European Hotel Recommendations

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

Ok, I will be traveling to Rome, staying three nights, then Prague, spending four nights. I Rome I would like to say near the major sites I want to see, namely the vatican and ruins, in a nice hotel, but one that is a good value for the money. There will be four of us.

Then on to Prague. I want to stay in or very close to Old Town. I know that is the most expensive area, but we are visiting my son who is studying abroad and he is in old town, so we thought as close as possible. Same criteria. Nice, but decent value.

Any suggestions?

#2

When are you going? Hotels in Rome are not too expensive this time of year. My travel agency showed me a list of simple hotels in the centre costing around 50-60 Euro per person per night (2-person rooms). (1 Euro is approximately 1 dollar), which looked decent to me. I haven’t got the list with me right now, though.

My travel guide shows two simple and cheap hotels in the centre as well (50-100 Euro):

  • Campo de Fiori, Via dei Chiavari 32, 06-68802560
  • Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda 69, 06-6792021.
    Maybe you son could check these out to see whether these are any good. The travel guide is from 2003 and I consider it to be reliable.

Bear in mind, thought, that these are not Holiday Inn style hotels. European style is more like rebuilt mansions: simple, clean rooms, which need not have amenities like television or mini-bar. Toilet and bathroom in the room are usually available, but you should check for that too.

#3

I’ve stayed in Prague twice, but not recently. The usual chain hotels – Marriott and Renaissance – are pretty decent value and quite close to everything. There are some nice bargain hotels, but generally more than a quick walk from anywhere. I stayed at one, the Hotel Julian, but it was some distance from the Old Town.

#4

Slight digress. I have never considered a mini-bar an amenity. To my mind there are a way of parting you from your money for over-priced drinks and snacks. You could just as well say a slot in the wall where you can empty all your loose change , never to see it again , is an emenity.

Going back to the subject try looking as such sites as Expedia or Octupus ( http://www.octopustravel.com/ ) for good bargains in city-centre hotels.

#5

The following site has fun descriptions of neighborhoods and lodging and is a good source:

#6

Make sure you tell them you want “American” accommodations. That is, you get a private bathroom. :slight_smile:

#7

This site seems pretty comprehensive re: hotels. I haven’t actually booked through it, but it seems pretty thorough, and there are reader reviews.
http://www.venere.com/index.html.en

#8

I already done so on this board, but once again, I would advise you to check the “europe” message board on www.fodors.com and ask your question there. It’s a very active travel board, and questions like yours are routinely answered to (actually, there’s probably someone asking about hotels in Rome every other day). Beside, posters usually have actually stayed in the hotels they mention.

Make sure to give an estimate of your hotel budget. I noticed that depending on who’s answering, the word “cheap” can have extremely different meaning, for instance (ranging from say, 20 /night to 150 /night).

#9

Thanks, I didn’t know about Fodors.com, but have just registered and will be asking that question. Also, it has excellent and extensive information about hotels and the like. Thanks so much for the tip.