Honeymoon in Rome--any suggestions (Paris, Roma: rent, good hotels, college)

[loves2read]

Please DON'T switch this to travel board--I want to know from people that don't usually go there to post...

Wanted to know of any of you have traveled to Rome--my son wants to spend his honeymoon there next March--I have booked their plane tickets because was not sure if wating would allow them to get the dates/times they wanted--routed through Gatwick instead of chicago outbound so they have to give up 1 carry on each because of BA regulations--which I did not know until after booking...
so any other tips that might help would be appreciated--they are on budget and did not want to take a "tour" package even though neither has been to Rome or even out of the country before...

[hamiltonpl]

I hated Rome. There were hustlers on every corner looking to take your money. Worse than any other city in the world. Bar none.

First, the cabbie ripped us off. Our hotel was two blocks from the rail station. But he drove all over Rome and it took him an hour to get to the hotel. He wanted $150. I gave him $20.

Bad food except for our hotel. Next to us at our table the first night were two English ladies. They had just been mugged in the Roman subway. They never left the hotel for the rest of the trip. (It was a nice hotel by the way, Hotel Napoleon).

Maybe it was a bad time because it was close to the Olympics. But I really left with a horrible taste in my mouth for Rome. I've been in Banana Republics that were more civilized.

[fratermus]

Tour groups are not totally romantic, but can be less stressful.

I have been to Rome several times and saw one (attempted) purse-snatching. Of course, I also saw Bernini, Borromini, Michalangelo, Agrippa, etc. :-)

I do prefer firenze to roma, though.

[FarNorthDallas]

I had my then 1-year-old with me for our 24 hours in Rome so I've tried to remove and destroy those memories from my brain.

But let's see, strollers aren't allowed in the Vatican so don't even try (but there are nice strangers standing around who will babysit for you for afew minutes). I gained new appreciation for ADA laws that we have here in the US. I had to pick up my child, stoller and all, and lug it up and down stairs all over the city while dragging our suitcase.

I think we were near the 3 coins in a fountain place when my son had a full blown temper tantrum and his screams bounced off the walls of the buildings surrounding it. There was also the restaurant we got kicked out of and we ended up in a bar called Texas something although the food and drink they served had nothing to do with Texas. The tour group formed search committees to find us when they were finished eating in the nice restaurant, but I didn't really care to be found. I was in tears dreading 2 more weeks of international travel with a toddler. Oh and our charter to Bosnia was delayed and we spent the night on the cold floor of an Italian military base, so I can't help you with hotels.

But I hear Rome is a nice place for a honeymoon.

[hamiltonpl]

After reminiscing about Rome, I remember that the English ladies who were mugged on the subway kept saying that they couldn't believe nobody helped them. Not even the police. I've been to border towns in Mexico with more respect for the law. The problem is, I wasn't expecting a third world country in Italy.

I really love history. Especially Roman history. However, my trip to Rome erased all appreciation for things Roman. I was really expecting a lot in Rome. We even cut short our time in Paris for it. Instead of a great memory, I left with disdain for Italy.

If I were your son, I'd go somewhere else. Only go to Rome if you're with bodyguards.

[Runnn]

My wife and I went in June '04, Venice, Florence & Rome. I liked Florence the best even though our hotel was an "armpit" and we weren't able to stay as long as we'd have liked given our overall plan. We went to Venice first (flew into) and had a very nice time there... much cleaner than we expected and no real surprises except for a train strike one day. We WALKED everywhere by ourselves!!

We ended up in Rome and had a great time there as well... again WALKED everywhere!! We spent the majority of our trip in Rome since there was so much to see and do. We traveled to these 3 cities by ourselves (unguided) and only took one tour which was of the Vatican, St. Peters & Sisteen Chapel. We were fortunate as we were able to see Pope John Paul II prior to his becoming very ill and passing in early '05.

We did have some language stress since we didn't have a guide and not renting a car made life less stressful as well since you have not seen CRAZY driving until you've been to Italy.

[Tta]

I'm surprised by all the negative things people experienced. My wife and I went to Italy last year during the summer (1st half of August). It was hot, but bearable. Italy was our best and most memorable vacation. We spent 1 day in Venice, 3 in Florence, and 3 in Rome, 1 in Pompeii and 1 in Pisa.
Here are my tips for a great Roman honeymoon:
1. As Runnn said, they will be walking everywhere, so comfy shoes are a must.
2. Depending on how long they are staying for, check out other cities. Make use of the rail stations. Pisa and Pompeii are fun, Florence is artsy (the art and the architecture are great), and Venice is beautiful at night.
3. Splurge on good food and wine. I thought the food in Rome was incredible. Plan out your meals, find out what restaurants are delicious and a good value before you actually get to Rome. DO NOT GET SOMETHING YOU CAN GET IN THE STATES!
4. Be very careful with your valuables. There is a lot of crime, especially when taking public transportation. Buses and trains are notorious places for getting your pockets picked clean.
5. Many places (museums, churches, etc) have dress codes. No shorts, no tank tops, etc.
6. Get a nice digital camera with a lot of memory and take tons of pictures.
7. Start saving money now. Italy is expensive, the exchange rate is between the USD and euro are killer, and will be hard to predict what the rates will be in March.
8. Get gelato. Lots and lots of gelato. Mmmmmm, mmmmmm delicious.
9. English is used in most places. If they know some Spanish, they will be able to understand and speak a bit to the natives.
10. Guide books are pretty useful for finding good restaurants and hotels. Go to Halfprice books and find some guide books that are fairly current.

Hope this helps, and they have a wonderful honeymoon.

[bingo08]

Originally Posted by loves2read

Please DON'T switch this to travel board--I want to know from people that don't usually go there to post...

Wanted to know of any of you have traveled to Rome--my son wants to spend his honeymoon there next March--I have booked their plane tickets because was not sure if wating would allow them to get the dates/times they wanted--routed through Gatwick instead of chicago outbound so they have to give up 1 carry on each because of BA regulations--which I did not know until after booking...
so any other tips that might help would be appreciated--they are on budget and did not want to take a "tour" package even though neither has been to Rome or even out of the country before...

My family has been to Rome. Beautiful country. If they rent a car, tell them it is very hard to find a place to park it. They should not leave anything in sight in the vehicle. It will promptly be stolen. There are alot of gypsys' in Rome, kinda of annoying. Very busy, you need to have a plan before you get there as to what you want to see, otherwise you will be overwhelmed. They should learn a lil italian. It would be helpful.

[Lakewooder]

Personally, I like Roma, but I am with Fratermus on Firenze. I have have been many times, and frankly I am sick of going to the Vatican museum! (everytime you go with someone else they have to see it).

Yes the Roma Termini (train station) can be very confusing when you first arrive, and it's a bit chaotic outside with people hawking rooms and taxis and God knows who else. They should probably get a map of central Roma and just study it very carefully. I can get around almost without a map now but you never know what kind of corner or dead end you might wind up in..

What kind of hotel do they want? Really if you can find any place in the center, you can walk most places -- you might just need a taxi to the train station or airport.

I would suggest that the Amalfi coast is much more romantic. And I have a great, secluded (not my usual m.o.) place I always use: Amalfi Coast Hotel Onda Verde, Praiano in the heart of the Amalfi Coast Italy

[Victoire2002]

I love Rome! It's a beautiful city. I guess a lot of people had negative experiences there, but I really enjoyed it. I spent 7 months there in college, studying the classics and Roman history, and honestly it was one of the best experiences of my life.

The city is a big, busy, and very masculine-feeling place. There is nothing delicate about it, it's bustling with activity and yes, there are gypsies on just about every corner trying to steal tourists' purses or pickpocket them. The gypsy kids are the worst, because they will come at you with newspapers or shoving something in your face, while a dozen hands are reaching into your pockets to grab. But the best defense in this case is to NOT look like a tourist. If you run around with a fanny pack, with white sneakers and shorts on (typical American look), you will get targeted.

As far as the historical monuments, Rome is awesome. I highly recommend staying in the Piazza Popolo / Spanish Steps / Piazza Navona area as well. There are plenty of good hotels there, and it's close to everything you'd like to see, from Circus Maximus, Colliseum, Vittoria Emmanuel, Pantheon, etc.

The food? Fantastic. The best. Honestly. This whole Northern Italian movement, while good, has nothing on good food from Southern Italy (as Rome is considered to its Northern neighbors).

The people? Very nice. Very friendly. It's easy to misinterpret their loud voices and gestures for aggressiveness, but really, their culture is something to behold. They LOVE children, by the way, and will often go out of their way to touch or say something to your "Bella Bambini".

I think it's a very romantic (note the origins of the word ROMantic) city to have honeymoon in....

Hope this helps you. I think the exchange rates are pretty low right now, though, so it might be fairly expensive to travel there now.
Vicki