—Zig Ziglar
Some people travel first class. They easily justify the additional costs of taking the best scheduled flights in Business Class seats, a limo transfer and Premium accommodations. They have taken time away from busy lives and successful careers and insist on making the most of their vacation time.
 |
| Wes in Rome, May 21, 2011 |
Most of us, however, aim somewhat lower on the price scale. In reading reviews on Trip Advisor, a lot of people seem to believe that because they paid three times what they paid once for a Motel 6 in Nebraska, they should be staying in a palace in Rome, even if it had a 1- or 2-Star ranking. I would advise you to NOT believe a nice photo and glowing description of a one star property, especially in Europe, but a well-located 3-Star property may fill your need for a place to stay for a night or two before a cruise. By the way, keep in mind that many of the best reviews at Trip Advisor are probably written by the hotel's own staff, who might also trash a better competitor.
 |
| Rome overview from Forum |
We stayed at the Hotel Corot, a 3-Star property a stone's throw from Termini Rail Station. It is an extremely convenient place to stay, although we managed to exit the wrong door at the station and walk the perimeter before we reached our hotel's street upon arrival.
The street is scarred with graffiti and lined with parked motor bikes. The teens hanging out at midnight don't give you warm and fuzzy feelings, if you arrive late as we did, but the hotel itself is decent.
The street is scarred with graffiti and lined with parked motor bikes. The teens hanging out at midnight don't give you warm and fuzzy feelings, if you arrive late as we did, but the hotel itself is decent.
The bathrooms had been recently remodeled, and the rooms had enough space to walk around the bed without tripping over our luggage, which is pretty spacious for a well-located 3-Star property in a big city. The only negative was the carpet on the stairs, which had received heavy wear during the rain and slush season and could have used a good cleaning, but the small elevator was big enough for a couple with luggage. The staff proved to be polite and efficient. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet both mornings of our stay in Rome. By the way, remember I also book hotels and resort packages.
Getting to Termini Stazione from the FCO airport is simple. We got off the plane, walked through the terminal and boarded the Leonardo Express train, which took us directly to Termini Stazione for just 14 Euro each.
 |
| Amy and Wes walking at the Roman Forum |
Flying from Los Angeles to Rome, however, isn't as easy as it once was, at least if you watch your budget like we do. There are few non-stops these days, possibly because the FCO terminal can't handle processing as many Americans in the post-911 regulatory world. In any case, our reasonably priced flight on American Airlines came with a long layover in London and a bit of an unplanned panic.
As usual, we packed light for our trip, each of us carrying one rolling bag and a backpack, because it avoids checking bags, but in switching to the British Airways flight to Rome, their rep said my rolling case was too big. I immediately insisted I could compress it a bit more, zipping the expansion closed, but it was the wheels extending a quarter inch too far that stopped it from clearing the metal measuring bin.
Not at all happy to be without my bag, I headed to security, only to realize I didn't have my passport. I returned to the BA rep, who insisted she had returned it to me. In what approached being a Monty Python argument, we went back and forth. After numerous denials, she invited me to come around her counter to search for myself, and I found my passport laying on the bag tag printer, where she had set my little blue booklet when the machine had jammed. But who can stay mad at a Brit, when they have such a cheery culture?
