OT- Shoot off of Florence thread- smallish Rome hotels

[hardysmom]

I always forget what a well heeled crowd hangs here.

In November, to celebrate the end (cross fingers) of all my stupidcancer treatments, we are going to Rome for a short (6 night) trip. Poor DH has been holding down the fort for so long- something romantic and centrally located would be awesome.

I've done some research, but have never been to Rome. The choices seem overwhelming (chemo brain doesn't help) and everything says I should book soon....

Anyone have favorites? I love the idea of a small, family run hotel. Comfortable, but it doesn't have to be super deluxe. Location ranks over amenities for me. Private bathroom would be nice.

Also looking for a good 1 day cooking class.

Any suggestions?

Stephanie

Blythe and Charlotte 4yr
Hardy 6yr

[vludmilla]

If you want small, family run, "real Europe" experiences and not over the top expensive, heavily Americanized ones, then check out Rick Steve's books. He has a website and there may be some information there. He also has message boards on that site that might have some postings from like-minded people. In his books (widely available in bookstores), he usually gives a budget choice, a middle point choice and a luxury one (though not super high end luxury). We used his book on a month long trip through France and while we didn't agree with him all of the time, we were generally happy with his advice, except for a few things.

[schums]

We stayed at a smallish hotel in Rome years ago (and my parents, brother and friends used it too -- but most recently about 5-6 years ago). It was literally only a few blocks from the Vatican, and we took the subway into the rest of Rome. It was nice, private bathrooms, a little small by US standards, but they had just redone many (all?) of the rooms just before we got there. The people working there were great -- directed us to some FABULOUS restaurants, etc. If you're interested, I'll dig out the name of the place.

[jbowman]

If you are looking to stay in a central location, I would definitely try to find a hotel around Campo dei Fiori, Trastevere, Piazza Navona, or the Pantheon area. Of course, b/c these are such desirable locations, the hotels do tend to be more expensive. That said, you will have a great time staying in these areas as opposed to those that are more outlying or kind of sketchy (the area around Termini, the train station). I would also book as soon as possible, as many hotels tend to fill up quickly. October is a lovely time to be in Rome!

I would recommend the following places:

Albergo della Lunetta: on Piazza Paradiso, 68, just off of the Campo (I walked by it the other day and noticed that it is being renovated right now; not sure if it will be ready for the fall)

Hotel Raphael: near Piazza Navona (high end splurge, absolutely lovely with nice rooftop bar)

Santa Maria alle Fornaci: not far from St. Peter's (inexpensive, spartan, and a religious hotel--don't let that scare you off--there are a number of religious hotels that are affordable--they are just run by one of the religious orders)

Villa Maria: great hotel, but up on the Janiculum, so you would need to take a bus to the city center; http://www.villamaria.pcn.net/indexen.php

Hotel Navona: http://www.hotelnavona.com/

You could also rent an apartment for a week...I have friends who've had great luck with this:
http://www.flatinrome.it/

I am sure there are others, but these are what I can think of off the top of my head! I am happy to make more suggestions, as I know the city pretty well and am here right now.

[cottagemom]

We enjoyed our stay here. We were very close to the Colluseum and St. Peter in Chains. Our room had a small terrace with a lime tree.

http://www.hotelducadalba.com/

[karin4]

You might look into staying in a convent or monastery. Sounds weird, I know! But a lot of them take in guests, and they can be great. I stayed in a convent in Rome years ago, just a few blocks from the Vatican, and it was lovely-- immaculate, quiet, beautiful tile everywhere. They served a light breakfast in the morning, which was nice. The best part for me was that it was located right in a residential neighborhood. We could watch the old men in the neighborhood playing bocce, and there was a tiny family-run trattoria down the block where I had the best food ever. I felt more like I was IN ITALY during my stay there than I did anywhere else in the country.

On the down side, there were no private baths, but this was a long time ago, and that may have changed. There was a curfew of sorts (the gates would be locked past a certain hour, but you wouldn't be locked out after that point; you'd just need to ring for a sister to come open it!), but even as a college student I didn't find that restricting, and I'm sure I wouldn't now.

[GeekLady]

www.bbmuseivaticani.com/

We spent 8 days in Rome as the first leg of our honeymoon, in this little bed and breakfast just outside the Vatican. It was essentially a 3 or 4 (don't remember) bedroom, 2 bathroom flat, there was a washer & dryer available to use, and a small kitchen with a variety of breadish breakfast foods provided, and coffee, if you knew how to use a moka pot.

The maid had to teach us how to use the moka pot to make italian stovetop espresso our first morning. It makes little tiny espresso cups of strong strong coffee.

It's about 6 blocks from a big open-air market, if you want to buy any other foods. We bought fresh mozzerella, bread, and procciutto there for lunches, and some fresh eggs because my husband likes a more substantial breakfast than a pastry and coffee.

It was a little shabby and not the most stylish place, but clean, safe, comfortable, and inexpensive. Inexpensive was key, we were spending 2.5 weeks in Italy, and were poor just out of college a year.

We walked or took the subway everywhere, but beware, that subway shut down EARLY when we were there in 2005. We had wandered across Rome and ended up over by the Spanish Steps and decided to head home, got to the rail station, and it was closed. So we walked back across the city. It must have been between midnight and one when we got back.

We took one bus - on the way back from the Way of the Cross on Good Friday at the Coloseum, again the subway was shut down after about 9 - never again. Those buses are scary.

[StantonHyde]

I am assuming this is without children! We stayed at the Hotel Forum, which is literally across the street from the Forum. We ate at a great neighborhood restaurant near the Coliseum. I used Fodors for most of my planning/logistics and then used the EyeWitness Guides to make the city come to life! The Rick Steves book is worth buying just for his tip on how to get out of the Vatican Museums using the short cut vs. the long walk around. Seriously, he knows the ins and outs of everything. His lodging hints were too low key for us and he usually assumes you are relying only on mass transit (which for Rome, you would be!)

I highly urge you to look into renting an apartment etc. We went to France last year for a week and rented a 1 BR apartment in the city of Dijon. We loved it. Space to spread out, we got stuff for breakfast and several nights we just ate cheese and bread because we were too tired to go out. Check the links above and check out previous posts on www.fodors.com (http://www.fodors.com) and www.tripadvisor.com (http://www.tripadvisor.com) that is how we found our apartment--a word of mouth recommendation.

If you are looking for something relaxing, though, I would highly suggest Florence vs Rome. If you like big cities, Rome is awesome. We saw a lot in 2.5 days and then we were ready to get OUT. Florence is just so amazing. I would also love to rent a house in Tuscany and just drive to a different hill town every day--but maybe you just want to stay put in one place. You can actually fly in/out of Florence or fly to Rome and train to Florence.

[hardysmom]

I'm thinking something in Campo dei Fiori, Trastevere, Piazza Navona would be best... Something where we don't have to depend too much on public transportation and there is a lot to do within a few blocks of where we are staying.

I'll be about a month out of radiation. Even now, I can generally walk forever, but if I am feeling tired, it would be nice if cafes, people watching, and such are right on our doorstep...

I thought about the convent angle and while it sounds fun, I think I may be past my prime so far as hostel type stuff goes. At least for the moment. I don't want anything too American, but I will be coming out of 9 months of cancer surgeries/treatments so a certain degree of normalcy would be welcome.

The idea of a flat sounds AWESOME. I looked at a few, but we were worried that in a city where we've never visited we would be lost and without direction. I always rent apartments when I travel in the US, but this is usually in cities where I have a general lay of the land.

Keep the ideas coming.

stephanie

[hardysmom]

I am assuming this is without children!...

I highly urge you to look into renting an apartment etc...

If you are looking for something relaxing, though, I would highly suggest Florence vs Rome...


Yes, no kids. Would love to do an apartment, but on a first trip w/ no language skills, I think we might be too lost.

We hope to do an overnight side trip to Florence... we'll see. We arrive in Rome on a Thursday morning, that day will be a waste for jet-lag. We fly out the following Wed. so only 5 full days.

Stephanie

[jbowman]

I'm extremely biased toward Rome, so I think you are doing the right thing to stay in the Eternal City most of the time, and take a day trip to Florence. ;)

Just take it easy--stop in as many bars, cafes, gelateria (especially Giolitti, which is right by the Pantheon) as you want--and that will be easy to do if you are staying in the city center. Rome is a city where you have to spend some time--it is big, loud, crowded, and wonderful! :)

If you will be going to museums, I suggest booking reservations for the Villa Borghese and the Vatican Museums (in the case of the Vatican, you can also get there very early and wait in line--just don't plan to go on a "free" day to save money--the lines are horrendous).

There are a lot of *free* things to do and see. There are some great churches that have spectacular art in them and they are located right in the city center (Caravaggio paintings in S. Luigi dei Francesi and Sant'Agostino, for instance).

I also suggest planning to visit the Forum early in the day (although it will be cooler in October, it will get pretty warm). They are now charging to get into the Forum (combined ticket of 11 Euro for Colosseum, Forum, Palatine). If you get the chance, pay a little extra money and visit the house of Augustus, which just opened this year.

Also--I would avoid eating in the area around the Colosseum, and for that matter, the Vatican Museums, if you can avoid it. Food seems to be overpriced and not good. I am happy to make recommendations if you are interested.

[StantonHyde]

I was worried about the apartment/no front desk person but the property manager who met us and let us in spoke English and they had TONS of guidebooks (in various languages). I just got recommendations for everything before hand and a map--so I knew where the visitors bureau was, what restaurants, what sites etc. I had an itinerary frame and we pretty much stuck to it (except for those emergency gelatto stops!) jbowman seems to have the lay of the land--I would look into those reccos. I would also suggest going to Fodors and searching "Stu Dudley" who is this great traveler who gives great reviews/trip reports. I found the France apartment through that board and the woman who managed the property was AMAZING--so that kind of word of mouth recommendation is really valuable IMO. This sounds like fun and you DESERVE it. I hear ya on the jet lag!

[BeachBum]

I'm thinking something in Campo dei Fiori, Trastevere, Piazza Navona would be best... Something where we don't have to depend too much on public transportation and there is a lot to do within a few blocks of where we are staying.

The idea of a flat sounds AWESOME. I looked at a few, but we were worried that in a city where we've never visited we would be lost and without direction. I always rent apartments when I travel in the US, but this is usually in cities where I have a general lay of the land.

stephanie

I just wanted to say that I think you are right on both accounts. I can't remember the hotel that we stayed at, but it is probably bigger than what you are looking for. We stayed at a hotel just a block or two off the Camp de Fiori. It was an excellent location. (I think Trastevere would be too far FWIW) We walked most places except the Vatican. To us just walking and wondering around was just as much fun as getting to a destination. Sometimes we would end up really far away and take a cab back to the general area.
I really felt more secure being at a hotel instead of a flat. We really considered renting one too. But we wanted a "contact" of someone that could help us if we had a problem.

My other advice is don't be shy about booking walking tours. We only did one at the forum (and got stood up at the Vatican) and really wished we had done others. You learn so much more than reading a book and walking around on your own. Check out fodors message boards for more than you ever wanted to know.