casa valdese rome or Smereldo

Hi Nigel, we stayed at the Smeraldo ( not the annex) for 3 nights in October and I thought it was fine. Not fancy, but clean and well maintained. They had a good breakfast. We had the least expensive room, facing a cafe, so was slightly noisy with the window open until the chatting ended, not a problem. Showed the RS book for either a discount or the breakfast, can;t remember which, but also mentioned RS in the reservation request. The location was very good near the Campo di Fiori; we walked to the Vatican and the Spanish steps, etc. It might be a bit more than I'd pay in most cities, but was well priced compared to others in the area ( I still have my notes). The room- it was much like the Attalos in Athens in decor, funnily- was small but there was an elevator and A/C if needed. We would stay there again as it was fairly quiet for Rome- still used my earplugs and mask tho. Bakery across the street for snacks. Front desk clerks varied between "professional" and fun guys; thought we would use the terrace but never got home in time to use it before it closed at 10pm. PS. good breakfast= great italian coffee, several varieties of bread items including sweet chocolate croissants ( !), cereal and yogurt, fruit cocktail which was suprisingly good, not too great OJ, and the usual salami and cheese tho in limited quantities ( a couple of hungry Americans might take most of it before it's refilled).

Nigel, I stayed at the Smeraldo many years ago when it was a dump, but it still had its merits. Now I've only heard about it from friends (above my price point) who loved it. You could look into Hotel Genio or Residenza Farnese in the same part of town - both slightly lower in price than the Smeraldo and both good values.

Thanks both ...