Starting to plan an April week in Rome with my wife and two teenage daughters. I was there once years ago, but really cannot remember the lay of the land. Where's a good place to stay. Location is most important to us-- we want to be as centrally located to things as possible. Would prefer a suite so we can all be in the same room, but will also consider two double rooms if they can adjoin. I've checked out prices, and looks like I can afford a 3-4 star establishment.

Hi Smiroglotta.
A lot of posters here are impressed by Hotel Aberdeen. They have a website.

A three-star hotel often recommended here is the Santa Chiara in the Piazza Navona/Pantheon area, which is generally considered the best area in which to stay. It has suites as well as rooms.

If you type Albergo del Senato (some of whose rooms/suites look directly onto the Pantheon) into the Search box, you will find numerous discussions of the merits of one suite as opposed to another.

We stayed at the Santa Chiara about four years ago and it was perfect. No more than a 15 minute walk to the Vatican,Colosseum or the Forum. Just about 1 block to the Pantheon and about 5 minutes to Piazza Navona or Trevi Fountain. Nice hotel - suited us perfectly. Would stay there again in a heartbeat. Have fun!

Why don't you consider an apartment -- you can get a much nicer place for the same amount of money. Check out reviews of apartments in Rome at www.slowtrav.com, and there's a wealth of other info there too.

We just returned and stayed at the Hotel Santa Maria in Trastevere and it was incredibly easy to walk everywhere. The hotel is very difficult to find if you are driving in-park at the airport and take a cab (we learned this the hard way!-but it's beautiful and quiet and the area is not touristy at all at night. the food was amazing! I think they have larger rooms for families, but i'm not sure.

I second the suggestion for considering an apartment. I was in Rome this past
April with 2 of my adult children and we stayed at an apartment Trastevere and found it to be wonderful. We stayed in pretty nice hotels in Florence, Venice and San Gimignano, but our favorite was the apartment in Rome. We booked through Sleep in Italy and were very pleased. It was so nice to be able to fix our own espresso first thing in the morning! Also, we found Trastevere to be a wonderful location. We walked everywhere from there. We all agreed that if we ever have to opportunity to go to Rome again, we would stay in an apartment in Trastevere.

Message: http://www.pantheonapartment.com

The location of this place is unreal. You walk out the front door make a left and walk 10 yards and the pantheon is right in front of you about 20 yards away. It is right next door to the pantheon hotel, which I only saw the lobby I think the same guy owns that also.

The one on the third floor is nicer it is quieter. It is really perfect for 4 people, one queen and 2 single beds in the bedrooms, than there is a queen or double in the smaller living room. One bathroom in the 3rd floor one, 2 bathrooms in the first floor apartment. I stayed in both.

Plus AC in both

We stayed at Santa Chiara with our two girls. One time we had two rooms and the other they gave us a suite. The hotel is great and the location can't be beat. The truth is in Rome you are in you hotel so little that it's not worth it to pay too much. We considered the Grand Minerve, but it would be a waste of money. You will be out all of the time unless you are sleeping.