Best Location for Reasonable Priced Hotel

Leaving for a transatlantic cruise next October and know absolutely nothing about Rome. I don't know what is a good or bad location. I would like to ask fellow cruisers who have stayed in Rome what are some good hotels that have an elevator for a fairly reasonable price. Just don't know in which area to look at. Also what shuttles did you take to get from Rome airport to hotel. I appreciate any assistance regarding this.

Bren

If you want to be centrally located in Rome, in a nice area where there are lots of restaurants and people strolling around in the evenings, you cannot beat the area that is centered (more or less) on the Pantheon, extending to Piazza Navona on one side and Trevi Fountain on the other.

Hotels that list their location as near one of these areas are a good start (but do look on a map at their actual location, as "near Trevi" in hotel-speak may not be what normal people consider near....;)).

If your budget runs to it, I can highly recommend the lovely Albergo del Senato hotel, which faces the piazza on which the Pantheon is situated. It is a wonderful classic Italian style hotel, with a good included breakfast (and yes, elevators). For location and atmosphere it is top of my list but it can be pricey. I have stayed there probably 6-7 times and loved every stay.

There are other, less expensive hotels in the area as well. The Santa Chiara is nearly the same location but not as $$$. The Albergo Cesari is about halfway between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. It's less deluxe inside but sometimes has good specials, especially if you are booking well in advance.

You can take a taxi from the airport for about 50 euro direct to your hotel.

If you look down the board, you will see many transport options. Taxi is perhaps the simplest, but there is also train, and many transport companies, like the huge thread for the wonderful Rome in Limo.

Again, a little reading down the board will find several threads on hotels. For example, these threads:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2244256&highlight=rome+hotels

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2230241&highlight=rome+hotels

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2200567&highlight=rome+hotels

We have no idea what you define "reasonable" as.

Get a guide book(s) from library and do some reading on your ports and surrounding areas...this will benefit you greatly if you have not been there before and give you some ideas as to what to see and do. Also, some reading on the different boards will be helpful.

Based on a recommendation in a Rick Steves book, we have stayed at the Hotel Sonya twice and have another stay scheduled. If you don't mind hauling your luggage over the uneven Rome streets, it's a short walk from Termini railroad station. Our last trip we spend 55 Euros for a Rome in Limo car which was well worth the price.

The hotel is also a short walk from the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. There's free wifi and a fantastic breakfast.

Based on a recommendation in a Rick Steves book, we have stayed at the Hotel Sonya twice and have another stay scheduled. If you don't mind hauling your luggage over the uneven Rome streets, it's a short walk from Termini railroad station. Our last trip we spend 55 Euros for a Rome in Limo car which was well worth the price.

 

The hotel is also a short walk from the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. There's free wifi and a fantastic breakfast.

I've stayed at Hotel Sonya, and no knock on its value but I didn't think it was really above the average for hotels around Termini (not the nicest or most central area, but convenient for a short stay IF you are using the train for transportation to the port....)

I also would clarify that Google Maps puts it at a 26 minute walk to the Pantheon, I'd call it a good half hour. :cool:

We recently stayed at Maison Giulia. Fantastic location, great price and friendly service. They have both hotel rooms and apartments you can rent. The building we were in did not have an elevator; however, their staff assisted us with the luggage.

We took a train into Rome Termini and then took a taxi to the hotel.

We used Civitavecchia Cab Services to get to the port and again to get to the airport after the cruise. It was a shared shuttle which saved on the costs; however, I don't recommend them. We found the driver extremely unprofessional and had a few other issues with them.

I always tell people to go online and print out a map of Rome. Mark the main sites that you want to see with a big red X. Then draw a circle around those places and voila' thats the area you want to stay. In Rome that is ALWAYS the Pantheon, Piazza Navonna area…….. it is just the center where everything is.

We have stayed in 3 hotels and 3 apartments in Rome. All in this area.

Do some research about hotels tho….. they are definitely NOT going to be like hotels in the US. And the * rating is not about how nice it is….but rather the amenities. The rooms will be small as will be the bathrooms.

And be sure to state your budget - not "reasonable priced" as that is different to everyone…….

Thank you for responses. I have been looking at a map of Rome and also reading other posts written on hotels.

I will be on the Royal Princess TA next year and will be spending a few days in Rome. I am thinking about using Air BnB. My granddaughter travel in Europe last summer and had great luck with them.

Carolyn,

I will check air BnB. Thanks. Has anyone booked their flights through Princess?

I highly recommend you Albergo del senato which is close to Pantheon in Rome, you can use a taxi from the airport to book a private transfer.

Our goal was to be close to the Colosseum. For that reason we chose the Hotel Fori Imperiali Cavalieri for our stay last week.

Location was perfect. Walked out of the hotel, turned left and at the next cross street could see the Colosseum on our right. We negotiated a price through email that did not include the minibar but included breakfast and it was prepay 135 Euros a night (least expensive room).

What we got for the 135 Euros was a quiet comfortable room with a decent breakfast. Easy walking distance to a bunch of restaurants and shops. Only real negatives was only one electrical outlet in the room and that was in the bathroom and a tiny shower. I always travel with an extension cord so the outlet issue didn't turn out to be a real problem.

I highly recommend you Albergo del senato which is close to Pantheon in Rome, you can use a taxi from the airport to book a private transfer.

Unfortunately the OP asked for a hotel with a fairly reasonable price and the del Senato has gone up and up and up in price !!!! We have stayed there twice and it was truly fantastic but now (a few years later) the prices have gone up a lot AND it books out fast !!! I recently tried to book next Sept. and they were booked solid.

But nearby is Albergo Cesari which is in a great location and more reasonable in price. We have not stayed there but many others here on CC have and recommend it (including Cruisermom and she never steers anyone wrong)

We have always stayed at Albergo Del Senato and I agree it is lovely but pricey. In September we decided to try Albergo Cesari just to check it out as it does receive very good reviews here on CC. It is a step down from the Del Senato but it is a good value. It was clean and comfortable and has a nice rooftop bar. Our only problem with Albergo Cesari, and the reason we will not stay there again, is that the walls were so paper thin that not only could we hear conversation in the room next to us, we could actually hear the people in the next room turning their light switch on and off :eek: It was not a very restful nights sleep. From here on you will find us at Albergo Del Senato----some things in life are worth paying for.

We have always stayed at Albergo Del Senato and I agree it is lovely but pricey. In September we decided to try Albergo Cesari just to check it out as it does receive very good reviews here on CC. It is a step down from the Del Senato but it is a good value. It was clean and comfortable and has a nice rooftop bar. Our only problem with Albergo Cesari, and the reason we will not stay there again, is that the walls were so paper thin that not only could we hear conversation in the room next to us, we could actually hear the people in the next room turning their light switch on and off :eek: It was not a very restful nights sleep. From here on you will find us at Albergo Del Senato----some things in life are worth paying for.

In most hotels in Europe (unlike in the US) there are rarely "cookie cutter" rooms that are all alike. Some are better than others. When I stayed at Albergo Cesari a year ago I had a very nice room facing the street and I never heard any noise from my neighbors, nor was their street noise with the windows closed.

I've also stayed in quite good hotels where you could hear noise from the hall or other rooms. Including del Senato on my first stay there, but I think they have done additional soundproofing in the interim as it's not a problem I encountered again....in my following five stays there. :D

However, I'd take that first room at Del Senato again any time; it has a wonderfully large terrace on the side with an excellent view of the Pantheon, as seen below.

Moral of the story: if you have an issue with your room, ask to have another one. It's very commonly done and if they can accommodate your request, they will. This is best done when first checking in, obviously, if the room clearly doesn't suit. But if problems crop up later, you can certainly ask to change. (Caveat: I generally travel off-season when it may be more likely that there is not 100% occupancy....)

We have always stayed at Albergo Del Senato and I agree it is lovely but pricey. In September we decided to try Albergo Cesari just to check it out as it does receive very good reviews here on CC. It is a step down from the Del Senato but it is a good value. It was clean and comfortable and has a nice rooftop bar. Our only problem with Albergo Cesari, and the reason we will not stay there again, is that the walls were so paper thin that not only could we hear conversation in the room next to us, we could actually hear the people in the next room turning their light switch on and off :eek: It was not a very restful nights sleep. From here on you will find us at Albergo Del Senato----some things in life are worth paying for.

I agree but some people just don't have the budget ………

on the other hand if the del Senato is booked and you DO have the budget - try the Grand Minerva. It is a beautiful hotel right behind the Pantheon. We stayed one night after our last cruise in May. We have 2 nights booked for next September since the del Senato showed fully booked.

Carolyn,

I will check air BnB. Thanks. Has anyone booked their flights through Princess?

We did. After much research, they had the best itinerary with the best price. Outbound was on United and back on the new American (read USAirways).

Just a bit of info ... I wanted to upgrade us to each airlines' version of economy plus. Had to be ticketed for that. Princess doesn't usually ticket until 45 days out. I had to send an email, after final payment, asking to be ticketed early. No problem.

Then I went to the United website and upgraded our seats, paying the difference directly to United. The AA equipment, to our disappointment, didn't have an economy plus section but after flying, we realized why ... cushy comfortable seats in the main cabin with plenty of leg room.

If you want to be centrally located in Rome, in a nice area where there are lots of restaurants and people strolling around in the evenings, you cannot beat the area that is centered (more or less) on the Pantheon, extending to Piazza Navona on one side and Trevi Fountain on the other.

 

Hotels that list their location as near one of these areas are a good start (but do look on a map at their actual location, as "near Trevi" in hotel-speak may not be what normal people consider near....;)).

 

If your budget runs to it, I can highly recommend the lovely Albergo del Senato hotel, which faces the piazza on which the Pantheon is situated. It is a wonderful classic Italian style hotel, with a good included breakfast (and yes, elevators). For location and atmosphere it is top of my list but it can be pricey. I have stayed there probably 6-7 times and loved every stay.

 

There are other, less expensive hotels in the area as well. The Santa Chiara is nearly the same location but not as $$$. The Albergo Cesari is about halfway between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. It's less deluxe inside but sometimes has good specials, especially if you are booking well in advance.

 

You can take a taxi from the airport for about 50 euro direct to your hotel.

Glad to hear that. We have 3 nights booked at Albergo del Senato post cruise in Sept. and they are already booking up.

If you are still looking at hotels, I suggest the Albergo Cesari in very central Rome. It is walking distance to MANY sites, and the hotel staff is very helpful. There is a restaurant simply steps away from the hotel's front door with Al Fresco dining. Wonderful food! I see no reason to stay anywhere else and highly recommend it. The room was nice and the bathroom large and very nice. Whatever you choose, have a great time!