Of course its nice to dream of coming to Rome and staying in some grand, romantic hotel with a gorgeous staff that attends to your every need. But when most of us see the prices of even moderately rated hotels here, we are likely to have an anxiety attack (and when we adjust the price to dollars, complete delirium sets in)! Let’s face it, only a small minority of well-to-do travellers can afford to stay at the The Hassler. If that’s you – well then, good for you – enjoy your wealth. As for the rest of us, we’ll have to settle for a tiny room in some over-priced dive that lacks hot water and smells the like the sewers whenever it rains, or else stay in a convent and have to be in by 10:00 at night or risk being barred by His Righteous Curfew. Isn’t there another option?
Well yes, there is in fact. More and more savvy travelers are discovering that for the most part, hotels are a complete rip-off in Rome – for the astronomical prices they charge, they just don’t seem to be up to even the modest standards most non-Italians would expect. For this reason, an increasing number of short-term rental apartments are becoming available to travelers (in fact, to us expats, it sometimes seems like the entire centre of Rome is being converted into vacation rentals – this clouds our fantasy of living in a medieval Italian dream, but you might as well take advantage!
On average, vacation rentals are much less expensive per-night than hotel stays, while offering tons more services (easy since Roman hotels are not known for offering many services at all). Located throughout Rome and its environs, and available through several English-speaking agencies (see links below), rental apartments give you the opportunity to cook a meal or two and do if few loads of laundry if you wish. They are an especially good option for families, as many have multiple bedrooms and sofa beds. How is it possible to have all this for less than a tiny hotel room? The answer is that Rome’s hotels are just that over-priced.
Short-term apartment rental agencies: Rome and surrounding area
If you’re really on a budget and travelling alone or in a couple, there are several ‘B&Bs’ around the city (Italians use the term loosely) that offer great nightly rates if you don’t mind renting out a room in someone’s apartment (and often sharing a bathroom). Although there is less privacy than an apartment stay, these arrangements can allow travelers to stay in a prime location for a fraction of the usual cost. For example:
run by a Japanese expat, lies in the heart of Trastevere and costs just 40 for one person and 70 euro per couple, including a free bottle of wine. More owner-operated vacation rentals are available at Vrbo.