Hi,
I am travelling with my spouse and mom, and prefer a hotel with two connecting rooms (vs us all sharing a room), but such a thing in a good location is very expensive! I don't want to drag my elderly mom all over, so plan to stay near the Pantheon near restaurants and public transportation. I can get a two room "suite" at S.C., or a "double + one" room at Smeraldo--for a hundred euros less a night. Reviews for S.C. are better, but is it worth the price? I also looked at Hotel Paba, by the way, which is priced somewhere in between the others--but it's near the Colleseum, which seems more out of the way. Any opinions are appreciated!
thanks
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
We've stayed at the Smeraldo and liked it alot. I think that the location will fit your situation as you described. It's perfectly located near Campo de' Fiori and the Pantheon. I don't know about S.C.
Cul de Sac was a restaurant in the neighborhood that we liked a lot!
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Davidson, NC, USA
82 posts
Joy,
We stayed in a "family suite" at the Santa Chiara a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much! Great location right behind the Pantheon. That said, I don't have any idea if it is 100 euros better than than the other place! Good luck - you'll have a wonderful time no matter which you choose!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
We enjoyed Hotel Paba. Very clean but EXTREMELY firm beds, which could be problem, depending on preferences. And while they do have a lift, it's extremely old-styled and slow. We didn't like it much (the lift, that is. We liked the hotel).
The Colosseum isn't really out of the way, depending on your definition. It's near public transportation (2 metro stops near Hotel Paba but one requires stairs to get down to) whereas the metro doesn't run around the Pantheon area.
I think you will enjoy being in the Pantheon area more than the Colosseum area, but if your only concern is it out of the way, the answer is no it's not.
Posted by
OP
Cleveland, Ohio
54 posts
Thank you everyone! I think I'll go with the Smereldo. . .it would be nice to have separate rooms, but I'm hoping we won't be in the rooms much anyway, and 100 euros a night x 4 or 5 nights is hard to ignore.
Posted by
Mays Landing, NJ, USA
35 posts
I've stayed at both hotels. Love, love, love the location of Smeraldo but had a few issues that might not be issues for everyone but certainly worth mentioning.......the elevator is TINY, the showers are TINY, the air conditioning is centrally controlled and completely insufficient on hot Summer nights. Hotel Santa Chiara is almost literally at the back of the Pantheon - teriffic location! It has more of a big hotel feel with a great staff, great concierge, and a lovely breakfast room. Their rooms are comfortably large, clean and well maintained.
Hope this helps - let me know if you have any other specific questions.
Posted by
Los Angeles
425 posts
The Smeraldo is a budget hotel, in a different category from the Santa Chiara.
I once stayed five nights at the Smeraldo in a single room w/o private bath, and saved a huge fortune. I remember that it was very cold (unusual for the season), and did not get adequate heat in the room. But for the price I paid, I could not complain.
Perhaps hot summer nights create the opposite problem!
A savings of 500 Euros is very significant!!!