My husband and I are looking for a hotel in Rome for this October. I’ve seen these hotels recommended in several sights and I’m just wondering which would be best to keep us in a location that is pretty walkable to most things (we are fit and in our 40’s) and has a lot of great restaurants and bars near by for relaxing and aperitivo!
Hotel Smeraldo
Hotel Portoghesi
Hotel Mascagni
Hotel Santa María is Trastavere
Any experiences with any of these? Which is your favorite and why?
Our two favorite hotels in Rome are in the Termini area -- Sonya and Aberdeen. Wife prefers Sonya -- across from Opera House - because she thinks the lattes are better than the Aberdeen. If they are, it is small margin of difference. We prefer the Termini area just for easy access to transit -- buses, trams. Good restaurants - Target, behind Aberdeen and other good options.
Rome has sights all over, many not particularly walkable from each other unless you have a great deal of time in the city. I had 20 days and like to walk a lot, but I still needed to use transit on occasion. Every visitor has his or her own list of sightseeing priorities. The best way to select a convenient hotel for yourself is to start with Google Maps. Enter (one at a time) the names of the places you want to see and click "Save" for each one. You'll end up with a map showing all your hoped-for destinations. Now you can look up your potential hotels and see which one(s) seem best located for you.
I know that Trastevere is a very popular entertainment district with no shortage of restaurants and bars. It's also very atmospheric (if crowded in some areas). Most of the historic sights (the lovely Santa Maria in Trastevere and Santa Cecilia in Trastevere being exceptions) are on the other side of the river. It's easy to walk across a bridge to get to the other side of the Tiber, but it will often be a somewhat longer walk than you'd have from the other three hotels.
I stayed at Hotel Smeraldo in June 2023 and Hotel Portoghesi in October 2023. I loved both hotels. Their locations were ideal for strolling, close to many sites and restaurants.
Hotel Smeraldo is very close to Campo de Fiori (2-3 minute walk) and is across the street from Antico Forno Roscioli bakery (https://www.anticofornoroscioli.it/). I had a room with a balcony.
Hotel Portoghesi is very close to Piazza Navona (5-6 minute walk). We had a big room. It is also close to the bridge leading to the Castel Sant Angelo.
I stayed at the Smeraldo and would recommend it. It’s within walking distance of the Pantheon, Largo Argentina, the Victor Emmanuel Monument and the Capitoline Museum. It’s also close to the Campo di Fiori. Just down from the hotel is a wonderful deli/bakery, great for picking up something for lunch or a dinner picnic in your room or on the terrace. There are two moderately priced restaurants on the same street as the hotel and the Campo also has a variety of restaurants.
