honeymoon lodging in rome - location vs price

I lived in Rome for some time and think that you're probably better off spending less money on lodging, especially since you will need to catch buses and/or do a lot of walking anyway (Rome is huge and not everything is close in distance).

I've lived in Rome, too, and for me it's location, location, location! There are some nice hotels in the Pantheon/Campo dei Fiori/Piazza Navona area - try looking at Hotel Smeralda, I think it's in line with the lower end of your lodging budge. One nice feature would be a rooftop terrace - there are several in the area.

I think your experience of Rome would be very different if you were living there, versus visiting. I've never lived in Rome but we've been there three times, for a total of about 2 1/2 weeks. My experience as a tourist was that the part of Rome we wanted to see is very compact and we did almost all our getting around on foot, perhaps hopping a bus at the end of the day. (Be sure you have a ticket or a pass.) That said, I second the suggestion immediately above about trying to find a place in the rectangle generally formed by the CDF/Navona/Pantheon/Forum. That's where you get the most bang for your buck. You can go to Google maps and quickly find out the distances between the sites you want to see, including how long it would take to walk them. Happy travels.

Hi Julie, I agree with Michael (and Zoe) on this one. As far as European cities go, I feel that the tourist section of Rome is pretty compact, and I walk everywhere while there. In fact, I've never used public transportation while in Rome, but I'm a big believer in walking point to point, so that I don't miss "anything". I prefer walking in general. Like Zoe said, "Location, location, location!" I actually stayed in Hotel Smeraldo last May and it was great. Wasn't very expensive, either, in my opinion. Although, on my next trip, I'm getting a room above Piazza della Rotunda. The people watching there is fabulous!
The termini is really all that great, and you're only headed there on your way in and out, so spend your precious time where you'll need it.

Thank you everyone for your great responses. You have swayed us to splurge on our lodging for Rome. We have decided on the B&B Fontana di Trevi. They have been great to correspond with, have fantastic reviews, and come at a reasonable price of 150E a night. We can't wait!