My wife and I were in Italy mainly on vacation. But I was asked to do some work near Melia Aurelia Antica Hotel on 21 October, and, seeing the good reports in Tripadvisor on that hotel, asked to be booked there for two nights, with checkout on 22 October. So, we were not disappointed by the hotel's distance from the center of Rome, the inadequate shuttle service, or the €50 per day it would have cost us to commute by taxi to central Rome.

The room, a superior double, and ensuite bath were good sized, adequately furnished, and seemed fairly clean. The bed was large and comfortable; the linens good. The room was quiet. It was ready when we arrived and was made up well the next day.

But the room was permeated by the stench of cigarette butts (though they had been removed). Moreover, when we arrived in late afternoon, sunlight was pouring in, the windows were closed, and the room was hot. I asked about the air conditioning, and was told that the single system for the whole hotel had been changed to heating, and that I should open a window. The window opened only narrowly. I would have asked for a switch to cleaner-smelling room not exposed to the afternoon sun, but we did not have time for that.

Next morning, we realized that the side of the bathtub was so high that neither of us could easily step in and out of it, and that there was no grab bar to help. We had to help each other in and out of the tub and needed to be careful to avoid slipping on its wet, rounded bottom.

The cheapest way to use a computer in the lobby for a few minutes was to buy a 40-minute card for €10.

The included buffet breakfast was adequate in the variety of foods, but the quality was only acceptable, not very good. There are no eating places or delis outside the hotel within easy walking distance. The hotel restaurant has a very limited menu, with generally acceptable but not excellent food and beverages, served in smallish portions at high prices. None of the makings of a mixed salad my wife ordered were fresh and crisp, and some were decadent. But when she pointed that out to the waiter and asked him to take it back, he angrily asserted that there was nothing wrong with the salad. When she insisted, he removed it, but the €12 charge for it was included in our bill, and only removed when I appealed it to the front office manager at check out.

When checking out, we asked the clerk to call a taxi for the airport. We were then told that by the front office manager that he had called our hosts the previous day and been told that they would pay only the charges for the room itself. The hotel manager should have raised that issue with us the previous evening. Lacking time to resolve it, I paid the bill and got a receipt. But the hotel’s printer was working so poorly that the receipt was barely legible.

Compared with other lodging experiences in Italy over forty-five years, Melia Aurelia Antica Hotel was a great disappointment. The chain's owners would do well to replace this hotel's managers with some competent people or, if it is a franchise, to terminate Melia's relationship with it.

Had a wonderful experience,. Found the staff friendly at the front desk. supper one of my favorites in Italy, really good, the squid, delicious. People at he hotel very helpful and friendly. Would definitly stay again, only before Sept because of the pool closure. Only bad thing is the orange eggs in the morning ewewl

4 stars plus, but nothing around.
Bus service to Metro station is very convenient.

The hotel is very clean and the standard double room we stayed in was big, with a nice bathroom. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

The shuttlebus service (approximately 50 seats) was excellent and arrived on time for our entire 5 day stay. It stops approximately 5 minutes walk to the Vatican. We, admittedly, didn't attempt to use the infamous last bus, but regularly took the 830pm bus back to the hotel. We did, on one occasion, witness a couple being asked to leave the bus due to lack of seats on the 830pm bus; they apparently don't let you stand.

The breakfast is worth adding to your trip. It has a wide variety of foods including bowls of fresh, mixed fruit, yoghurts, nuts and bread rolls. You also get the choice of an 'American style' breakfast, with sausages and scrambled eggs.

The one area that let the hotel down was the restaurant. The meals were fairly expensive and the drinks were extortionate! We paid 14 euros for a small glass of wine and a 250ml bottle of Becks!

When we did have a meal at the restaurant, we were forced to choose from the 'short menu' and was given a choice from a very small number of meals read out to us by the very disinterested waiter. We both ordered the lasagne, costing 13 euros, and received what was clearly the corner of a pre-made, larger lasagne, heated up with no extra vegetables or sides.

So, if you can avoid the restaurant, The Melia Aurelia Antica is an excellent hotel, with an excellent transport service to Rome centre. Highly recommended!