The Hotel Locarno is on the high end of a moderately priced hotel. I like the location and and the rooms  are comfortable. The hotel use to be cheaper, but then again Rome use to be cheaper. It seems overall prices in Rome have gone up a lot in recent years so there is very little one can do about it. I prefer to stay in a nice hotel. I don’t need luxury, but I do need comfort because I am on holiday.  The only complaint I have is the single rooms do tend to be rather on the small side, but the double rooms are quite lovely. There is a cozy bar on the ground floor where you can relax and have a few drinks after spending the day seeing the sites of Rome. A full breakfast buffet is included in the price of the room. Bicycles are available to guests. The hotel is it is located on a quite side street off of the Piazza del Popolo. Above the piazza there are the beautiful Pincio gardens and beyond them the grounds of the Villa Borghese. The  Spanish Steps (especially beautiful when azaleas line the steps) is a short walk down the Via del Babuino. The Via Condotti and other streets around The Spanish Steps are lined with shops and boutiques. There are   two subway stations nearby, the Flaminio and the Spagna. The Piazza Navona and the Vatican are a 10 to 15 minute walk away as are most of the other major attractions.

Another 3 star hotel is the The Hotel Santa Maria in Trastevere. The hotel is one floor and is a former 16th century convent. The rooms open onto a lovely courtyard filled with flowers, plants and orange trees. When the weather permits breakfast is served in the courtyard. 

An alternative to staying in a hotel is to rent an apartment. I found I did save money and these days with Rome becoming more and more expensive, every little bit helps. The trade off is your don’t get the service you would receive while staying at a hotel, but I found having a kitchen was extremely convenient.  The first apartment I rented I went through a company called Rental in Rome. They even arranged a private car (for an extra fee - though quite reasonable) to pick-me up at the airport when I arrived and also arranged a car to take me to airport when I was leaving. I found the apartment quite lovely and I had no problems with booking the apartment. The second time I rented an apartment I went through a company called Papavero Rentals. The apartment was on Via Frattina (near the Spanish Steps) and was fabulous. Once again I had no problems with booking and the confirmation packet included restaurant recommendations. Papavero Rental’s offices are located in Pennsylvania and Rental in Rome’s offices are located in Italy. Both websites offer an excellent selection of apartments (studios, 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms and so on) in different price ranges.

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