Rome Hotels

look at tripadvisor for ratings. Check out Kayak.com and other travel sites for prices.

While not at all close to Termini, La Bella Giuliana was very nice, with a nice and English-speaking staff (father and daughter team). They have a decent breakfast as well. We took a taxi to and from the train station, and then walked and took the metro to major sites.
http://www.bblabellagiuliana.com/EN/index.html

I'd agree with Ted, Tripadvisor - and other booking agents - can give you some good advice. See this post, the 25 Best Hotels in Rome, which does include the top 25 tripadvisor-rated hotels. Many of these are close to Roma Termini!

Any other tips on traveling to Rome, Venice, Florence, day trips, guided tours, etc, will be appreciated. I can give you my favorites for consideration. Rome: Palazzo Olivia apartments; Walks in Italy "Pristine Sistine" tour of the Vatican; Francesca Caruso, private guide for Ancient Rome tour (unforgettable!); Roma Sparita Ristorante in Trastevere for Cacio e Pepe. Venice: Ai Tagliapietra B&B; walking walking walking everywhere; Acqua Alta! San Marco Museum above the Basilica (extra charge but magnificent little museum). Loved the B&B, but we are goign to try a VRBO apartment for our next visit because we are staying longer. Tuscany: Drive between Montepulciano and Montalcino with stops in Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia; Hike from Montalcino to Abbey of Sant'Antimo; Tours by Roberto Chianti tour - wine, history, culture.

Please be more specific in your hotel budget terminology in dollar/euro amounts. Reasonable is a nebulous term meaning different things to different people. We generally stay about 5 or 6 blocks from Termini near the opera house. In 2009 we stayed in a b&b on Via Viminale called Armonio All' Opera. I found it on venere.com and now they have their own website. We will stay there again this August. We stayed at Hotel Massimo D'azaglio on Via Cavour and Hotel Columbia on Via Viminale several times, but they are more expensive. Venere.com and tripadvisor.com are good resources with hotel suggestions, pricing, map locations, and client reviews. Buon viaggio,

We have used Aberdeen, Sonya, and Contilla. The Aberdeen is the furthest from Termini - 5 or 6 blocks, Sonya across from the Opera House at 4 blocks, and Contilla - one block. We prefer the Sonya slightly over Aberdeen - however both are excellent. We use Contilla for quick one night stays when passing through Rome. There is a nice laundry across from the Contilla.

As an alternative suggestion to a hotel near Termini think about what you want to see while in Rome and pick a hotel near the sites you want to see. For example, the Vatican is a long walk from Termini and you may want to consider something near Piazza Navona.

Debbie: If the reason you want to be close to Termini is so you can walk with your luggage, you might be limiting yourself unnecessarily. Rome cabs are not so expensive, and from Termini, many locations are also accessible via Metro. We stayed near P.za Navona and the cab was 13 euros which included a mandatory Termini fee and a bag charge. Not a crazy amount of money. I wanted to be close to the historic center (Centro Storico) and able to walk for touring. We were 20-25 minutes walking from St. Peter's and 20 from the Colosseo, 20-25 from P.za del Popolo. Navona/Campo dei Fiori areas are tops for this kind of access. What is your budget?

Debbie, We stayed at the MECENATE PALACE HOTEL (www.mecenatepalace.com) back in February. It was about 3 blocks from the train station and a very easy walk. We stayed in an executive room which was very nice but we also got a rate of 100euros a night due to it being the winter. I think it would be substantially higher in September though and not really sure if it would be worth more then 150euro a night tops. But I agree with the other posters - taxis are cheap and easy to access all over the city - don't let walking with luggage deter you from choosing where you really want to stay.

Thanks everyone. The advice about traveling by taxi is helpful, I did want to stay by the Termini because of walking with luggage - we will be in and out of Rome a few times, and the hotel recommendations do help too. I am hoping to find a comfortable hotel for no more than $200 a night, less would be better. I have been checking Trip Advisor and Venere, did not know about kayak. Any other tips on traveling to Rome, Venice, Florence, day trips, guided tours, etc, will be appreciated.

Hi Debbie,
I'm staying at Hotel Serena in May, just a couple of blocks from the Termini Station. I got it for a very good rate (much less than the 200 per night) The photos on the website look great but I will let you know how it is when I return.

Nicolas Inn on Via Cavour. We walked to it from Termini, and then to most sights. Good dining nearby. Good value, too.

Hello Debbie, We did this trip last November and stayed at the Hotel Lillium. With one small bag and our wheelies the walk was short and easy. The hotel staff is very accommodating, the rooms are very clean (a little on the small side) but are all painted in nice pastel colors. Prices was very reasonable. If you Google Hotel Lillium you can go to their website and see the rooms.

Debbie, you said "Any other tips on traveling to Rome, Venice, Florence, day trips, guided tours, etc, will be appreciated." Do you have the RS Italy 2011 book? If not, buy it right now! :-) It will be the smartest money you spend on your vacation. He answers questions that it won't even occur to you to ask. His books are especially invaluable for those traveling to a country for the first time. Consider also buying the books for those specific cities as they include walking tours and daytrip info that won't fit into the Italy book.