greenlady

I will be traveling at the end of March to Rome Italy for six days.I will be staying at Grand Hotel Parco Dei Principi. Does anyone know anything about the hotel? Is it nice, does it have good restaurants etc. Is it very far from the sights? I have never traveled abroad before so this is all new to me. I love to shop so does anyone have any good suggestions? Is Italian gold cheaper in Italy? Where do I go to buy gold? I also need restaurant suggestions. Is the water OK to drink? Thanks for your help!!

nytraveler

The water is perfectly safe to drink - but you may want to order bottled with meals - depending on what taste you're used to.

Italian gold used to be a very good bargain - but with the dollar so pitiful versus the euro the bargains are gone. You may well find unique/interesting styles/pieces you want to buy anyway.

The Parco dei Principi is a 5* hotel that gets generally good reviews. It has a pretty location but is not that central - you'll be cabbing a lot to get to most sights unless you feel like walking miles.

Hotel dining rooms are typically not the best places to eat in europe - but I haven't eaten there so can't comment personally.

The best (designer) shopping is in the area below the Spanish steps.

ira

Hi GL,

>Is Italian gold cheaper in Italy?

Not with the Euro at $1.47.

I do hope that you are not planning to have all of your meals at the hotel. There are many nice restos in Rome.

If you use www.mappy.com you can determine the distance to all of the sites/sights from your hotel.

charnees

Buy a tour book for Rome. read it, and look at the maps. Try to get one that is pocket-sized with smallish maps so you don't have to struggle with a giant one on street corners. Go to Slow Travel www.slowtrav.com and read about Rome. Read their section on Italy: Instructions for Use (if I am recalling the title correctly.)

Be sure to get out of the hotel and wander around. Eat in some of the smaller restaurants you find. If you just eat in the hotel you will not be experiencing Rome very much. Much of the experience of Italy is the food, and hotel food is not a very good version of it.

Also, you appear to be going alone. Is that correct? If so, do not worry about wandering around. The central part of Rome, where you will be, is quite safe. The only thing to be careful about is keeping your purse tucked under your arm, or slung across the front of your body, so pickpockets can't get your wallet. (They can unzip a pocket and fish out a wallet faster than you would believe)

SusanP

I can't give a review of that hotel, but I'm sorry to say that it is not a good location. It may be a beautiful hotel, but other than the Galleria Borghese (which is definitely worth seeing but needs an advance reservation), it is a long way from everything else you will want to see. As nytraveler said, unless you like the bus, you will need a cab all the time. On the other hand, if you can afford that hotel, you can probably afford the cabs.

Oh, and please don't plan to eat dinner at the hotel. Rome has so much to offer in wonderful food! Do a search here for Rome restaurants and you will get more information than you could ever use.

Graziella5b

Greenlady, I agree with Susan that the hotel location will force you to be taking taxis . Even if you can afford them, to be staying in a hotel in such a location is not a good idea because you will not be able to come in out of the hotel with the ease
you could do if staying in a centric hotel.
Think this way, you are a little tired and wish to go to the hotel to rest a little or have an extra shower, or simply relax if the hotel is far it is very hard. Imagine taking a taxi and then another taxi and on and on...A four star hotel well located in my opinion would be a much better choice. for instance think of Hotel Ponte Sisto. Close to everything and a nice hotel.Like this one there are dozen of other hotels.