PLACES
TO STAY
(and Shop)
ROME
The three listed here are two luxury hotels and one great, reasonably priced one. But Rome has many wonderful, small hotels in the heart of the city. Karen Brown's Guides are the best source of these hotels. Her guide to Italy led us to all the places recommended in Itinerary #1 except Rome. Each has a listing on her website www.karenbrown.com. Buy her book.
The hill and trees are part of the hotel! And it's in the middle of
Rome! You think you're in the country, until you go out the door.
Via del
Babuino, 9
Rome 00187
Easy to find; 3 blocks from Spanish Steps
Tel: 06 32 88 81
Fax: 06 32 88 88
http://www.roccofortehotels.com
Okay, a regular room on a low floor will run you $900 and up a night, a junior studio $1,600 [oddly enough, $1200 in July and August when it's hot as hell and a lot of Romans disappear],but this is not only the hottest hotel, it's the best combination of location, luxury, and feeling-at-home in Rome. The Terrace Restaurant is great; the staff in the courtyard will take excellent care of you; and you can walk to the heart of shopping.
Our room was significantly larger than the one in the Aldrovandi (below), and the bathrooms feature temperature-setting showers. We splurged on this one, and maybe we can never afford to go there again. But we'd sure like to.
If your one splurge is going to be in Rome, this is the place to stay.
Okay, so we went back in '04, with a corporate rate, and got upgraded to a suite. That's because of the crush of fans outside the hotel (though kept back by the police) waiting for glimpses of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Bernie Mac, and Matt Damon. Fortunately, most of the time the actors were whisked in and out through the garage, and the fans were well behaved. Since few Hollywood movies shoot in Rome, you're generally safe, and we found it only a minor inconvenience. One thing to check, however, at the de Russie is that no concerts are scheduled for the Piazza di Populi next door. An upcoming one in '04 made us walk several blocks for cabs, to meet friends, etc. Nevertheless, we'll be back in '05. (As we were, and loved it more than ever, but that corporate rate was the only reason.)
Via
Ulisse Aldrovandi 15
Rome 00197
Tel: 6 32239 93
Fax: 6 32214 35
http://www.srs-worldhotels.com/italy/rome/hotel_romald.html
Easy to find if you don't confuse north and south as we did the only time we
drove a rental car into Rome. We will never do that again.
A regular room will run $825 and up between May 1 and October 1 (2008), a little
less than the other luxury hotels in Rome. The room was relatively small, but had an acceptable view
over the garden restaurant and pool. Try for the side that looks out over
the Borghese Gardens.
The restaurant is listed as a
3-star Michelin (along with Don Alfonso - See Places to Eat - Positano), but we doubt it. The night we were there the maitre d'
and waiters were arguing with each other and buzzing around worried about a table of
businessmen. Even though there were only three tables of
diners, service was slow. The effect was of disorganization, not what one
expects in an expensive (and it was) restaurant, much less such a pretentious
one. There are dozens of great restaurants in Rome. Skip this one.
(Many recommendations and non-recommendations on this site are examples of You
never get a second chance to make a first impression, but we don't
apologize. A bad screw-up says something about a restaurant, and there are
too many good ones in Italy to put with second rate.)
Luncheon or tea outside in the garden near the pool is much more fun, with good food and decent house wines. But don't be in a hurry. You'll be the only one.
If you don't want to be in the heart of shopping and near the Spanish Steps, this is a fine, relaxing choice.
Via della Penna,
22
00186 Roma
06 3610841
Fax 06 3215249
www.hotellocarno.com
This is the hotel our Roman friends use for their family and friends who come to visit. Just off the Piazza di Populi, a few blocks from the Hotel de Russie and maybe 10 minutes from the best shopping and the Spanish Steps, the extremely good prices ($345 euros and slightly up for doubles in 2008!!!) make this the hotel we'd stay in if we didn't get a rate at de Russie and the one we chose for our friend Sharon, who loved it. Funky, romantic, old wordly, - it's great. Check out the website and Google for pix and quotes.
SHOPPING
The Spanish Steps look over the prime shopping area of Rome, whether it be low cost linen shirts or $500 scarves at Escada. (2005 Note: The Escada shop at the Spanish Steps no longer has price tags on its goods; who knows how much they are now?)
The only way to shop this area is to take the time to wander up and down the streets, wander in and out of shops, ask prices, be unafraid to walk out, look, check stitching and materials, and generally have a really good time. (Russ tends to wait patiently while studying shopgirls.)(Kaye usually spends three or four hours scouting and returns the next day to do her actual shopping.)(Russ waits patiently, studying shopgirls.)
The famed flea market got mixed reviews from the hotel staff and our guide; so we stuck with our favorite area for the limited time we had to shop. An easy cab ride or tiring (if you have packages) walk will take you to where the Roman middle class shops, along via del Tritone. A good area to see how the real people live, with very few tourists. Beware, however, that there is only one cab stand at each end of the shopping area, and you may have difficulty getting one. Best if you arrange to be picked up at a certain time by the cab you have your concierge arrange.
Born to Shop - Italy will lead you to other areas, but we firmly believe that, within a six block radius of the Steps, are all the shops, and bargains, and selection, you'll need for your stay in Rome.
Copyright 2008 Kaye and Russ Cooper-Mead
Last updated 03/12/08