Travel Tip Tuesday – Finding Rome Accommodation
Staying in Rome can be very expensive! Most first time visitors want to stay right in the middle of the action, which of course is the tourist area and therefore commands higher prices.
On our first trip to Rome, we picked a Frommer's recommended hotel near the Piazza Navona and paid $150/night- five years ago. We hated it. The unhelpful Australian owner enjoyed picking fights with guests, the breakfast was stale crackers in a sterile cafeteria-style dining room, the room was tiny and lackluster and I was surprised that our bed wasn't advertised as a waterbed due to its proximity to the standing-room-only bathroom.
Who wants to spend beaucoup bucks on a hotel like that?! One that you probably won't even see the likes of for most of your trip- except to sleep and shower.
Not me baby- I like to save my hard earned money for the f-o-o-d!
I recommend that you think outside of the box and outside the city center.
A charming bed & breakfast or apartment in a Roman neighborhood can be a great alternative! You'll enjoy more local flavor and if you do your homework, you'll get a much nicer place, with better amenities, a stylish address and a nice owner who really cares about your visit- for less than that other hotel.
Venere is a popular site and obvious choice for accommodation, but here are some lesser known options that caught my eye.
- VRBO, Vacation Rentals By Owner, lets you deal directly with the owners of the apartment. Scads of available rentals for Rome organized by neighborhood or number of bedrooms. Easy to read symbols and lots and lots of photos make this one really user friendly.
- How can you go wrong with a name like Rome Sweet Home? This one has over 500 self-catering apartments. Reserve online 24 hours a day- or you can call them directly- they speak 5 languages.
- Rental in Rome has some of the most beautiful apartments at some downright bargain prices. Most are higher quality than others I have seen, so book early- these get scooped up quickly. They boast 700 locations and offer studios, lofts, penthouses, villas- even castles and offer short and long term rental.
- Slow Travel, affiliated with Slow Food, has a classified section for vacation rentals in Rome. Members also review apartments and b&bs- creating quite an extensive list.
- BBplanet, has over 1200 listings for bed and breakfasts, apartments and farm holiday houses in Rome. Check availability right online!
- O-Solemio offers both bed and breakfast and apartment rentals in both the city center and the Roman countryside. You may not get the hundreds of listings that some of the others offer- but the quality seems high. And hey- you only need one right place, right?
Happy Hunting!
And feel free to add to my list if you have had success with accommodation in Rome.
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March 24th, 2009
Great, helpful post~! Thank you so much for the links. I look forward to checking them out. T-minus two months and counting to your trip…right? Whoot! lol
P.S. Is it *ever* going to warm up here in the northeast?
March 24th, 2009
You are so welcome!! Hopefully, they can be of use to you someday! Yep, just under the 2 month mark. And this cold weather is killing me, too!! Bring on the Spring
March 24th, 2009
I have been to Rome several times and always stay at The Beehive. A fabulous little hotel owned by an American couple near the Termini station. They have a wonderful cafe and a cute outdoor space for hanging out. The rooms are incredibly clean and so are the bathrooms. They also have a cute lounge with free internet access. I love this place and highly recommend it. They also have apartments you can rent in Rome and a service called cross-pollinate that has apartments in Florence and I think Venice.
March 25th, 2009
Jenny, thanks for sharing. I can’t believe I left them off the list! Those are two wonderful resources. I considered The Beehive, but if I am not mistaken- they have shared baths- and I admit- I haven’t been reduced to that much of a budget traveler….yet
March 25th, 2009
I am now trying to remember the name and location of the hotel we stayed in, certainly our experience was a lot better than yours and the price was reasonable. It was just outside the central areas, but this is not a problem in Rome as it is usually easy to hop on the Metro, so people should not be afraid of this, just make sure you are near an underground station.
Generally also avoid the central tourist areas for eating, they are over priced and not so fresh.
March 25th, 2009
Great advice- thanks for your thoughts Wonderwilm!