Just got back from a short break in Rome. Booked through expedia and had a great rate for the flights and accom. The hotel is a very short distance from the Termini station (10 min walk) and was very easy to find. The staff (all staff - reception and housekeeping were all friendly) were extremely helpful and spoke very good English and were only too happy to provide maps and advice on the best ways to get around the city.

We were a group of four and had 2 rooms. Our room was small but quite comfortable although the beds are firm and the room in need of a little TLC. The rooms were very clean and ours was at the back of the hotel with a small balcony and lovely views of the gardens. The room at the front was larger and was better decorated but had an air conditioning unit so you did not have to have the windows to the street open (I would recommend getting a room at the back - particularly in summer as the garden is lovely).

Breakfast was basic but fine and included breads, croissants, fruit and yoghurts with tea, coffee and orange juice. The bar was basic and did not have much personality but with so many great places to drink in Rome you are unlikely to want to do this in the hotel! There are no facilities in the room for tea/coffee or a glass of water (except tap water).

The only problem we had was that there was no hot water on our first day (due to major flooding in the city) but the hotel were very appologetic and got the problem sorted out very quickly.

The road that the hotel was on is off a piazza with several restaurants and cafe's in close proximity. The road itself is not very welcoming (lots of graffiti but seems to be a bit of a problem in Rome generally) but would recommend the hotel as a great base. We walked to all the major attractions from the hotel including the collusseum, trevi fountain, spanish steps and the vatican - although the Metro is very easy and cheap to use (1Euro for a single trip and 4Euro for an all day pass). Even the taxi's were quite reasonable.

A few tips for Rome generally:
- Vatican museum (inc sistine chapel) has long queues for most the year but we got their early and in winter and walked straight up to the kiosk for tickets and straight in. Unless you really want to you don't need to pay for an expensive trip to see this.
- Spanish steps - lots of vendors trying to sell you rubbish - ignore them and they will go away.
- Termini - was not a problem at night as I was lead to believe, obviously be careful wherever you are but we felt perfectly safe in the area at night and used the metro during the late evening without any issues.

Loved this little hotel so much. The staff on the desk went out of their way to help me with all sorts of information various things. Nothing was too much problem. Room small as per Rome standards. Garden area a real bonus and handly location but far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Termini station. Would have no hesitation in staying at Astoria Garden again.

We stayed here 2 weeks ago. We got what we paid for: a clean place to sleep and shower. The location is a short walk from Termini, so it's great for travelers who are just stopping in Rome for a short time. The front desk staff were very helpful, and we even had a porter help us with our bags. The room wasn't especially large or comfortable. The lighting was very dim, and the beds were rock hard--this was the major drawback of the room. The bathroom was a generous size for European hotels and had all the toiletries that we needed. Breakfast was your standard European breakfast fare: bread, cheese, meats, yogurt, fruit, juice, and coffee. It was a decent place to stay for one night, but if our stay had been longer, I would've looked elsewhere for a more comfortable bed.

This is mostly what you'd expect from a 3-star hotel. Some little things let it down though which is why I suggest it's more lke 2.5-star. At popular showering times the hot water can get cold, and some of the room furniture is worn/broken which doesn't really matter but it's just a bit irritating (shower door not quiet closing properly, handles on cupboards all loose). Staff very helpful. Continental cold breakfast is as you'd expect aside from the dilutable orange juice which was a surprise!