Rome-where to stay

If you stay more than just a couple of nights, an apartment might be a better choice for a large group. You won’t find many hotel,rooms that can house 6 people, therefore you will need multiple rooms. I prefer to stay in Trastevere but any place could work.

Using Airbnb might be better than having to rent two hotel rooms.

My favorite area of Rome to stay in is near the Pantheon, but it is not cheap.

I also believe that an apartment would be the better choice. We stayed in the Prati last time and were able to walk everywhere.

Trastevere is my favorite neighborhood in Rome, that's where I would stay.

All three neighborhoods are good choices. You cannot be near everything but any of those afford good options on foot or by bus/tram.

Look for something you like, be sure it has A/C, but don’t limit yourself to Airbnb. That site has tough cancellation policies and often requires full payment upfront. I like to start with Booking.com as they usually have more liberal cancellation policies and rarely have we had to pay the full amount more than 30 days out. YMMV.

Thank you for the great replies. I am definitely leaning toward some sort of Airbnb, simple because we would be more comfortable. I was thinking of Prati, as it seems as though it might be a bit less crowded, when we are looking for some peace after dealing with crowds all day. Am I right about this?

Prati is a relatively upscale residential neighborhood built in the early 1900s. Quietness will largely depend on the street your apartment will be facing. Via Cola di Rienzo, for example, is a pretty busy street with some traffic. But on average there will be fewer tourists concentrating on the same spots.

hey hey s42mahoney
you must still be looking at airfares and where to fly into and fly out of. like some one else mentioned, keep an eye out, hoping fares come down and who knows at this time. also look when they have black friday deals, i have seen some couple years ago and we jumped on it then. when it's staring at you say BOO i'm on it, one less headache. play around with all the other cities that do the multi-city, not knowing yet what cities you guys are planning to stay. don't know exact dates but do play around with days and cities, with same days cheaper to fly than others
couple sights for looking at apartments, we have used these in other european cities, plus budget in euros for accomodations. when you find something you can always come back and ask more questions, these people are here to help and give you, bad and ugly and if good place to stay.
cross-pollinate.com
this company is owned by the couple that started the "beehive hostel", look at what is included. make sure the # of beds/bathrooms, any mobility issues many stairs/steps carrying luggage, lift/elevator, A/C a must in july, cancellation policies
tripadvisor.com
vacation rentals, check your filters, we like to have a patio/terrace/lanai for our morning coffee and evening cocktail happy hour, A/C, will you be having meals in apartment, many small grocery stores/markets for things, i like to roam around the aisles to see what they have. washer/dryer (most no dryers) we do line dry (some have like a wooden "ladder" thing or hang around to dry
airbnb.com
look at see what's available and what total cost is, some have many taxes, fees and cleaning fee. make sure if it says 3 bedrooms it is!! rented in london few years back, says 2 bedroom, but was 1 bedroom with 2nd being dining, living, bedroom (twin bed sofa) with many other issues. that has been me being very leary with airbnb
vrbo.com
you may find some here are also on airbnb, read reviews very carefully and take note what is good and bad.
booking.com
filter to apartments, beds/bathrooms, A/C, location and whatever you want. don't worry about *, it not higher class with more stars, it's more ammenities for the stars
casarabbati.it
is in florence, to take a look at
hope you find something worth your while.
i'm sure you know the activities you want and plan to see, some will need to be booked, it's time/date stamped. make plans around that. anything else your gang is interested in. take a food tour, wine tour, cooking class, take a countryside ride tour known for white wine, lake nemi, best "porchetta" sandwich, el ceralli.it bakery/pizza oven, short train ride 20-30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of rome.
aloha

One caution about apartments? When you're browsing them, pay attention to what they call a "bed" as a fair amount of them define those as pull-out sofas in living rooms or other shared spaces. Besides the lack of privacy - generally an unwelcome situation for adults - it often means everyone having to go to bed and get up at the same time, so as not to disturb the sleepers in the shared spaces. Number of bathrooms will be a consideration too.

For first-timers to Italy, some advantages of hotels versus apartments will be on-site assistance from a 24/7 desk, if you book one of those which offer that amenity, and ability to have them stow your luggage if arriving before check-in time or departing afterwards but planning on doing additional sightseeing before moving on. With an apartment, you'll likely need to meet the owner/caretaker at their appointed time. I don't necessarily want to talk you out of renting a flat but just some things to be aware of?

We have stayed in Prati, very near the river and just a couple of blocks from the Lepanto metro station, and enjoyed it every much but we're also fond of walking so being a bit further away from the "bullseye"- which is roughly around the Pantheon - didn't bother us.

Our family of 5 stayed in a nice Airbnb in July near the Spanish Steps. Search for 'Belsiana Street' apartment. It's spacious with an eat in kitchen and full dining room. The living room can be converted to a private 3rd bedroom that sleeps 2.

Earlier in the month we had an apt in Trastevere that comfortably slept 4 in 2 bedrooms, and a friend rented another a few blocks away that slept up to 3. Both were on Booking dot com.

I've also had good luck with the agencies Rental in Rome and RomeLoft.

Thank you for the great replies. I am definitely leaning toward some sort of Airbnb, simple because we would be more comfortable. I was thinking of Prati, as it seems as though it might be a bit less crowded, when we are looking for some peace after dealing with crowds all day. Am I right about this?

Prati is nice and comfy. Feels more like an ordinary city neighborhood than a tourist madhouse. It's also still easy to get everywhere with the metro. I like Monti but it's more busy