rbon

My wife and I are going to Rome for 1 week in June. Would like a quiet, well-located, comfortable hotel. Budget: up to $225 euros per night. Would very much appreciate advice.

Dori

I just returned from Rome recently and stayed at the Hotel Firenze; five minute walk straight down the street from the Spanish Steps. I don't know why I don't read much about this hotel on this board. It's great. I stayed in a single room for $115/night. It was very roomy, nicely decorated and spotless. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Their website is www.hotelfirenzeroma.it/ Enjoy Rome!!

SRS

I just did a post on a new hotel in Rome that we liked. I pasted it below. Have a great trip! The web address is: http://exedra.boscolohotels.com/<BR><BR>We went to Rome last month and stayed at Boscolo Hotel Exedra. It is a brand new hotel on the Piazza della Republica - staff said it opened in Dec/Jan. Absolutely beautiful. (We were the first ones to stay in our room.) It's a five star and we found it to be perfect! I found a great deal on expedia.com, but was a bit nervous about it before we left as I could find no reports or mention of it anywhere. We took a chance and the chance paid off! Our room was a very large double with a sofa and a large bathroom. Breakfast was included. The cost was about $210 a night with all taxes. I doubt that this deal will go on for long, but if you are looking for a Rome hotel in the near future, this is one to consider.<BR><BR>

itswoody

We stayed at the Hotel Isa last month. Had a superior room with a Jacuzzi and very modern bathroom for 202 euro. Exeptional breakfast was included. (June is high season so the price would be more.) The hotel is across the river in the Prati neighborhood. Its a residential neighborhood but is only about 4 blocks from Plaza Navona. The area is quieter than the heart of Rome which we appreciated; Rome is a bit of a beehive. There are several very nice modest restaurants nearby and the staff is very helpful. Definitely recommend.

Betsy

Dori, the Hotel Firenze website looks good. Was breakfast included? If so were there lots of choices?

ddpcharlie

hi rbon:<BR><BR>my husband and I very much enjoyed the Velabra, which is an older hotel from a converted palazzo. Just off the Piazza Bocca delli Verita, just north of the Tiber, just south of the Forum. You can see the Palatine from many of the rooms, easy walking distance to the back entrance to the Captoline (not that going up the hill is a snap). Close enough to the Ghetto, Campo de Fiore, etc.<BR>Air conditioned. Daily maid service. Elevator. Small bar with wonderful fresh blood orange juice for breakfast. Very good front desk.<BR>There are one bedroom and studios, so that if you want to be able to &quot;eat in&quot; or store picnic goodies, you are all set.<BR>Minimum one week when we were there two years ago and I believe that the price would be within the range you are looking for.<BR><BR>

ddpcharlie

PS: pictures etc. on Google at Palazzo al Velabro, but most of the listings are from agents, and you can certainly book direct (see Fodor hotel listings for phone/fax)<BR>

BATUFFOLINA

I agree with SRS, the Boscolo Hotel Esedra is awesome. It is brand new and it belongs to the Italian Hotel chain called Boscolo that owns many good hotels all over Italy. I have seen it (on the opening meeting for travel agents) and it is great. Great position too, right between Termini Train Station and Via Nazionale (a well known shopping street that leads to Piazza Venezia and the Forum).

RufusTFirefly

Betsy: Don't know what they serve, but the web site says breakfast included.

Bootman4U

And if you cannot get into THAT Boscolo then there is always the Boscolo Aleph whhich is also brand-new and as well-located but much more &quot;moderne&quot; inside, particularly the rooms..you can check out both at Boscolo's website and then try booking them using a discount site first.

Aandy

My wife and I just returned from Rome and we spent a week at the Condotti 29 Palio Bianco (Not to be confused with the Condotti Hotel.) I booked it on the net. This quiet little gem is right on Condotti Street, and just a block from the Spanish Steps. It cost $159 per night and was a bargain. We walked to the close-by Trevi Fountain and the metro (subway) is just down the street. It was a breeze to get to St. Peters and the Coliseum. The trains are frequent and inexpensive. We walked in a different direction every night and were rewarded with magnificent sights. The fabulous old churches within a couple of blocks are worth the visit. The hotel is on the second floor (by elevator) I decided to walk down the 2 flights one day and found out that the hotel is really on the 6th floor. The elevator had it marked on the 2nd floor. That was no problem though. The hotel only has 6 rooms. It is clean and elegant with an attentive English speaking staff always on duty in the small lobby. <BR><BR>A breakfast is served at your convenience in your room. It was quite adequate for a continental style breakfast. Full breakfasts were available at a small charge. Every afternoon at about 4, there was an open bottle of wine on the table in the lobby sitting room. That was a nice touch. We ate at a couple of sidewalk restaurants next to the Steps and found them to be okay but pricey. Then we found a little Trattoria only a block away on a narrow side street and it was packed with people�locals. It�s called CC�s or GG�s. What a find. The food was outstanding and reasonable ($35 euros for 2 people with wine) quite a bargain in a neighborhood of fancy $100 restaurants. The waiters were polite but businesslike. I didn�t see a lot of people leaving tips so when I tipped (15%) they insisted we have some grappa and lemenccela. Watch out for the grappa! We ate there often. The bottom line is that the hotel is perfectly located if you want to just melt into the neighborhood and get a real feel for Rome. It is convenient to most all parts of the city.<BR>You�ll love it.<BR>Andy<BR>

bookchick

I would like to name a couple of places that would fit your budget nicely and are in the Spanish Steps neighborhood. Casa Howard on via Capo le Case. They have a website at www.casahoward.com<BR>and the Hotel San Carlo. (The Hotel San Carlo has a web site, but you are best off getting their fax # off the site and faxing the request in. Casa Howard will respond pretty promptly to your e-mails.) <BR><BR>The San Carlo furnishes a nice breakfast, which you can have delivered to your room, or in their breakfast room, and either way, it's included in the price of the room. Casa Howard will bring breakfast to your room for a fee. Both hotels have given me excellent service.<BR><BR>For restaurants in the neighborhood, you can't go wrong at Nino, although it is not really a bargain meal. Also, La Bucca di Ripetta at 36 via di Ripetta is a pretty wonderful value, and patronized by the locals extensively.<BR><BR>Buon Viaggio,<BR>BC

EllenR

Hi Rbon. One more to consider... We had a very nice stay last month at the Savoy on Via Ludovisi just off Via Veneto. It's on the same street as the Hotel Eden (the one with the rooftop bar and the great view) and a short walk from the Spanish Steps. We paid about $170 and breakfast was included. We had a large room and a really beautiful marble bath. Quiet and lovely. I couldn't find much about it on Fodors, but we were very pleased. Good luck!

Dori

Betsy, breakfast is included but honestly, being that I was just in Rome a few months prior to that, I didn't feel the need to get up early. I generally slept in and didn't leave my room until around 11:30 a.m. so I never had breakfast. But they were very prompt in answering my e-mail for inquiring about the price; I'm sure they will e-mail you and explain to you about breakfast.