I am traveling to Rome, Italy with my girlfriend in May, I need a
CHEAP but NICE hotel in a central location where I can stay for 3
nights arriving MAY 12, 2003.  Can you find 2 or 3 hotels/Bed &
Breakfasts that are under $100 per night.  Also, I Need the same thing
(cheap & nice) for a hotel in Florence, Italy for ONE night on the
5/14/03 AND Barcelona, Spain for TWO nights arriving 05/22/03.  Thanks
for the help!

Dear curiogeorges-ga:

It was very exciting for me to answer your question because I am a
former travel agent and hotels are my passion. I have done much
research in the past. I will let you know of my best individual
properties in Rome and Barcelona and than give you a link to a very
special website where you can find plenty of quality hotels and bed
and breakfast for a very reasonable price in the three cities you
mentioned. First, let me share my thoughts on individual properties.

My favorite hotel for quality as well as price are the Cristina Hotel
Chain at http://www.cristinahotels.com which operates quality budget
hotel and hostels. The chain has five properties. Please book either
Cristina hotel or Casa Cristina II as others are mixed properties
(containing hostels. I will opt for Cristina Hotel. It is the best
amongst them. Room rates in Cristina Hotel for 2003 range from 60 to
90 Euro for a double bed and 55 to 80 Euro in Cara Cristina II. They
include breakfast and VAT.

Another good option in Rome is the first class Hotel La Pergola at
http://www.hotellapergola.com/offers.htm. Although, the cost is just a
little high at 104 Euro for you desired date but it includes breakfast
and VAT.

Skip Florence and come to Barcelona. My favorites are Hotel Principal
http://www.hotelprincipal.es/principal.htm which goes for 72 to 95 in
2003 ( that includes VAT ). And Hotel paral.lel
http://www.nnhotels.es/eng/Parallel/index.html which goes from 80 to
99 Euro (not including VAT, 7 Euro for breakfast). I also recommend
first Hotel Turin at http://www.hotelturin.com, although this one is
on a little high side at 112  Euros for your desired dates.

What about Florence than. Well there is a website
http://www.venere.com which is operated by a company in Italy. Just
type in your desired date and it will provide you with great prices in
Rome and Florence. Don’t forget to look for bed and breakfast ( once
you type in your date and go to the rates page, there are tabs on top
for hotel, B&B, apartments etc). It gives the prices from highest to
lowest so please click on next page at the bottom 1>2>3>4>5>6>....

You might find a good hotel rate in Spain, too. When I entered your
dates and checked in Barcelona, I found a very nice hotel for 90 Euros
at this website.

I hope this will help. Please clarify, if you get confused. Thanks for
asking.

Sincerely,
leader-ga

I love Italy: mi piace l'italia molto bene; and apologies for my
Italian. So I can't resist adding i miei due centesimi a questa
risposta eccellente.

Rome
====

There are a couple of places for "crashing" mentioned by Frommers
below,

http://www.frommers.com/hangingout/rome/6017024685.html


Plus a one-star hotel in the Trastevere part of Rome, 

* Trastevere Manara     
Manara opened its newly restored doors in 1998 to meet the new demand
for accommodations in Trastevere. This little gem has freshly
decorated rooms, all gleaming with new tiles and fresh paint. All of
the bathrooms have also been renovated and contain showers, though
they're small. The price is hard to beat for those who want to stay in
one of the most atmospheric sections of Rome. Most of the rooms open
onto the lively Piazza San Cisimato, and all of them have comfortable,
albeit functional, furnishings. Breakfast is the only meal served, but
many good restaurants lie just minutes outside the door.

Phone 06-581-4713 
Fax 06-588-1016 
E-mail hoteltrastevere@tiscalinet.it 
Room Information 9 units 
Prices 190,000L (95€, $98.80) double 

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/moreaccom.cfm?h_id=34910&destID=64&p_id=34910&tn=accommodation&search_type=

(If you click on Book Now on the same page, you will get a list of
hotels and prices ranging from about $64; this seem to be a link to
both travelnow.com and lodging.com; but the range of prices listed for
each hotel vary so widely, that I think $64 must be what you pay in
the *armpit* of the seasons; so the link is not useful for online
bookers on a budget. Venere.com, as Leader suggested above, is much
better; I also found venere while looking up rooms in Milan (another
question on this site) after hours of searching.)

For anyone who does want to book a room on one of the US booking
engines (and they are not the cheapest way to go), you can download
software at travelaxe.com, which will search "up to twenty" (including
HotelDiscounts/Hotels.com, AANHotels, OneTravel, Travelswitch) and
some individual hotel websites.
It's available for Rome and Barcelona, but not for Turin. 


I know there are monasteries and convents where tourists can stay, but
have not yet found a reliable url, one with prices and descriptions
easily available.

 This gives an indication of what's available:
http://www.go-to-italy.com/English/Religious.htm

 Here is a list of pensions, operated by religious orders in Rome:
http://www.sjweb.info/articles/romepensioni.cfm


One of the pensions, Casa Kolbe, got rave reviews on tripadvisor.com:

I have been staying at Casa Kolbe off and on for 14 years now. The
staff is cheerful and speaks English (to a degree). They have a
serviceable pension there as well as rooms, so you get a continental
breakfast plus a meal (lunch or dinner). Try to get a room on the
cloisters (Casa Kolbe is part of a monastery) with big french doors.
The rooms are cold, but each bed comes with a toasty duvet and plenty
of blankets, so the mild Roman winters are bearable. It can get hot
during the summer days, but why would you be in your room anyway? Hang
a left out of the front door and the next left off Via San Teodoro and
you'll find some small groceries as well as trattorias. The Italian
Senate meets at the top of the hill behind Casa Kolbe in a palace with
a courtyard designed by Michaelangelo and the Palazzo Vittorio
Emmanuel is at the foot.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d208553-r827838-Casa_Kolbe-Rome_Lazio.html


Casa Kolbe also gets a mention in Frommers hyperlinked list below. 
The list shows hotel name, price category, location (e.g. near the
glamorous Spanish Steps or near the station) and number of stars.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome/64_indacc.html


One hotel which stood out for me on the Frommers list was Hotel
Margutta:
----   The Margutta, on a cobblestone street near Piazza del Popolo,
offers attractively decorated but tiny guest rooms, a helpful staff,
and a simple breakfast room. You'll sacrifice space, but you'll get an
affordable price and a chic location. ...
Price: 190,000L-260,000L (98.80€-135.20€, $95-$130) for a double room.


Another was the Hotel Giuliana:
----   Close to the landmark Trevi Fountain deep in the heart of Rome,
this is a well-maintained, neat little family-run hotel, facing the
Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore. Personal service is a hallmark.
Although not grandly stylish, bedrooms are exceedingly comfortable and
of good size, with up-to-date bathrooms. A generous breakfast is
served every morning in a cozy room.
Prices 150,000L-300,000L (75€-150€, $78-$156) double. Rates include
breakfast.
----  They also have a website, http://www.hotelgiuliana.com/  
[I just checked the rate on the site, and they're higher than those
listed by Frommers ... Double Euro: 103,00 Euro: 180,00, and this was
for 2002.]


Barcelona
=========

Hostal-Residencia Ramos
This pension, noted for its comfortable but cheap bedrooms, occupies
the second and third floor of an antique building that still has its
old-fashioned tile-clad entrance and a charming baroque-like
staircase. It's seen a few renovations in past years, but still
maintains its quaint charm. It overlooks the classic Plaça Sant
Augustí. Rambla attractions are right at your doorstep if you stay
here. Rooms are medium in size and come with small bathrooms with
shower. The best units are two outside corner rooms with balconies
overlooking the bustling square.  Price 62€ double, 105€ suite
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/moreaccom.cfm?h_id=46777&destID=45&p_id=46777&tn=accommodation&search_type=

More Hostal-Residencia Ramos info here: 
www.net4.com/barcelona-hotels 


Two more Barcelona hotels from a Frommers url: 

Mesón Castilla (Barcelona; tel. 93-318-21-82): This two-star charmer
with an Art Nouveau facade is right in the heart of Barcelona. It is
well maintained and well managed, with prices that are blessedly easy
on the wallet. Comfortable rooms often come with large terraces. Only
breakfast is served, but there are many nearby taverns with excellent
food.

Hotel Pampinot (Fuenterrabía; tel. 94-364-06-00): The Infanta María
Teresa stayed at this 16th-century aristocratic mansion on a journey
to France for her eventual marriage to the Sun King, Louis XIV. Now a
stately hotel, it's on a quiet side street in this Basque seaside
resort near the French border. Behind a richly textured stone facade
and Renaissance detailing are bedrooms furnished with both antiques
and reproductions.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/spain/0242020123.html

Hi i sow some nice hotels and hostel , you could check their websites:
http://www.scotthouse.com
http://www.accommodationinrome.com
and if you search for a dorm beds i think one of the good ideea is to
check http://www.fawltytowres.org

Also another resource are:
http://www.cheap-hotel-rome.com
http://www.rome-hotels-online.com
http://www.hotelsk.net
Have a nice trip.