lodging in Rome (5 adults & 4 children)

Hi Julia wow - its been a long time since I saw Jericho VT. Some decades ago I had a girlfriend from there and haven't seen the name since. In hotels and B&Bs in Italy all people, children included, must be included in the reservation. Rooms are rented by numbers of people not by the room. I would expect that that would be the case for apartments, too, although I don't have first hand experience. It is important to mention all the people who are intending to stay. I expect that a group that large will need more than one room.

Julia, With so many people an apartment will probably be the best and most affordable. We are in Rome now (sadly, leaving tomorrow) and have enjoyed an apartment near Camp dei Fiori. It's so nice to have refrigerator for snacks, water, breakfast items, and coffee or tea on demand. Plus we could come back and rest mid afternoon! I suggest you check out vrbo.com, which is where I found this apt. Also check cross-pollinate.com for more options. The cost per person in an apartment should be much better than any hotel, and as Nigel mentioned, in a hotel you pay per person, so squeezing in more people in less space won't help with the budget. FWIW, try to stay in the Centro Storico for the best access to sites and transportation. You may pay a few euros more per night, but you'll save on time and transportation. Ciao!

Julia; Definitely an apartment. Rome has lots of apartments available and unlike some other cities, most of the apartments are rentable for less than a full week. In addition to the VRBO web site, we have had good luck with; http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/rome/s/2440/fa/find.squery In a hotel you would need a minimum of 3 large rooms or 4 regular rooms. At a rough estimate minimum of $150/room/night, that's $450-$600 per night for the whole group. I just looked for about 60 seconds and found some apartment options in a central location for around $300/night. But that's only the beginning of the savings. Can you imagine what it would cost to feed all nine of you for one sit-down restaurant meal? Buy some groceries at the local market (itself, a cultural learning experience) and you can probably cook yourselves a filling and healthy meal for about $50. Multiply that savings by 10 or so over the course of your stay & you're looking at a 4-figure savings easy for the lodging PLUS 4-figure savings on food. FYI almost all the apartments will count the living room fold-out couch as a "bedroom". You might be able to ask if an apartment for 8 will sleep nine, given that there are children involved. But don't even consider looking at any apartment listing less than 8 as capacity. Have fun!!

I too recommend an apartment. I have not rented one in Rome, so I can't offer a specific recommendation. I have had good luck using vrbo.com and homeaway.com when searching for apartments.

I stayed in an apartment in April in Rome and am doing so again in May. For sure e way to go to have your own kitchen. Check out: Vrbo.com Homeaway.com
Romecapitalapartments.com They all have tons of options and various prices. I used the 3rd one when I went last time and regularly use the first 2 domestically (I'm using homeaway for my next trip to Italy). Read the reviews - you can't go wrong!

Thanks for all the good suggestions! Julia