Rome hotel advice.

Roxanne, As I recall, Hotel Smeraldo is listed in the Guidebook so I'm sure they will be "helpful to newbies". That hotel usually gets really good ratings (again, as I recall). As this appears to be your first trip to Italy, the Rome or Italy Guidebooks would be an excellent resource to pack along. They have an enormous amount of information on sightseeing, avoiding queues, transportation, restaurants, etc. There are a few potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of with public transportation, so the Guidebook will pay for itself very quickly. Happy travels!

We stayed there in November. The location is excellent. Very close to Largo Argentina, Campo de Fiore, Piazza Novana and the Pantheon. The staff were very helpful and gave us recommendations for dinner as well as a good map! We had a room overlooking the "street" at the front of the hotel. It was a little noisy with all of the scooters flying by but it wasn't intolerable. Suggest getting a room on the back side. I would stay there again.

Roxanne, Agree with everything Stephen said. We stayed there last September and found the stay excellent. The rooms are small, but nice and clean, and all we did was sleep there. The location is great. There is a bakery and nice restaurant right across the street. Within easy walking distance to several other restaurants and many shops. The staff was extremely helpful with everything we needed. There are two parts of the hotel: the old part and a new annex. We stayed in the annex. Also an excellent breakfast. When we go back, we plan to stay there again.
Chip

We stayed at the Smeraldo in May for 5 nights. I agree with the above posters. Small showers, but it is in a great location. you well not regret staying there. Say Hi for me.
Don