.
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Thanks for the responses! I did go to www.hoteloceania.it, but looks like their site is under construction. They don't have a listing of prices, their proximity to various attractions or any other info like that to help me determine if this is where we want to stay. I'm assuming they offer breakfast as part of their prices, as most seem to, but this isn't listed either. They do have an email address listed, so I did email them with these questions, but have yet to hear back from them. We're planning on going to Rome in May (my husband & I). Has anyone been recently and can give me an idea what the prices are like? Or maybe went last year in May & can tell me what they paid then. Hopefully they haven't increased the prices since then. Thanks again!
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Not far from the Spanish Steps is a great hotel called Daphne Inn (www.daphne-rome.com). I've stayed in both their locations and can highly recommend it. The rooms are large (for European standards), comfortable, clean and upscale. The owners Elyssa (American) and Alessandro (Italian) are so very friendly and helpful - they'll go out of their way to help you see the things you want to see, offer suggestions, make reservations, etc. The breakfast each morning is more than just a roll and coffee. Check out their website, I think you'll find great prices!
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I've been doing similar research and can share these options with you...
Pensione Erdarelli http://www.romeguide.it/erdarelli/erdarelli.html Albergo della Lunetta www.albergodellalunetta.it/ TeatroPace http://www.hotelteatropace.com/information_request.htm Residenza San Pantaleo www.residenzasanpantaleo.com Pensione Panda www.pensionepanda.com www.hotelpanda.it Relais Banchi Vecchi http://www.banchivecchi115.com/inglese/ Pantheon View B&B http://pantheonview.hotel-roma.net/ Hotel Parlamento http://www.hotelparlamento.it/ |
The best way to book is directly with with the hotel. The Oceania website has an email link. Hotels generally are very responsive this way, and you can ask any specific questions you may have or make any requests (room size, room location, etc.).
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We are going to Rome 4/7/05-4/11/05 and we read the same glowing reviews about the Hotel Oceania. We had the same problems as you trying to find the hotel on all the sites such as Expedia and Cheapohotels. Therefore, we sent an email through their website. www.hoteloceania.it Their website isn't under construction they are just updating a new site that will be launched at a later date. This site still works. Enrico the reservation assistant will answer you. If you mention Rick Steves you will get a room rate of 138 euro. This is a very reasonable price with the research we have done. In addition they will arrange transportation for you to and from the hotel. This will cost 47 euro which is costly, but inexpensive by the Rome standards. If you prefer, Enrico will give you directions on how to take public transportation. Just for a point of reference we made our reservation on 2/13/05 and confirmed it today 2/14/05. I made my initial inquiry on 2/10/05.
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If you do stay near the spanish steps, the Metro is VERY VERY easy to use and quite convenient. I zipped all over Rome solo with no problems. I stayed near the spanish steps but for the life of me can't remember the name of the hotel. It was right off the Via Condotti. It may have even been Hotel Condotti or something like that. While there, don't miss the Villa Borghese. I went early in the morning. I walked up the Spanish Steps and through the park surrounding the villa. It was so quiet and pretty and the Villa was nearly empty just after it opened. There is also a great store for purses called Red Wall. Again, I think it was on the Villa Condotti. Great leather bags at great prices and the staff was super helpful. Enjoy!
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At your price range, you should also investigate apartment rentals. We just rented -- as I have mentioned recently on these pages -- a nice antique-filled one bedroom in a quiet square near P.zza Navona -- for 110 Euros a night.
(This took quite a bit of research) The apartment is San Salvatore in Lauro and the agency is sleepinitaly.com |
We stayed at the Hotel Trevi a few years ago. It was sort of between the Spanish steps and the Pantheon, so everything we wanted to see was a short walk. It seems a pity to rely on the metro in Rome as wandering about the streets is half the fun. I am not sure what the price range is for the Trevi, but it was 2-3 stars, and excellent value.
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For business recently had to stay near the Spanish Steps - it was convenient walking to many different sites and also had all major metro conveniences as well. If you are looking for a decent hotel we stayed at the Hotel D'Ingleterre (I may have mangled the spelling). Also we took a peak at lunch at the Hotel L'Art - WOW...very incredible place...but a tad more expensive. I really enjoyed being near the Spanish Steps - when we had time to shop there were plenty of lovely places in the area and we had no trouble finding places to eat or have a cafe.
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If you're looking for 100 Euro or less, do not waste time looking at the Hotel d'Inghilterra mentioned by the previous poster. It is one of the luxury hotels of Rome.
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We were bumped from another hotel and only paid 119 euros...I wouldn't call it a luxury hotel either as it is quite old and worn compared to say Hotel L-Arte which was worth a premium for the experience. We may have been comped a special rate but I doubt it - plus the hotel had two rooms very last minute in mid January.
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Sorry I haven't checked thisthread lately. We found Oceanna in Rick Steves--who can sometimes lead one astray but not on this hotel. We must have gotten the website from his book because we looked it over carefully. It is very well priced for room. Bathroom was fairly luxurious and they offer free internet service.
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How nice for you that you only paid 119 Euro at the d'Inghilterra!
Yes, it is old; its history is one of the reasons why many people like to stay there. Henry James was a frequent guest. But perhaps it will impress you more that one of the Spice Girls stayed there recently. |
We decided to book a room at the Daphne Inn (Trevi location). We don't mind climbing stairs or having a small room, or no TV -- we're in Rome to see Rome, not to hang out in the hotel. I think it will be great. We got a great price and the hotel owners are very prompt & helpful in getting back with us. When asking another hotel if they had availability on dates we were considering, they simply said 'no, sorry we don't.' But Daphne went further, 'no, sorry we don't, but is your itinerary flexible because we have other availability in May.' to which my response was 'yes, we do have flexibility.' so now we have our hotel booking taken care of. Regardless of what some reviews have said about the Daphne (no reviews that I thought were as appalling as others I've seen RE: other hotels in Rome), I have seen equally as many (if not more) great reviews of the place -- even published reviews from "professional" :-) travellers.
One question though, does anyone know if Daphne Trevi is considered to be in Rome "city center" or Rome "downtown?" Looking at shuttles/taxis from the airport & noticed some charge extra to go "downtown" instead of just to "city center." Was going to email the Daphne hotel about this, but know how quick the responses are from these boards, so thought I'd try here first. Thanks for all of the prior suggestions! |
I'm think Daphne Trevi would be "city center". I do consider the location very convenient and walkable to just about everywhere (I stayed a short distance away from there). The thing I would worry about is their reputation for moving people around.
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My husband and I just spent 7 nights at the Relais Banchi Vecchi in Rome. The location was just perfect perfect perfect! Walking distance to EVERYTHING! It's in between a hotel and an apartment. Milana the owner was there when we arrived and was very helpful and spoke English well. She showed us to our room and gave us the keys to the buildings front door as well as our room key. The rooms are nice, clean and had some GREAT GREAT shutters! Shutters??? I like total darkness to sleep. The windows had one set of workable shutters on the outside, one set on the inside and drapes! That makes for a dark pretty quiet room!!! Newton is the "handyman/go-to" guy in the mornings. He cleans the rooms and does general things including bringing breakfast to our room on the weekends. He was just great as well! One morning my husband left to go jogging and locked me inside our room not realizing I couldn't open the deadbolt from the inside! Thank goodness Newton came to the door with breakfast. He had to let me out!
The bed was very firm not lumpy, cotton sateen sheets, a medium weight comforter and 4 pillows (which was nice) None of the wall switches in the room are labeled and they control the lighting, a wall outlet or two (I think) and the heating so that was interesting. lol Ladies, We tend to like very HOT baths so I would suggest asking (I don't know if they can) if the water heater could be turned up some. By the time the water fills the big marble tub (which was great) it's luke warm which doesn't cut it when you come in from the cold! I was actually boiling water on the cooktop to add into the tub! The cooktop was nice to warm things up such as leftover pizza although they only provide one small pot. Try smushing a slice of pizza in the bottom of that! lol (I rarely saw a microwave anywhere in Rome, maybe its a U.S. thing) We layed a heavy duty sheet of foil on the cooktop to reheat things. The minifridge was working hard but wasn't cooling too well although it was on the coldest setting so we put a couple of cans of soda in it and put the rest on the marble ledge outside the window as it was cold enough! Bring a portable dvd player and movies if you like to wind down at night as the t.v. is of course in Italian (except for M T.V. at times) What's funny is I'd catch myself seeing something on T.V. and turning up the volume like I could make out what was being said! Sorry if this is long but I like very specific info on the rooms I stay in and thought someone else might as well. All in all out of 5 stars I'd give it a 3. Microwave and hotter water would have pushed it up close to 4 stars. We have stayed in American dumps and the top of line American hotels so I think this review is on target. The price was fair for the great safe location. |
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