likejudo

We are looking for Cheap convent stays in Rome near train station.
As a family (2 adults +1 child) we will be visiting Rome for one week from May 22 - May 29 . We want to see the Colosseum, catacombs and Sistine Chapel.
I found this old thread from 20 years ago but many of the email addresses and websites are invalid:
Does anyone have any updated information?

MmePerdu

I did a quick search of “convent stays in Rome” with this one at the top of a number of possibilities:

https://www.monasteries.com/en-GB/search/in/Rome

I looked into it years ago & they never seemed particularly cheap to me but I hope you find something good & report back to us.

FTOttawa

Welcome to Fodor’s. When I was looking into Rome accommodations just pre-COVID it became apparent that the convents had discovered capitalism. They were no longer cheap.

You may have better luck searching your desired area on Google maps or booking dot com. When you find a reasonably rated place in your price range, you can then contact them directly.

likejudo

Thank you. It is sad to hear they are following the money trail too.

likejudo

thanks for the link - certainly not cheap. Apart from the total cost on their website will be an additional charge of the city tax - for 3 of us, a total of $137 which is the Rome city tax, payable in cash

KTtravel

I would suggest staying more centrally, if you can, rather than by the train station.

Traveler_Nick

In general hotel prices have soared post Covid. The city has basically doubled the tax.Add the fact May is high season and not that far away.

Sassafrass

Some considerations.
Those buildings require a lot of maintenance, especially the old ones.
There is a huge amount of labor involved in cleaning, laundry, etc. for guests.
Many of the convents and monasteries use some profits to support charities, wildlife groups and humanitarian causes. You are not just supporting some big chain hotel business.

People enjoy the safety and quiet, and uniqueness of staying there.

likejudo

Has anyone had any experience with monasterystays.com ?
In the FAQ, monasterystays.com say they are not affiliated with the monasteries but are a 3rd party and that their prices are 20-22% higher than if we book directly.

Traveler_Nick

Go to booking.com and search for

Casa per ferie Roma

Domus Helena isn't far from the station but like I said prices have gone up.

likejudo

Thanks. I searched and get "This property has no availability on our site from May 22 to May 29"

J62

Trying to book that long a stay in one chunk may be the issue. See if you can find availability for a few of the days at a time. If you see there are rooms available then you should contact the place directly to see if they can merge 2 reservations.

J62

I see rooms available 5/22 to 5/27 and different rooms available 5/27 to 5/29. You may need to change rooms mid stay but thats not the end of the world.

HappyTrvlr

We always avoid staying in the area around train stations, often not desirable locations.

J62

I guess the real question to the original poster (OP) is what help are you looking for, and what are you really trying to accomplish?

1. is it a convent stay?

or is it

2. are you really just looking for more affordable lodging (if that's the case, look for options at booking.com, and don't limit yourself to convents)

KTtravel

The Monastery Stays site might help you figure out which places have availability. You can then book directly with the convent. However, places are likely filling up. I've used booking.com a number of times and have been pleased with their service. For such a long stay, I would look for places closer to the sights you want to visit. The train station area used to be sketchy but it may have improved. However, it is not close to the sights you mentioned wanting to see.

likejudo

Fodors gave an error yesterday saying it will not allow me to send more than 5 posts in 24 hours and so could not update earlier. I tried to post this morning but got the same error.
To your question...
Both.
Convent for safety, and trust whom we are staying with. We don't have to worry about staff stealing from us.
Convent/monastery for affordability. But alas, we emailed a number of them and all are fully booked.
Regarding your booking.com post,
There were no triple rooms even for broken up dates.
I finally booked at By Grace - Alloggio Turistico, Via delle Calasanziane, 56, Roma, 00167, IT
I booked directly on their website last night but found out today that my credit card company declined because they said that no dollar amount had been specified.
So now the hotel has to work it out with their website provider.

likejudo

Monasterystays apparently has the same idea as a lot of people and prevents them from finding out anything about the place - no address nor contact info
So it is really difficult to contact them.
Also with everything in Italian, it is hard to know where the location of places are and how far from each place - if it had been Spanish, it would actually been easier - perhaps because there is so much Spanish here in the USA.

Travel_Nerd

Are you firm on your dates (as in flights booked)? Or do you have any ability to make adjustments?

With your travel dates being just under 2 months away, you will need to adjust somewhere. Either with how you are staying vs. when.

Have you considered an apartment or air b&b as an alternative? Those places tend not to have maid service so there is no "in and out" by staff. Just trying to come up with options.

janisj

Welcome to Fodors. . . . But . . . "Both. Convent for safety, and trust whom we are staying with. We don't have to worry about staff stealing from us."

Really? Hotels in Rome are just as safe as hotels anyplace