Looking for a recommendation for a hotel in Rome

[sailingmickey]

We (2 couples)will be going on a cruise which departs from Rome in June of 2008. We hope to spend several days in Rome prior to the cruise and I am hoping to get some recommendations for hotels that do not end up costing as much as the cruise. We would like one close to Vatican City. If you have a recommentation that would require public transportation but is a nice hotel, please send that information too.

 

Thank you in advance for your responses.

[Cruising89143]

I suggest that you post this question on the Europe boards. You will get many more answers there. Here is the link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=234

[sailingmickey]

Thank you, I will do that right now.

[nanner10]

After an extensive search of these boards and Tripadvisor looking for a nice, reasonably priced centrally located hotel, we stayed at the Residenza Canali ai Coronari for three nights. We loved the location which we thought helped us get a feel the essence of the City and its history. Even though there are hotels closer to the Vatican we felt this location would be more centrally located so we could walk to most everything and it was.

 

We are in our 50's, not particularly athletic and I have foot problems but we found it to be an easy walk to the Vatican, very, very close to the Piazza Navona and we walked to everything else even though it was blazing hot when we were there in mid July of this year.

 

It is a bit of a walk to the Coliseum though although we got a bit turned around so I think it took us almost twice as long to get there! The cost was quite reasonable for Rome. Everyone we came in contact with at the hotel was wonderful. It was just what we were looking for and we would definitely stay there again.

 

If you read these reviews on Tripadvisor you will know if this is the hotel is right for you too.

http://rome-hotels.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187791-d488889-Reviews-Residenza_Canali_ai_Coronari-Rome_Lazio.html

 

We had a one night stay in Rome after the cruise and deeply regretted our decision to stay at the airport in a hotel that was a rip off with no ambiance and nothing to do around it instead of returning to the Residenza Canali. I would say that was our biggest regret of the 18 day trip.

[xpcdoojk]

We stayed at the Empire Mecente Palace a Golden Tulip hotel near the termini in Rome a few years ago. My goal was to have a nice hotel that didn't cost that much. My goal was to keep the per night around $200. The hotel was not close to the Vatican, but it is close to the train and subway and this makes it a central location. The area around the hotel has several restaurants and shops, but it is not in the high end area like the Spanish Steps. The breakfast was well above average, and the rooms nice. The views were ok as there is an old cathedral next door.

 

jc

[Merion_Mom]

We (2 couples)will be going on a cruise which departs from Rome in June of 2008. We hope to spend several days in Rome prior to the cruise and I am hoping to get some recommendations for hotels that do not end up costing as much as the cruise. We would like one close to Vatican City. If you have a recommentation that would require public transportation but is a nice hotel, please send that information too.

 

Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

May I ask why you want to stay "close to Vatican City"?

 

What do you want to do/see while you are in Rome?

 

I would not consider that location to be *prime*, but it depends on what your goals are.

[Merion_Mom]

We stayed at the Empire Mecente Palace a Golden Tulip hotel near the termini in Rome a few years ago. My goal was to have a nice hotel that didn't cost that much. My goal was to keep the per night around $200. The hotel was not close to the Vatican, but it is close to the train and subway and this makes it a central location. The area around the hotel has several restaurants and shops, but it is not in the high end area like the Spanish Steps. The breakfast was well above average, and the rooms nice. The views were ok as there is an old cathedral next door.

 

jc

 

The Empire Mecenate Palace hotel is very close to a hotel we used three years ago. I know nothing about the hotel itself, but the location is not ideal for two days of touring, although it *is* close to Termini. (a negative, in my personal opinion, but YMMV).

 

Here is a review from the NYT:

 

"A real gem, this little charmer lies 5 blocks south of the Termini. It's even more intimate and more professionally run than its closest competitor, the Artemide (although it's also pricier). Its downside is a location that's inconvenient for those wanting to spend a lot of time visiting the Vatican or classical Rome.

 

The hotel is composed of two adjacent buildings. One of them was designed by Rinaldi in 1887; the second one (on Via Carlo Alberto) was designed a few years later. The guest rooms, where traces of the original detailing mix with contemporary furnishings, overlook the city rooftops or Santa Maria Maggiore. They range from small to medium but boast high ceilings and extras such as luxury mattresses. The spacious marble bathrooms are sumptuous, with makeup mirrors and deluxe toiletries. Three suites offer superior comfort, authentic 19th-century antiques, and a fireplace."

[Belfast Castle]

try the Hotel Bernini in Piazza Barberini. We stayed there in September - is a bit pricey but very convenient - close to metro station (couple of minutes) Vatican is only 4 stops on metro. We walked almost everywhere but bses and metro very easy to manage.

 

Good luck - enjoy Rome it is marvellous

Barbara

[xpcdoojk]

Carol

 

Well, I am not sure about the NYT as a good resource:D , but I agree it was about a 20 minute or more walk to most of the good spots. However, the hotel itself is very nice, and from the Termini you can get to most of the good spots with a short subway ride. I, would also, use it for getting to the airport or the port. We stayed there because we arrived via train from Venice. We walked all over Rome the 3 days we stayed at the Mecente Palace. If you are not mobile or you don't like to ride the subway then it is not a good choice. It was a nice hotel and we had a very pleasant stay there. It was, also, easy to get a rental car at the Termini which was important for us to travel further into Italy on our own.

 

jc

[Merion_Mom]

Carol

 

Well, I am not sure about the NYT as a good resource:D , but I agree it was about a 20 minute or more walk to most of the good spots. However, the hotel itself is very nice, and from the Termini you can get to most of the good spots with a short subway ride. I, would also, use it for getting to the airport or the port. We stayed there because we arrived via train from Venice. We walked all over Rome the 3 days we stayed at the Mecente Palace. If you are not mobile or you don't like to ride the subway then it is not a good choice. It was a nice hotel and we had a very pleasant stay there. It was, also, easy to get a rental car at the Termini which was important for us to travel further into Italy on our own.

 

jc

Everything that you wrote is accurate, jc, but inexperienced travellers need to know that the area *immediately* around Termini (not Santa Maria Maggiore, where the hotel is) is NOT particularly safe. In taking the metro, I would walk down the Esquiline and get either the metro or a bus, rather than going up to the Termini metro stop.

[sailingmickey]

May I ask why you want to stay "close to Vatican City"?

 

What do you want to do/see while you are in Rome?

 

I would not consider that location to be *prime*, but it depends on what your goals are.

 

I hope I am doing this correctly. First we hope to have an audience with the Pope on Wednesday and we want to go to the Sistine Chapel. Besides, it is the only place I know.

[nancycara]

Hotel Genio near Piazza Navonna. Excellent location and not expensive. We go to Rome alot and always try to get this hotel.

[Water Princess]

I second the post for Hotel Bernini

 

Wonderful hotel...terrific location...great staff. Lovely roof-top lounge with some of the best views in the whole city. Wonderful breakfast!

 

I am a walker and walked all over...it's about 10 minutes to Spanish Steps.

 

Would stay there again in a heartbeat!

[calberry]

Look into the Nicolas Inn. http://nicolasinn.com/

 

They only have 4 rooms, are reasonbly priced, and the couple that runs it is fantastic. It will be like staying with family. And they are just blocks from the Colisseum and metro. We walked to and from the Termini station (pulling our small roller bags).

 

We used our BIRG pass to take the metro to the Vatican and the Spanish steps, and we had great lunch at a place they recommended that tourists would NOT find on their own.

 

See my blog link below.

 

Steve

[agabbymama]

All of the hotels listed look absolutely lovely, but the price tags are prohibitive for me, and like the OP, don't want two nights in Rome and two nights in Venice to cost me what the cruise cost. $238 to $378 per night are not in my price range.

 

Through other posters on this board, I have found the Domus Aurelia (quite close to the Vatican) for 72 EUR ($113 right now with the exchange rate).

 

http://www.domusaurelia.com/english/index.html

 

I haven't stayed here before, but I also wanted to be close to the Vatican (I missed seeing it in '98 because it was clear across town and it was hotter than blazes the day we were in Rome) and neither my husband nor myself wanted to walk in that heat that far. So this time, we will see the Vatican first and the Castle Angelo, then catch the hop on/hop off bus for the tour around Rome. They have rooms with balconies, a lovely garden area, a lift/elevator and she was so nice when I asked about smoking. While the interior is non-smoking, she said I could smoke on the balcony or in the garden with no problems.

 

Have a great cruise!