Hotels in Rome

[FionaMG]

We have just returned from our cruise on Odyssey of the Seas to the Greek Isles. This thread was extremely useful to me when researching where to stay pre-cruise and we ended up choosing a hotel that has been mentioned in passing on this thread but no real information. So with that in mind, here is a quick review of the hotel that I am cross-posting from my live thread. I hope it will be useful.

 

Our pre-cruise hotel:

 

We stayed at the Hotel Lancelot (https://www.lancelothotel.com/). The reason for choosing this one was mainly its proximity to the Colosseum, which we (read "I" ) really wanted to visit. Someone had mentioned it over on the "Hotels in Rome" thread on the ports of call board, so I did some research and thought it met our needs. It was reasonably priced (for Rome), had decent reviews and was literally a 3-minute walk from the Colosseum.

 

The owner was very responsive and helpful and the staff were lovely. The hotel does have a couple of rooms on the top floor (there is a minuscule lift) with a balcony and view of the Colosseum but they come at a premium and were not available on our dates anyway. It also has several family rooms that can sleep two adults and two kids.

Our room was a spacious corner room with a street view and a narrow wrap-around balcony. This being a traditional hotel, all the rooms are different.

 

Our room:

 

The Colosseum is a 3-minute walk down this street:

 

The social area that you go through to get into the dining room.

 

 

There was a decent included continental breakfast (no hot items) and the hotel has a convivial dinner on some nights, at a reasonable price - €25 for three courses including wine and coffee. We arrived too late on the first night but enjoyed it on the second night. The tables are shared, like on board the ship, and we very much enjoyed chatting to our table mates, a mum and daughter, respectively from Pittsburgh and Seattle.

 

We felt very welcome and would definitely recommend and consider staying here again.

[FLCruiser97]

Good review @FionaMG. We will be staying down the street from Hotel Lancelot at the Hotel Capo d'Africa. Does anyone have any reviews on this hotel? I have not seen any on this thread.

[taylortime05]

On 3/30/2022 at 8:20 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

With five nights in Rome I think it is worth considering using points to save a significant chunk of $$, as long as it is not too much of a compromise in terms of location. I am not familiar with the specific hotel, but Cosmopolita is in a good location in the center of things. I see no reason not to book it if you're happy with the reviews.

Hi Cruisemom42,

 

I’m so bummed.  We had Cosmopolita booked for our 5 nights pre cruise.  We just got notified that they will not be ready to open until July 1st.  We were using points.  The only Hilton property available with points is Hilton Garden Inn Rome Claridge.  It’s so frustrating because when I made our original reservation I had more options available.  It’s really important to us to be in a good central location. We’re ok with paying instead of points at this point.   Do you have any hotels you’d recommend?  Thank you so much. 

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

Hi Cruisemom42,

 

I’m so bummed.  We had Cosmopolita booked for our 5 nights pre cruise.  We just got notified that they will not be ready to open until July 1st.  We were using points.  The only Hilton property available with points is Hilton Garden Inn Rome Claridge.  It’s so frustrating because when I made our original reservation I had more options available.  It’s really important to us to be in a good central location. We’re ok with paying instead of points at this point.   Do you have any hotels you’d recommend?  Thank you so much. 

 

Oh that's got to be very disappointing, sorry to hear it.

 

If you can take a few minutes to read through this thread, there are several hotels that I've recommended again and again at several different price points -- from my absolute favorite Albergo del Senato to the perfectly fine Albergo Santa Chiara and the more budget Hotel Smeraldo and Hotel Navona. All are very centrally located near the Pantheon (in the case of Hotel Smeraldo a bit closer to Campo dei Fiori).

[taylortime05]

11 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Oh that's got to be very disappointing, sorry to hear it.

 

If you can take a few minutes to read through this thread, there are several hotels that I've recommended again and again at several different price points -- from my absolute favorite Albergo del Senato to the perfectly fine Albergo Santa Chiara and the more budget Hotel Smeraldo and Hotel Navona. All are very centrally located near the Pantheon (in the case of Hotel Smeraldo a bit closer to Campo dei Fiori).

Hi Cruisemom42,

 

Albergo del Senato is available.  The only room type they have available is a double room for 1534.27 for 5 nights.  It’s prepaid but cancellable.  Are the rooms air conditioned?  

 

Albergo Santa Chiara is also available for 1200.  

 

I think I’ll go with Albergo del Senato based on your recommendation and the wonderful trip advisor reviews.  

 

Thank you!

[cruisemom42]

51 minutes ago, taylortime05 said:

Albergo del Senato is available.  The only room type they have available is a double room for 1534.27 for 5 nights.  It’s prepaid but cancellable.  Are the rooms air conditioned?  

 

Yes, rooms are air conditioned at Albergo del Senato. 

[taylortime05]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Yes, rooms are air conditioned at Albergo del Senato. 

Thank you.  I booked it.  I’m relieved that they had availability.  I’m still little frustrated that the Hotel Cosmopolita Roma reservation was cancelled since I booked that using points.   They told me that someone from Hilton Relocation department would be contacting me.  But I’ve read a few posts that they are not usually very helpful and will only offer to give you some points for the inconvenience.  

 

I would love for you to look at my itinerary and provide your feedback if you have time.    Can I post it as a new question on the Italy page?  

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

I would love for you to look at my itinerary and provide your feedback if you have time.    Can I post it as a new question on the Italy page?  

 

Sure, I check in just about every day unless I'm traveling. 😁

[CruzerDeb]

Albergo del Senato and Athens Gate hotels question:  do either or both of these hotels provide hair dryers in the room?  Trying to decide if I need a voltage converter as well as plug adapter. 

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, CruzerDeb said:

Albergo del Senato and Athens Gate hotels question:  do either or both of these hotels provide hair dryers in the room?  Trying to decide if I need a voltage converter as well as plug adapter. 

 

 I know the del Senato does (as evidenced in photo below, on the wall by the towel warmer):

 

 

 

For Athens Gate, I just popped over to the hotel website and looked at several room categories from budget to deluxe and all list a hair dryer as an included amenity.

 

 

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, CruzerDeb said:

Albergo del Senato and Athens Gate hotels question:  do either or both of these hotels provide hair dryers in the room?  Trying to decide if I need a voltage converter as well as plug adapter. 

 

Although I don't see a hair dryer mentioned on Albergo del Senato's website or in their booking confirmation they may very well offer one.  Some travel booking sites do mention a hair dryer.

 

I suggest you email both hotels for the most up to date information.

 

For what it's worth, we haven't use a voltage converter in many years.  My DW brings a dual-voltage hair dryer on trips to Europe for use in hotels and onboard ships.  All the electronics we bring are dual-voltage also.  For us, voltage converters are a thing of the past.

[CruzerDeb]

Thanks for the info @cruisemom42and @-Lew-. I appreciate it! 

[Gimpy McFarlan]

Shout out to @cruisemom42 for the hotel recommendations in this thread.  We stayed at Hotel Artemide in Rome and Hotel Papadopoli in Venice prior to our May 13th Celebrity cruise around the Adriatic Sea.  We absolutely loved both hotels and would stay in each again in a heartbeat.  The locations of each hotel were perfect for us.  Artemide was close walking distance from the ancient sites and we were able to get a taxi easily from Via Nationale.  Papadopoli was far enough away from the grande canal to be quiet yet close enough to have quick easy access to vaparettos.  We especially loved the rooftop restaurant on Artemide and the garden restaurant in Papadopoli.  The weather in Venice was so nice they almost always had the doors open so we could enjoy breakfast in fresh air.  Bravo!

[cruisemom42]

19 hours ago, Gimpy McFarlan said:

We absolutely loved both hotels and would stay in each again in a heartbeat.  The locations of each hotel were perfect for us.

 

So glad that you enjoyed your travels and that the hotels worked out well for you. I hope you'll stick around and share any other highlights or tips on this forum as well. 

[klfhngr]

As promised, quick update: We stayed at the Albergo del Senato on May 11-13th., it was awesome! Might be a little on the high end in price, but it is so much worth it! We had a view of the Pantheon and the square/piazza(?). The service was top notch. Front Desk was very helpful when we had questions. The room, not large, was very nice, AC worked great and comfy beds. The girls in the breakfast restaurant were amazing, great espresso and really decent food! The rooftop bar was our favorite! The drinks that Michele (Michael) made for us were AWESOME, he got us hooked on Aperol Spritz! We'd definitely stay here again on our next visit. 

 

Thank you CruiseMom for your recommendation!

Edited June 3, 2022 by klfhngr

[klfhngr]

On 4/22/2022 at 11:36 PM, koolforkatz said:

Based on the recommendations here we are also staying there in June and will update. Looking forward to it. 

I posted a quick review!

[tonto524]

Trying to decide which hotel to choose for a two night pre-cruise stay.  I want to be within walking distance of the Vatican (morning Scavi tour).  Celebrity offers the Hotel Cicerone, which would include a group transfer to Civi.  But I’m also quite interested in the Starhotel Michelangelo and the small Residenza Paolo VI (both closer to St Peter’s).  Pricing is pretty similar once I add in transfers.  Can anyone offer their opinion on any or all of these options?  Concerned a bit about restaurants, etc. Thanks so much.

 

[klfhngr]

Some pix from Albergo del Senato

[KENLORJUS]

On 5/24/2022 at 12:28 PM, taylortime05 said:

Thank you.  I booked it.  I’m relieved that they had availability.  I’m still little frustrated that the Hotel Cosmopolita Roma reservation was cancelled since I booked that using points.   They told me that someone from Hilton Relocation department would be contacting me.  But I’ve read a few posts that they are not usually very helpful and will only offer to give you some points for the inconvenience.  

 

I would love for you to look at my itinerary and provide your feedback if you have time.    Can I post it as a new question on the Italy page?  

We are also staying at Albergo del Senato first week in August.

[KENLORJUS]

On 6/3/2022 at 10:35 AM, klfhngr said:

As promised, quick update: We stayed at the Albergo del Senato on May 11-13th., it was awesome! Might be a little on the high end in price, but it is so much worth it! We had a view of the Pantheon and the square/piazza(?). The service was top notch. Front Desk was very helpful when we had questions. The room, not large, was very nice, AC worked great and comfy beds. The girls in the breakfast restaurant were amazing, great espresso and really decent food! The rooftop bar was our favorite! The drinks that Michele (Michael) made for us were AWESOME, he got us hooked on Aperol Spritz! We'd definitely stay here again on our next visit. 

 

Thank you CruiseMom for your recommendation!

Can you tell me where you got your covid test, was it for RCCL ship and was it two days prior to the cruise?  Thanks for the nice response, we are looking forward to staying at Albergo del Senato in early August.

 

Kent

[CruzerDeb]

Thanks @klfhngrfor the great pictures of Albergo del Senato! I will be arriving there for a 3-night stay NEXT WEDNESDAY!!! Yippee!

[klfhngr]

15 hours ago, KENLORJUS said:

Can you tell me where you got your covid test, was it for RCCL ship and was it two days prior to the cruise?  Thanks for the nice response, we are looking forward to staying at Albergo del Senato in early August.

 

Kent

Hello, it was for a Celebrity cruise, 1 day before. We took it here, it was a short 10 minute walk and quick!

 

The Farmacia del Corso ( Via del Corso 242 )

[-Lew-]

20 minutes ago, klfhngr said:

Hello, it was for a Celebrity cruise, 1 day before. We took it here, it was a short 10 minute walk and quick!

 

The Farmacia del Corso ( Via del Corso 242 )

 

Thank you.  We've walked by Antica Farmacia del Corso many times.

 

Will likely use that farmacia before our Edge cruise on October 2nd if a test is still necessary.  Do you recall how much they charged?

[CruzerDeb]

26 minutes ago, klfhngr said:

Hello, it was for a Celebrity cruise, 1 day before. We took it here, it was a short 10 minute walk and quick!

 

The Farmacia del Corso ( Via del Corso 242 )

That’s where I’m planning on getting mine as well. Recommended by the hotel. So glad it worked out okay!

[dani negreanu]

15 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

Do you recall how much they charged?

 

It is supposed to be a fixed charge -- 22 Euro pp.