We are fortunate that we are able to stay mostly with family on this trip. This put accommodations on “easy mode.”. However, we still needed to find places for our first few nights in Rome and for the night before our 6:30 AM flight from Naples.
We looked at hotels in both cities. As in much of Europe (unlike the United States), four people generally require two rooms. There are some hotels that have rooms with four beds, but those are few and far between. The one hotel we found in Naples that could accommodate us had very poor reviews. And the hotels in Rome were two to three times more expensive than Airbnbs.
I have mixed feelings about the way that Airbnb changes neighborhoods. But for our family, in these specific instances, it made the most sense.
Convenience vs. Cost
Our biggest non-negotiable for any accommodation is separate space for us and the boys. All of us in one room means it’s hard for anyone to get sleep. The boys don’t do great sleeping in the same room either. Tom is a heavy sleeper and can make it through Jerry’s mid-night screams of “DAAADDDDY!” but Jerry is a light sleeper.
So, ideally, we would want a place where they can be separate. An absolute must, however, is a room for Janika and I—and not the boys. Especially on those first nights in Rome where the time change means we aren’t sure how anyone will sleep. Being able to have at least one grownup able to catch some shut-eye is essential.
We aren’t staying in an Airbnb long enough for laundry to be necessary, but it’s nice to know we have it if we need it. Kitchens, too, are nice to have, especially in Rome. We have no idea how those first days will go; being able to have some snacks on hand could come in clutch.
Finding the right spot
By far the biggest filter for selecting the places we did was location. In Rome, we are staying near the main train station. This makes for an easy transfer from the Airport and to get to the train to Naples before we head south. More about those plans in an upcoming post!
As you may have read, we have a flight leaving Naples at 6:30 AM. We needed an Airbnb that was close to the airport. Like, close enough to walk with two kids at 4:00 AM. treets.
There were three properties on the same block, just under a kilometer away from the airport. All of them were smaller than ideal, but we’re only going to be there for 16 hours or so.
In Rome, narrowing it down was a bit more difficult. We considered staying closer to Vatican City because we know we want to see St. Peter’s Square. But in the end, we decided that was too far away from other sites we wanted to see and the train station.
Public transit from the airport goes to the central train station, as does our train to Naples. We will have all our bags, so finding something walkable from the station made sense. That brought it down to five or six properties.
I like to use Hoodmaps.com. It’s not the most scientific tool, but it is helpful to get an idea of a neighborhood’s vibe.
From there, descriptions are nice, but I focus on the pictures and reviews. I’ve seen enough forced perspective photos of rooms to know when the “huge” bedroom is actually a converted closet.
It’s also a plus when the photos allow you to picture the whole space. The place we chose in Rome has a terrace that runs along the entire apartment, and you can see how that will be a great place for Janika and I to sip some wine when the kids are (hopefully) asleep.
Reviews are the most crucial bit. I’m looking for people who stayed there with kids, preferably kids around the same age as ours. For the Naples property, we were worried about walking with all our gear through an, allegedly, not-so-great part of town at 4:00 AM. One reviewer specifically mentioned that they felt safe and ran into a few other groups doing the same. That sealed the deal.
We haven’t communicated too much with the hosts yet, but specific comments about host communication in reviews are important. Especially when there is an issue. Things go wrong. So if you read a review where something went wrong, but the host is responsive, I think that’s a positive, not a negative.
Also, the cancellation policies of both places were generous. We can cancel for a full refund almost up until the moment we arrive. That flexibility made it easy to say yes.
My Advice: Know What You Need
Of our four weeks of travel, we are only staying in an Airbnb for three nights. That isn’t normal, we know that, and staying with family and friends is what made this tThat’s rare and made this easy mode. It also meant we didn’t have to think too much about cost, although it’s always a factor.
My advice would be: know what you need. In Rome, we needed a place big enough to accommodate jet-lagged kids and grownups. In Naples, we needed a short walk to the airport. Maybe proximity to things to do is more important than cost. Maybe you need to be able to cook and eat meals to meet your budget.
Knowing we are staying with friends and family is an amazing comfort. If you are booking all your accommodations, don’t compromise. Your home away from home is just that.