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Hotel in Rome

We have booked our trip to Rome for the end of August, we (husband, 17, 20, myself) will be in Rome for four days and are looking for hotel recommendations. This is our first time in Rome and really doing international travel and you all helped me so much getting started. This is where we will do heavy site seeing and I thought about it being nice to maybe have a pool to cool off in on those hot afternoons but it seems they are all out of the city center and I don't want to spend a lot of time on buses getting into the City Centre. Is the pool worth the trade off of the inconvenience of not being able to just walk out and be able to go to restaurants etc. Much needed help!!!!!

Posted by
4138 posts

A pool is definitely not worth it. Use Booking.com to look for all kinds of lodging, including apartments for your family. Use Homeaway to look for apartments. Others may have other sources to check.

With any searching resource, be sure to mark the air conditioning box. Both the ones linked above have many ways to mark the the features you want, including price. They also show the location on a map.

With hotels or B&Bs you may have to get 2 rooms. An advantage to 2 rooms is 2 bathrooms which should help people get ready faster in the mornings. There are many listings of 2 bedroom or "sleeps 4" apartments which might be cheaper for you. Two bath apartments may be rare.

I'm looking at 6 nights (5 days) in Rome in mid-June. Even this close to my potential check-in date, I'm finding lots of availability for 1 person. Four may be more difficult, even at the time you are going.

Edited to add: you might get better answers by putting this question in the Italy forum. The "reviews" forums are for people who typically have already gone on their trip and are reporting back on how things went.

Posted by
15679 posts

I'll also vote for skipping the pool but NOT air conditioning. That isn't standard in a lot of smaller hotels so be sure to book something which has it. Check reviews as well for mentions of how well the A.C. works as some facilities cool only to barely bearable levels.

Central Rome is fun to walk when the piazzas, fountains and many of the monuments are illuminated after dark and oodles of people are out for evening strolls. You'd miss all that if you're parked out on the edges somewhere. Too much traveling in, out and about on hot, possibly crowded buses wouldn't be any fun either.

Posted by
20 posts

Thank you for convincing me, I really feel walking around in a part of the trip I don't want to miss.

Posted by
11055 posts

We usually stay in the historic district but recently spent two days at a hotel with pool farther out(not our idea.) We felt so isolated however others enjoyed it. Why fly across the Atlantic to be away from what you want to see and do?
We loved staying near Piazza Navona at Palazzo Navona , but did not care for staying near the Spanish Steps on Via Condotti.
Save the pool for Tuscany.

Posted by
786 posts

I totally agree with Kathy on the air conditioning! We visited Italy during a heatwave, and the AC in some of the hotels was archaic at best. Check reviews carefully and you may want to contact the hotels to determine if each room has its own climate controls. Our hotel in Florence was unbearably hot in spite of their "air conditioning". All of our pleas for another room fell on deaf ears. It was the only unpleasant experience that we had with accommodations on our trip.

Posted by
3777 posts

We were in Rome in February and stayed at a lovely place, Hotel Regno. It is right in the center between the Pantheon and Trevi fountain. It is on the Via Del Corso which is a major street which also has many buses. You can see the Victor Emmanuel Monument from the front of the hotel. It is an easy walk to the colosseum, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, the Vatican. It was about a 30 minute walk to the Villa Borghese. The breakfast was delightful with a wide variety. The only thing I can complain about is they do not provide shampoo or the small bar soaps, only liquid.

Posted by
213 posts

The
Mercure Rome Colosseum Centre
is close to St. Clement Basilica and has a pool and air conditioning.

Posted by
20 posts

The Mercure doesn't have availability unless I get two rooms which puts it outside my budget. I was looking at Bonne Nuit, Via dell'Amba Aradam, 1, 00184 Roma, Italy which has a family room with a king and two twins, bed and breakfast. Is this centrally located, it says 1 mile to the Colosseum is this a good area? I'm also looking at the Hotel REgno based on recommendations, it's four twins and more money.

Posted by
3777 posts

That B&B is not centrally located, it is near St. John Lateran Church which is south/southeast of the colosseum and the city center. Look on a map to get an idea of where it is in comparison to the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Vatican, Campo De Fiori, etc. in the heat of the summer I would want to minimize my walking distances. After years of travel and staying "outside" the city center to save money, we have learned sometimes it is better to pay for the location and save other ways.

Check booking.com just to use their mapping to see where locations are, you can then book directly with the hotel.

Posted by
234 posts

I liked this hotel pretty well: http://www.hotelsancarloroma.com/gallery_new.html

Affordable, has A/C, about a block or two from the Spanish Steps (I like that location; enjoy finishing off an evening by sitting on the Steps, I bet the 17- and 20-year-olds would enjoy that), also about a block or two from the metro, walkable to a lot of sights. It has a lovely rooftop terrace with a good breakfast each morning and friendly staff. It's not the fanciest place ever, but neither is it generic, which I appreciate.

Sounds like you've already been persuaded, but add my voice to those saying definitely stay in the city center. Have fun!

Posted by
15679 posts

I'd agree with Barbara that the B&B is further out than you'd probably want to be. I'm sure we walked right by it the day we did the Antica Antica (from Casal Rotondo all the way back into central Rome) and hit Terme Caracalla, Santo Stefano Rotondo, San Giovanni in Laterano and San Clemente down in that area. So, there are some great things to see nearby but as a first-timer, I'm pretty sure you'll be spending most of your time closer to center.

Maybe look for an accommodation with a covered or shaded terrace for guests to use? Just a sit-down in the shade with a cool drink can work wonders when you're overheated. :O)

Posted by
1 posts

ROME!!! We stayed for 5 days this last October before a transatlantic cruise and fell in love with Rome. We got a deal on Priceline.com where we say how much we want to spend and in what area and roll the dice on the hotel they give you....we could not have been happier with where we landed. Hotel Majestic is on Via Veneto which is synonymous with the classic movie "La Dolce Vita." The décor was a bit over the top, but it matches the neighborhood and the excitement of Rome. The American Embassy is across the street and many grand old hotels once populated with Hollywood stars and the jetset line the avenue. When we were there the trees were changing and Rome was beautiful. It is true about the A/C....Rome was humid! We were quite happy to come back to the Majestic after a long day visiting site after site. While the hotel is not right in the middle of the ancient part of town, it was nice to get away from the crowds and back to the more laid-back Via Veneto in the evenings. Typing this makes me truly anxious to get back to Rome. Oh, the Majestic is also a few blocks from the Villa Borghese park and museum and we would take morning walks through the park every day....magical, imaging being in the footsteps of Caesar and the rest.....While the Hotel Majestic might be a bit stuffy and cost a few extra dollars, the unique only-in-Rome character makes for wonderful memories.

Posted by
15679 posts

While the Hotel ____ might be a bit stuffy and cost a few extra
dollars....

LOL. Just for fun I checked the rates of the hotel mentioned above on their website and the very cheapest for 4 for 4 nights end of August (random dates) is 4760.00 € PREPAID. No breakfast. We've done entire trips for not much more.

If we had that "few" extra $ to blow, we could stay in Italy an extra few weeks! :O)

Posted by
20 posts

Oh goodness we cant swing that, HAHA I booked with Hotel Oceania which I got from Rick Steve's travel book. I've been told it's still not in the heart of things but a 15 minute walk from Trevi Fountain???? It seems ok to me.

Posted by
15679 posts

Skimmy, I think you'll be just fine at the Oceania. It's on the same block as Hotel Aberdeen, which is one of the accommodations for Rick Steves tours and another fave amongst posters.

We've stayed just a block away on Via delle Quattro Fontane and walked to our hotel from Termini upon arriving and departing the city. It's a nice enough area, we thought, and we never felt unsafe walking home after dark. You'll also be reasonably close to a metro station should you use it now and again to save a little time (although walking as much as possible is highly recommended!)

Posted by
20 posts

I have reached out to the REzidenza Canali to see if they have anything, the location is great and booking.com states there is a room but they keep putting us from 4 people to 2???

Posted by
11294 posts

"I have reached out to the REzidenza Canali to see if they have anything, the location is great and booking.com states there is a room but they keep putting us from 4 people to 2??? "

Email them directly and ask for the room(s) you need. I've often gotten better results that way than even using the hotel's own website.

Posted by
8293 posts

Hope you get rooms at Residenza Canali. We stayed there for a couple of nights about 8 years ago. Perfect location, nice room and a good breakfast. Good shopping on Via Canali, too.

Posted by
20 posts

Patricia, thank you for the time to make a recommendation, happy to say we have booked and I ended up emailing them. Thank you