TominLazybrook

If anyone is looking for a moderately priced hotel near the Vatican, with comfortable beds, adequate A/C, and a functional bathroom...the Orange Hotel is pretty good.

DrBillAtwood

Greetings all!
Staying with my wife at:
Hilton Garden Inn Rome Claridge
Viale Liegi 62
Rome, 00198 Italy
in November. Have a bit of time to bounce around Rome. Looking for suggestions. Here are available times:
Sunday Afternoon (should arrive at the hotel by noon).
Monday Afternoon (Sistine Chapel Tour & St. Peters small group tour Monday morning.)
Tuesday day up until about 4:00 pm, then headed to airport.

First time to Rome for my wife. Colosseum? Other places? Not big on crowds.
Also, looking for restaurant recommendations near the hotel and lunch or dinner recommendations near Trevi Fountain. (Prefer quiet with great food. Not necessarily expensive.) Other thoughts? With limited time, some recommendations would be very helpful.

Perche

There is a lot of information about Rome and its food on this forum. The most useful piece of advice would be to get out of the Hilton Garden Inn because while it's technically in Rome, you are actually about a 45 minute walk away from the historic center.

Perhaps you are going for a business meeting. I've done that many times, and the meetings are usually in a terribly located place like the Sheraton, or the Hilton Garden Inn. I've always found it better to stay in the center and take transportation back and forth to the meeting, than to stay in a bad place and take transportation back and forth into the parts of Rome where you should be.

mbluecpa

Has anyone stayed recently post renovations? How have they turned out?

Also, how is the area of this hotel? Is it walkable to main sights in Rome? Thanks in advance!

Some recent/post-renovation observations and discussion of location in the SPG forum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...-thread-8.html

I haven't stayed post-renovation, so I'll stay out of that. I'll comment generally that I've stayed there, it's a very nice hotel, but that I'm probably not willing to spend what it costs in the future. It's very old world luxury, and while I value a nice place to sleep, we tend not to spend significant time in city hotels (versus a resort somewhere more isolated) so I just don't think I'm the market for this.

You'll probably get mixed reactions to the location, so this is just my two cents. The location is fine - walkable to Termini without being too close to it, and my opinion of the value in that has gone up since the Mercato Centrale opened up there. Walking to the shopping on Via Veneto is also very convenient. It's not a bad walk to the Villa Borghese. It's a little further to the common tourist sites, but still walkable for the average person. In essence, I wouldn't pick it for its location unless I were going on a shopping trip, wanting something higher end convenient to the train station OR really wanted to burn some SPG points (since last I checked, it's not too much more than the nearby Westin when redeeming points). I think it really comes down to whether you want a hotel with a classic feel and lots of service.

If you are on a business trip and are going to be staying in a conference room all day, and going to company dinners at night so that location doesn't matter, then it's OK. But for someone going to Rome to enjoy the city, it's in a terrible location.

It's not that bad. I once lit a whole bunch of SPG points to stay there on our honeymoon. We spent very little time at the hotel, lots of walking, but doable.

I'd echo your comments verbatim for the Hilton Cavalieri and hotels out that way.

I wouldn't personally stay in that neighborhood. mbluecpa provided a great link. It takes you to a 2010 FT page with reviews, where some say it was great, and others say it was bad. You can then click on the last page and see the post renovation reviews.

If the OP is just looking to stay at a hotel, the St. Regis would be fine, especially if redeeming points. If paying cash, I think people can do much better. It would depend on whether the main purpose of the trip is to enjoy the hotel amenities, or to be out and about seeing Rome.

in the link that mbluecpa provided you can see the 2010 reviews and the post-renovation reviews are similar; concierges sending people to restaurants where no one speaks Italian and everyone eating there seems to have been told to go there by the concierge of whatever hotel they were staying at, or commenting that it's not in a nice neighborhood, it's in a boring neighborhood, etc. There are too many troubling reviews both pre- and post-renovation.

I agree with PWMTrav on this part of what he said, "lots of walking, but doable." There is "lots of walking" because it isn't located in a neighborhood where you would want to be.

I don't care how good a hotel is, in my opinion location is critical. If you shop and want to buy something, do you want to carry it around with you all day, or be in a nicely located hotel where you can go back and drop it off, or maybe head back to your hotel to change your clothes because of a change in the weather, or just to have a place to rest". I don't care how "good the breakfast is," or if you get a free massage: if the location isn't good I wouldn't stay there, unless it was a points deal or something like that where you are not directly paying cash out of pocket.

I think it's better choose the neighborhood you want, then find the best hotel deal in that neighborhood, rather than just search for the best hotel. To choose a neighborhood located between Piazza Barberini and Piazza della Repubblica (meaning the plaza outside Roma Termini train station), almost defeats the purpose of going to Rome.

Barberini and Repubblica are giant city streets full of buses, taxis, horn-honking cars, fast food places, and chain stores like Zara, H&M, and other trendy clothing stores with brands you can buy at any mall in the USA. People go to Rome to be near its marvelous fountains, its great places for food, its quaint neighborhoods, it's antiquities, and not for the hotel. I'm not saying this is true for everybody's tastes, but when visiting Rome, location takes precedence over most other things. The best thing is to find a great hotel in a great location, rather than a marginal hotel in a marginal location.

I'd stay at a slightly lesser place where you can walk outside and stop at a great cafe to have coffee and pastry, or in the evening stopping for a glass of wine, not at hotels near giant plazas with 6-8 lane streets that a pedestrian can't cross on one green light, so they have to have an island in the middle so that the pedestrian can wait for the light to turn green for them again. Not at a place where if you step outside at night all of the chain commercial stores are closed, and the only place to have a coffee or a glass of wine is to go back to the hotel.

Rome is full of romantic places and I wouldn't personally settle for that, unless it was on points to help make the trip possible.

If the purpose of the trip is that it is free because the company is paying, or because it is a points redemption, or the main purpose is to experience hotel amenities and not to see Rome, certainly. Otherwise, it is not the place to be.

Stewie Mac

We looked at Airbnb for our stay last week, but our three night stay became a two night stay (went to visit friends in Casperia for one night), so with an early arrival and late afternoon departure decided that a hotel, where we could leave bags before/after, would be easier.

I can heartily recommend Relais Maddalena, a very small hotel/large B&B a hundred yards north of the Pantheon. No bar or restaurant, but who needs those in the middle of Rome? Absolutely the right place to be, in the very heart of everything.

senzer

OP here - thanks everyone for the good and super helpful feedback.

We were in fact using SPG points to book the property, which will be the last two nights of a 8 night trip to Florence/Tuscany/Rome.

We have both been to Italy (and Rome), but are looking for a quick refresher on some tourist sites (Coliseum, Trevino Fountain) and some good eating and shopping (not luxury, but boutiques and more local stuff).

Someone recommended Palazzo Navona :https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel...el/index.shtml

Has anyone heard of this hotel? How's the location of this one?

Greatly appreciate it!

snic

I'd like to put in a plug for Window on Rome, where we stayed for 2 nights. It's in Trastevere, very close to the Tiber, so it's within walking distance to the Pantheon, the forum, the coliseum, and almost all the major tourist sites. Window on Rome is a small place, just a few rooms, but they are clean, well maintained, have a/c, and, being on the 5th floor of the building, they have excellent views. The rest of the building is, I think, just private apartments and another guesthouse. Guests also get access to the roof terrace, which has spectacular views in the evening. The innkeepers are a charming couple who live on the same floor.

We stayed in the two bedroom apartment, which wasn't quite as spacious as it sounds (there was no separate sitting room, but there's a nice little kitchen), but still plenty for 3 people.

sinfonia

We are looking to use points this stay, but it appears that there is no Starwood, Marriott, or Hilton near Pantheon/Piazza Navona. Is that true?

Also, how unsafe is the area near Boscolo Exedra?

Thank you!

PWMTrav

I don't think there is one, but their websites are the best place to be sure. The only time I've burned points in Rome was at the St. Regis. Rome's a really good city to consider an apartment rental if you want to be near something specific.

The area outside Boscolo Exedra isn't unsafe, IMHO. Piazza della Repubblica is kind of a zoo, but mostly just tourists and people trying to sell .... to tourists. Not the prettiest area (the piazza itself is nice, but always crowded), but I've stayed nearby with no issue (St. Regis is a block up). It's convenient in many respects, particularly if you want to use the metro at all, since the lines cross at Termini. The Mercato Centrale in Termini is a great place to go eat or snack as well.

Perche

I'm not sure why safety would come up as a question. Rome is one of the safest cities in the world. I can think of only a few cities in the USA that are as safe as Rome.

By the numbers, the only safer cities in the USA are NYC, Boston and San Diego. Out of the 161 major cities around the world cities in the USA are always among the most dangerous of any industrialized country. The risk of getting mugged, shot, or killed is much higher if you visit San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Baltimore, Washington DC, Memphis, etc, than if you visit Rome, or any other place in Italy.

Almost regardless of where you are from in the USA when you are in Italy you can relax, because now you are far less likely to be a victim of a crime than if you had stayed at home, unless you live in New York City, one of the few major cities that are safer than Rome. Of course, there are always petty crimes that people set themselves up for like getting pick pocketed, cell phone stolen, or purse snatched, which are almost completely preventable if you use the most basic precautions. See thread on pick pocketing.

The only area where crime is a nuisance is at the train station Termini, a few blocks from Boscolo Exedra.. There are pick pockets at the train station. If you are aware of it, then you won't get pick pocketed, Late at night people do get mugged around Termini, but it's unusual. That's about it.

Your real risk is staying at a terrible place like Boscolo Exedra. If you were going to a business convention then it would be a good place to stay because it has large conference rooms. Or, if you are going to Italy to just stay in the hotel and not go out it would be fine, because it's a nice hotel. But from a functional and esthetic perspective, you couldn't choose a worse location in all of central Rome than staying at the Boscolo Excedra. You will be staying on a huge traffic circle and bus stop with hundreds of buses and taxis parked in front, with horns honking, and emitting pollution. It has no sense of being in Rome. You might as well be in Chicago. Other than a small piece of the ancient wall, there is pretty much no feeling that you are even in Italy. When you go outside it is ugly, and to go anywhere you might want to go it is too far, and unless you are a really good walker, you will need a taxi.

It's safe, the hotel is nice, but the location is very bad for someone going as a tourist, unless it is a tourist who just wants to stay in the hotel and not go out. Most of the USA chain hotels are located a bit too far away from where things are happening. I'm a runner and strong walker, and I know Rome, so I could get from Boscolo to Piazza Navona without getting lost walking for half an hour, and I can get back the same way, cutting through the back streets. I suspect you are going to be needing taxis for everything if you stay out there. Unless you just like staying in the hotel, the only reason I can see for staying there is it's for one night, you're not going out, and you have an early train to catch, because it's just a few blocks from the train station, the only bad neighborhood in central Rome.

maurolscla

Hi guys,

do you have any thoughts on the Boutique Hotel Campo de' Fiori? (I'm not allowed to post url's since I'm a new user)
I have this one booked at 118 euros per night (flexible rate with breakfast included) and I wonder if this is a good option in the 100-130 euros/night price range.
Some facts:

• I'll be travelling with my wife to Rome between 11/feb and 16/feb (5 nights)
• We are good walkers although the weather (winter) is a concern for us
• This will be our first time in Rome

Best regards,

Mauro

KLouis

The only "problem" I see is the overcrowding of the (beautiful) Campo de' fiori. Market and tourists in the morning, tourists in the afternoon and drunk tourists in the evening/night. Other than that, it's centrally located, you can reach almost everything worth seeing in a few minutes (exceptions: Vatican and Colosseo, both about 15-20 minutes away). As for the weather, don't worry. Although it may rain somewhat more often in February, within the first 10 seconds after the first drops fall down, all vu comprar in the city selling tourist cr.p or handbags switch to selling umbrellas. I've alway wondered about the logistics of this operation but that should go into a new thread.

sinfonia

This is all helpful. Thanks for the advice. The more I read on FT, the more it seems an apartment or one of the smaller, local hotels are the way to go. It is unfortunate if you are wanting use points with the big chains.

sinfonia

Perche, as usual, super helpful information. Thank you. I had heard the area near Boscolo had gotten run down but perhaps what the person meant was that it became overrun with tourists and traffic, not unsafe. Thank you for that clarification.

I was disappointed to read that we would need 30 minutes to walk to Piazza Navona or the areas we really would want to be from Boscolo, but appreciative of the information. On the website, it appears as if Boscolo is so centrally located to things tourists want to see, but judging from this entire thread, it really sounds like it may be close to sights but not the quaint part of Rome that tourists want to experience.

Based on the suggestions here, we are going to scrap the Boscolo and stay in a smaller, local hotel suggested here in the Piazza Navona area when we go. Thanks again!

PWMTrav

There's good and bad in that. The downside is that it's hard to burn points in Rome, but the upside is that you will definitely not feel like you're in Chain Hotel #921450921 that looks the same everywhere across the globe. Someone upthread or elsewhere (can't remember) mentioned the G-Rough Hotel - it's newer, a Starwood, but I haven't stayed at it. It's right by Piazza Navona, though. It's all suites, which is a plus, but 30k Starpoints per night, which to me isn't a great value vs the ~400EUR nightly rate, which is itself more than I care to spend in Rome knowing there are other great options for half that.

I personally will keep doing short term apartment rentals. Our last time through Rome we had one near the Spanish Steps that I really liked, and I think we'd just rent the same one next time through.