I'm travelling to Rome this June/July, and we want to stay somewhere as cheap as possible, but also reasonably located. We've been told not to stay in the area of the Termini Station, because its kinda run down. I've found a B&B near Piazza Navona that I'm hoping to get a room at. Anybody know what that neighborhood is like, or can you recommend another super-cheap B&B or hotel in a decent neighborhood.

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel King on the Via Sistina in March, 99 Euro/night, with breakfast. It was fine. And only steps away from the Spanish steps

Piazza Navona is about as good as you can get in Rome. If you can get a cheap b&b anywhere near there, jump at it. We stayed at Residence San Pantaleo which is in the same area, and it was about 90 Euros a night. The room was spacious and clean and a great deal for the location.

Look into www.eurocheapo.com

Best wishes,

Rex

My sister and I stayed near Termini about 2 years ago and felt safe the entire time. It was November so it got dark early and we never felt uncomfortable and found the area really convenient to get around Rome. We stayed at Hotel Gabriella. It was cheap and clean, great breakfast. Another single friend of mine stayed right next door in March and she was with another female and they felt perfectly safe in this area. She was showing me her pictures of where she stayed and I saw the Hotel Gabriella sign. If I found a cheap room anywhere near this area (I believe it was North of the station) I wouldn't hesitate to stay.

Good luck on the Piazza Navona area B&B. It really is a nice and most convenient area. Once there, you'll find beautiful 500 year old buildings (mostly less than 6 stories high), narrow pedestrian cobblestone streets, squares (piazzas), small boutiques, food markets, cafes and restaurants. All of the main tourist sites will be within walking distance - you'll have very little need for public transit or taxis. BTW, what is name of the B&B? B&B's are ususally a few dollars more there (and fill up faster) than any other area of the city but definately worth it, IMO.

We just returned from Rome. We (me, my husband, and two kids 10, 13) stayed at the Hotel San Carlo. It is located in the Spanish Steps area. We really liked it. It's a small hotel with NO elevator. This was not a problem for my husband and I. It helped justify all the pasta and deserts we were eating. A quad cost 250 euro. Not sure what they charge for a double. We really liked the place. Booked room 77 from suggestions on this site.

We stayed at Hotel Smeraldo near Campo dei Fiori for E120 per night. We requested the balcony room and got it. It was the perfect location. The furthest we walked was to Borghese Gallery, 2-miles away. Everything else was very close. Spanish steps area is crowded and at the top of a hill so you'll have to walk up and down the hill when you're out site seeing. I'm glad we didn't stay in that area.

try the hotel des artistes. www.hoteldesartistes.com
great place with helpful staff.

I agree.. Piazza Navona area is great.

Another thought is Trastevere. We rented an apartment there last year, and it was amazing. Great location, good price, very romantic (rooftop terrace)

Darcie

Thanx to everyone who's posted replys to my question. I've made reservations at the B&B I mentioned in my original post. Its called Casaromana, and its located just off Piazza Novona. I got a double for 95.00 and a single for I think 65.00. I'd hoped to find cheaper, but we're going in summer, and everything I was finding was higher-priced. I'll post a message after the trip, and tell everyone how the hotel is.

Sorry for hi-jacking this post!

Darcie, could you please give me detail of the apartment in Trastevere? And where to find it! We love Trastevere and used to stay in Hotel San Francesco but it is too expensive for us now.

Thanks a lot.

Helen

Darcie - Did you by chance stay at Trastevere Bologna rented from RealRome?

Sorry for the late reply! We stayed at a placed that we rented from Leon at Rome Accommodation. www.romeaccom.com
It was a bit of a screw up at first (Leon accidentally give us the wrong street number... and there we were in a cab circling around Trastevere!!) but it all worked out in the end. We had a tiny apt, but a nice terrace, and a perfect location.

Darcie

jhides, how did casaromana work out for you? I'm trying to book a b&b in rome for mid november and was wondering what kind of review you would give it.

jhides, I hope you're trip went well. I am very anxious to hear how your stay at Casaroma went. I just made reservatons to stay there July/August. I'm just a little concerned that it might be a trek to and from the airport. If you have any raves, suggestions or concerns to inform/warn me about I'd greatly appreciate it.

Topping for jhides:

Did you stay at Casaromana? Please give us a report on your stay!

Sorry its been so long, but I came back home and got wound up in work again!

If anyone is reading this, DO NOT STAY AT THE CASAROMANA!! We had a terrible experience, and ended up not even staying there at all. The place is located in a little street that was dark as hell at night, it has no sign to tell you that you're there, is completely run down on the outside--to the point that we didn't even want to go inside, and never did! We arrived late at night, after communicating with the manager and telling him that we'd be late. There was nobody there to meet us or even to open the door, and we couldn't even find it becuse the street is so seedy at night. Our experience was so bad that we are fighting with them now to get their cancellation charge removed from our credit card bill.

I've stayed in all sorts of places from Latin America to East Asia, so I can handle all sorts of accomodations. But this place was all around the worst I've ever encountered. Hell, the inside might be beautiful, but we never even got inside, so I've no idea.