Very nice hotel. Near the train station, convenient for travel. Nice staff.

We have just returned from a 4-day stay in the Augusta Lucilla Palace in Rome. Whilst this was a nice, and clean hotel, this is definitely not a 4-star ranking.

We had a nice bedroom, quite spacious, with double-bed and enough wooden hangers for all our clothes. There was a lovely bathroom with an even lovelier shower but no bath.

My fault laid in the breakfast. Lack of fresh fruit - meant we actually bought our own and took it into the breakfast room. The daily choice of Tinner Fruit Salad, Tinned Pineapple Rings and Ring Prunes/Plums was just not nice. There were plastic packets of the thinnest cheese imaginable - and you often had to fight with the plastic to get the cheese out. There were a selection of rolls, breads and pastries but we found that the baskets a bit off-pointing as they over-hung the bacon hot plates. There was a corn flake which were not corn flakes, natural yoghurt and some dried up cake. There was ample supply of water for teas and a nice selection of teas, plus coffee and hot milk.

The hotel was in a good location - 5 minutes to the railyway station and metro - though we walked most places. The Colissium is about 20 minute walk away, and the main shopping street about 15 - once you get your bearings.

The hotel was located in what I can only call a hotel neighbourhood as every other building seemed to be a hotel - some which appeared nicer than ours, some worse. There were some restaurants in the area but these all seemed to close by 11 pm.

We arrived 10ish on Wednesday evening, and thought we'd get a bite in the neighbourhood as we were hungrey - nothing was open. We walked back to the station - nothing open. We then went back to the hotel and ordered some teas at the bar. We couldn't charge out hotel account as it was a separate entity from the hotel, and they only took cash too. There was a restaurant in the hotel - where one took breakfast - which I can honestly say I never saw anyone eat in.

The staff appeared friendly - but never really acknowledged you as you and went on your way - day or night. They all spoke relatively OK English.

Just watch the step leading to the staircase and lift. Tripped up on it a few times as it was quite a shallow step and not indicated.

I have no complaints about this as such - breakfast withstanding - but I thought we did pay too much money for a 4 nights stay. I'd have not minded if the hotel qualified for 4-star status - but having stayed in 4 and 5 stars before, I'd have expected something a little more for our money and at least fresh fruit for breakfast.

We had a Vatican tour scheduled for 1:30pm on Saturday September 19th, and arrived at August Lucilla from Civitatecchia via Termini station. Our Termini Station experience was difficult just finding the exit out of the station with our luggage, and then a "helpful" cabbie told us not to bother with a taxi, the hotel was "2 minutes walk". The hotel IS very close, 5-10 minutes WITHOUT luggage from a 14 day cruise.

We checked in about noon; were greeted warmly at the desk, and were told with very sincere apologies that it would be 15-20 minutes before it was ready. My husband who prefers arriving at least an hour early for everything, was sure we would miss our Vatican tour. In about 10 minutes, the manager said the room was now ready and gave us the electronic key. (He also talked my husband out of a cab to the Vatican, and gave us perfect directions on the Metro that got us there in less than 20 minutes and saved us many Euros!)

We went up the elevator to room 215, and were amazed at what we found. We were using points to pay for our stay, and in other hotels have found that the room assigned is usually less desirable, especially when you check in early. By any standards the room was spacious, and clean. Once the bellman showed us how to use the key card to turn the power on for the lights, it was well-lit. The walls were covered in fabric, with some cushioning underneath. But I only discovered the fabric when I stumbled into a wall; it looked like wallpaper. The soundproofing was good. My husband said he could hear waterpipes behind the bed, but I never heard anything.

We had a "triple room" that had a king size bed, and what looked like a loveseat/sleeper sofa. The loveseat was made up to a bed when we arrived. We booked the triple because that was the only availability to use points, and it cost fewer points than other hotels were charging for a double. There was a small LCD TV with Italian cable and only CNN in English. We only turned the TV on to get a weather forecast. There is a writing desk, and a nicely stocked mini-bar/fridge. Unlike an international chain hotel where we stayed in another city, they did not charge you to use the fridge "for personal use". There also was a generous sized wardrobe with ample hangers, and a safe.

The bathroom was huge and very glamourous looking. On one wall is a very long counter with double sinks and nicely displayed amenities in the middle; ample space for our personal toiletries also. A towel bar runs across the front of the covering below the countertop. The space above is mirrored. On the other wall there is a rack for towels, toilet, bidet and what I think is a towel warmer (it didn't work :( ). On the back wall is one of the most awesome bathtubs I have had the privilege to soak in! It has an attached headrest, not unlike the headrest on a car. I am 5' 6" and I could totally recline and submerge my whole body, and my toes didn't reach the other end. A few minor issues with some mildew in loose caulking between the tub and the tile above it, and the original stopper for the drain was missing. The black plastic replacement piece was only found by accident. That bath was MY Rome highlight. LOL There are two set of halogen type pot lights in the bathroom, so you can control the brightness. The in-wall hairdryer was great, dried my hair faster than my own.

We had one large window, but if you were looking for a picturesque view, this would be a problem. Looking out from our window,It seemed like a courtyard with exterior walls on all 4 sides. On two of the hotel sides, the rooms had little balconies from floor to ceiling windows. On the fourth side, was a residential building, evidenced by the hanging laundry and non-hotel decor that you could see inside at night. We decided that at the end of the day, we were on Roman view overload, and that the quiet and privacy of this room location was a blessing.

Every morning there is a breakfast buffet for hotel guests. The pastries were fresh and melt in your mouth good. The cold cereal choices were kid-friendly. They had a pot of hot water as big as the coffee pots, and it was hot enough to brew tea, from the wide tea selection. There was hot cereal, scrambled eggs, bacon, some kind of sausage. On cold plates, there were cheeses, and meats. A machine dispensed plain yogurt, that I added jam or some of the fruit available. (The fruit was all canned.) I believe there were bagels, and bread too. There were things I was unaccustomed to seeing as "breakfast" foods. But everyone seemed to leave satisfied that they found adequate nutrition to start their day.

Only other disappointment, was insistance on cash payment for things like bar, internet service. Nothing could be added to room bill.

I stayed at the hotel in September 09 for 5 nights and loved it. The staff were very friendly and helpful with directions especially the gentlemen at the reception. The hotel was two minutes away from the termini station and tour buses, and our room was a reasonable size. When you arrive at the airport, take the train to Roma termini station. DON'T take the coaches that take you straight outside because it's a waste of money and the drivers do NOT know where they are going!

There are THREE mcDonalds near the hotel which was really convenient for us as we eat alot. On the last night, our shower head broke but the staff at the hotel quickly fixed and replaced it for us. The only downfall would be breakfast. There were eggs, bacon, sausages and cold meats.. Some fruits, croissants and cereal but it wasn't upto 4star standards. Bacon was a bit undercooked and sausages were more like hotdogs. Croissants were also a little hard.

The hotel is about 15/20 minutes walk away from roman forums and colosseum. My boyfriend and I walked literally everywhere except to the vatican city because it was abit too far away. There were alot of nice restaurants next to the hotel which were quite cheap and the food was good too. I would definitely recommend this hotel =D