Trastevere
 

Is this a good area to stay in. You said the Jolly Leonardo Davinci was too far from things. Now thinking about the Hotel Santa Maria.

It is a much better area to stay in than the Jolly. Much more centrally located to the areas that may be of interest to you. You might also want to look into the Piazza Navona/ Pantheon area.Close to were you are thinking of,but also nice. Sorry- i am not familiar with Hotel Santa Maria. If you are staying longer than a couple of nights you may want to consider an apartment.

Well since I made clear I wouldn't stay that far out (Jolly Hotel), let me say, I probably wouldn't stay in Trastevere either -- but it is better in terms of convenience and closeness. I know many do stay there. I just can't get beyond wanting to stay right in the historic center -- Piazza Navona, Pantheon, or Fiori areas in particular

I am staying at Hotel Santa Maria at the beginning of February. They were very quick and responsive to my requests. When I originally asked about this area, many people had positive responses! I will post when I return if it will help you.

We stayed in Trastevere (in an apartment) in July and really enjoyed it. We were able to walk everywhere (with two young children in strollers) but we do like to walk. Its a fun area in the evening and has lots of great restaurants. I don't know the Hotel Santa Maria in particular. Where is it?

Patrick is correct about staying in Piazza Navona or nearby ... it is just steps from many great buildings/fountains so it really depends on your budget and habits. I don't think Trastevere is too far from the epicentre, so to speak, but some do. I'd say the walk from our apartment to Piazza Navona was under 15 minutes (while pushing strollers) but we were on the edge of Trastevere.

If you don't stay in Trastevere, I'd recommend a late afternoon visit followed by dinner in a restaurant there.

Have fun!

Tory

I used to have a thing for being near transportation such as the train station.

We were in Rome over 25 years ago, really didn't enjoy it, and never went back.

Almost 2 years ago we spent several days in Rome on either end of a stay in Sorrento. We stayed beside the Fountain of Trevi and then the Pantheon and would definitely return.

Location, location, location!!!

Hotel Abruzzi has accomadations for our time period. They want a night up front as in now. If we had to cancel, they would give us a refund minus the bank expenses. Doesnt seem right to me.

What doesn't seem right about that? I can't blame hotels for finally doing something about the hundreds of people who make multiple reservations, then make up their minds at the last minute, cancelling all but one reservation, and leaving hotels with a lot of empty rooms and lost income.
What's so bad about only having to pay bank expenses if you cancel your reservation?

robbiegirl,

I have to agree with Patrick here, I don't see what is weird about it. It's actually a pretty standard cancelation policy, doesn't seem odd to me.

E

If you had to send someone a check here for a refund, what type of expenses would you incur?

We stayed in Rome for a week in an apartment in Trastevere and loved it. We walked several times all the way to Piazza Navona and lots of other places. It has a nice neighborhood feel to it and lots of good restaurants. My son made friends with the owners of a local pastry-coffee shop and brought us breakfast every day. On our last day they gave it to him free. Across the street was a little grocery store with great gelato. We were there in July, so that was a frequent stop. If you don't like a lot of walking, the bus system is very good. We used it for long treks.