Hi,
Our hotel in Rome is on Vicolo dei Chiodaroli. Is anyone familiar with that street and/or general location? We'd like to try some good non-touristy restaurants in the general area. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Emily

It's a great location between Largo Argentina and Campo de' Fiori. Have you checked the restaurant reviews on Slowtrav (links to the right)? Anything in listed in the area of Pantheon or Piazza Navona will be close to your hotel. You're also close enough to either walk or take the tram down Via Arenula to Trastevere.

You are between the Campo de'Fiori and the Ghetto and the Piazza Navona and the Tevere. You won't be able to walk five minutes in any direction without hitting good places to eat.

Em, can I ask you one question? I am curious from a trip planning stand point--how did you decide to stay in this hotel without knowing where it was located? Since I deal with this kind of decision on a daily business, it is of interest to me.

Thank you for the wonderful news!!

Emily

Hi Jim,
I guess we got lucky, because we did this blindly. I've been on the internet almost constantly. (It's a good thing I don't pay for this service by the minute,) Because of the dollar/Euro situation, we're trying to keep our expenses down, and on one site there were reviews of the Hotel Smeralda, that seemed to be primarily favorable, and the cost was reasonable. At that time, I had yet to discover this site, but if I had, I would have asked before making reservations. This groups seems to be exceptionally knowledgeable. I'm glad we did OK with this one, but I'm hesitant to push my luck and ask about the the reservations we've already made in Napoli, PortoVenere and Positano. Darn, I wish I'd found this site sooner. Many thanks for the info.
Emily

What is the name and price of the hotel?.I am always looking to save money as long as we have a private bathroom and OK location.We are paying
about 110 euro for the Residenza San PantaleoRR

Hi Robert,
It's the Hotel Smeraldo. I don't know how prices compare. We're meeting our daughter in Roma, so we reserved a triple at 135 EURO. It's a small hotel completely remodeled, with private bath, satellite TV, AC and telephone with internet access and breakfast. It sounded too good, so I worried a bit. I'm glad it doesn't seem to be a problem. I can't remember the site where I found the reviews.
Emily