While staying at The Blackberry House, I felt more like I was staying at my friend's apartment than in a b&b with a bunch of strangers. Without the hospitality of Barbara this accomodation might have been merely tolerable but her friendliness and desire to help really made the difference and caused any negatives about the place worth putting up with.

First the positives, the location is very near to a metro station, and while the neighborhood is not what I would call the best - I never felt unsafe. The beds are comfortable and rooms are fairly spacious. Breakfast is provided. There is 24 hour internet access. There was no problem with hot water (although you do have to make sure the water heater is turned on in the larger bathroom). There were no major cleanliness problems - the showers could have been a bit cleaner but it was nothing that couldn't be tolerated.

The only serious negative for me was noise in the morning from other guests who were getting their breakfast. The blackberry house is in an apartment - so it is kind of close quarters in the hallway and you could hear through the door and the wall when people were talking in the hallway. If you are an early riser then this would not be a problem - just be quiet for other guests.

The blackberry house is kind of like a first car (at least my first car). It's not perfect and certainly not without it's quirks but it has character, friendliness and is homelike in ways that perfectly maintained sterile hotels and B&B's could never achieve.

We arrived at the Blackberry via Taxi and Barbara, the manager, was waiting outside the door for us. From outside the massive door, I wondered what awaited us, but just inside, a beautiful spacious courtyard spanned the center of the building with colorful flowers and greenery. This was our first pleasant surprise.

We went up several floors via the stairs. There is an elevator, but we didn't use it. Inside the next door, several more surprises were to be found. The room was spacious and clean. The bed comfortable. A computer with internet connection available to guests was located in the hall. All in all, it was a nice, pleasant place.

Best of all was Barbara. Although she couldn't speak a lot of English, we were able to communicate quite well. She instructed us in the use of the Metro and gave us other helpful hints. She is very friendly and kind.

We stayed two nights and both mornings, a huge breakfast was laid out in the hallway. Some items were available all day, such as coffee.

Although the rooms are not en-suite, there are two bathrooms, one small and one large which are shared among the rooms. They are kept clean and tidy. It was very quiet there at night.

The B&B is very close to the Metro, so if you intend to use it a lot during your stay, this is definitely a plus for staying at the Blackberry. This part of the city is not my favorite so that was the only drawback to staying at this location.

Barbara is a magnific woman. She can help you for all. The room and the two bathroom are very clean for all the day! There is a good breakfast and for all the day there is hot and could water with tea or coffe! There is a computer with internet free for all the guest.

Rome was the first stop on our girl's European holiday. There were three of us (26yos) and we booked a triple room at Blackberry House.

It is located incredibly close to the metro station... literally 50m away, which was very handy. It was a little difficult to find as there's no sign, just a street number so make sure you write down the address. We needed to go into a nearby shop to ask for directions. But once you find it that first time, it's very easy to get to.

Breakfast was included in our rate and was fairly basic but definitely sufficient. There is a water cooler so you can always fill up your water bottles (and you NEED them in hot, hot Rome).

Our room was incredibly spacious with a cupboard, queen size bed, a single bed and a table and chairs, bedside tables and a full length mirror. There was no air conditioner and the supplied pedestal fan didn't really do the job. It got pretty hot in there. We tried to sleep with the window open when we could but sometimes that made it noisy.

The beds were very comfy, and were made daily. We also got fresh towels every day which was nice.

The bathrooms were clean and the water pressure was great. I think there are only four rooms so you never really have to wait to use a bathroom.

Barbara owns the B&B and is lovely and always smiling but doesn't speak much English and isn't around all the time. If you do have a question, she calls an interpreter and gets you to speak to them. It's pretty cute.