Archive for the Rome category
Saturday, Oct 28th, 2006
Categories: Rome
A lovely and sunny day, we almost thought it was summer!
Andrea was waiting for us at Hostel Andrew and he offered us a fantastic espresso to wake us up. This hostel is cosy, with only 9 beds in 2 rooms.
Location is really good, close to termini station and many restaurants and bar around.
After visting Andrew Hostel we headed to a really nice and cosy hostel located in the centre of the city with lovely staff working there, Sandy Hostel. Christian (Italian) and Cindy English) are the 2 people working at the reception. In this Hostel you can really feel a sparkling atmosphere, and a lot of information for backpackers regarding pubs, restaurants and cultural activities.
At Casa Olmata, Mirella and Marco were waiting for us with open arms and with a tray of pizzas, sweets and a bottle of Italian sparkling wine. What hospitality!!!
This has a fantastic location and amazing views from the roof. Casa Olmata is a few feet from Santa Maria Maggiore and close to Termini Station and a nice walking distance to the Colosseum as well….
Although the building is quite old, as are many in the area are, for short-term guests, these things really don’t matter. What matters is that the staff kept the rooms and the washrooms clean.
If you expect any more from a 20 euro/night hostel, you’re in Rome for the wrong reason! Sit back on the rooftop and enjoy the view and the people!
Our next appointment was at Anakin Hotel, Montestella Hotel and Stargate Hostel. These 3 Hotels are in the same building, 5 minutes walking from termini station.
The part of the hotel we visited had been recently renovated, so everything was in good condition and very clean. The rooms are quite a reasonable size (by European standards) but could possibly get a little noisy if the windows were open because it faced Via Palestro.
There was plenty of cupboard and drawer space and lots of electrical outlets. There was even a mini refrigerator which was good for keeping some snacks and coffee making things on hand. The bathroom was immaculate and the water pressure in the shower was probably the best I’ve seen in Italy. Security was excellent as you had to be buzzed into that section of the building by reception, which had video cameras installed so they can see who is buzzing.
Farid and Carlo are really nice and friendly….and really happy with Hostelbookers!!
Last appoitments of the day
Unfortunately we were not able to see much of our next appoitment, Mj Place because the Hostel is under refurbishment. However it looks really nice and modern with a good design.
Hostel two ducks is a safe and quiet place, ideal to spend a few days in Rome and it definitely represents a good solution for travellers on a tight budget.
It is just a few steps from Termini station and Diocleziano’s terms which is a very big plus (distances in Rome are very important because transportation is very bad organise)
Michele is the person in charge for reservations and Hostelbookers availability, and although his name is Italian, he is originally from Persia.
It is a very small Hostel, with only 26 beds in total, but it is very cosy and clean.
The Pop Inn is in a great and very central location. There is a lot of noise from the streets though so if you need it to be quiet to sleep, this is not the place for you. The rooms and facilities are basic and clean, but probably not for the fussy guest. The staff speak good English and are friendly enough.
The Hostel is very close to the train station but when you’re stood under the big Pop inn sign it’s not easy to see where the main entrance is as lots of beer guzzling locals are perched on plastic chairs in front of it!
The reception is cool, nice colors and the place has an authentic Hostel atmosphere which is very difficult to find in Rome.
A double room in high season costs 107E/night which we think is quite a lot but Rome is notoriously expensive.
This was our last appointment of the day and it’s already 7 pm. We are very tired and starving! Luckily we are staying in Mirella’s friend’s apartment where we are able to cook typical Italian pasta.
Rome is really one of the most beautiful cities in the world, except for the traffic during peak hours which makes everything a bit more difficult.
Comprehensive list of Rome Hostels
For more information on getting around Rome go to Transport in Rome
Saturday, Oct 28th, 2006
Categories: Rome
Mirella and I landed in Ciampino airport at 9.00 p.m.
Everything went perfect; no delays and no queues and lots of relaxing at the airport for 3 hours drinking coffee!!
Unfortunately we had a bad surprise as soon as we arrived in Rome.
We decided to take a taxi to our Hotel which was quite close to the airport but the driver charged us 35 Euro….UNBELIEVABLE!
A good tip for the future travellers to Rome: never trust a taxi driver; try to arrange the price in advance to avoid a nasty surprise.
Comprehensive list of Rome Hostels
For more information on getting around Rome go to Transport in Rome
Saturday, Oct 28th, 2006
Categories: Rome
This was the last day of visits and it was another beautiful day.
Yellow hostel is still in the city centre and is one of the best rated hostels in hostelbookers and when we saw it, we understood why. This place is good at decoration and atmosphere, and has a young and vibrant environment which makes it good for people wanting to meet others. They have a nice common area and while visiting we mixed with all the younger people that were hanging around.
We had a chat with Chris and Mark, which was the first appointment where we spoke English. Both of them are from England and while they admit that their Italian is not very fluent, this fact has not seemed to hinder them much at all, and this is a great little hostel.
This day we planned to go to some places out of the city centre and check what other alternatives are open for visitors to Rome.
Ostello Casale del Monaci is Located in Ciampino, this is a peaceful place with a good garden area surrounding the property, and very close to the Rome Ciampino airport. The building is well kept and rooms and corridors are spacious and spotless clean. It is one of the few places in Rome which is perfect to receive groups as they have parking and a big common area. This place is perfect for those searching for a nice quiet night’s sleep.
We did enjoy our visit to this hostel and we even got a chance to try their food, including the typical Italian spaghetti with tomato sauce. They kindly let us use their shuttle service to take us to the station and then we headed to our next visit.
Camping Village Rome is situated only a few metro stops from the Vatican. Max met us there and we spent a good 2 hours visiting the whole complex. As the name indicates, it is a camping village, but you do have the option of booking bungalows. The facilities are fantastic, and the bathrooms were brand new and spotless. They have a swimming pool, restaurant and plenty of recreational areas. The bungalows are fully equipped, with air conditioning and heating, and most of them even have a terrace with a wooden table ideal to spend lovely summer evenings in.
The Camping Village is big in capacity which makes it perfect for big groups travelling to Rome.
Although it is not right in the city centre, you get some worthy extras and it is ideal for those that stay in Rome for longer than the usual weekend break.
Overall view
Rome is a great city where everyone should go to at least once in the life time. It is rich in history and interesting sites, and we did have a good experience overall. It can be stressful to get around the city as the public transport is not so well organised and moving by bus in Rome can be a difficult for a non Italian speaker. Rome is also expensive and you have to bear in mind that value for money is not always easy to get here in terms of accommodation, but I believe we have suggested some interesting alternatives for the future visitors.
Comprehensive list of Rome Hostels
For more information on getting around Rome go to Transport in Rome
Saturday, Oct 28th, 2006
Categories: Rome
Breakfast is probably one of the best moments during the day in Italy; the taste of espresso is completely different from the London one, and for this reason we probably had too much caffeine in our system as we wandered off to our first appointment of the day. Alessandro palace Hostel and Alessandro Downtown Hostel.
We met Takashi the Japanese guy in charge of reservations, at Alessandro Palace which is very close to Termini station. I had been talking to him at the phone and after the meeting I can confirm he is a very precise and professional person.
The Hostel is very big for Rome, and rooms are spacious and luminous. Some of them have bunk beds, while others have single beds. All of them are ensuite which is unusual in Rome.
This is definitely a good place to meet other people especially because there is a bar famous to many young people in Rome, and they organise a free pizza party once in a week.
All the staff was definitely professional, English speaking and smiling, the latter being quite unusual in Rome where everyone always looks a litte annoyed.
Comprehensive list of Rome Hostels
For more information on getting around Rome go to Transport in Rome
