Quirky hotel in the far south side of the Trastevere district. Looks like a standard appartment house (and a boring one) from the outside, but quite cool inside. The majority of the staff do their best to stay with the decoration, ie cool and unfortunately not too friendly. Do spend the money on a better than standard room, as some of the standard rooms are really really bad. The one we got on arrival was pretty much an unpainted, not refurbished appartment: fully equipped with kitchen and somebody's old couch. Having made a big fuzz about it, they switched us but only at a charge. All in all the neighbourhood is ok, the hotel is ok, but you can do much better for this kind of money in Rome.

We enjoyed our stay at the Ripa Hotel. The location is close to good convenient transport and to the interesting and lovely old area. Breakfast breakfast selection was good.

We stayed at the Hotel Ripa for ten nights in August and had a great time. Yes there are elements to the hotel that need some attention, but this did not detract from what was a very pleasant stay.

Situated in the Trastevere area of Rome, the hotel is within easy access of the centre of the city, owing to the fact that it is directly across from the tram stop, which gets you into the heart of Rome in less than ten minutes. Those who claim that it is miles away from the sights must obviously be unaware of this!

We found the staff to be very pleasant and welcoming and always eager to help with any questions or requests that we had. The hotel’s communal areas had a very modern feel, the breakfast room being very light, with quirky shaped walls and there is an unusual stairwell which leads to all floors. Our room was on the sixth floor and had a separate bedroom area, two comfy sofas, a built-in kitchen area, dining table and a good sized balcony overlooking a quiet residential area and of course the necessary air conditioning. Our bathroom, although starting to show some signs of wear, was clean and was constantly supplied with fresh towels and complimentary toiletries, likewise our linen was changed every day.

The hotel offers a good selection for breakfast, with the usual offerings of cereals, pastries, cheeses and meats, as well as eggs, bacon and a fine selection of fruit juices and coffee. Within a short stroll of the hotel you can find a vast array of wonderful restaurants to enjoy the delights of Italian cuisine and it is also close to the Tiber, the banks of which come alive at night. The Trastevere area is a breath of fresh air from the often crowded streets of the city centre, and it is here where many Romans will choose to eat, as the prices can be significantly less than the more touristy areas, but the quality very good.

We certainly enjoyed our stay at the Ripa Hotel and whilst we can accept that some areas of the hotel could do with a touch up, many of the issues raised by other reviewers are somewhat unfounded and we would certainly choose this hotel again.

I am making up a new definition based on my expirience with this Hotel- WYSI N WYG that stands for "What You See Is NOT What You Get". Booked the hotel based on the internet AMAZING pics. The room we got had nothing to do with it. Indeed the lobby looks cool and I am sure they do have (somewhere) a room that looks like that (in the studio where they took the photos...)

Moreover, the Hotel surrounding is ugly, the building itself is ran-down, and the location is too far from actually walking to the main attractions. If you get a good deal for it - then it's OK, otherwise - forget it.