Sorry, I don't have any first hand recommendations under €220. I had read (on Frommers, Fodors, Trip Advisor) that the Mecenate Palace was rated well and if you go on that site, click on booking, and then special offers, it's showing €160 for a single mid-October. I didn't care for it's location - close to Termini sort of - but it it does overlook the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore. Another hotel that some FT'ers recommended (as well as Trip Advisor, etc) is the Villa San Pio. Rates are very reasonable and it looks lovely but it's way down in the Aventine area - quite a trek after an evening out if you're not taking taxis/buses. The hotel has it's own site too but the site I linked has tons of Rome hotels - surf around it.

Actually, the Raphael is in THE perfect location and I couldn't imagine a place with more "character". And you say you got €220? I didn't see anything like that on their site - may I ask you how you got that rate? - I would be very interested to know.

What I've heard about that property is that it's in pretty poor condition but that it's new GM, Hans Fritz (formerly GM of the Cavalieri Hilton), will undergo rennovations - or they may be currently in the works. If it does receive an overhaul worthy of Fritz, it would probably be my first choice for future visits.

Hopefully others will have more first hand recommendations. (And I hope you enjoy your trip!)

[This message has been edited by sk3 (edited 09-23-2003).]