I used to visit Rome quite often for business and I stayed at the Hotel Ripa, in Trastevere. The Hotel itself is nice and the rates are quite cheap for Rome. It is in a very nice area by the Tiber, very much an area that Romans like for a night out. I found the breakfast service at the Ripa very good. Home made bakery product for the real Italian beakfast experience (but meats and eggs and cereal as well). Really good restaurants are within a short distance of the hotel. The Trastevere area is interesting and colourful, somewhat different from the often crowded streets of the city centre. Local bars and restaurants are significantly cheaper than the more touristy areas, but the quality very good. I recommended this hotel to a friend who stayed there last summer, she was very pleased. The touristy areas are within walking distance.