Help me decide on my Rome Hotel... Please!

There are no subway links near the pantheon. Buses are also a few blocks away. It's a pedestrian zone. Without links to these hotels it's hard to say which would be more convenient for public transportation.

Donna

Portoghesi would be my pick. Bus stops not far away, but no metro stops as close as the bus stops.

Either sounds fine. The Pantheon is a very walker friendly area with nice hotels and restaurants. You'd do best to take a bus close by, get off and walk into the area a short distance.
Hotel #1 sounds as if it's in a decent place if the metro station is close by. It'd probably be easy to get around.
Rome is one of those cities it's easy to walk yourself to death in. We long since figured out that the easiest way around down is by city bus, so it pays to figure out how to read a public transportation map.

We stayed at Hotel Oceania on a RS tour, 2012. No complaints, nice breakfast. Around the corner from Piazza Repubblica (forgive spelling) metro stop.

I will be fine as long as the bus stop is a decent distance.. Seems like the bus is the way to go around Rome.

The Oceania is within walking distance of Termini, the main train station. It is also near the Repubblica metro stop. Via Nationale is the main avenue nearby, and there is frequent bus service to Piazza Venezia. We stayed at the Aberdeen on our last trip to Rome, which is near the Oceania. The Aberdeen was right across the street from the Ministry of Defense - so we certainly felt safe! We spent evenings in the Trastevere neighborhood (medieval Rome) and walked from our hotel. The Portoghesi appears to be in a neighborhood more appealing if you want to walk around, but its less convenient to public transportation.

Hotel Oceania (Via Firenze, 38, 00184 ) is on the same block as Hotel Aberdeen, which is one of the accommodations for Rick Steves tours, and a favorite with some of the forum posters.

We've stayed just a block away on Via delle Quattro Fontane and walked to our hotel from Termini. Nice area, we thought, and we did a lot of walking to/from it after dark. You'd be equidistant from Barberini and Repubblica metro station stations. Being closer to the metro was our preference as we use public transit very rarely in Rome and then only metro and only for long hops.

Hotel Portoghesi is about 5 blocks north of the Pantheon and about 2-3 north of Piazza Navona.

You'd be fine with either but why not take a virtual google walk to see which street/neighborhood may appeal to you more?

Similar ranking on TA means I'd choose Portoghesi based on its (in my opinion) preferred location, close to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

Hotel Portoghesi for sure. We stayed nearby at Residenza Canali Ai Coronari a few years ago and loved that location. We walked everywhere except to the Borghese.

Have you considered getting an apartment? With 4 nights, an apartment may be a better option and you'd (usually) get the benefit of a clothes washer (and sometimes a drier), which can be a big plus if you're in the middle of long vacation. There are many one bedroom apartments in the Piazza Navona/Campo de' fiori area for $125 or so.

Thanks all, I am still pondering........... I really want to stay at the Portoghesi, I think but the closeness to Termini is my hesitation and Metro.

Stay at Portoghesi. When you need to get to Termini and don't want to do the buses, take a taxi. Should be about 15 euros.

If you are able to walk 10+ miles per day, I think you can get by staying near the Pantheon. It's central to many of the places you might be considering visiting.

When I visited in March 2015, my 25 year old daughter and I walked everywhere from our hotel directly across from the Pantheon.. about 15-20 minutes to Colosseum area and about 20 minutes to Vatican sites (neither was at what I would call a brisk pace, either).

There are public transport options nearby (buses around a 1/4 mile from the Pantheon area) for other places you might not find within walkable distance.
We used public transportation only to get to the hotel from the airport and the get from the hotel to the train station.

In September, I am planning a stay in the same general area and planning to use my own "private transportation" (my feet) again to get most everywhere I am going.

I will walk to the bus if I end up going anywhere considerably outside the perimeter that includes the Vatican and Colosseum areas.

We are actually staying at the Hotel Portughesi this August based on recommendations of a dear friend that has traveled often to Rome. He said it is a must to stay there. Very quaint and great location. We trusted him so much we didn't look elsewhere for a hotel...and I research everything! :)

We also stayed in Rome for 5 days about 3 years ago. I did a lot of research and chose an apartment through VRBO. It was everything and more I had hoped for. It was in a 16th century building right on the Piazza Navona which is so handy to many of the sites in the historic area. We were able to walk to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc.

We also are in your age bracket and walked mostly everywhere. The cost was not outrageous either and the apartment was huge with two bathrooms, small kitchen, very large livingroom, flat screen tv, all the amenities. It even had a bathtub which I really like to use after a long day of walking. The name was the Crown Orsetto.

I just booked the Portoghesi ! Thanks to all, for helping to make my decision easier!