Rome hotels

[4nzic1]

Hi All,

 

I just booked my family on the 7 day Eastern Mediterranean for April 2013. I've been searching the past few days for hotels. I couldn't decide whether to go for a locally owned hotel, a chain hotel whose name I recognize, hotel close to the sites, etc. I think I've finally decided on all of us staying at the Best Western because from their site, they look like they have numerous gorgeous properties in Rome (they look more high end in Rome than they do here in the U.S.). If I'm not mistaken, I have 23 Best Westerns to choose from. Has anyone stayed at a Best Western in Rome? Or does anyone recommend any particular Best Western.

 

Thanks in advance

[Boo's Mom]

We stayed in the Best Western Hotel Canada (yes, in Rome).

It was THE BEST!

 

Worked out great for a family of four, because there were 3 beds that accommodated four people. (We were trying to stay at a nice place, BUT avoid having to purchase two rooms)

 

Check them out on Trip Advisor, too.

[barneyboy]

We also stayed at the Hotel Canada in Rome and highly recommend it. We had a spacious room for three. Great breakfast buffet is included in price, and there are complementary nibbles in the evening. The area isn't great but it is very convenient for Termini station, where you can get the metro to all the attractions, and the train from the airport and to the port.

[4nzic1]

Thanks! lol about 'canada'. I wonder if they pronounce it 'cahnyada' like we do out here in california e.g. La Canada

[Bruin Steve]

Don't choose a hotel from the hotel website...

Look for impartial reviews on tripadvisor.com...

And, remember, especially in a town like Rome, LOCATION is very important...

 

last visit, we stayed at a hotel called Residenza Farnese...Absolutely loved it...I just booked it again for our post-cruise next summer...

 

http://www.residenzafarneseroma.it/

 

The location is extraordinary-- just off the Tiber about a block from the Campo di Fiori and about three blocks from the Piazza Navona...the Campo has a great selection of reasonable restaurants with outdoor seating on the Piazza...and the Piazza Navona is the center of nightlife...The Vatican, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and other labor sites are all within easy walking distance...

 

The hotel is not a chain but a nice, well-run local place...great breakfast included and rates are very reasonable for Rome...neighborhood is safe and quiet...

[4nzic1]

thanks bruin Steve!!! I will definitely take a look at yor reccomendation. you are correct about location. that's why it's so hard to narrow down my choices as well. you can see I have some best westerns onmy list as well and have narrowed down to three of them but can't decide which is the better location to the attractions. once I get this straight I can focus on my airfare from southern Cali to Rome. :)

 

ps typing on iPhone so please forgive any errors. lol

[Bruin Steve]

...you are correct about location. that's why it's so hard to narrow down my choices as well. you can see I have some best westerns onmy list as well and have narrowed down to three of them but can't decide which is the better location to the attractions.

 

I don't see your list...which three are you considering?

 

I've stayed in the Termini area before and wasn't particularly thrilled with the neighborhood...

 

A lot of folks like to stay in the area near the Spanish Steps...I think they end up there because there are just a larger number of hotels and chain hotels there...but the area is a bit high traffic and noisy...

 

My preference, having been to Rome a few times, is to be near the Piazza Navona/Pantheon...it really puts you I the true heart of the city...really convenient to just about everything...When we visit again (briefly, just two nights) next July, we may just never leave the neighborhood...probably spend most of our time taking in the night scene at Piazza Navona, eating al fresco at the Campo di Fiore and stopping by Blue Ice repeatedly for the ice cream...

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a copy of the AAA Spiral Guide - Rome...it's the best city guide I've found with excellent maps and self-guided walking tours...I carry mine around with me wherever I go in Rome (I also have them for Venice, London, Barcelona and a few other places-- really, really good)...

 

Good luck...

[4nzic1]

lol. I just complied my list this weekend at home amid have not posted to get you experienced travelers' feedback. but the best westerns I've narrows it down to are:

 

hotel Modial

hotel universo

hotel royal santina

hotel canada

 

so four and not three choices..... lol i wasnt a math major in college.

thank you bruin Steve for offering to assist.

[Bruin Steve]

Is there a specific reason you want to be near the train station?

All four of those are in the neighborhood of the central train station...

 

Here is what Frommer's says about this neighborhood:

 

>>Near Stazione Termini The main train station, Stazione Termini, adjoins Piazza della Repubblica, and most likely this will be your introduction to Rome. Much of the area is seedy and filled with gas fumes from all the buses and cars, but it has been improving. If you stay here, you might not get a lot of atmosphere, but you'll have a lot of affordable options and a very convenient location, near the transportation hub of the city and not too far from ancient Rome. There's a lot to see here, including the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Baths of Diocletian. Some high-class hotels are sprinkled in the area, including the Grand, but many are long past their heyday.

 

The neighborhoods on either side of Termini have been improving greatly, and some streets are now attractive. The best-looking area is ahead and to your right as you exit the station on the Via Marsala side. Most budget hotels here occupy a floor or more of a palazzo; many of their entryways are drab, although upstairs they're often charming or at least clean and livable. In the area to the left of the station as you exit, the streets are wider, the traffic is heavier, and the noise level is higher. This area off Via Giolitti is being redeveloped, and most streets are in good condition. A few still need improving; be careful at night.<<[/color]

 

So, again, in my personal view, it is NOT the best area in which to stay...

Look in the area near the Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori and Pantheon...you will find this area far more attractive and much closer to the main tourist sites...

 

JMHO...

[4nzic1]

steve you really are a wealth if info. the only reason for the train station area was in case we weren't near any of the tourist attractions at least we'd be close to transportation to get around. what are your thoughts on transportation from airport to hotel and hotel to cruise port? again thank you so much for taking the time to provide such detailed reccomendations.

[4nzic1]

if I can be in the midst of area attractions without it costing too much it would be great. I love to spa on my cruises so hefty hotel bill will take away from that lol.

[Bruin Steve]

steve you really are a wealth if info. the only reason for the train station area was in case we weren't near any of the tourist attractions at least we'd be close to transportation to get around. what are your thoughts on transportation from airport to hotel and hotel to cruise port? again thank you so much for taking the time to provide such detailed reccomendations.

 

For our post-cruise visit last year, we went from the ship to our hotel by sharing a tour with six others from our cruise...We'd seen most of the sights before, but figured it made for a nice day and a "re-orientation" to Rome. Our driver was Valerio Nacci of NCC. For only 50€ per person, he picked us up at the ship and took us to the Vatican, Trevi, Piazza Navona, Vittorio Emanuel, Pantheon and Coliseum, then dropped us off at our hotel and returned the others (who were doing back-to-backs) to the ship in Civitavecchia.

ncc porto di civitavecchia dot it slash en slash index dot asp

http://it-it.facebook.com/people/Valerio-Nacci/100000180156934

 

Others on our ship just partnered in on transfers and usually ended up around 30-40€ per person...

 

For our return to the airport, we just grabbed a taxi from our hotel...IIRC, about 40€...

 

There are a number of trains from Civitavecchia to Rome...depending on whether they're the local or the express can trange from about 5€ per person to 20€ per person, but you have the additional hassles of getting TO the Train Station from the ship and Rome Train Station to your hotel and dealing with all of your luggage...With taxis on either end, you may be better off with a car service--and the convenience of curb-to-curb service...

[4nzic1]

wow, you rock!!!! this is why I love this board. always kind people such as yourself (and the other two who responded to my question on Rome) with lots of good info. two last things: 1) we r thinking Rome 3 or 4 days pre cruise as opposed to post. your thoughts? 2) can I contact you again if I have more questions as I try to put this trip together? to me April is right around the corner. I have five weeks of spare time and I want to get this hotel thing locked in before I get busy again.

[4nzic1]

steve is hotel nord nuova Roma in a good location that you know of? with respect to where all the tourist attractions are?

[euro cruiser]

steve is hotel nord nuova Roma in a good location that you know of? with respect to where all the tourist attractions are?

The hotel is just south of Termini, which means it's not in the dead center of the historic area, but it's not far. For perspective, the Colosseum is about a mile (on foot), Trevi fountain is about the same, the Pantheon is a mile and a third, St. Peter's basilica is two and a half miles, and the Vatican Museums are two and three-quarter miles away. Since the hotel is near Piazza dei Cinquecento, the plaza in front of the train station, almost every bus in Rome eventually goes there, so you'd always be able to get around easily.

[24butterfly]

The hotel is just south of Termini, which means it's not in the dead center of the historic area, but it's not far. For perspective, the Colosseum is about a mile (on foot), Trevi fountain is about the same, the Pantheon is a mile and a third, St. Peter's basilica is two and a half miles, and the Vatican Museums are two and three-quarter miles away. Since the hotel is near Piazza dei Cinquecento, the plaza in front of the train station, almost every bus in Rome eventually goes there, so you'd always be able to get around easily.

 

I think you're a little far out if u stay here....Your best bet if u stay in the Termini area is to stay around the stop Republica, which you can use for other lines as well. You don't first have to get to Termini to get anywhere. Republica is near enough but far enough to Termini to catch trains and busses, and not located on top of the train station. We were just there about a month ago and always stay at the same hotel located by Republica. THere are plenty of hotels that are 4 and 5 star that are classified around the Termini area--the Exedra, the Grand, ---they are near, but not on top of the train station...Just look on a map of where the hotel is.

 

If you use the sites: skoosh.com or octopustravel.com, you'll get to see the hotels and where they are located. (Also Trip Advisor...) Good luck...

[4nzic1]

thanks Steve. :)

[4nzic1]

Thanks 24butterfly. All of this is so overwhelming. :) I'm used to planning resorts for the Caribbean stays. This is our first trip to Europe and I want to be in the heart of everything and definitely something that doesn't require a lot of legwork because we are taking my 71 year old mother in law this will be her first cruise. So we want to be close to the historical sites but definitely not break the bank doing so. Oh, and we will have a 2 yr old with us as well. Steve, I forgot to mention the 71 and 2 yr old.

[4nzic1]

Thanks ; )

[4nzic1]

Bruin Steve, I just ckd your suggestion's website.....no availabilty for the days I want in April 2013 :(

[4nzic1]

oh well, on to the next search. :) p.s. that was a sad face not angry. lol.

[Bruin Steve]

Bruin Steve, I just ckd your suggestion's website.....no availabilty for the days I want in April 2013 :(

 

It's too far out for the website..

I just emailed them directly and reserved two nights in July 2013 for 140 euros per night including breakfast and taxes...

[4nzic1]

It's too far out for the website..

I just emailed them directly and reserved two nights in July 2013 for 140 euros per night including breakfast and taxes...

 

YOU ARE A GEM!!!! I will email them right now. Just so I know what to expect, do they ask for a deposit or do they just hold your room with a credit card just like any other hotel?

 

Thanks

[4nzic1]

Oh, and if I'm a first time 'Romer' how many nights would you recommend pre cruise? Do you think two nights would be enough to get a Cliff's notes version of room? Or should 3 or 4 nights pre cruise be better?

[Bruin Steve]

YOU ARE A GEM!!!! I will email them right now. Just so I know what to expect, do they ask for a deposit or do they just hold your room with a credit card just like any other hotel?

 

Thanks

 

 

Credit card hold...Cancelable up until 48 hours before with no penalty.

 

Oh, and if I'm a first time 'Romer' how many nights would you recommend pre cruise? Do you think two nights would be enough to get a Cliff's notes version of room? Or should 3 or 4 nights pre cruise be better?

 

Gosh...really as many nights as you can manage...There's a lot to see and do in Rome...and a lot of the attraction, at least to me, is just hanging out and enjoying the food, culture and atmosphere...

 

But if all you have is two days, you can fit quite a bit in if you do it right...

 

Just start thinking of the thongs you must see:

 

My first-timer list would be:

1) The Vatican

2) The Coliseum

3) The Trevi Fountain

4) The Piazza Navona

5) The Pantheon

 

There are lots of other sites if you have more time: The Forum, The Spanish Steps, etc. Actually, just about every turn in the road has something ancient or historic...and there are lots of incredible photo opportunities all over...

 

The Vatican takes a bit of time, especially if the Sistine Chapel is open and if you want to visit the Vatican Museums...But, you can also cover a lot in a couple of hours and , at least, be able to say you have been there...

 

The Piazza Navona you will experience just by hanging out there at night...The Trevi is wonderful, but you can do as long or as short a stay as you want...

 

You might want to hire a driver for a day to take you from place to place...especially since you have an older person and a toddler to deal with...or, if you are very organized, you can figure it all out on your own...

 

If you had more time, you could see things at a more leisurely pace and also take in a lot of the less famous spots...

 

Again, get a copy of the AA Spiral Guide...it's great for planning your visit...