Any recommendations for a hotel for a weekend in mid-October? I have a booking at the Raphael which at EUR220 seems very expensive. I would prefer somewhere less costly,with more character - recognizing that I don't speak a word of Italian.

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).]

Try doing a hotel search on www.venere.com and on www.hotelclub.net I've had good success on each. You should be able to get a decent hotel at a good price at either of these websites.

I don't understand what you mean with "character", then...
The character is nopt to be searched between your room's wall, but outside, cause Rome is a city to be lived wandering all around.
Raphael is a very good choice, a minute walk to piazza Navona in a very quiet, reserved and intimate ambience: a former italian Prime Minister used to live there...
My suggestion (if you are not deeply involved with miles/points obsession and if you are going to stay a while) is to take a more relaxing staying in Aventino quartier(FYI the place I love the best - you can find 3 hotels with good rates at www.aventinohotels.com): a very quite zone facing Palatino hill through Circo Massimo, just outside the main core of the city (1/2mile) and within little walking distances from underground/bus. It would be a little uneasier than staying at piazza Navona, but, I repeat, I did not understand what you are seeking out in Rome.
And did you know something about the astonishing view from "Cavalieri dell'Ordine di Malta" entrance door's keyhole?
That's worth...
Trastevere could have the character you're searching for so you can hop on www.paginegialle.it and enter "albergo" in the "cosa" field and "00153" "dove" field: it would be shown a great number of hotels in a wider part including Aventino, the new and the old Trastevere.
Enjoy Rome you all
Antonio

OK....plenty of good advice here, thanks. Perhaps I'll stay there after all.

hi antonio - i don't know about this, could you share with us what we'd see?

Very cool, it's good to see a roman endorse the same hotels as travel guides! (The Villa San Pio is one of Aventine hotels that Antonio referred).

In case any one is interested in this hotel I see that the Romeby.com site is offering a special rate (�114 for a double for weekends) as opposed to the standard rate of �197). Here's a link that should bring you right to the special offer: http://romeby.com/hotelvillaspio/pages/booking.htm

And about this romeby site, like I said above I've never stayed at this property, but I did make a reservation (later changed because I'm too addicted to miles and points). But the correspondence I had with the hotel was great and the Romeby.com tie in seemed to work very well.

I can recommend Pace Helvezia. I found it at venere.com and stayed there last year. It is very central and pleasant, although rooms on lower floors facing the street might get noisy (it's on a major street). Their breakfast, in particular, is quite nice. It was under renovation when I stayed there, but I believe that's now complete. They seem to be charging about �140.

Why should I have to enlight you all about this?
For those who will have the chance to spend some time in Rome I swear it will be a very impressive experience...Trust me once, and get rid of this "I have to plan all that stuff in advance" mentality.
The problem is that more and more often I read about people that always care too much in what they have to see or in what they are scared to miss. Europe, as you all can teach me, is not a lifetime dream trip and more affordable than some time ago...Why don't you throw away your guide and live the place you visit only with your senses and feelings? A more personal experience...
Rome, in particular, is a place where it's worth to wander without a goal, to escape from main tourist tracks, to walk your head way up looking at the fa�ades, to search for little churches, cul de sacs, hidden gardens you will never be able to find out on a guide.
sk3, I'd better say [b]It good to see a guide endorse the same hotels as a Roman[B]: I do not work in travel/accomodation, but I do know something more about the city than people who write guides because I live there and they don't, and I do love Rome while editors print guides to make their $ business.
I'm sorry for my presumption...

I agree with you - for me, my most enjoyable experiences are the ones that just happen - without being planned. I personally despise keeping to any kind of schedule or having a fixed itinerary. But you brought something up - a roman made a recommendation - so I wanted to know more. (Where you typed it - after you were talking about the Raphael and before you were talking about the Aventine made it confusing as to where this keyhole is located). I certainly didn't mean to aggravate you. I apologize.

[This message has been edited by sk3 (edited 09-25-2003).]

The Palace of "Sovrano Militare dell'Ordine di Malta" is located in Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, in the Aventino Hill, near S. Anselmo and S. Sabina churches.

I agree 100%. However, just imagen, you arrive in Rome (Paris ...), having no hotel reservation, no clue... It can be a nightmare, especially in larger cities. In small villages it's O.K.
Bottom line: I make a hotel reservation in large cities, at least for the first night.
Next, when you want to have dinner in one of the good restaurants, you have to make a reservation well in advance.

I was talking mostly of prearranged guided-tours, restaurant planning and detailed list of "have to do". Not in hotel seeking. Accomodation in Rome could be a problem: never in off-peak season, quality/price ratios a little bit under the average (well, if you all have made your homebase at Westin or Hilton you do not ever care....).
Restauration is not: Rome can count a few top-restaurants (elite or haute-cuisine) but an innumerable variety of very good and affordable restaurants. I just seldom reserve a place in advance and never mind if the place I was searching for has no place available; I'd go at his neighbour .
I consider the "advance-planning" mentality consisting also of going where people had gone and told.
No more space to surprise and imagination.
I will open a discussion thread upon the meaning of vacation/holiday for all FTs.
Enjoy Rome as usual.

The Domus Mariae is very nice and less than 220 Euros.

It's in a nice, quiet park area near the Vatican, a couple blocks from a metro stop.

Euro 220 is a lot of money. I made a trial booking (for middle of Oct.) and could get a double room for $122.66
The location (near Vatican) is O.K., but not my favorite.
I booked **** Nova Domus at Priceline.com for about $100, also near Vatican, we cold walk to the bus and underground station. The hotel was O.K., the people at the desk are very, very friendly.