The Beehive Hotel is located near Termini - Rome's main railway station. The area around it abounds in inexpensive hotels, and the Beehive is the best of them. It is on a quiet street. There is a vegetarian restaurant downstairs, and Philippe Starck chairs in the lobby.
The designer furniture at first raises suspicion and makes you think the hotel is quite expensive. However, that is not the case, and in a double room, you will have to share the bathroom with neighbors. But the rooms themselves are spacious, the mattresses comfortable, and the green courtyard seems like an ideal place to relax after a long walk around the city. Those wishing for privacy can rent an apartment. A double room costs €60, an apartment for two costs €70, and a bed in a dormitory costs €25.
The best way to ignore high hotel rates is to rent an apartment. Retrome Navona is an apartment for four. It is located on Via del Governo Vecchio, on the first floor of an old Baroque building, and costs €180 per day. The apartment is furnished with vintage furniture from the 50s and 60s, which does not quite harmonize with the terracotta tiles and wooden floors. But the ceramic tiles in the bathroom are tastefully chosen, the beds have new mattresses, the linens are of excellent quality, and there is air conditioning.
It is rare to find a clean, nice pension with well-trained staff right in the city center. However, it does happen: the Panda pension is just a stone's throw from the Spanish Steps. Inside are clean rooms with freshly painted walls, beautiful ceilings, cozy beds, and air conditioning. There are rooms with shared bathrooms (from €75) and with private bathrooms (from €98). Keep in mind that booking in advance is advisable, as the pension is always full.
Prati - the district north of Castel Sant'Angelo - is considered posh. But even here you can find a budget hotel. For example, the Colors Hotel. It fully lives up to its name, as inside there is a real riot of colors. Moreover, it is one of the few hotels near the Vatican that offers several accommodation options: from a bed in a dormitory (?15) to a full apartment (?127).
The fifth on the list is the Paradise pension, also located in the elegant Prati district, just a five-minute walk from Piazza del Popolo. It is on Viale Giulio Cesare. This is a hotel with solid furniture and a wonderful view from the windows. According to Travel.ru, a double room costs €85, a single room costs €50.