Recommended Rome hotels and hostels that offer good value

06 Oct, 2011  |   Comments (0)  |   Add a comment

Rome is a huge city, with over 1,200 hotels not including small B&Bs and pensions. It’s also very spread out, with hotels located in almost every district, so finding an ideal location in a reasonably priced accommodation can be very tricky to say the least.

This is part of our Recommended Hotels and Hostels series, where we try to save you time by giving you the choice of 5 great hotels (each in a different price range) and 2 great hostels. As frequent visitors to Rome we know which neighborhoods and best and which are best to avoid, even for those on the lowest of budgets. Prices in Rome are generally quite high, but fortunately some of the finest hotels offer very good rates at times.

If you are touring Europe you might also be interested in our recommended Paris hotels, recommended Amsterdam hotels, and recommended London hotels. Each list will provide a short list of hotels and hostels where you can’t go wrong.

Basically, these hotels and hostels all…

• Are well located
• Are very good value in their category
• Receive among the best reviews in their category

We’ve spent many hours going through all the factors to choose the places we’d try to book on our own next trip.

2 Highly recommended Rome hostels

TwinCities Hostel

–The best cheap beds in Rome–

If you are a backpacker trying to keep his or her expenses to a minimum then the TwinCities Hostel is a perfect choice. It’s a small hostel with a shared living room, shared kitchen, free coffee & tea & cereal all day, and free wi-fi. The location may not be the most convenient in all of Rome, but at this price it’s better than you might expect.

Most past guests are quite happy with their stay at the TwinCities, and by far the best feature seems to be Francesco, the owner, who really looks after guests in a friendly and helpful way. At some larger hostels it can be difficult to get useful advice from a staff member, but at the TwinCities it seems to come easy.

Beds starting at €13.50, including breakfast
Book TwinCities Hostel with Hostelbookers.com – Best prices, no booking fees

Rome Accommodation Hostel

–The city’s highest rated hostel offers great value–

Located in a historic building very near Rome’s Termini (main) train station, the Rome Accommodation Hostel offers very reasonably priced beds considering that it’s the city’s highest-rated hostel by past guests. This is another smaller hostel in a mostly-unmarked building, but once inside you’ll find everything you need in a spotless and comfortable setting.

There’s a common living room and kitchen, plus a rather large breakfast and wi-fi available. The staff here get very high marks from nearly all past guests, which is certainly not true in many Rome hostels. The location in the budget-travelers neighborohood near the train station means that cheap food and drinks are nearby and it’s fast and easy to get in and out of the city as well.

Beds starting at €18, including breakfast
Book Rome Accommodation Hostel with Hostelbookers.com – Best prices, no booking fees

5 Highly recommended Rome hotels

Note: Hotel “starting at” prices listed below were the cheapest I could find for each hotel, usually for a single room. It’s likely your dates will show higher prices, especially for a double room, but this doesn’t mean it’s not a great deal. Please compare prices you are quoted to prices of similar hotels and you’ll usually find that these are bargains.

Auditorium di Mecenate – 2*

–Amazing value at small and popular hotel–

In this price category there’s no way to beat the Auditorium di Mecenate. It’s basic, but it has a great location near the Termini Station, and the staff routinely get rave reviews from previous guests. There’s only 10 total rooms, which helps with personalized service and recommendations that flow freely from the owner and others.

A short walk from the Vittorio Emanuele Metro Station, which is one quick stop from the Termini Station puts the Auditorium di Mecenate in a friendly and authentic neighborhood that is more pleasant than the streets immediately around Termini. A free breakfast is brought to your room each morning, and free wi-fi is available as well.

Rooms starting at €56 per night, including breakfast
Click to find best rates for the Auditorium di Mecenate

Hotel Golden Rome – 2*

–Spotless family-run hotel in the center–

Located just at the edge of the Borghese Gardens, the Hotel Golden Rome has an ideal location a short walk from this historic park, but also an easy walk to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. This is a small, family-run hotel where the service is as friendly as it gets for non-Italian speakers in Rome.

The included breakfast is cooked by the matriarch each morning, and it gets very high marks from guests. There’s also free wi-fi in the hotel, though rooms are a bit on the small side, which is typical of all Rome hotels, especially anything in this price range. If you want a very well run and comfortable budget hotel then the Golden Rome is an ideal choice.

Rooms starting at €74 per night, including breakfast
Click to find best rates for the Hotel Golden

IQ Hotel Roma – 4*

–Modern 4-star with great specials at times–

Located near the Termini Train station, the IQ Hotel Roma is a new and modern hotel that is quite popular and very unusual in Rome. Room rates are justifiably high much of the time, but they have online specials that bring it down below the price of most 3-star hotels with far fewer features.

There’s a breakfast buffet available, but the most interesting hook is that they have a small army of vending machines, where snacks, drinks (including wine), and other small items are available at very reasonable prices. There’s free wi-fi and a large flatscreen TV in each room, plus the staff get very high marks for service and English-language ability. You also get free access to their gym and sauna, and there’s a self-service laundry. If you are lucky enough to see their low room rates on your preferred dates, the IQ Hotel Roma is a great bargain.

Rooms starting at €105 per night
Click to find best rates for the iQ Hotel Roma

Deko Rome Guest House – 4*

–Rome’s top-ranked hotel is surprisingly cheap–

Out of more than 1,200 hotels in Rome, the Deko Rome Guest House is rated number one on TripAdvisor, with excellent ratings from nearly every guest. This is truly a special place, partly because prices are quite reasonable as well. It’s on the second floor of a historic building in the heart of Rome, with a very upscale shopping district just steps away.

Unlike the vast majority of hotels in Rome, rooms at the Deko Rome Guest House are actually reasonably large, and each is appointed in minimal chic furnishings. It’s all very beautiful and classy, but it’s the two hosts that get the most raves from past guests. They’ll help you find the absolute best restaurants and shops in this fantastic neighborhood, all at unusually competitive room rates.

Rooms starting at €138 per night
Click to find best rates for the Deko Rome Guest House

Artemide Hotel – 4*

–Elegant 4-star with appealing rates–

Those looking for a conveniently located and extremely reliable 4-star hotel should love the Artemide Hotel. It’s located only a 10-minute easy walk from the Termini train station, and also about the same distance from the Coliseum and Ancient Rome so most people won’t have to deal with taxis or the metro for most sightseeing and shopping. The rooms are relatively large and each includes a free minibar that is restocked daily with water, soft drinks, and snacks.

Unusually, each guest at the Artemide gets a complimentary (large) American-style breakfast as well, which is quite a money-saver for those who like more than a roll and coffee before they spend the day marching between sights. The staff gets extremely high marks as well for making guests feel at home, which is the main reason this is one of the top 10 best-reviewed hotels in Rome, at quite a reasonable rate for a luxurious 4-star.

Rooms starting at €143 per night, including full American breakfast
Click to find best rates for the Residenza Cellini

Interactive map of the above hotels and hostels

(scroll down on map to see the TwinCities Hostel)

View Recommended Rome hotels and hostels in a larger map

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